Friday, February 11, 2011

Bored This Way

Lady Gaga released her new song today. Ooh boy how everyone has been DIRE to hear this song. Well, it's out now, and I have my thoughts about it.

I won't lie. It's pop, it's fun, it's got a great beat to it. I expect I will be listening to it a bunch; as music, it's thoroughly entertaining. So props for that.

However, it isn't clever. It isn't groundbreaking. If you listen to it, it sounds like a mash up of Waterfalls by TLC and Express Yourself by Madonna. So once again, we have Lady Gaga apeing the previous successes of other female artists and repackaging it as "new and exciting".

What bothers me the most is that it reads as such a blatant cashing in on the current media coverage of bullying and torment of gays across North America. In our tired and desperate times, we sad homos need someone to stand up and tell us "you're ok, homos. Sparkle on disco babies." and god bless her, Gaga swoops in with our pride anthem. Hear that sound? It's my sarcasm roaring.

As enjoyable as the song is, I feel so pandered to, so manipulated. Is it savvy that Lady Gaga recorded and released such a blatantly pro-gay disco smash or is it classless?

I can just imagine her thoughts: "my gays are sad. I will write them their next anthem and they will be happy and they will love me and I will call them Squishy and they shall be mine". GAG.

I know she supports her gay fans. I know that the media is making a huge deal about the plight of teenaged gays in North America (moreso in the states than here). Clearly I am not bashing anything to do with the progression of gay equality, or hell, even bringing a smile to a sad homos face. I am not some self-loathing gay who is quick to attack anything that seems pro-gay. HELLO, I have my Kylie Minogue tickets and I've sent my gold lame hot pants to the cleaners in time for her show! (to clarify: not really. They're pink.)

I'm just saying that I get a massively sour taste in my mouth regarding the hullaballoo over Born This Way. What some people are proclaiming to be THE GREATEST THING EVARRRRRRR, I instead see as a dirty ploy at dovetailing off the tragedy and struggles of a whole lot of people, and not even a particularily unique one at that.

**end rant

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