Telephone consists of a verse-rap.
`` Telephone '' is a song recorded by American singer Lady Gaga for her third EP , The Fame Monster -LRB- 2009 -RRB- .. Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga. The Fame Monster. The Fame Monster. Extended play. The song features American singer Beyonce .. Beyonce. Beyonce. The song was written by Gaga , Rodney Jerkins , LaShawn Daniels , Lazonate Franklin and Beyonce .. Beyonce. Beyonce. LaShawn Daniels. LaShawn Daniels. Rodney Jerkins. Rodney Jerkins. Inspired by her fear of suffocation , Gaga explained that the lyrics preferring relaxing on the dance floor to answering her lover 's phone call are a metaphor , the phone calling her representing the fear of not having worked hard enough to succeed .. suffocation. Asphyxia. Originally , Gaga wrote the song for Britney Spears , who recorded a demo .. Britney Spears. Britney Spears. Musically , `` Telephone '' consists of an expanded bridge , verse-rap and a sampled voice of an operator announcing that the phone line is unreachable .. bridge. bridge ( music ). verse-rap. verse ( popular music ). Beyonce appears in the middle of the song , singing the verses in a rapid-fire way , accompanied by double beats .. Beyonce. Beyonce. The song received positive reviews from critics who frequently noted `` Telephone '' as a stand-out track from The Fame Monster .. The Fame Monster. The Fame Monster. It was Grammy-nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 2011 .. Grammy. Grammy Award. Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. `` Telephone '' charted in a number of countries due to digital sales following the album 's release , namely in the United States , Australia , Canada , the Netherlands , New Zealand , Sweden and Hungary .. The song was particularly successful in Europe where it reached the top of the charts in Belgium , Denmark , Hungary , Ireland , Norway and the United Kingdom .. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry , the single sold 7.4 million digital copies worldwide in 2010 , making it one of Gaga 's best-selling singles .. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. digital copies. Music download. The accompanying music video is a continuation of the video for her 2009 song , `` Paparazzi '' , and is also shot as a short film .. Paparazzi. Paparazzi ( Lady Gaga song ). After Gaga gets bailed out of prison by Beyonce , they go to a diner and poison the guests having breakfast .. Beyonce. Beyonce. After the homicide they escape and end up in a high-speed police chase .. The video referenced Quentin Tarantino and his films Pulp Fiction -LRB- 1994 -RRB- and Kill Bill  : Volume 1 -LRB- 2003 -RRB- .. Quentin Tarantino. Quentin Tarantino. Pulp Fiction. Pulp Fiction ( film ). The video received generally positive reviews was nominated for three awards at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards , including one for Video of the Year .. 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. Video of the Year. MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year. In January 2015 Billboard named it the best video of the first half of the decade .. In memory of Alexander McQueen , Gaga performed an acoustic rendition of `` Telephone '' mixed with `` Dance in the Dark '' at the 2010 BRIT Awards .. Alexander McQueen. Alexander McQueen. Dance in the Dark. Dance in the Dark. 2010 BRIT Awards. 2010 BRIT Awards. It was also added to the set list of The Monster Ball Tour in 2010 , the Born This Way Ball in 2012 and ArtRave  : The Artpop Ball in 2014 .. The Monster Ball Tour. The Monster Ball Tour. Born This Way Ball. Born This Way Ball