Let’s take a break from Egypt. I could bore readers with tales of life here; seriously, my life isn’t terribly exciting: I go to Arabic class, study Arabic, spend too much time online, exercise (but not enough), and squeeze in quick trips to Cairo or Zagazig on the weekends (much to the chagrin of my perpetual intentions to Study All Weekend). Instead, I'm going to talk about pop culture.
Since first heading to the Arab world almost three years ago, I’ve become something of a connoisseur of all things stereotypically American. Things I never really enjoyed when I lived in the USA – silly comedies, trashy pop music, French fries, soda – suddenly became remnants of a life I missed and desired, even though I didn’t partake when I was there.
Partway through Peace Corps, one such obsession emerged: Lady GaGa. Poker Face mystified me. I still laugh hysterically every time I watch the music video for Telephone. She was “the next Madonna” with only a few singles released. Her songs break records instantly. I’ve studied, memorized, and analyzed her lyrics and beats, and gotten giddy waiting for new songs to come out. But some critics are starting to wonder if GaGa has already peaked.
Born This Way was hyped to be the anthem for our generation. ...I wouldn’t go that far, but I wasn’t as disappointed or underwhelmed as some, either. I found it catchy. It lacked the intentionally vapid quality of her other songs that always hid something slightly sinister – an ability to convey a message and an attitude while ostensibly just writing about fame, fortune and individuality. This was a quality I liked and respected in her music. But she branched out. Born This Way is a nice, feel-good song. It was perhaps just overhyped.
Some felt Born This Way was a remake of Madonna’s Express Yourself. I’m not sure that's true, or if it matters. Madonna has always been one of GaGa’s biggest inspirations, and GaGa has not apologized for it. Born This Way was something new too: it was, unquestionably, the most LGBT-friendly song to ever hit mainstream pop culture. I can think of no other hit song’s chorus that includes the word “transgender.” GaGa is still pushing the envelope, and I love her for it. Who cares if she was merely pandering to her base?
There seem to be two mainstream interpretations of Mother Monster and her relationship with her fans: that she is an artistic and musical genius who is decades ahead of her time and that anyone who doesn’t like her is a simpleton who doesn’t understand her; or, that she is a great marketer with fans who will gobble up any garbage she produces, and who will convince themselves they should like it. I guess I’m somewhere between these two camps. While I haven’t been blown away in a little while, I am certainly still engaged and impressed. (I hope she makes an acoustic album sometime – that girl’s piano remake of Viva La Vida is my #1 most played song on iTunes.) She amuses like none other. She keeps coming up with new ideas for costumes, grand entrances, and even wackier explanations for what her actions really “mean.” Some don’t make sense, but they certainly make you wonder if she’s a genius or if she might just be insane.
Judas, in my opinion, shows some of GaGa’s best qualities, but it also highlights some of the concerns people have expressed about her. It is catchy and edgy, beyond a doubt. Many people are already up-in-arms with a variety of analyses: is it a love song for Jesus from a Mary Magdalene who relates well with Judas, or a praise song GaGa herself is singing to Judas, or, perhaps a love song Jesus (one could be forgiven for thinking she’s comparing herself to Jesus) sang to Judas? And by love, she doesn’t mean, “love as a brother or sister in Christ.” The language is fairly explicit and sexual. And if you’re offended, “wear an ear condom.” GaGa is going to f*** with your mind, whether you want it to happen or not. All you can choose is if you want to get infected.
References to a sexual Jesus often aren’t taken well. References to a sexual Jesus from a potential male lover who betrays Jesus – that’s straight-up scandalous. This is not the first time it’s been done, but it's certainly the first time a pop icon wrote a mainstream song about it. She says Judas is merely the next step from Bad Romance – a story of being in love with someone who’s terrible to you. But her refusal to analyze her own lyrics further when there is so much ambiguity is a return to intentional vapidity with dark undertones, taken to a new extreme.
GaGa’s confession that the song is influenced by Bad Romance raises concerns: she might not be a true creative genius – heck, her songs already sound the same. (Seriously, there are some chord progressions that I know I’ve heard before and that lyrics from Bad Romance fit too well over.) That said, given her recent appearance in an egg and her new protruding cheek bones, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of this woman’s creativity. The other fear is that the fame is already going to her head and, if she wasn’t a little wacky to begin with, that she might be going truly insane. Only time will tell on that. For now, I look forward to Just Dancing several nights away to Judas and several other songs that will be released on her new CD next month.
Until then,
A Little Monster
Since first heading to the Arab world almost three years ago, I’ve become something of a connoisseur of all things stereotypically American. Things I never really enjoyed when I lived in the USA – silly comedies, trashy pop music, French fries, soda – suddenly became remnants of a life I missed and desired, even though I didn’t partake when I was there.
Partway through Peace Corps, one such obsession emerged: Lady GaGa. Poker Face mystified me. I still laugh hysterically every time I watch the music video for Telephone. She was “the next Madonna” with only a few singles released. Her songs break records instantly. I’ve studied, memorized, and analyzed her lyrics and beats, and gotten giddy waiting for new songs to come out. But some critics are starting to wonder if GaGa has already peaked.
Born This Way was hyped to be the anthem for our generation. ...I wouldn’t go that far, but I wasn’t as disappointed or underwhelmed as some, either. I found it catchy. It lacked the intentionally vapid quality of her other songs that always hid something slightly sinister – an ability to convey a message and an attitude while ostensibly just writing about fame, fortune and individuality. This was a quality I liked and respected in her music. But she branched out. Born This Way is a nice, feel-good song. It was perhaps just overhyped.
Some felt Born This Way was a remake of Madonna’s Express Yourself. I’m not sure that's true, or if it matters. Madonna has always been one of GaGa’s biggest inspirations, and GaGa has not apologized for it. Born This Way was something new too: it was, unquestionably, the most LGBT-friendly song to ever hit mainstream pop culture. I can think of no other hit song’s chorus that includes the word “transgender.” GaGa is still pushing the envelope, and I love her for it. Who cares if she was merely pandering to her base?
There seem to be two mainstream interpretations of Mother Monster and her relationship with her fans: that she is an artistic and musical genius who is decades ahead of her time and that anyone who doesn’t like her is a simpleton who doesn’t understand her; or, that she is a great marketer with fans who will gobble up any garbage she produces, and who will convince themselves they should like it. I guess I’m somewhere between these two camps. While I haven’t been blown away in a little while, I am certainly still engaged and impressed. (I hope she makes an acoustic album sometime – that girl’s piano remake of Viva La Vida is my #1 most played song on iTunes.) She amuses like none other. She keeps coming up with new ideas for costumes, grand entrances, and even wackier explanations for what her actions really “mean.” Some don’t make sense, but they certainly make you wonder if she’s a genius or if she might just be insane.
Judas, in my opinion, shows some of GaGa’s best qualities, but it also highlights some of the concerns people have expressed about her. It is catchy and edgy, beyond a doubt. Many people are already up-in-arms with a variety of analyses: is it a love song for Jesus from a Mary Magdalene who relates well with Judas, or a praise song GaGa herself is singing to Judas, or, perhaps a love song Jesus (one could be forgiven for thinking she’s comparing herself to Jesus) sang to Judas? And by love, she doesn’t mean, “love as a brother or sister in Christ.” The language is fairly explicit and sexual. And if you’re offended, “wear an ear condom.” GaGa is going to f*** with your mind, whether you want it to happen or not. All you can choose is if you want to get infected.
References to a sexual Jesus often aren’t taken well. References to a sexual Jesus from a potential male lover who betrays Jesus – that’s straight-up scandalous. This is not the first time it’s been done, but it's certainly the first time a pop icon wrote a mainstream song about it. She says Judas is merely the next step from Bad Romance – a story of being in love with someone who’s terrible to you. But her refusal to analyze her own lyrics further when there is so much ambiguity is a return to intentional vapidity with dark undertones, taken to a new extreme.
GaGa’s confession that the song is influenced by Bad Romance raises concerns: she might not be a true creative genius – heck, her songs already sound the same. (Seriously, there are some chord progressions that I know I’ve heard before and that lyrics from Bad Romance fit too well over.) That said, given her recent appearance in an egg and her new protruding cheek bones, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of this woman’s creativity. The other fear is that the fame is already going to her head and, if she wasn’t a little wacky to begin with, that she might be going truly insane. Only time will tell on that. For now, I look forward to Just Dancing several nights away to Judas and several other songs that will be released on her new CD next month.
Until then,
A Little Monster
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