Mankiw Professes Predilection for Lady Gaga

If there's anyone who would be able to expound on the intricate economy of Lady Gaga's music career (and the ramifications of her outrageous fashion choices on her business), it seems like we'll all have to turn to legendary Ec10 Caesar N. Gregory Mankiw.

On Saturday, the professorial superstar posted a brave confession on his infamous blog—aptly subtitled "Random Observations for Students of Economics"—that detailed his most recent venture into the confusing world of music. In an entry titled "What I've been listening to," Mankiw writes:

I am bit embarrassed to admit this, but the answer is Lady Gaga. Her music reminds me Blondie, which I enjoyed back in my student days. I particularly like the Lady Gaga song Bad Romance.

More post-jump.

Bad Romance? Yeah, you heard the man. That's the jig with lines like, "I want your psycho, your vertical schtick [hey!]" and "I'm a free bitch, baby!" The song is the lead single off of Lady Gaga's second album, "The Fame Monster," and the music video's been getting heavy circulation in recent days, with its liberal use of "Thriller" moves and the Twist, and a never-ending series of montages of Lady Gaga in extraterrestrial outfits that FlyBy typically reserves for Halloween.

But apparently, Mankiw appreciates Lady Gaga's artistry—and he's bold enough to admit it. We're not going to be the type of people who pigeonhole intellects in the realm of the unartistic: if economists who happen to be fans of Lady Gaga are open to penning the lyrics of one of her upcoming singles, we have no doubt that they would utilize the sensual elements of the supply and demand curve, or principles related to the consumption of goods and services, to create a most rousing track. Not such a 'bad romance,' after all.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: Feb. 8, 2010

An earlier version of this post stated incorrectly that "I want your psycho, your vertical stick" is a line from the song "Bad Romance." In fact, the line is, "I want your psycho, your vertical schtick."