The apparently bonkers starlet Lady Gaga tries to tantalise our musical taste buds with the second taster from her second album Born This Way. Titled Judas, the song is about being torn between two lovers; the good guy and the bad guy, with her heart forcing her to steer more towards the bad guy, this is Judas. The concept is hardly new. There have been numerous orgasmic cries from female vocalists about falling for these so-called bad men, the latest being Alexandra Burke with the discreetly titled and slightly catchy gay anthem Bad Boys, but surely everyone has a different experience of particular concepts.
The concept alone is not exactly fresh, the intro is desperately trying to recreate the intro to Bad Romance, here however the mention of herself in the third person does not fit with the rest of the vocalised intro as it did with the original attempt. It is very unnecessary as the repetiton of the song and love interest's name fits perfectly fine with the song but someone felt the need for it's exsistance as though we need to know that the name represents greatness. Throughout we hear a elements of watered down House music along a Hip Hop beat riding along underneath two verses that hold the same tune as that of Pokerface with the chorus taking us back to Bad Romance...yawn!
The concept alone is not exactly fresh, the intro is desperately trying to recreate the intro to Bad Romance, here however the mention of herself in the third person does not fit with the rest of the vocalised intro as it did with the original attempt. It is very unnecessary as the repetiton of the song and love interest's name fits perfectly fine with the song but someone felt the need for it's exsistance as though we need to know that the name represents greatness. Throughout we hear a elements of watered down House music along a Hip Hop beat riding along underneath two verses that hold the same tune as that of Pokerface with the chorus taking us back to Bad Romance...yawn!The video is not as controversial as many suggest but it is easy to understand why it would be and why it needs to be brought to our attention as just that.
There is a mixed race man playing the character of Jesus, a take on the mistaken identity of the character in Madonna's Like A Prayer Video? However, it is Lady Gaga's Mary Magadalene position in the video that is the clear attempt at controversy:
- Mary falls for Judas, the man who betrayed Jesus, going against their roles suggested by the bible.
- Adultery, again going against the bible and committing sin.
- The eventual stoning of the Mary Magdalene character, a torturous ritual that is caused by the above.
The Video does contain a story but it is edited in a way which is very quick to tell. It cuts from certain scenes to others which bridge fine without requring no other story telling, but some scenes like the bathing scene just seem to happen. It does however let the viewer know what exactly is going on with the characters in this story and they cut to the bathing scene, Mary, Jesus and Judas bathing together, alongside the change in the music and the scene is quite explanatory in the 'behind-closed-doors' phrase as the three characters appear to be alone.
As far as the piece as a whole goes, both aurally and visually, it may be a successful formula as fans especially will find it shocking and will want to invest in that but it is not a track that is uplifting or patriotic or profoundly memorable as a song. Unlike Madonna's Like A Prayer as a song and most importantly Gaga's previous work. Judas relies mainly on the subject matter and the rules it may bend with a restraining concept like religon.
No comments:
Post a Comment