Lady Gaga has described the mermaid sex in her new video for 'You And I' as a metaphor for the challenges of love.

The video for the fourth single from the singer's 'Born This Way' album was released this week, which features scenes of the pop star playing a mermaid, having sex with her mad scientist lover.

Now, she has opened up about the scenes, explaining on the MTV Lady Gaga special that they were intended as a metaphor. She said:

"Well that's actually part of what the metaphor is - you can't. Sometimes in love, you can’t make it work. No matter what you do, there’s this giant boundary between you and someone else."

She added that it was part of the song’s romantic fantasy:

"That's what it’s about, perceiving in your imagination that there’s something magical inside of you that can make it work."

The 'You And I' video also has Gaga dressed as her Italian male alter-ego, Jo Calderone.

Watch the video for 'You And I' here: