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Lady Gaga: saying I stole from Madonna is "retarded"
By Virginia SmithApril 20th, 2011, 11:00 amComments (25)
Listen guys: Lady Gaga — of image-reinventing, Catholicism-referencing, vaguely empowering dance pop fame — is appalled, just appalled that everyone keeps drawing comparisons between her Madonna, whoever that even is. So cut it out, okay?! She's especially pissed about all those claims out there that her "Express Yourself" sound-alike single "Born This Way" lifts from the Madonna classic. So in a new interview in NME, Gaga didn't mince her words:
"I am not stupid enough to put out a record and be that moronic [...] No. Listen to me. Why the f**k? I'm a songwriter... Why would I try to put out a song and think I'm getting one over on everybody? That's retarded. If you put the songs next to each other, side by side, the only similarities are the chord progression. It's the same one that's been in disco music for the last 50 years. Just because I'm the first f**king artist in 25 years to think of putting it on Top 40 radio, it doesn't mean I'm a plagiarist. It means I'm f**king smart. Sorry."
Snap! She then burst into tears and told the interviewer, "I feel like honestly that God sent me those lyrics and that melody... There's no way for something that pure to be wrong."
So, you heard it here first: "Born This Way" wasn't taken from Madonna, it was taken from God himself.
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Lady Gaga
Commentarium (25 Comments)
I would have said "Don't be stupid... I'm not copying Madonna, I am copying Josephine Baker!"
Imitation is the sincerest form of plagiarism.
Yesterday, I actually was passing a poster in the subway for some Lady Gaga concert show on TV, and she's wearing what looks like an exploding cannon brassiere, and I thought to myself, "Madonna was doing this shit 25 years ago. Get a new act."
How come nobody freaks out about heavy metal rockers copying each other, or rappers ripping each other off?
Because rappers don't really rip each other off. Sure, artists in the same genre sound similar (e.g. southern rap) but there's enough individuality in stage presence and tempo in order to differentiate an artist from each other. Just because Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock are jazz fusion musicians doesn't mean that they sound inherently similar and basically rip each other off. They each have a distinct sound. Lady Gaga's is basically a bad rip-off of Madonna in the 80s.
Yeah, except I can't tell heavy metal rockers or rappers apart. I sure know who Lady Gaga is.
Thinkywritey: If you had told me the photo at the top of the page was Britney Spears, I'd totally have believed it. I know Lady Gaga exists, but I couldn't pick her out of a lineup of outlandishly dressed 20-somethings.
A fair enough point. And I certainly cannot HEAR them apart...
Ugh, this entire train of thought makes me so tired. While I think it's ridiculous that people insist she's too much like Madonna -- the woman was iconic for decades, of course people will use her a source for inspiration -- the bigger issue is that Madonna didn't create her own shtick! She took bits and pieces from other places just like most people do. It's not like voguing popped into her mind from out of the ether.
What I don't get is - everybody was influenced by someone. The Beatles, Dylan, The Doors, Grateful Dead - they all influenced someone, and were influenced themselves. Why didin't she just come out with the truth in the first place. Say something like 'Yeah, I loved Madonna growing up, always would dress up and pretend to be her. Hearing that my music reminds people of her early work is so flattering!' and then be done with it. But no, she has to be all indignant and self-righteous. *eyeroll*
No, she's said that about a million times. "I love Madonna, she told me that she likes Born This Way, she's such an icon, etc etc." It sounds like what she's responding to is people straight up saying that her song is plagarized, not that she was influenced by Madonna.
Saying you love another artist's work, and that you're pleased they like your work, isn't the same as saying... I mean admitting... that you were influenced by them.
It doesn't matter. All musicians are ripping off Akhnamonshetsut, the ancient Egyptian who not only invented music, but also the lyrics "I love you", "ooh girl", and "baby baby..."
Word.
I just...I hate Lady Gaga so very much. Hate. The sight of her makes me angry.
Tsk tsk Gaga - what about your "Little Monsters" who are developmentally disabled? Or perhaps I should use the word you used: 'retarded'. What about them? They were 'born that way' too. But I suppose it's ok to offend them? Wow.
Thank you! I thought the same thing. If she were as "f**cking smart" as she claims, she'd be able to come up with an adjective other than "retarded" to describe something that displeases her.
I'm as tired of the "retarded" debate as I am of Lady Gaga AND Madonna.
wish there was a love button on this thing...Khufu's comment was sheer genius
Remember everyone: nothing is original.
People in the same genre are similar, in this case they're all uber-sexual, and allergic to pants.
thats not even lady gagas body in the foto, talk about hypocrite and retarded
by the way she is a guy
For lady Gaga being so emotional about kids that were picked on and what not I'm shocked she used the word "retarded" in defending herself. Like her but high disappointment. Would she say it was gay to think that she copied Madonna???
lady gaga is a Madonna wanta be! she is the closest thing to a madonna in this time frame. I don't blame her, i blame all the idiots who buy her junk instead of listing to madonna....
just go to Google, or a search engine and enter "many artists madonna stole from" then link into Aisha's website and read the entire thing.
Aisha is a batshit CRAZY loon who not only claims Madonna has stole from her but Beyonce, Britney Spears, Nick Cannon, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Mario, Daughtry, and Gwen Stefani as well.
According to Aisha these stars have hacked her computer, tapped her phone, placed hidden cameras in her house and have even strangled her to get her precious copyright materials.
The examples she gives of song thefts is even more hilarious. She puts the lyrics of one of her songs next to the celebrity's song lyrics and highlights words that are the same. For example Carrie Underwood infringed copyright because her song "The More Boys I Meet" and Aisha's song "The Man Is A Dog" each contain the words: Dog, Frog, and Boys. THAT'S IT....just 3 words.
Aisha is a fucking crackhead and the courts won't even hear her cases. So if you want to attack Madonna at least find a reputable way to do it rather then go by what that loon Aisha writes.