"Paparazzi" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga, released as the final single from her debut album, The Fame. Written by Rob Fusari and Gaga, the song was the album's third single in Britain, Ireland and Italy, the fourth in Canada and the United States and the fifth in Australia, New Zealand and France. It was released on July 6, 2009 in Britain and four days later in Australia. Initially, "LoveGame" had at first been planned to be released as the third single release in Britain, but it was decided that Paparazzi would be released instead because of the potentially controversial lyrics and music video of LoveGame. The song was written by Gaga to portray her struggles for fame. It is a mid-tempo dance song whose lyrics show a stalker following somebody to grab attention and fame.
"Paparazzi" has been critically acclaimed for its fun-filled, club-friendly nature and is considered the most memorable and telling song from the album. The accompanying music video shows Gaga as a doomed starlet hounded by photographers, and in the process almost killed by her boyfriend. It shows her survival, comeback, revenge on her boyfriend, and experiences on the way to fame. The song reached the top ten of the official charts in Australia, Canada, Britain and Ireland, and number one in Germany and the Czech Republic. In the United States it has reached six on the Billboard Hot 100.
Gaga performed the song live at her first headlining The Fame Ball Tour, where it was the opening song; the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, where she won Best Art Direction and Best Special Effects awards; and on Saturday Night Live in October 2009. As a Rapunzel-like character, she also performed it on The Monster Ball Tour.