Lady Gaga's Early 'Applause'

If you've been living under a rock for the past three hours (in the Twitterverse, that's a lifetime) then wake up, Monsters, a pop emergency is underway!

SLIDESHOW: EXCLUSIVE IMAGES OF LADY GAGA FOR OUT COVER STORY

Lady Gaga had been tweeting to fans about the release of a new single (LISTEN TO IT HERE) originally scheduled for release on August 19.

HERE'S A SNIPPET FROM MY NEW SINGLE! https://t.co/2sXB8kSmQL OUT IN HQ AUGUST 19TH!!!

-- Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) August 9, 2013

But following the leak of the single "Applause," Gaga declared a pop emergency and released the track to U.S radio stations ahead of schedule, in a series of ALL-CAPS alerts.

A POP MUSIC EMERGENCY IS UNDERWAY 911 -- Lady Gaga (@ladygaga)

DUE TO HACKERS AN ABUNDANCE OF LOW/HIGH QUALITY LEAKS...WE ISSUE THIS POP MUSIC EMERGENCY...MONSTERS SPREAD THE WORD

-- Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) August 12, 2013

HERE IS A PHOTO TO ACCOMPANY THIS EMERGENCY------> pic.twitter.com/UkhGa2Gidg -- Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) August 12, 2013

Misery--of the kind that comes when a megastar's song has to be released early--loves company. Lady Gaga commiserated with Katy Perry via Twitter about Perry's new single, "Roar," also forced into early release after being leaked Saturday. Gaga invoked God, which is appropriate level of furor over pop singles:

Lord, in HEAVEN WHY

-- Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) August 10, 2013

And tweeted to Perry with some veiled threats of violence against hackers. (Though, it makes one wonder what Gaga thinks of Manning and Snowden...)

Wanna grab some shovels and fuck up some hackers? @katyperry excited to hear your ROAR, sorry to hear about your truck! -- Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) August 11, 2013

To which Perry replied:

@ladygaga what a WILD weekend so far... claws out, paws up! Looking forward to puttin my hands up & making them touch too!

-- Katy Perry (@katyperry) August 11, 2013

"Applause," which has audience feedback actually built into the title, is the first track released from Gaga's new ARTPOP album, which isn't due out until November--unless also leaked early. The album is available for pre-order on September 9, along with an app that is described on Lady Gaga's Facebook page as "a musical and visual engineering system that combines music, art, fashion and technology" that will allow app users to "experience the 'adrenaline of fame,'" Capisce?

SLIDESHOW: EXCLUSIVE IMAGES OF LADY GAGA FOR OUT COVER STORY

Hinting that the use of app descriptions is a performance art demonstration of opacity in marketing is the below video that the Marina Abramovic Institute that depicts Lady Gaga studying the Abramovic method, nude.

The Abramovic Method Practiced by Lady Gaga from Marina Abramovic Institute on Vimeo.