Madonna. The definition of legendary. The undisputed Queen of Pop. She who has inspired countless careers, videos and shoots since her debut, and has successfully reinvented herself many times over.
Yet, time and time again Madonna has found herself in the midst of a self-inflicted feud with a newcomer. The latest star to bear the brunt of the Material Girl's considerable wrath the arguably the biggest pop artist to surface in over a decade, Lady Gaga. But she is far from the first. Every few years, an artist emerges and changes the landscape of pop music in a way that takes the industry by storm. Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Teena Marie; these three, and many more, have all felt the lash of Ms. Ciccone's acerbic tongue. This article intends to discuss and examine the Madonna's apparent resentment of other prominent female pop artists and determine the possible reasons for her numerous attacks on them and their careers.
One of the first female artists to clash with Pop's reigning Queen was Janet Jackson. In Madonna's famed documentary Truth or Dare, filmed during her ground-breaking Blonde Ambition tour in 1990, she responded negatively to a comparison made by a dancer on the similarity of a coat to those worn by Janet in the now iconic Rhythm Nation video. This is in addition to various alleged critical comments Madonna made to Janet's own brother, Michael, about the singer. It is understandable, therefore, that Janet chose to later respond in a less than flattering fashion. When asked about Madonna's infamous Sex coffee table book, Ms. Jackson famously said:
However, allow us to return to the aforementioned origin of the feud with special attention paid to the dates in question. In the autumn of 1989, Janet had released the innovative Rhythm Nation 1814 record (which was the best-selling album of 1990) and subsequently ventured out on the accompanying tour, which later became the most successful debut concert tour by a recording artist. At the same time, Madonna had just released Like A Prayer, home to three of her biggest hits, and launched her massively successful Blonde Ambition tour. On the surface, there was no reason for Madonna to attack Janet, who was still a relative newcomer in the game.
However, one must take into consideration Janet's fast rising position in the eyes of the media, industry and the general public. In addition to the tremendous success of Rhythm Nation 1914, its nine Grammy nods and seven top five hits (the first and only record to achieve this), the latter half of 1990 saw Janet was awarded the highly coveted Video Vanguard award at the MTV Video Music Awards. It was fast becoming clear that she was the only female artist of the time who could rival the Pop Queen in terms of box office and record sale success and, indeed, this was noted by several noteworthy outlets. It is understandable that Madonna felt threatened by the rapid ascent of Janet. After all, Ms. Ciccone had dominated the eighties, seeing off several talented opponents such as Cindi Lauper and Teena Marie (who she had publicly insulted several years earlier). She had also just been named the artist of the decade by reputable media outlets the likes of Billboard and MTV. Still, it was becoming apparent that the nineties would see a sea-change, one that Madonna was clearly not all too comfortable with.
Sure enough, the dawn of the nineties saw the debut of one of the biggest stars ever to grace the industry: Mariah Carey. Heralded as 'The Voice' (a title that had previously belonged to diva Whitney Houston), the songstress took the industry by storm, racking up a record-setting five number one hits in under two years. Her debut record, the self-titled Mariah Carey, went on to sell over 15 million copies worldwide and the then newcomer went on to, essentially, dominate the decade. She eventually sold 200 million records in ten years and, not only become the best-selling female artist of all time, but she was also awarded the Artist of the Millennium award by the World Music Awards.
Par for the course, in the early part of 1995, Madonna said in a press interview that she would rather kill herself 'than be Mariah Carey'. Mariah, never one to bite her tongue when an insult has been thrown in her direction, responded:
Meanwhile, Mariah was fresh off the success of Music Box and Merry Christmas, which have since gone on to sell 32 million and 15 million copies worldwide respectively (with the latter being the best-selling Christmas album of all time), and was about to release her best-reviewed and most-anticipated record to date, Daydream. Additionally, the album's lead single, Fantasy, was number one in the States (and ended up staying there for eight weeks in total) and a massive hit worldwide.
It is very easy to understand why Madonna would lash out at the diva, who had easily become the biggest star on the planet. It is feasible that the critical backlash over the release of Sex and the complimentary record, Erotica, had shaken the Pop Queen's renowned self-confidence and it is notable that, the less successful she became, the more bitter the vitriol she spewed at those she deemed a threat.
That leads on to the latest female artist to have a giant target painted on their back by the Pop Queen, Lady Gaga. Having been the benefactor of a meteoric rise, the likes of which hadn't been seen since pop icon Britney Spears, it was only a matter of time before Madonna saw fit to, essentially, 'take her out'.
And, as usual, with the launch of a new era, the Queen of Pop attacked that whom she saw as her greatest rival. Labelling last year's hit Born This Way 'reductive', she has since gone on to make it very clear just how little she thinks of Gaga. It has culminated in the events of the last fortnight, which have seen Madonna perform a rendition of the song in question followed by a short section of 'She's Not Me - a clear shot fired in Germanotta's direction. This has resulted in Gaga's very public statement during one of the stops on her smash Born This Way Ball tour late last week, where she said that:
Now, admittedly Lady Gaga has been heavily inspired by the Material Girl. Many of Madonna's most famous photo shoots, outfits and videos have played a significant role in the creation of some of Gaga's greatest offerings. It is also notable that Born This Way is, indeed, very similar musically to one of Ciccone's best-known hits, Express Yourself.
However, the commendable manner in which Gaga has conducted herself thus far only serves to make Madonna look petty, vindictive, bitter and jealous. It certainly does not work in Madonna's favour for someone almost half her age to appear considerably more mature.
Allow us to conclude by giving our personal view on the matter. Madonna is potentially the most influential female pop artist in history. She has sold over 300 million records and has survived almost three decades in a highly competitive industry that spits out stars as often as it does fast-food hits. She, and the legendary King of Pop Michael Jackson, arguably created the current pop industry we all know and love.
Hence, Madonna has no need to feel threatened or otherwise by any new artist. She has no need to persistently shower hate and insults upon them and their careers, if only because she has nothing left to prove. Even if she had retired a decade ago and gone to live on a huge Texan ranch, this would still hold true.
By arguing and feuding with new artists, she implies that she is on the same level as they are. One never witnessed the likes of Michael, Prince or Tina Turner discussing new, or even veteran, artists with anything other than admiration or somewhat parental-like affection. After all, an associate at a law firm never feels they are competing with senior, or even junior, partners. They know their only rivals are those on the same playing field.
It is our strong belief that, if the events of the last fortnight in particular have taught us anything, it is that Madonna needs to be made aware once again of her superior position in the industry. She needs to realise that these highly publicised altercations have garnered the original Material Girl the reputation of a female artist who is threatened by the success of other female artists. They have reminded the general public of the attention-seeking, fame-hungry, controversy-hankering starlet she once was; one that viewed all other female artists as targets for her vitriol and hatred.
If anything, rather than uphold Madonna (as she probably intended them to do), they have only served to denigrate her numerous, unmatched achievements; something that no other artist, even with a twenty year-long career, could do. She must heed the bitter career slumps that have since befallen artists the likes of Christina Aguilera (who is well-known for her abominable attitude and keen insult-throwing, and who, we believe, is currently suffering from a karmic backlash).
Indeed, it is apparent that perhaps the best lesson the Queen of Pop can learn from this whole debacle is that it is finally time to hang up her 'shady' ways. That, even at 53, it is never too late to grow the Hell up.
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One of the first female artists to clash with Pop's reigning Queen was Janet Jackson. In Madonna's famed documentary Truth or Dare, filmed during her ground-breaking Blonde Ambition tour in 1990, she responded negatively to a comparison made by a dancer on the similarity of a coat to those worn by Janet in the now iconic Rhythm Nation video. This is in addition to various alleged critical comments Madonna made to Janet's own brother, Michael, about the singer. It is understandable, therefore, that Janet chose to later respond in a less than flattering fashion. When asked about Madonna's infamous Sex coffee table book, Ms. Jackson famously said:
"I could take off my clothes and hitchhike on the highway, and people would look at me too. But would that make me an artist?"One would think that, over twenty years on, the feud would have mellowed with age, but one would be wrong. Just early this year, Madonna sat down with talk host Jay Leno to discuss her forthcoming Superbowl halftime show. When asked about it, rather than give some vague forecast of what to expect, she chose to say the following:
"You don’t have to show nipples to be interesting or and it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re cutting edge if you do right?”Madonna seemed to have forgotten her infamous Sex book which saw her reveal much more than just her nipples. What must also be added are the events of this past weekend, which saw Madonna purposefully peel off her bra-cup to reveal a wrinkled nip on stage in Istanbul. A desperate and hypocritical act by one that has no need for them. Many have, rightfully, deemed it a cry for relevance in an industry that seems to have finally grown tired of the Material Girl's never-ending antics.
However, allow us to return to the aforementioned origin of the feud with special attention paid to the dates in question. In the autumn of 1989, Janet had released the innovative Rhythm Nation 1814 record (which was the best-selling album of 1990) and subsequently ventured out on the accompanying tour, which later became the most successful debut concert tour by a recording artist. At the same time, Madonna had just released Like A Prayer, home to three of her biggest hits, and launched her massively successful Blonde Ambition tour. On the surface, there was no reason for Madonna to attack Janet, who was still a relative newcomer in the game.
However, one must take into consideration Janet's fast rising position in the eyes of the media, industry and the general public. In addition to the tremendous success of Rhythm Nation 1914, its nine Grammy nods and seven top five hits (the first and only record to achieve this), the latter half of 1990 saw Janet was awarded the highly coveted Video Vanguard award at the MTV Video Music Awards. It was fast becoming clear that she was the only female artist of the time who could rival the Pop Queen in terms of box office and record sale success and, indeed, this was noted by several noteworthy outlets. It is understandable that Madonna felt threatened by the rapid ascent of Janet. After all, Ms. Ciccone had dominated the eighties, seeing off several talented opponents such as Cindi Lauper and Teena Marie (who she had publicly insulted several years earlier). She had also just been named the artist of the decade by reputable media outlets the likes of Billboard and MTV. Still, it was becoming apparent that the nineties would see a sea-change, one that Madonna was clearly not all too comfortable with.
Sure enough, the dawn of the nineties saw the debut of one of the biggest stars ever to grace the industry: Mariah Carey. Heralded as 'The Voice' (a title that had previously belonged to diva Whitney Houston), the songstress took the industry by storm, racking up a record-setting five number one hits in under two years. Her debut record, the self-titled Mariah Carey, went on to sell over 15 million copies worldwide and the then newcomer went on to, essentially, dominate the decade. She eventually sold 200 million records in ten years and, not only become the best-selling female artist of all time, but she was also awarded the Artist of the Millennium award by the World Music Awards.
Par for the course, in the early part of 1995, Madonna said in a press interview that she would rather kill herself 'than be Mariah Carey'. Mariah, never one to bite her tongue when an insult has been thrown in her direction, responded:
"I really haven't paid attention to Madonna since I was in 7th or 8th grade when she used to be popular so I didn't hear that."The feud had been simmering long before that but this was the fuel that the fire needed to verify speculation. Allow us to pontificate on the matter as a whole. It is especially telling when one takes into consideration the timing of Madonna's fired shots. Ciccone, while still being successful, had seen a slump in her career. 1994's Bedtime Stories had failed to set the world alight and, by 1995, many critics had deemed her career over.
Meanwhile, Mariah was fresh off the success of Music Box and Merry Christmas, which have since gone on to sell 32 million and 15 million copies worldwide respectively (with the latter being the best-selling Christmas album of all time), and was about to release her best-reviewed and most-anticipated record to date, Daydream. Additionally, the album's lead single, Fantasy, was number one in the States (and ended up staying there for eight weeks in total) and a massive hit worldwide.
It is very easy to understand why Madonna would lash out at the diva, who had easily become the biggest star on the planet. It is feasible that the critical backlash over the release of Sex and the complimentary record, Erotica, had shaken the Pop Queen's renowned self-confidence and it is notable that, the less successful she became, the more bitter the vitriol she spewed at those she deemed a threat.
That leads on to the latest female artist to have a giant target painted on their back by the Pop Queen, Lady Gaga. Having been the benefactor of a meteoric rise, the likes of which hadn't been seen since pop icon Britney Spears, it was only a matter of time before Madonna saw fit to, essentially, 'take her out'.
And, as usual, with the launch of a new era, the Queen of Pop attacked that whom she saw as her greatest rival. Labelling last year's hit Born This Way 'reductive', she has since gone on to make it very clear just how little she thinks of Gaga. It has culminated in the events of the last fortnight, which have seen Madonna perform a rendition of the song in question followed by a short section of 'She's Not Me - a clear shot fired in Germanotta's direction. This has resulted in Gaga's very public statement during one of the stops on her smash Born This Way Ball tour late last week, where she said that:
'(she doesn't) even want to fight back... it's more important for (her) to keep making music.'Once again, it is clear that the timing of events plays an important role in understanding the reasoning behind Madonna's comments. While it is arguable that she merely made them to draw attention to her then forthcoming album, MDNA, as with every other time the Pop Queen has pulled this stunt, it has backfired. MDNA saw the biggest second week drop in Billboard history; almost 90%.
Now, admittedly Lady Gaga has been heavily inspired by the Material Girl. Many of Madonna's most famous photo shoots, outfits and videos have played a significant role in the creation of some of Gaga's greatest offerings. It is also notable that Born This Way is, indeed, very similar musically to one of Ciccone's best-known hits, Express Yourself.
However, the commendable manner in which Gaga has conducted herself thus far only serves to make Madonna look petty, vindictive, bitter and jealous. It certainly does not work in Madonna's favour for someone almost half her age to appear considerably more mature.
Allow us to conclude by giving our personal view on the matter. Madonna is potentially the most influential female pop artist in history. She has sold over 300 million records and has survived almost three decades in a highly competitive industry that spits out stars as often as it does fast-food hits. She, and the legendary King of Pop Michael Jackson, arguably created the current pop industry we all know and love.
Hence, Madonna has no need to feel threatened or otherwise by any new artist. She has no need to persistently shower hate and insults upon them and their careers, if only because she has nothing left to prove. Even if she had retired a decade ago and gone to live on a huge Texan ranch, this would still hold true.
By arguing and feuding with new artists, she implies that she is on the same level as they are. One never witnessed the likes of Michael, Prince or Tina Turner discussing new, or even veteran, artists with anything other than admiration or somewhat parental-like affection. After all, an associate at a law firm never feels they are competing with senior, or even junior, partners. They know their only rivals are those on the same playing field.
It is our strong belief that, if the events of the last fortnight in particular have taught us anything, it is that Madonna needs to be made aware once again of her superior position in the industry. She needs to realise that these highly publicised altercations have garnered the original Material Girl the reputation of a female artist who is threatened by the success of other female artists. They have reminded the general public of the attention-seeking, fame-hungry, controversy-hankering starlet she once was; one that viewed all other female artists as targets for her vitriol and hatred.
If anything, rather than uphold Madonna (as she probably intended them to do), they have only served to denigrate her numerous, unmatched achievements; something that no other artist, even with a twenty year-long career, could do. She must heed the bitter career slumps that have since befallen artists the likes of Christina Aguilera (who is well-known for her abominable attitude and keen insult-throwing, and who, we believe, is currently suffering from a karmic backlash).
Indeed, it is apparent that perhaps the best lesson the Queen of Pop can learn from this whole debacle is that it is finally time to hang up her 'shady' ways. That, even at 53, it is never too late to grow the Hell up.
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STANDING.OVATION.
ReplyDeletelove it very detailed article x
ReplyDeleteLife's a bitch and so is Madonna.
ReplyDeleteI feel her response to Gaga with the song mash up was actually a fair and good idea. It is NOT FAIR (No matter who you are) to copy something, profit from it and claim is as your own. There is NOTHING wrong with paying homage, but there is a lot wrong with stealing and then denying. It's not about 'growing up', its about being fair and being honest - standing up for your Art (or work, however you perceive it). Gaga should have admitted to paying homage to the song - and she should have kept an eye on her team, who in response to the backlash, repeatedly attacked Madonna.
ReplyDeleteMadonna is bitchy, but she is publicly bitchy - She is being real, regardless of the backlash. It takes balls to voice your dislike for the current Zeitgeist - EVEN THOUGH it promotes her current projects, it could also potentially damage her career. I respect her for still doing it. Maybe some of the women she'd left in the dust behind her would have done better, if they had just (to cheesily quote Madge) 'Expressed themselves'.
I come across as a huge Madonna fan here, I really am not that big of a fan myself. But Lady Gaga or Stefani, or whoever she is - is a fake. She is a hypocrite, a liar and a thief. A large majority of her fanbase are disgusting, foul mouthed, bullies. Something she claims to be against, yet hasn't corrected them in their attacks against; Katy Perry, Adele, Madonna, Kelly Osbourne, Grace Jones, Nicki Minaj and countless other female stars.
It's just such a shame that the younger generation are so desperate for something outrageous or inspiring that they settle for mass produced nonsense, rather than exploring the real artists and revolutionaries of the past (and future). Wearing some perspex and reading ridiculous 'prophecies' does not an artist make.
But then again Madonna calling out Gaga for copying is the epitome of hypocrisy. Madonna herself has faced plenty of plagiarism lawsuits and any non delusional Madonna fan (like me) knows that she's borrowed heavily from other artists, photographers, and actors.
DeleteWhat pisses me off as an M fan is that she claimed to have out grown her "materialistic" ways in Ray Of Light and now she's even worse than she was before. Anyone can clearly see that she's out of her game. She's collabing with Nicki Minaj, LMFAO, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Pharrel, and she even asked Adele to perform with her at the SuperBowl.
What she is doing right now is trying to stay relevant, but unfortunately this has backfired and she's no longer an album act or even a singles one for that matter, she's become exclusively a touring act. I'm not saying this is bad because her tours are always the highest-grossing, but people have certainly stopped paying attention to her music.
To be clear: LADY GAGA IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACTIONS OF A FEW FANS. She can NOT be held responsible for the actions of a MINORITY within her fan-base (see previous article "The Problem With Stans") which is arguably the largest on all the social networking sites.
DeleteGaga actually HAS addressed the insults directed at Adele, saying:
"Any Little Monster which attacks an artists because of their physical appearance or weight is not a true Little Monster."
Also, to put it in context, Monsters are NOT the only stan-base that attacks other artists. In my PERSONAL opinion, much like their idol, the Madonna Fan-base is most guilty of this. The stan-bases of Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry and other artist are also guilty of this. You can't technically label a group 'the worst stan-base'. If an idol is attacked (as Katy Perry has 'attacked' Gaga concerning blasphemy in her Alejandro video, or how Kelly Osbourne 'attacked' Gaga for not walking the red carpet at the 2012 Grammy Awards, or how Nicki Minaj claimed "not to know Gaga" despite obviously being influenced by her style) a stan base WILL respond. Not just Little Monsters, but EVERY stan base.
Unless you present actual evidence of Lady Gaga being a hypocrite, liar or thief, your words are merely insults and have no basis in fact.
Something the author of this article, Tha_Phoenix, failed to mention was that most recently on her MDNA Tour, Madonna took it upon herself to purposely flash her right breast at the crowd, then covered it up with a facial expression which I interpreted as "I don't give a f*ck.", (as if she was trying to re-capture her gone youth), despite herself saying:
Delete"You don’t have to show nipples to be interesting or and it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re cutting edge if you do right?”
It is YOUR opinion that Lady Gaga is "mass produced nonsense". If you actually look into her songs and videos they all have quite deep symbolism and meaning behind them (most notably "Judas", "Born This Way" and "Paparazzi").
"Wearing some perspex and reading ridiculous 'prophecies' does not an artist make."
Could you not say the same thing referring to Madonna?
"Showing your breasts, burning crosses, making a sex book, wearing lingerie in your 50's and provocative clothing does not make an artist." ...If you are going to try and drag Gaga, be prepare for a response.
If you are going to attempt to call Gaga a 'fake' just because she is more outlandish then other artists or because she does not conform to the norm just makes you look silly.
Frankly, to suggest that Gaga is stupid enough to directly rip-off Madonna as you are suggesting is just plain... Well, plain stupid. And it shows your bias and how subjective you are to the media and other social media outlets.
If ripping-off Madonna had been her intent, she WOULD have called it a homage, just to save face. In fact, by sticking to her guns, Gaga may look like a fool in the face of "evidence" (of which there is a surprisingly little amount of...) but she also looks almost like a martyr, someone who is willing to believe in her own values until the end.
Thankyou for the time it took you to write a response! However, next time I suggest you bring forth evidence and proof to support your claims that Lady Gaga is a "hypocrite, a liar and a thief" as you say.
I understand she has borrowed from people, some heavily - some not so much... BUT she has never really commented on it, publicly (as far as I am aware). Not saying that is a good thing. She's mentioned being inspired by Marilyn Monroe, and read every book on her - but she made it clear that Marilyn was, to her, the epitome of beauty - so of course she emulates her taste when she want's to look good.
DeleteGaga CLAIMS to be an original but constantly trips herself up. Her first album artwork thanked Madonna and David Bowie, she then said on Jonathon Ross that she was inspired by no-one, then she says she's inspired by Madonna, then she's inspired by Whitney, then no-one again. Probably some stuff in-between about being inspired by her 'Monsters' in some pretentious BS monologue between songs on her 9th Monster Ball tour.
Musically, I think Madonna's team is content with the approval of Masterpiece, and the Superbowl and used MDNA as a vehicle to tour. Its what makes her money and its what she is best at. Her career moves of late haven't been the most intelligent, but the piece is about her attitude towards other female singers - especially the one who is plagiarising her.
I've listened to MDNA and I think 'Im Addicted' and 'Love Spent' are two of the best Pop songs I have heard in a long time.
You should look up a tumblr blog called 'Paws Down Little Monsters'. It's very good.
Again: Pretentious is your opinion.
DeleteGaga has ALWAYS said that she has been influenced by Bowie, Madonna, Whitney, Springsteen, Freddie Mercury and others. To say that she HASN'T called them inspirations even in the beginning of her career is pure lunacy.
I have seen the blog and fought with them occasionally. What they call 'hate' is mostly just opinions. They are scared of true facts when presented with them and they think any post concerning Madonna posted by a Monster is hate. In fact, their own blog is a Lady Gaga hate blog. they have not hesitated in retaliation to insults flung by Little Monsters, lowering themselves to their level.
I'm not even discussing Gaga right now, I'm just talking about Madonna. Madonna has basically stolen songs such as Justify My Love, Frozen and copied songs such as Like A Virgin, Vogue, and Express Yourself among others. Even some of her lyrics are down right plagiarized.
DeleteI'm not defending Gaga nor trying to tear down Madonna. I'm stating the fact that thy both have something to be praised for and something to be criticized for.
Personally I love Madonna's AL, Erotica and Confessions Eras. She will always be iconic and a forced to be reckoned to be reckoned with even after 30 years. She should be very aware of that.
Right now she just seems insecure and getting down on the level of a pop singer whose career has only lasted 4 years and still has to prove herself and her staying power will do her no good.
Does Bashing Gaga and her fans make you feel like a better person? Apparently you take after Madonna then. Sad. Gaga stands for love, acceptance, equality, and is more mature and has more class than anyone I know. She'll never stoop to Madonna's immaturity, thank god.
DeleteSadly, Madonna already won this round, history will remember gaga as another Madonna wanna-be. Gagas mistake was saying btw wasn't inpired by express yourself and now people will only remember the controversy and not the beautiful message btw sends. Sad but true.
DeleteMadonna has not won; she's made herself look like a hypocrite, while GaGa has been classy about the whole situation. The only people who will keep going back to the controversy are Madonna fans. The general public and even the media will have long moved on.
DeleteNope, they will remember. And Madonna will never be classy, shes a sarcastic bitch and a genius, she knows what she's doing. Gaga should never take life too seriously.
DeleteIt's not about never taking life too seriously, it's about taking the high road and being mature about a ridiculous situation. The last sentence pretty much sums that up.
Deleteyou know whats sad?
Deletedear anonymous, after 20 years madonnas gonna be dead,
bye bye queen of pop,
and no one give a fuck about what u think,
calling little monster a bad fan base when u are bashing lady gaga,
honey, go home or go somewhere else...
Just to be clear: This is not a personal attack on Madonna (despite a large portion of yours being a personal attack on Lady Gaga.)
ReplyDeleteTo be frank: If there were any REAL similarities between the songs Born This Way and Express Yourself, Gaga would have been sued. Simple as that.
To a lessor trained ear (and to the general public) Born This Way and Express Yourself will sound similar, and no one is denying that are are not, but there are a couple of KEY and ESSENTIAL musical reasons why: 1) They are both written in the key of b-flat major 2) they share a similar chord progression, confirmed by Madonna:
"I noticed the chord changes... I thought they were... interesting." (In case you do not know, if you change the chord progression, the melody will also be changed to fit the chords.)
So when you look at them with an unbiased eye, you can see that Gaga did not 'copy' Express Yourself. What Madonna chose to do was not her standing up for herself, her "reductive" comment was enough of that. This was a vindictive and personal attack on Lady Gaga. That, along with the GIF used as a backdrop during the mash-up (ugly and blind 'Monsters' eating cans which have a bra, lightning bolt and high-pony on each respectively) is a childish antic in an attempt to set herself up as the victim. It is possible, however, that Gaga MAY HAVE BEEN subconsciously influenced by the song. However, if this was the case, Gaga WOULD have claimed the song as inspiration.
This might be worth a watch:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmpqbUi8Yl4
I'm not pretentious. I love Pop Music. I love Pop stars, they make me smile. I especially love female Pop stars.
"Showing your breasts, burning crosses, making a sex book, wearing lingerie in your 50's and provocative clothing does not make an artist."
The reason Madonna blew up so fast was because she was the frustrated Italian Catholic girl. It shocked a lot of people. She was raised by a very religious father, and her mother who was EXTREMELY religious died when she was young. She's said herself she felt angry at the Catholic faith and betrayed by God. All of her work mirrored her story, and what people knew her as - before the Blonde ambition stuff, then the Yoga freak mother stuff, the '50 year old' stuff. She was always the Catholic girl. That explains the continuing religious theme in her work. The sex book and the lingerie, because, she has also always been about Sex. Why shouldn't a 50 year old be sexy? She is in shape, her skin seems to be clear and her tits aren't sagging. It's in the nature of the performance of the song. It's Madonna's sexuality and I GUARANTEE the audience wanted it. She's doing a lot of favours for older women in the industry, but the world won't realise it yet. People have a tenancy to tear Legends apart as they age - and when they're gone, we realise what they did for society.
Maybe watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNqjZ9C2ZVQ
I am not biased, my opinions are completely subjective. If I didn't believe that Lady Gaga was a wasted talent, I wouldn't waste my time. She has a great voice, but everything else is bull shit. The media have really not made much effort at all to expose Gaga, in fact - quite the opposite, they are more than often on her side. The media have always been against Madonna.
I find it unusual calling it a 'personal attack'. She's a PUBLIC figure, if she doesn't want to be 'attacked' or even 'loved' by strangers - She's in the wrong industry. It happens. It just happens to be my opinion that she is full of shit.
I agree she possibly was subconsciously influenced by it, as Madonna is by the visuals of the 30s/40s/50s Movie stars. It's not much different than buying a pair of jeans because you spotted them on someone else and you though they looked good. But denying it once exposed and made obvious, is not a good idea. Look at the comments made by her producer. Saying she'd received an email of support from Madonna's team when she hadn't.
At first listen I heard Express Yourself - as did most people.
LETS FACE IT. This 'feud' or whatever you call it, will work wonders for them both. Look at Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. People eat it up.
Great article so now i finally can say my thoughts without being limited by the 140 characters of Twitter.Let me first start off by saying i am 20 years old and a HUGE fan of both Madonna and Lady Gaga. While i am a huge fan of Madonna's music her attitude has always been a turnoff for me.As Part of the younger generation I was not largely exposed to much of madge's music through television and radio the way i have other pop stars ( Britney, X-tina, Beyonce etc)In Watching gaga's career grow i was always intrigued by the madonna comparisons. I certainly has heard of madonna before but had never payed much attention. I discovered a new love for Madonna's iconic discography and am proud to say i am a fan. Thorugh gaga's influence from many other artists from the past i have learned a lot about past music. Madonna should at times thank gaga for giving her many new fans that are younger then her core fanbase.Now in direct to her attitude. Madonna Is THE QUEEN and always will be. Her being threatened by any and everyone who might present her with some competition shows how little confidence she has in herself despite her tough as nails exterior. Gaga has always praised her any many others (Grace Jones, David Bowie, Michael and Janet Jackson) as being highly influential in her career.(note to the one above the 1st jonathan ross interview is the epitome of her sarcasm towards those she feels mock her) Madonna herself obviously has borrowed a LOT from other artists as has gaga. Why there is so much attack on one but not the other is quite puzzling. (Let's face it both fan bases have a surplus of misguided and brainwashed fans who think there fave does nothing wrong but this would apply to the stan article). Madge needs to learn to accept her influence and frankly it should cast nothing but a positive light on the career she has had and what she has accomplished. Why be bitter? The largest problem i have with her "diss" is that it was long after, nearly a year of the whole EY/BTW throwdown, and has largely been used as her sole promotion (her top notch Super Bowl performance notwithstanding) for her new record MDNA, which let's face it has not lived up commercially (i personally think it isn't her best but certainly isn't her worst and does produce some gems) to her past numbers. Gaga has been largely strictly a punching bag for Madonna to make headlines (ironically with her whole message for world peace) and does nothing but show where her attitude is. As a 53 year old woman and a mother of four madonna should be above her latest actions and setting a better example. Madonna NO ONE will take your throne, you have influenced countless artists and should be nothing but proud of seeing that influence. I will always been a stan for madoona's music but the attitude towards her fellow popstars leaves her to appear to be nothing short of the regina george of pop.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's cause Madonna lives in the real world not a fairy tale, rainbow laced, and unicorn filled one. And I consider world peace to be no wars not 2 pop stars fighting with subtle messages.
DeleteA+ post, everything is totally on point.
ReplyDeleteMadonna stans love to pull the "ageism/sexism" card on the flashing incident, but let's be real, most people would have reacted exactly the same if it were some older male singer like Billy Idol or Mick Jagger. Cry ageism if you want, but there comes a time when you need to realize the general public doesn't want to see you naked anymore. This is one of those times.
With that said, this whole thing just smells like desperation and insecurity. Madonna can't take the idea of being outshined so quickly by a more talented girl half her age. She lashes out at nearly any and every female that she sees as a serious competitor [commercially or creatively] or has more talent than her. Which is probably why she plays so goody-goody with Britney,she doesn't see her as a threat the way she did Janet,Whitney,Mariah and sees Gaga now.
You're acting like Madonna started this thing with Gaga. I'd be pisaed if someone were ripping my career off and pretending she's totally original too.
ReplyDeleteFunny you should say that, considering nearly everything Madonna's given credit for "creating" was copied off Marilyn Monroe, Bettie Page, Marlene Dietrich,Bette Davis, pretty much any actress that was famous between the 30s and 50s, as well as people like Debbie Harry who were influencing music & fashion in the 70s. And how she's been sued several times over copyright infringements like plagiarizing the works of notable fashion photographers,sampling other artist's work without credit, and using other people's lyrics without credit.
DeleteChristina Aguilera (who is well-known for her abominable attitude and keen insult-throwing, and who, we believe, is currently suffering from a karmic backlash).
ReplyDelete^^^ even though it's almost completely irrelevant from the article --- this is my favorite line.
anyways, as if you all didn't expect this article to shit on everything.
Madonna is forever the Queen of Pop. If Gaga wants to be the Queen of something she needs to make her own genre.
Gaga and Michael created pop, what is Gaga going to create?
I hate to be the one to break it to you, but pop music has been around since the 20s, 30s and 40s. Judy Garland was a pop star. So was Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra, to name a few. Madonna did not invent pop. She also did not invent blonde hair or side pony tails. Pop was alive and well long before Madonna was born and will continue long after she's gone...so will blonde hair and pony tails.
DeleteAlso please note, NO MONARCH RULES FOREVER. This applies equally to "queens" and "kings" of pop.
An interviewer once said to Gaga:
Delete"Do you ever think Madonna will let you own the throne of Queen of Pop?"
Then Gaga shook her said and said:
"No. And I don't want it. I'm making my own throne."
Besides, to suggest that Madonna invented Pop music is very questionable. ABBA, for example, though was mainly disco, towards the end of their span, they started to experiment in more pop/synthesizer music. Cher also was a creator of Pop. Madonna didn't INVENT pop, but she definitely revolutionized it.
"what is Gaga going to create?"
DeleteNothing new. So far.
Sorry, y'all.
ReplyDeleteI don't necessarily STAN for Madonna, but there's a reason most everyone mentions MJ and Madonna as the King & Queen of Pop. While POP music has been around before Madonna, MADONNA AND MJ are majorly responsible for it being what it is today.
I have high expectations for Gaga. Gaga has the potential to "CREATE" a NEW Pop. So, when I say "create," I mean a new foundation of POP music.
Regardless, I don't really take to arguing on blog comment sections. Let's just agree that this article > 99% of typical articles of blogs out there, [including That Grape Juice, The Lava Lizard, Rap-Up, etc.].
Who gives a shit. While Janet and Mariah have fallen off, Madonna still has record-breaking tours and is still able to selll over 1 million copies of her album. She has definitely had an impact on both pop music and culture and she will always be queen of Pop. 300 million records sold and no articles or criticism will change that.
ReplyDelete"Gaga" has lifted so much from Madonna and she kept quiet for a long time.
ReplyDeleteIt's very strange one would want to make anything else out of it.
And then 1) attack Madonna and 2) cry wolf like the phony "Gaga" is
lol
I'm sorry, how has Gaga "attacked" madonna? Re-read the article THEN comment.
DeleteThis article is some bullshit, of course Madonna is going to fight back, Donald Trump & other men do it all the time. This person don't know what they r talking about, Teena Marie never got as big as Madonna bcause 1. She came off too black, 2. She did not have the so-called MTV friendly face. It's more acceptable to act like a Wigger now than it was back in the 80s. You people don't remember back in the 80s because yall was not born back then, black artist had to make white friendly music videos and music to get aiplay, MJ had trouble getting on Thriller. The media hated Madonna then, and they still hates her now. Lady Gaga wants to steal Madonna's older fanbase of 40 & 50 year olds, Adele is herself and is doing quite well. Mariah Carey was a Whitney knockoff. GaGa will never be as big as Madonna, or will any of these other troll-ups.
DeleteI meant to say if that Micheal Jackson had trouble getting Billie Jean played on MTV, he broke down barriers for black artist, Madonna whether you like her or not broke down barriers for women in music. There was a time when women was not getting sponsership for concerts or would not even play arenas, or stadiums until Madonna came in and changed the game. All these young whore-lets just reeping the benefits off the grand dame of raunch. By the way, since Mariah Carey had her twins she has not done anthing lately, and Janet has not done shit since MJ has died. But don't worry mofos Lourdes is benefiting off her mother's fame and will become a star in her own right, ain't that what you all say about Janet and Micheal.
Delete"I'm sorry, how has Gaga "attacked" madonna? Re-read the article THEN comment."
DeleteShe cried wolf after Madonna exposed "Lady Gaga's" stealing ways.
That is passive-aggressive attacking.
Maybe you should read and watch way more articles and videos, before af´sking such an utterly daft question ?
At the end of the day, Lady GaGa is making money EVERY TIME Madonna performs 'Born This Way' on her tour. Madonna feels threatened because people like GaGa more nowadays and because she preaches love, togetherness and acceptance whereas Madonna rarely ever has.
ReplyDeleteLady GaGa speaks about loving everyone while Madonna spews hateful remarks about other female artists. It's a shame that Madge would even be so negative towards someone who has shown so much LOVE for her. GaGa DOES NOT copy off of Madonna, she pays homage and inspiration and she says that time and again and if Madonna fans can't get that through their head then I don't know what to tell them. Instead of trying to tear GaGa down with supposedly being a clone...take her for what she is..A TRUE ARTIST, A SINGER, A SONGWRITER, DANCER, PERFORMER AND ACTIVIST.
Madonna is extremely talented while GaGa is extremely talented as well (possibly more so, no offense to Madonna). I'm sure GaGa (although she did nothing wrong) wouldn't mind reconciling with Madonna but Madonna's ego and immaturity would never let that happen and it's a shame.
And let's be honest, Madonna's whole career was based off of inspiration of other people but she took it to a WHOLE NEW LEVEL and that is exactly was GaGa is doing, taking inspiration from many different artists and taking it to A WHOLE NEW LEVEL...that is Madonna's envy because at this age, she can no longer take it to another level...that's why she showed her titty and ass at her concert while GaGa doesn't have to.
"Lady Gaga" has ripped off TONS from Madonna. Please tell us how that is "love, togetherness and acceptance" ?
DeleteThat is plagiarism, which has nothing to do with those things.
"GaGa DOES NOT copy off of Madonna, she pays homage and inspiration and she says that time and again and if Madonna fans can't get that through their head"
She has COPIED various artists and has no originality.
"take her for what she is..A TRUE ARTIST, A SINGER, A SONGWRITER, DANCER, PERFORMER AND ACTIVIST."
Sorry, but dumbing down other people work to Instant McGuff is not being a "TRUE ARTIST".
Her "SONGWRITING" is idiotic and infantile.
She CANNOT DANCE. Are you a joker ? Her dancing is actually embarrassing, you must have lost your marbles .... lol
A BLAND PERFORMER.
And a 1-day ACTIVIST, till she has another (not so) "unique" IDEA.
Gimme a fuckin' BREAK !
" and taking it to A WHOLE NEW LEVEL..."
But the problem here is, that NOTHING she does is NEW
You are a fanbase who are culturally so dumb, you think OLD stuff is NEW
That is absolutely pathetic
So, Mr Romeo
DeletePeople like you should get an OUNCE of a cultural clue
before calling OLD shit, " taking it to A WHOLE NEW LEVEL... "
You people sound like hicks from some American village that hasn't evolved since the last 30 years atleast
WHAT THE FUCK
What a load of cr*p... Madonna resents other female artists??
ReplyDeleteWhat about Britney? Kylie? Katy?
Madonna's critics to Mariah were just like other artists that didnt like Mariah... that annoying whistle thing she feels like she has to do in every song!
About Janet, Madonna was asked by Michael Jackson to be in the "In the closet" video, Madonna said she would do it if Michael dressed up as a girl and Madonna as a boy. Michael asked for janet's opinion, she said "Dont do it", cause everything that touches Madonna is controversial.
And Gaga??? Well, after Gaga used many of Madonna's looks, carrier moves and even a song, it's only RIGHT that Madonna responds to this.
BTW sounds too similar to Express Yourself to be ignored (and music critics were the ones who said this first), the video Alejandro has the videos Vogue and Express Y. written all over it.
"Lady Gaga" stole various things from Madonna and others. To think someone who has her backcatalogue raided, should not speak out AND saying SHE is feuding, is nothing but DUMB, poorly researched and OVER THE FUCKIN' TOP.
ReplyDeleteMadonna actually doesn't really feud with others and when she speaks out, it's USUALLY in a PLAYFUL manner.
I cannot believe people are actually saying she is feuding and starting things, when it is OTHERS who have USED HER and COPIED HER, and the TURN IT AROUND, to make it look DIFFERENT.
Excuse me ?
Really, since when do hicks know about "new levels" ?
ReplyDeleteHow can one be ignorant to SUCH A DEGREE ?
That surely borders on mental tard IQ ?
Love this. You speak the truth. Finally someone with some sense! But lemme just point out that Merry Christmas is not the best selling Xmas album, apparently. That would be "Elvis' Christmas Album" which was certified Diamond. In fact, Josh Groban's Noel and Celine Dion's "These Are Special Times" have sold a bit more than it. Sorry, hope you don't find it offensive.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget the way Madonna used to trash Sinead O'Connor. Madonna was probably pissed that Sinead's video "Nothing Compares 2 U" beat Madonna's "Vogue" video for MTV Video Of The Year in 1990. Madonna started bad-mouthing her after that (although Sinead probably couldn't have cared less about winning the thing), and even vilified her for ripping up the picture of the Pope on SNL. Sinead was getting more publicity for those few seconds than Madonna was getting from her Sex book and Erotica album. I like both artists, but I found it very hypocritical of Madonna to condemn Sinead for treading on religion when Madonna practically made a career out of it.
ReplyDeletethe title,''The Voice'' will always be Whitney Houston's
ReplyDelete