GALA is actually so good you don't understand:
- The dance is amazing and has so many new styles The song GALA is choreographed by Sienna Lalau and includes different techniques inspired by the fast-paced song. (Here is the dance practice) For example, the choreo has many moments that are a reference to the runway and Vogue-inspired steps. They use lots of tutting and intricate hand movements and floor work like the duckwalk or Harvey's split. Not only that, but there's also a breakdancing part with Cocona. (I'll get more into that in the next point)
- What do you mean Cocona had one month to learn breakdancing for the choreo? That's right, Cocona only had one month to learn breakdancing, and they did very well especially since they are a beginner. The choreo for GALA is very intense, so Cocona worked very hard in order to challenge themselves and learn the choreo in time.
- The lyrics have so many references (here's a breakdown) The first noticable thing that pops up in the song is that Harvey speaks in French. This is a reference to the high-fashion theme of the song with France being associated with high-class and luxury fashion. She says, "Ce soir, Je te suis, Jusqu'à l'infini, (Ooh) au-delà des planètes, À travers les univers" This translates to "Tonight, I'll follow you, To infinity, (Ooh) beyond the planets, Through the universes" in English.
- The music video and outfits are crazy Watching the music video explains it better than me trying to describe them.
The next line is "Take us up, Exodus" if you don't know what Exodus is, it's a departure of a large number of people and the title of the second book of the Bible's Old Testament. This connects to how they are on a journey to the Met Gala supposedly.
After that is "Which crew flyer than us? Riddle me that, We don't need to do nothing, let 'em react, You know I could slay the whole city with that, We taking over the night because I'm pretty in black" which is a reference to Batman and the Riddler. In the music video, Harvey raps this line while in a black coat, similar to how Batman wears black against a visual of a dark city. She says "Riddle me that" as a point about how XG is the best but also the Riddler because in her lines after she references the city and "taking over the night" in black like Batman.
The next line that Maya delivers is "Everything we do got a runway with it, Walk so mean like mind yo' business, Look so sharp, Hattori Hanzo linen, Then I hit 'em with the blue steel, Mugatu get it?" First of all, she references the Met Gala by using the words "runway" and "walk." The lyrics "Look so sharp" not only references how she looks good, but is also connected to the next line with " Hattori Hanzo" who is a famous Japanese Samurai and his sword being sharp. "The blue steel" and "Mugatu" references the 2001 film Zoolander, where the blue steel is a "intense" modeling pose with pursed lips and sucked-in cheeks used in the film and Jacobim Mugatu, one of the characters, mocking the look. It also connects back to the lines "Hattori Hanzo" and "look so sharp" because Blue steel is literal steel also known as Aogami which is a high-carbon, alloyed steel from Japan used to make premium knives.
The next verse that needs explaining is "It's like art (art), fashionable lover, I'm like a narc 'cause I'm always on the cover, Hit 'em with the pose and a swag too official, Only ELLE I know is the mag', what's the issue?" A narc is slang for "narcotics agent," a federal agent or police officer who specializes in laws dealing with illegal drugs. This connects to "I'm always on the cover" because narcs go undercover for their job and she's "on the cover" because of the Met Gala and fashion. The next thing is "Only ELLE I know is the mag', what's the issue?" ELLE is a fashion magazine but when this line is rapped, it could also be taken as the letter L which in slang means "loss" or "loser." With this new word, the line means that she doesn't have any losses. In the line "What's the issue?" the word issue references magazines and "the mag" with how many times they has been published within that specific year. In the music video, a few seconds before, Jurin points finger guns and fires them, shattering the screen, which can be interpreted as another meaning of parts of a firearm with "mag" and "issue."
Another verse in the song is "I mean, who else do you know put it on like this?, If you don't get it, that's not my problem, Changing my hair like my last name Rodman, Top five with the drip, top to bottom, Anything that we rock they be talking about it." The person rapping this is Cocona, who at the time buzzed their heads. The line "changing my hair like my last name Rodman" references Denis Rodman, a famous basketball player who is also known for changing his hair a lot and coloring it after he shaved it, like Cocona.
The next thing is "Shaking up the spot, looking stone cold, shiver (everything you do), And we shine through the dark like a snow globe, glitter." The lyrics "shaking up the spot," "cold," "glitter," and "shiver" reference the "snow globe" due to it's winter landscape and the fact that you shake a snow globe filled with glitter or "snow," while also meaning that they look so good it shakes up everyone else.
Another iconic line in the song is "Bionic, all mechanic, Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto." "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto" is an interpolation of the famous song "Mr. Roboto" by Styx. This part is used to keep up with the futuristic house vibe of the song while also a nod to the robotic theme throughout the song.
Reccomended songs by XG:
- GALA
- Woke Up
- IYKYK
- Rock the Boat
- Hypnotize