She's Still in Love With Judas, Baby
Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 7:00PM Another couple of months, another Lady Gaga short film. Thankfully she's calmed down a smidge since the epic EPICNESS of "Born This Way" which was messy MESSYNESS.
Sometimes it's good to have a simple concept and just execute it well.
In this case its Christ & Disciples as biker gang with Gaga as the Holy Fool / Biker Chick who can't choose between her two (archetypal) men, saintly Jesus or bad boy Judas (Norman Reedus!) who is so rebellious he demands that his name be pronounced with extra syllables. Speaking of. Love the tongue-tripped lyric bridge.
In the most Biblical sense,
I am beyond repentance
Fame hooker, prostitute wench.
Video: B+ That Bit w/ the Lipstick: A+ The Break: D+ (video breaks are tired. just dance!) Song: B
P.S. TANGENT TIME: I'm totes enjoying Gaga's reign these past couple of years but, gotta say it, really missing Madonna today. Like as in more than usual.
Maybe it's because Madge looked flawless at the Met Costume Gala. Maybe it's because this is Gaga's "Like a Prayer" no? I'm not saying that in a negative 'ripping off Madonna' way people like to assume. I'm saying that as in this is the moment where the stars feel indestructable and poke at the religious people's eternally thin skin and risk their noisy wrath while making some sort of dance-ready point about the eternal internal spiritual war that's a universal part of being human". That moment. "Like a Prayer" is Madonna's very best song (A+) in a discography with astounding number of viable options for that title. So that's probably how the pangs of missing are so acute. Excited for her directorial effort W.E. -- when will we see it? -- but could use more music real soon. It's been so long since "Hard Candy". Just one more record as fab as "Confessions on a Dance Floor", please!? Pleaseandthanks.
P.P.S. We now return you to your normally scheduled film programming.
Lady Gaga, Madonna, Norman Reedus, music videos, short films
Reader Comments (16)
Oh, Gaga. What can you say about her that already hasn't been said? (Or, more to the point, SHOUTED...by her, via aggressive, in-your-face visual and aural imagery; over-the-top allegories; and incessant self-aggrandizement.)
When I met her in Nov. 2008, pre-fame monster (the literal incarnation—not the figurative album title), it was definitely apparent she had talent, but it's a little surprising how much mileage she's gotten out of something else (persona-driven) entirely. Still, bless her for at least attempting to be interesting, if not entirely believable or original.
After all, if Britney can be a publicly-accepted "femme fatale" without even understanding what that means, who's to argue Gaga can't be the second coming of Madonna?
P.S. It seems like virtually every other Madonna album now is an FMK-style keepsake—fuck 'American Life,' marry 'Confessions on a Dance Floor,' kill 'Hard Candy'—so here's hoping the next one is more 'Music' (or 'Ray of Light') quality.
Sorry, but I felt the video was terrible! Gaga tries way to hard to shock and provoke. With Madonna, it was just effortless.
i like the video just fine, but man this song is awful. it's just a really really terrible song. it honestly bothers me every time i hear it on the radio.
Any thoughts on the fact that that video cost 10 MILLION DOLLARS to make?! That's almost as much as the cost of Black Swan, and that was a full feature! I mean, really!?
Cristhian -- yeah. I don't know how you blow that much money but i've never understood how movies cost what they do. I remember when Howards End came out in the 1990s and hearing what it costs and i was like what now? The movie is just period gorgeousity from start to finish and it costs like ten times less than many shabby looking modern american films of the period.
that's the first time i remember being... WHAT?... but that dynamic has been repeated so many times since. it happens every year.
it is really weird that this video costs that much though because it's one of her simpler videos all told.
I think I like Terra Naomi's cover version of "Judas" better
Loving the new Gaga song. I'm iffy on the video, but I'm glad that it isn't another video that's more than double the length of the song. Agree that Madonna's "Like a Prayer" is the best thing she ever recorded; it's my personal favorite recording ever.
Love GaGa, been to her concert and it was amazing and I love this song. She does sing a lot about adoring the devil (H.I.M.) & Judas instead of Jesus. What's up with that?
I like that Lady GaGa is kind of the antisex-revolution, just like Madonna was the feminist sex-revolution. All female popstars use their sexuality in some way, but Lady GaGa actually uglifies herself through her dressing up. I think that is what makes her truly unique.
But 10 million dollars, hat's a loooot.
I like it but I if we have come to regard this as simple...
I'm waiting for her to become great again (music-wise) and not just OK.
I just don't like Gaga anymore, music wise. I would enjoy her music, but she ruins it for me by being so hyperbolic about it. Born This Way (the album) apparently was gonna be "life-altering" with messages that would "liberate mankind" and it was gonna be metal meets pop meets rock meets punk with whatever other genre you could think of. And then the song Born This Way was gonna be thé gay anthem of all time.
But let's face it, Judas and BTW are just meh compared to say Bad Romance or Dance in the Dark, which are actually great songs to dance on.
Point is, she tries too hard to be relevant. That can't stay good.
That was the one Madonna album I ever bought, btw, back in the day - on the strength of Like a Prayer but also Oh Father (the video and song in combination just killed me, because I could relate to the family dynamics on some level.) I think that was the only Madonna album that touched or excited me on a personal level (at the time I absolutely loved the "blasphemy". And the dark hair.)
This is the best photo I've seen of Madge in quite some time - has she rediscovered her real face again? This reminds me of '90's Madge - exactly from the "Like a Prayer/Vogue" era, actually.
I thought this looked like 'Beat It' directed by Baz Luhrman.
cant wait for "W.E."!!!!! Im a huge fan of all things Madonna!!
Ugh, "Like a Prayer" is legendary. That video takes me back to childhood Saturdays. They used to play that song on a loop religiously. What's so great about Madonna and her controversy, though, was how it NEVER ever seemed overly contrived.
Goddamned Gaga. I swear, I didn't think squat about this song upon first reveal, and was ultra turned off by the Bad Romance deja vu. And whaddaya know? Now I'm in love with Judas, baby, and I can't help but admire it. I gotta hand it to the girl -- she can nail a hook like no other. There's airborne crack in the soundwaves of her music. Hello, my name is Kurt and I'm...
Dakota -- than you have good taste.
Kurtis -- i must have met you in that 12 step meeting ;)
Andrew K -- she has the gift. I love Madonna more than air sometimes. I am so ready for another Madonna blitz. it's been awhile.
colettegigi -- but asking her to measure up to Bad Romance every time is just --ugh. SO HARD TO DO. that song is brill.
James T -- simple. HA. i know.