Is Lady Gaga's "Fun Tonight" About Christian Carino?

June 2024 · 4 minute read

Lady Gaga has already opened up about how her newest album, Chromatica, was influenced by pain and heartbreak from relationships past. The superstar's fiercest fans, however, are convinced that one of the album's tracks specifically shades her ex-fiancé Christian Carino.

The song in question, titled "Fun Tonight," details Gaga realizing the dissolution of a relationship, and how her mental health and experiences with fame also affect her love life.

"You love the paparazzi, love the fame / Even though you know it causes me pain / I feel like I'm in a prison hell / Stick my hands through the steel bars and yell," sings Gaga on the revealing record.

Twitter was quick to point out how the lyrics seem to echo the speculation surrounding Gaga and Carino's breakup last year. Though the singer notoriously remains mum regarding her relationships, a source told Us Weekly that Carino "didn't treat Gaga very well toward the end of their [two-year] relationship," while another claimed Carino was "jealous" of Gaga following the immense success of her film A Star Is Born.

Gaga clarified the true meaning of the track during an interview with Beats 1 host Zane Lowe, however, explaining that the song details her ongoing struggles with mental health while navigating her career.

"In the middle of the record, 'Fun Tonight,' which is a song that means a lot to me, and every time I listened to it, I get choked up because I can't tell you how many nights that people that really love me were trying to get me to smile or laugh or be optimistic, and I just had no ability to be happy. It just wasn't there," said Gaga.

Read the full lyrics to "Fun Tonight" below.

Feelin' something that I can't explain (Oh)
Think it's a wound I still entertain (Oh)
I'd doanythingto numb theflame (Oh)
I guess I'm just onfire these days (Oh)
I can't see straight, I can't seeme
There'stoomuch hurt caughtin between
Wish Icould be what I know I am
This moment's hijacked my plansI'm feelin' the way that I'm feelin', I'm feelin' with you
I stare at the girl in the mirror, she talks to me tooYeah, I can see it in your face
You don't think I've pulled my weight
Maybe it's time for us to say goodbye 'cause
I'm feelin' the way that I'm feelin', I'm feelin' with you
I'm not havin' fun tonightYou love the paparazzi, love the fame
Even though you know it causes me pain
I feel like I'm in a prison hell
Stick my hands through the steel bars and yell
What happens now? I'm not okay
And if I scream, you walk away
When I'm sad, you just wanna play
I've had enough, why do I stay?I'm feelin' the way that I'm feelin', I'm feelin' with you
I stare at the girl in the mirror, she talks to me tooYeah, I can see it in your face
You don't think I've pulled my weight
Maybe it's time for us to say goodbye 'cause
I'm feelin' the way that I'm feelin', I'm feelin' with you
I'm not havin' fun tonightOh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
I'm not havin' fun tonight
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
I'm not havin' fun tonightYeah, I can see it in your face
You don't think I've pulled my weight
Maybe it's time for us to say goodbye 'cause
I'm feelin' the way that I'm feelin', I'm feelin' with you
I'm not havin' fun tonight
Headshot of Bianca Betancourt

Bianca Betancourt is the culture editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com, where she covers all things film, TV, music, and more. When she's not writing, she loves impulsively baking a batch of cookies, re-listening to the same early-2000s pop playlist, and stalking Mariah Carey's Twitter feed. 

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