Lady Gaga is not one to shy away from the topics she believes in even if people are offended by her tactics..I'm sure you all remember the meat dress she wore at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2010! There are certain themes that Lady Gaga revisits in all of her music that have become a representation of her image and what she stands for.
Today in class we discussed how Lady Gaga publicly identifies herself as a Christian and a supporter of equal rights for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered community. Lady Gaga has never been one known for subtlety and has caused quite a bit of controversy. Many of her fans view her as the leader of a community governed by love, tolerance, and equality. This Gaga Gospel, if you will, has a massive following of fans of all ages all over the world.
In April Lady Gaga released a song called Judas that is written from the point of view of Mary Magdalene. The music video for Judas is controversial and provocative and has upset some members of the Christian community. It is a video that is overflowing with imagery, and much of the imagery is Christian imagery. The music video begins with Lady Gaga riding a motorcycle alongside a motorcycle gang. She is sitting on the back seat of a motorcycle belonging to a motorcycle rider who seems to be a representation of Jesus, with a golden Crown of Thorns on his head and golden dreads. As the video progresses, it seems to suggest that Lady Gaga is torn between Jesus and Judas, both of whom she loves. She explicitly says in the song that Jesus is her virtue and Judas is the demon she clings to. The video shows her physically struggle with trying to choose between the two.
At one point in the music video she is standing between two men, one representing Jesus, the other representing Judas, while holding a gun, and the video seems to suggest that she must pick between the two. At another point in the video, Lady Gaga is bathing both Jesus and Judas' feet. There seems to be a symbolic use of water in the video in that it seems water is used as an almost cleansing agent.
Some viewers have felt that Lady Gaga's clothing in the video is more accurate to that of Mary (Jesus' mother), particularly the blue veil, than that of Mary Magdalene. In the centre of Lady Gaga's blue outfit there is a large red heart that is striking and impossible to miss. It has been suggested that this heart is meant to represent the Sacred Heart, which in Catholicism is a symbol that represents Jesus' love for all of humanity. The golden lines coming out of the heart are said to represent the light emitted by Jesus and are a symbol of the transformative power of Jesus and his unconditional love and forgiveness. The doctrine of the Gaga Gospel is one built on unconditional love and forgiveness and with this in mind, these qualities seem fitting to that of Jesus'.
It is unarguably quite a bold statement for a pop star to make and it is extremely bold to mix religious themes with provocative, sexual, and at times violent themes. Some find it offensive that Lady Gaga heavily borrows Christian imagery for what some view as mere displays of sexuality and extravagance. Whether or not you're a fan of Lady Gaga, I feel one thing about Lady Gaga must be acknowledged: she always tries to add depth to her songs by creating symbolic and complex situations in her music videos. Although most of the imagery and scenarios in her music videos are used solely for shock value, I appreciate that she tries to mix otherwise overtly sexual lyrics with complex historical themes that are highly identifiable.
Whether or not it is appropriate to include religious symbolism with pop music, in my opinion, comes down to a matter of opinion---appreciation of music and music videos is akin to appreciation of art and films--- it is highly subjective. I certainly find it more artistic to intertwine complex symbolism into what would otherwise be yet another pop song about sex. Lady Gaga's music videos are far more visually complex and engaging than say, Britney Spears' I'm a Slave 4 U, and other pop songs that have no artistry or depth beyond overt sexuality.
When he comes to me I am ready
I’ll wash his feet with my hair if he needs
Forgive him when his tongue lies through his brain
Even after three times he betrays me
I’ll wash his feet with my hair if he needs
Forgive him when his tongue lies through his brain
Even after three times he betrays me
I couldn’t love a man so purely
Even prophets forgave his crooked way
I’ve learned love is like a brick you can
Build a house or sink a dead body
Even prophets forgave his crooked way
I’ve learned love is like a brick you can
Build a house or sink a dead body
In the most Biblical sense,
I am beyond repentance
Fame hooker, prostitute wench, vomits her mind
But in the cultural sense
I just speak in future tense
Judas, kiss me if offenced,
Or wear an ear condom next time
I wanna love you,
But something’s pulling me away from you
Jesus is my virtue,
Judas is the demon I cling to
-- Judas by Lady Gaga
I'll let you watch the music video and decide for yourself whether Lady Gaga borrowing Christian imagery is offensive or simply an entertaining, integral part of her artistry.
I am beyond repentance
Fame hooker, prostitute wench, vomits her mind
But in the cultural sense
I just speak in future tense
Judas, kiss me if offenced,
Or wear an ear condom next time
I wanna love you,
But something’s pulling me away from you
Jesus is my virtue,
Judas is the demon I cling to
-- Judas by Lady Gaga
I'll let you watch the music video and decide for yourself whether Lady Gaga borrowing Christian imagery is offensive or simply an entertaining, integral part of her artistry.
Miranda,
ReplyDeleteJust to start, your blog entry was interesting to read and provided me with further insight into the mind of Lady Gaga that I much appreciated. It was a great read!
Now onto my comments on “Judas”...
Although our professor did mention that we would be watching "Judas" in class (if I'm not mistaken), after reading your blog I had a sudden urge to make my comments on the song right away. I grew up in a very Roman Catholic environment; Strong Italian Catholic values, church every Sunday, Catholic elementary school, Catholic all-girl high school...the works. Although I have grown away from my religious institutional attachments, the values and the symbolic messages still strongly resonates with me. My past and my current values are probably all reasons why I am deeply offended by the lyrics of “Judas” and Lady Gaga's constant need strike a cord with the Catholic community. I understand that there is probably some deeper meaning to her lyrics, some internal struggle between good and bad perhaps, but why must she always use Catholic references in her music? I feel it goes further then her devout Catholic upbringing and more to do with global attention. As a Catholic herself, she knows how strongly the Catholic community feels about their values and they will retaliate when they are offended. Sometimes, Lady Gaga just takes religious references too far, and I think its a strategy to make her music controversial and more interesting for people. And lets face it, it's working. People all around the world cannot wait until they get their next taste of Gaga- whether it be a new album, a new music video, an outfit choice, or even a 10 minute talk-show interview. The world knows that when Lady Gaga is involved, it is going to be exciting and controversial.
Personally, I feel that Lady Gaga has found her niche- offending the Catholic religion. Whether her music has deeper meaning, the first time people hear a song they do not automatically seek the deeper meaning of the lyrics, but instead they listen to the the literal sense of the words. Lady Gaga has learned to play the game- offend people with the lyrics but inspire people with their meaning.
PS I am not even a hard core Catholic and it is interesting to note how offended I got by it. Just image the opinions of the strong Catholic community...