Oh, HEY THERE, Lady Gaga!
I suppose you've heard about Gaga's latest? And what "Christians" have to say about it?
Sooo....I actually happen to teach religion and am working on my MA in Theology and I'm not saying that makes me an expert or anything....but....
No, for reals. That for sure does not make me an authority on this in any way. But I just have been asked by every. single. person. and their grandmother about what the Church and Christians have to say about this song. And I can only really speak for myself since I am pretty sure Benedict XVI himself has not yet wrote an encyclical about it or even heard it on itunes.
All I know is Gaga is starting to impress me less and less and we all know how I loved her. When "Born This Way" came out (heh) I was on the "it- sounds-just-like-'Express Yourself'- laid-over-top-of-TLC's-'Waterfalls'" train. And now this Judas business which even the students I work with acknowledge that it sounds strikingly similar to "Bad Romance".
But, yet, Gaga still has our attention, even if it is much in the same vain (pun intended) as Madonna before her. And Madonna's shoes are not necessarily bad ones to be in. I happen to think Lady Gaga is even more of a musician than Madonna. Madonna perhaps, though, had more of a defined vision. Both certainly have drive.
So, yeah, even with all the hype, I'm underwhelmed. Maybe that's because I was, oh, I don't know, ALIVE in the 80s when Madonna's 'Like a Prayer' controversy hit (albeit I was about 8 and totally making up choreographed dances to the song in the parking lot of my Catholic School that I attended. Blasphemy? Meh, irony maybe.)
I'm sure the video will be shocking (Um, I was a little disturbed by the video for "Born this Way". Not because of any kind of lyrics but that the beginning reminded me a little too much of The Miracle of Life videos shown in health class. No one likes to revisit those, Gaga) but really all I can speak for right now is what I think about these damned (heh) lyrics. So here goes:
The lady herself has said it is about being drawn to the wrong kind of guy, and that's how I take the song 'Judas' as well. I do think she used all the over-arching imagery (ie- "a king with no crown" and "I'll wash my feet with my hair") to be shocking, but I do think she is also making her point with it. She says in the song "Jesus is my virtue." I take the lyrics to mean she knows what is good, but yet she chooses to "wash the feet" of the wrong guy instead. She sympathesizes with the betrayer for some reason, even though she knows it's wrong and bad for her.
That's really all I got. Like I said, I'm underwhelmed. Maybe that's what comes with turning 30. Last year, i was dressing up like Lady Gaga, this year, I'm over the drama.
I'm just kind of over the drama, Gaga : ( I'm getting to old for this.
Peace,
Julia
