Alejandro… Express Yourself
There’s no such thing as a bad publicity, and they know it well. So – just as Madonna did over the past 25 years and counting – Lady Gaga and director Steven Klein were clearly aware of what to expect when they shoot, edited and released the singer’s new video.
But while the usual Madonna vs Gaga comparison is rather tired and not worth to be posted on these pages, the Alejandro video feedback is something different. If you have seen it, you certainly know why. Just in case, here’s nothing but a very few of the articles that stormed the internet since the videoclip was released yesterday.
• Lady Gaga ‘Alejandro’ Music Video Evokes Madonna Influence, by Jennifer Waite on Yahoo!
If you haven’t seen the Lady Gaga Alejandro music video yet, you may just want to take a look. If you’re a Madonna fan, that is. Why? Because the entire Lady Gaga Alejandro music video seemed like an over-the-top homage to the original bad girl of Pop, with some of Lady Gaga’s signature touches and futuristic spin. Gaga gives us something we’ve never seen before, or have we? And that’s the point.
• Lady Gaga’s ‘Alejandro’ Is Not Just A Madonna Homage: The Counterpoint by James Montgomery on MTV
The conventional wisdom surrounding Lady Gaga’s new “Alejandro” video – based on a few preview clips and a viewing or two – seems to be that it is probably her most Madonna clip to date, a glamorous, black-and-white mélange of Madge’s finest moments (particularly the “Vogue” video, or anything else she did with director David Fincher). And while conventional wisdom isn’t exactly wrong, it’s definitely taking the easy way out.
• Alejandr Oh No by Lauryn Brooke on the New York Press
Did you ask Madge if you could copy not one, not two or three, but four ideas from her previous music videos? My guess is you didnt, because she would have kicked your ass all the way back to the Upper West Side just for suggesting it. Just because you collaborated with Steven Klein (who also bears some responsibility in all of this) doesnt give you the right to rip off the woman who paved the path for you to act this way.
• Lady Gaga’s New Video Takes Madonna Homage a Little Too Far on HispanicBusiness.com
Can an artist be ripping off another even when she is blatantly paying homage?
That is the question that nags as one watches Lady Gaga’s latest video, “Alejandro,” which has all the hallmarks of a classic Madonna number: sinewy male dancer love-slaves, Catholic imagery, an ethnic theme. A la Madonna, Gaga sports a black pantsuit and even a cone bra – though Gaga’s version is tipped by a pair of guns.
And then there is the loping chorus sung by a voice remarkably evocative of you-know-who’s.
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