We count ten! Jump below to see just how Lady Gaga reminded us of Madonna in her new video for “Born This Way”, through references both subtle, obvious and probably unintentional.
1. The song itself reminds us of Madonna’s 1989 single “Express Yourself”, while the middle interlude evokes “Vogue”. We’ve discussed this already here.
2. The gap tooth at the end is clearly a reference to Madge’s famous space between her front two teeth, no?
3. Similar posing in see-through clothing!
4. They both certainly look good in a two-piece.
5. Something other than a normal baby comes out of both Madonna (in the similarly trippy “Bedtime Story” video) and Gaga’s wombs.
6. Madonna does the crotch-grabbing shtick while wearing a man’s suit in the video for “Express Yourself”.
7. Gaga’s high ponytail looks mightily familiar to the one Madonna sported on her Blond Ambition tour in the early 90s.
8. Bob haircut — Madonna’s been there, worn her hair like that, notably on the single sleeve for “Keep It Together”, which is off the same album (Like A Prayer) as “Express Yourself”.
9. Both Madonna (in “Vogue”) and Gaga share space next to a male model/dancer while photographed in muted colors.
10. Chin eye. Though Madonna’s (in “Bedtime Story”) is much more disturbing.
So, how many of these are reaching? And how many are legitimate references to our founding mother of modern day pop? And did we miss any? Share/debate in the comments!
Notting like Madonna…..But when u compare the pictures….LADY GAGA IS WAY BETTER
Shes a copycat
Making mountains out of molehills
I’ll go with 5, 7 and 10, with a maybe on 9…the rest? Take a bow…
omg get a life idolator :)
i mean you should really be getting yourself a life cuz that is their job LMAO she is such a freaking copy cat
So then she pretty much copied a whole slew of other artists too? This who article is a joke.
I for sure didn’t like the video… But this “comparisons” are way too much… It’s like finding a needle in the hay… People should stop trying for everything to be a rip-off of something else just for the sake of hits on a blog or RTs or whatever…
Definitely similarities. I think the bob cut one is kind of reaching. A lot of artists rock the bob cut. The crotch grab might be a stretch too because Gaga always grabs her crotch haha, not just in that suit. I definitely noticed the gap tooth in the video. She’s already said who her influences are, I feel like she’s just combing all those influences so there are bound to be similarities. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s kind of nice to see a celebrity show who they are a fan of and whatnot. She’s still Gaga. Madonna wasn’t rocking those weirdo alien bumps under the eyes.
a copycat will never be ‘better’ than the original. ON merit only.
Gaga always wears two pieces too. That’s definitely reaching
5,9 and 10 are solidly possible references. the rest, trash.
Wow, you sure do give Madonna a lot more credit than she deserves. Who knew that she invented runway model posing in see-through clothing, looking good in a two-piece, inventing the bob cut (which has been around for most of the last century), posing next to a male dancer in a suit (hello, Marlene Dietrich? Liza Minnelli?), and grabbing her crotch. And by the way, Madonna did not invent slipping a spoken section into a song either. That style is rooted in blues, doo-wop, soul and R&B music and has been around for almost a century. And in Vogue, Madonna copied Deborah Harry’s rap in “Rapture”, not to mention that most of the background music is sampled from other people’s work. The only ones you got right were the two explicit tributes: the gap tooth and the ponytail. Sorry but this is a big fail, like most attempts to tie everything Gaga does to Madonna, as if Madonna was all that original.
In order to be “born this way,” — as a good thing — it seems as if all monsters must walk & talk in lock-step when they come out as monsters in comment sections defending their hive mother. Imitation and uniformity are the hallmarks of monsterhood, it seems.
As if you’re not marching in lockstep with societal notions of acceptability and conformity. You laugh at us because we’re different; we laugh at you because you’re all the same.
and then you laugh at yourselof cuz you think ur different but in reality u all talk walk dress and act the same way LMAO FAIL im mean you want to be different but you will never be make your own clothing make your own food drinks and everything in you daily life so you can be different then you can say we are all the same cuz from what i see you all tend in the same direction i dont count myself included cuz what i no one else does. i dont try to fit in or be an outcast im just being myself and i dont try to show off in any way and i dont like judging people but you definatly are one of those people who like to segregate people for your own convinience just like Gaga who does that so her music can sell
are you stupid? the point of what she’s saying is to be yourself, so really you’re following gaga’s message… how ironic.
also i find it quite hypocritical how you say you dont like judging people, yet you judge that other chick…. FAIL
she’s a COPYYY MONSTER !! I NOTICED THAT SHE COPIED MADONNA FROM THE FIRST TIME I SAW THE VIDEO !!
Please. Which Madonna video looks anything at all like this. She gives only two Madonna tributes: one is the gap tooth look in the last shot and the other is the ponytail. So cough it up: a Madonna video that looks like this. Or STFU
um hello if madonna had all those tool of technology back then she would have done that
so what? you don’t know if she would’ve done that, and that doesnt mean she gets praise for it
Off course it’s copied from Madonna, but comon’… It’s a tribute to Madonna, she’s always talking about how she admires her!
are you serious? that’s like saying gaga’s blond hair copied madonna. lol, everyone knows that madonna loves gaga, and that she is a huge inspiration in her artwork. you’ve beaten this dead horse too much.
Yes, well get with the program. Madonna invented blonde hair, grabbing crotches, runway model poses, dressing in see-through clothes, the bob haircut, wearing a suit, and spoken interludes in songs. In fact, Madonna invented everything we’ll ever see Gaga do, even if Madonna never did it herself. When Madonna was this early in her career, people said exactly the same things about her. It’s because people have a pop music cultural attention span of only a few years. It’s as if no one existed before Madonna and therefore every blonde singer is a copycat. Actually constantly reaching for Madonna analogies is simply the mark of someone who’s too lazy to bother with all the other things going on in the video that have NOTHING TO DO with Madonna. Like Hitchcock, Kubrick, Giger, Cameron, Dali, Francis Bacon, Mugler and Viva Glam, just to name a few.
thats right like when gaga copied christina aguilera when she began her carrer in the fame
I KNOW RIGHT!
She’s a copycat, she was BORN THIS WAY
Not only Madonna but Xtina & Iamamiwhoami.
This is a copy from Bedtime stories and from human nature, not more…and bad……
but it is soo boring here “tribute” that is a copy..not more..boring
Video is kinda cool, shame the song sucks. Nowhere near as good as other gaga songs.
While your comment would hold true in the event that only a few of these were present in the video, they are ALL true. Each and every one of these things are in the video, intended or not. There must exist a point where influence can be influence, but when an artist continues to have these “coincidental” similarities or even intended as much as GaGa has had with other artists (namely Madonna) it’s no longer “cutting edge.” At the point that it has reached, it is now safe to say that it’s plagiarism.
The fact that big name companies (Apple) and communication firms that run radio had to be paid by her team to push the single out like no other artist (she’s NEVER had to do this) leads us to believe that the “GaGa” fad is fizzling out. I know it’s hard for fans to accept when a new pop star doesn’t have staying power, but she’s giving it her all and maybe we will see her for a few more years. Certainly the girl is talented, but she made some poor career decisions and over exposed herself as many artists do. There’s a reason Pop Icons are as big as they are today (MJ, Madonna, Britney, Mariah, Whitney,Kylie) and it’s because of the team they have behind them and their ability to make smart business decisions. I’m glad for her reasonable amount of success, though.
No fathomable dispute stands, fact is fact; Madonna did not INVENT any of the aforementioned. HOWEVER, in understanding this “GAGA” character; and all that she has come to represent in her most recent accords, I think it’s fair to conclude she is INDEED specifically, and rather tactfully antagonizing and taunting Madonna. Recognizing that most everyone is already in agreement with the simple fact that GAGA is “biting,” Mrs. Madonna’s style, it becomes rather evident that this video is declaring war on everything and anything created or produced throughout her career in a measly 7 minutes, Ironic I think. Summing up Madonna’s life in a mere 7 minutes? But GAGA we’ve only got 4 minutes- Now, had she been able to completely and concisely disgrace anything of mentioning from Madonna’s career in 4 minutes then I MIGHT have given it to her- This is clearly not the case. Regardless, unless you are completely oblivious and ignorant- which you somehow seem to be, these rather obvious and telling visuals lead just about everyone -with the exception of you, to believe that GAGA is not only more strange than we originally thought, but also absolutely obsessed with tarnishing the reputation of THE one and only MADONNA.
No, you are all the same. If you were different, and courageous, you could criticize your hive mother. If you were different, you wouldn’t have her image plastered beside your comments — like some Chairman Mao. All hail the Hive Queen! If you were different, you could admit that Gaga’s creativity more and more consists of imitating Madonna and others. Now even Shakespeare recycled many lines from others; but I think a commenter below got it right: we’ve seen it before (in Madonna and others) so it’s starting to get boring.
you really dont know ur facts do u? “madonna” lady gaga is… haha jk its mike :p
um hello thats there job. sorry if what they find offends you cuz u think shes all that original but shes not shes a freakin copy cat never had anythin original to voice about lmao she a fake
The worst plagirisng in this new Gaga video is that she directly lifts from Multinauts a childrens show you can view on youtube. The intro concept is identical.
Also, the orgy is a ripoff from Madonna’s Why’s It So Hard performance from 1993. And this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3DTHNafjz0
I COMPLETELY AGREE! QUEEN GAGA FOREVER!
ty! someone has a brain! ha the jokes on these LOSERS who think theyre sooooooo smart in FIGURING out soemthing so freakin obvious. if evy1 else is seeing comparisons, they dont think ladygaga sees them? lmfao shes the one who knows EXACTLY what shes doin.
i love love love Madonna, and GAGA, always will. they r very different ppl, with some things in common….and the point is……..?
Really? So when GaGa pays “tribute” to Madonna its not copying, but when Christina Aguilera dose a “tribute” to Madonna, and says shes doing it flat out, shes copying GaGa??? What a load of crap. Honestly. You are praising GaGa for her “tribute” to Madonna, when Madonna should be getting royalties off the the song, because lets face it, that is Express Yourself, she just added some new lyrics and a few sparkles. But thats all cool? Really? I just don’t get it. NMST was not Christinas best work, im not a stan, but im in my mid 20′s, so i remember Madonna, and i remember “Human Nature” “Express Yourself” and “Like a Prayer” All of witch where used as a base for Christina’s video. Only thing ill give ya is the Carrera’s, but EVERYBODY and their Grandmother wears them, so as a matter of fact, no i wont give that to you. I think Christina did the tribute better. But just my opinion. GaGa dose GaGa, and thats cool. I just don’t understand why people are so for her ripping off Madonna, thats not a tribute, its recycling. Im sorry. Oh the Gapped teeth are honestly the only true Madonna reference, because ive seen PLENTY of people use the ponytail. Now monsters, im not hating on GaGa, just speaking truth. As far as the video it is way more GaGa then Madonna, Christina’s video was way more Madonna then herself or GaGa. So relax, no hate.
The glass box thing in the Gaga video may reference the reinvention tour Vogue video backdrop–Madonna in a glass box with her head sticking out. But Gaga’s version is a totally different spirit. Madonna’s a giant–she casts a very long shadow. Gaga totally beats her in the voice department, but Madonna is still my number one.
madonna is so pretty…………………..sensual
Lady gaga ugly and shocking…….
Noone can beat the Queen of Pop. Christina Aguilera, Britney, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, Gwen Stefano – they all tried to dethrone Her Madge-sty but just could not. CANT WAIT FOR THE NEW MADONNA RECORD and MOVIE W.E.!!!!
I’d say at least half of those are reaching. Numbers 3, 4, 8, and 9 are particularly silly comparisons. #2 is pretty obviously a genuine, intentional Madonna reference as well as a MJ reference if you watch that entire scene. She appears walking down an alley as a sort of hybrid Michael/Madonna. Half of the people here will take that as a nice shoutout to two of Gaga’s major inspirations. The other half will take that some sort of egomaniacal attempt at usurping both artist’s legacies. The brilliance of it (from a marketing point of view) is that 100% of the people here will have an opinion on it one way or the other and will feel the need to express it and generate more buzz for the video. All in all it was a pretty damn cool video. I loved it. But it is likely to be hated by a lot of people. I’m quite content with that. More Gaga for me! ;)
COPYCAT! LADY GAGA IS A FARSE!
Clearly she is trying to be the anti-madonna (or the black madonna)….she’s the ugly, untalented version of our great queen M.
you gotta be fuc’king kidding me???
Madonna is NOT the first to wear a suit a bikini or grab her waist, PATHETIC>
Those pictures are nothing alike, you people are stupid.
AND the real rip off is madonna, all those pictures & images she stole from Horst, Metropolis and COUNTLESS others.
The background music in “Vogue” comes from Shep Pettibone’s work on remixes, so it’s hardly “copying”; same goes for the “rapping.’ I don’t adhere to the “Gaga Copying” theory, but there’s no question she’s influenced by Madonna, and we can see it in her work- and she does not deny it. So, what’s the issue?
Actually, for all of those who think she’s a copycat…do your research…she got madonna’s permission and blessing to have the similarities…madonna is gaga’s idol so she is giving a tribute to her in her own little way.
Like Madonna never borrowed from Art or Culture?
Ohh common, people please!!!!!!!!!!! Go get a f**** life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you got to be kidding me with this post!
LOL this made me LMFAO I am a huge madonna fan i grew up with her.But nothing was alike in the video aside the gap tooth.Honstley I do not think like the track is like express yourself the video is nothing like madonna 100% gaga I would bust her ass if she was coping her but she is not the media is just being annoying to me non of the pics are evil alike. Stop trying to make a story when there truly is not one.
sincerly one of madonnas biggest fans.
untalented? Are you kidding me? Crazy, outrageous or ‘stupid” as you think her outfits might be (I like them), it takes some creativity to come up with that. She writes 99% of her songs, she’s a classically trained pianist, which has allowed her to do more versions of her own songs without using some mixer to do it (a la Madonna) and she can play the guitar. That’s just a few of the things she can do. I would hardly call that “Untalented.” What can you do?
What I don’t understand is this: If Gaga was ‘produced’ (and by produced I mean that someone gives her the songs and music to sing and she had autotuner), then everyone would complain and whine that “She’s just like brittany’ or “she’s just like everyone else!” So instead, she’s a bit different…she dresses way differently and comes up with something fresh (arriving in an EGG! to the awards show–love it, btw) in her style and outfits (who has ever worn cigarette sunglasses?! AWESOME!) and she’s criticized for being “weird.”
What do you want you idiots? You want everything to be ‘safe’ and the same or you want something a little fresh, edgy, different, fun? If you’d quit calling things like the meat dress and the egg arrival as ‘stunts’ and just thing of them as fun, you’ have a lot more fun with Gaga. I mean, really, isn’t Haley Berry arriving in a beautiful dress just as much of a ‘stunt?” She, too, wants to be noticed and praised by the media. THey ALL do. At least Gaga’s having fun with it all. Relax and just enjoy the show!
AMEN!
http://www.JustBEaQUEEN.com
Elvis stole a lot of music and ‘dance’ moves from the african-american culture during his heydays. At the time, AA culture wasn’t considered ‘mainstream’ and he helped make it popular.
OMG…. get over it people…. cayeyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy hahaha cayey is a town of Puerto Rico…. is beautiful and there are many hot guys running around that drives anyone crazy…. hhahaha BTW I LOVE GAGA!!!
Deluded much?
Chery Heim is an attention WHORE like her idol the Clown of Pop!