14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday, Lady Gaga premiered the first single off her upcoming album, the highly anticipated “Born This Way,” an anthem for bullied LGBT teens, the song that will presumably change pop music as we know it. As it happens, it may be a rip-off of Madonna’s “Express Yourself.”
After “Born This Way” came out, talk immediately started on how much it drew for inspiration on Madonna’s classic hit.
After all, critics said, parallelisms between the two pop artists have always been noticeable, so why shouldn’t the same apply here as well.
Many fans, for instance, did not take kindly to whatever resemblance there is (or they think there is) between the two tracks: for an artist who prides herself of being so original, Gaga sure seems to look up to Madonna, they said.
Even some major media outlets pointed out to the similarities, PopEater reports, with The Atlantic running the headline “Is Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ a Rip-Off of Madonna’s ‘Express Yourself’?”
The Washington Post did not even attempt at masking the innuendo as a question. “Lady Gaga’s New Song, ‘Born This Way,’ Premieres Online. We think Madonna Will Like It” it writes.
Of course, there are also those who say that, even if Gaga was inspired by Madonna for her latest hit (and “Born This Way” is already that), it shouldn’t be such a big deal.
“[‘Born This Way’] has Gaga, an artist constantly compared to Madonna, cheerfully swiping some melodies from Madonna’s ‘Express Yourself’ – because this is not the kind of song where that feels like a big deal, or anything much at all seems like a big deal,” Vulture writes.
PopEater sees in the resemblance more of a homage than a rip-off. Unlike countless pop stars who have indeed copied Madonna throughout the years, Gaga at least has the talent and the decency to use her music as just a starting point, the e-zine argues.
“Gaga’s new tune feels like more of an homage than a rip-off. The ‘Bad Romance’ singer has made no secret of her respect for Madonna, and with that in mind, there’s no way the thematic and musical similarities between ‘Born This Way’ and ‘Express Yourself’ were not purposeful,” PopEater writes.
“With its full-on disco swagger and lyrics about self-acceptance, Gaga is taking a page straight out of the Madonna handbook and not apologizing for it,” the e-zine says.
As we speak, debate on this continues to rage on. At this point, it’s probably best if you drew your own conclusions, so check out the two songs below. Enjoy.
Madonna – “Express Yourself”