Lady Gaga’s Grammy performance: hot mess or Madge-tastic?

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CB thinks Lady Gaga is full of it. I’ll admit to having a higher Gaga-tolerance, but Gaga’s antics at the Grammys might have been a little bit too much, even for me. First off, I’m not one of the many, many, many people who minds that Gaga sounds a lot like vintage Madonna. Madonna no longer makes music that sounds like her old stuff, so there’s a void to be filled. Is “Born This Way” a complete rip-off of “Express Yourself”? Eh. They’re similar. Very similar. But my biggest problem with “Born This Way” is that it is merely a decent pop song. That’s it. Gaga pushes it like the song is going to redefine pop music and become an instant classic. It just isn’t. You can even see it in the Grammy performance – this song is as cookie-cutter as it gets, and it doesn’t even inspire anything more newsworthy as a dumb egg gimmick:

She even looks like vintage Madge. Ugh. Dances like her too, although to give Gaga some credit, Gaga does seem more acrobatic and more like a gymnast than Madge ever did.

Also, when Gaga won for Best Pop Vocal Album, she thanked Whitney Houston, NOT MADGE. “I want to say thank you to Whitney Houston…When I wrote ‘Born This Way’ I imagined you were singing it because I wasn’t secure enough to see myself as a superstar.” Okay, CB is right. Gaga is full of it.

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Screencaps via the video, additional egg photos courtesy of WENN.

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69 Responses to “Lady Gaga’s Grammy performance: hot mess or Madge-tastic?”

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  1. mln76 says:

    I like Gaga but she needs to give everybody a break. If she took a year off I bet she’d have the most amazing material. But the bitch is just making me tired.

  2. Oi says:

    Pretentious. And a ripoff. She’s wearing everyone out just as her act is wearing thin. She needs to regroup. No ones talking about how shes such a genius this morning, just how tired they are of her or trying to make this into art. I think Arcade Fire’s surprise win has taken some of the wind out of her publicity sails. (Which makes my day all week long.) I mean, we’re actually talking about the Grammy’s regaining some credibility this morning, and it had ZERO to do with her! Yes…

  3. LisaMarie says:

    She’s like Madonna with the overt sexuality removed. I’m kind of over her.

  4. renai(jrt) says:

    yes, a bit of a Madonna rip-off but then again Madonna is done, so someone has to take her place…. music is cyclical like that. Madonna never had the vocals just the show and Gaga is following in that, but she really wishes for the vocals that Whitney has and thats why she wants to align with.

  5. MSat says:

    I am so over this self-important twat.

    NEXT.

  6. Cherry Rose says:

    Wow. She can’t even give the proper credit where credit is due. Bitch.

    Next utterly useless and totally corporate made popstar please! (Actually, I joke. Gaga, Katy Perry, and Rihanna are toture enough.)

  7. K-MAC says:

    an absolute rip off of Madonna’s EXPRESS YOURSELF and why in the h*ll would Lady Gaga thank Whitney Houston and then say she lacked confidence???? I am over it and her.

  8. Dana M says:

    All that matters to me about the Grammys is that a real musician won last night : Esperanza Spalding

    That’s all.

  9. Tess says:

    She needs to figure out who she is, put some of her authentic self into a song, and then convey a smidge of real human feeling in her performances.

    As it is, that persona she’s whipped up will carry her only so far and she’s reaching the end of the line. I think only young, confused kids will not begin to see thru the BS.

  10. jr says:

    Madonna is gonna come back and kick-ass…Gaga should not be copying her so blatantly…not artistic..the Queen is gonna roar….wait and see.

  11. lilred says:

    Hell, my husband even pointed out that it was a rip off of Madonna. He knows very little about Madonna songs.

  12. Kbomb says:

    @lilred: all my husband pointed out is that he could see her nipples through her skin dress. LOL. I’m like “dude! Nast! Let’s rewind back to Rihanna – THOSE are the boobs you should be looking for!”

  13. justforpostin says:

    Total Madonna re-tread, and try as I might, I can not even REMOTELY imagine Whitney singing that song. It’s not even CLOSE to a Whitney song.

  14. Weegee's Bored says:

    I loved Madonna’s performance last night.

  15. REALIST says:

    Awesome! We would have been disappointed with less….
    but, was the original tape recorded from the nosebleed seats?

  16. Skins says:

    Pretty ordinary considering all of the hype

  17. lilred says:

    @ Kbomb: well we herd it on the radio first,Lol no worry about seeing her or her nipples.

  18. Kitteh says:

    A total over-inflated product of Marketing.

  19. Boey Jellodonna says:

    The WWF did the same egg bit 25 years ago. If that tune is the best she has, her 15 minutes will be drawing to a close soon.

  20. Devon says:

    she looked like she glued a golden Oreo to her head.

  21. jover says:

    One question in the official studio recording of this song were any real instruments used or is it all computer generated – compare how hollow this song is to a great song that has stood up Gloria Gaynor’s I will survive. WHy did her look remind me of those spy characters in the old Mad magazine? Pointy and angular.

  22. bagladey says:

    Meh, it was awright, nothing spectacular; despite her writing skills Gaga isn’t in Madonna’s class yet.

  23. RHONYC says:

    the best part of this performance was when it ended.

    i cannot believe gaga did this. what a let down.

    just plain lazy.

    🙁

  24. ThatBoyLuke says:

    She’s just pathetic at this point. She first rips off “Express Yourself” then Turns up in Madonna’s Blonde Ambition ponytail and then thanks WHITNEY HOUSTON LMFAO i guess this feeds into her saying that she’s one of the top vocalists in the indistry… must have been upsetting for her that everyone was like “meh…” at her circus act and that Christina Aguilera and the other four amazing singers got a standing ovation just to stand and sing with a mic lol

  25. buell says:

    Her entrance was one big yolk!

  26. Tracy says:

    This quote is ripped off from another site but I found it interesting:

    “You can complain all you want about the tip of the leather cap to “Express Yourself,” which was just Madonna’s knock-off of the Staple Singers’ “Respect Yourself.” But “Born This Way” is steeped in decades of gay disco tradition, with a heavy Seventies-style thump-thump from Patrick Hernandez’ 1979 classic “Born to Be Alive.” (Fun fact: one of Madonna’s first professional gigs was as a back-up dancer on a Patrick Hernandez tour, and you can believe Gaga knows it.)”

  27. TeeTee says:

    A big YAWN, we thought something amazing would come after the egg entrance.

    she’s starting to beleive her hype.

  28. Marc says:

    Is she going to rip off next time Whitney’s/Parton’s “I will always love you”?

  29. Fat Jenny says:

    I saw her 60 Minutes interview yesterday and I realized that she is a young pretentious girl with a lot to learn, still. I also believe she does a lot of drugs. Whatever the case, she is laughing her ass off all the way to the bank.

  30. Annicka says:

    I was over Lady Gaga with the whole teacup thing and at this point I’m just hoping lighting will strike her.

  31. Jayna says:

    Celebitchy, you hit it right on all points. All great observations, and kudos for seeing through that Whitney Houston reference. Gaga is well aware of all the controversy the last two days before the Grammys about the song being a ripoff of Madonna, and she gets up there and gives a bizarre speech about Whitney being her inspiration. Too much.

    And the song is just an average pop song, not the brilliant masterpice she hyped it to be. Maybe she should have spent more than ten minutes on it if she wanted it to be a masterpiece. But it is intergetic and I think it will be a great dance song in the clubs, nothing more.

    But as far as the performance, the girl sang her ass off. I loved her vocal performance and the choreography was nice, but nothing edgy in the dancing.

  32. vale says:

    It sounds more like “waterfalls” to me than “express yourself”… anyone else hear it?

  33. Frankly says:

    I was hoping for a Spinal Tap moment – maybe the egg wouldn’t open and they would need to get some dudes out there with power tools to free her.

    Or that the egg would have opened and a giant pair of pantyhose would pop out. L’Eggs!

  34. womanfromthenorth says:

    all she was missing was a big cross…
    she ripped off everything else why not a cross?

  35. Bella Mosley says:

    Madonna stole from Grace Jones and never apologized. And before them all Cher dressed outrageously. And it will continue. There is nothing new – only a new spin on an old idea.

    Say what you will, Lady Gaga has more followers than anyone (last I heard) on Twitter and a huge fan base that not only keeps growing but makes Madonna’s, at her best, look paltry. Im sure Lady Gags couldn’t care less what others think as her fans will carry her through.

    Personally I just can’t figure out how she sat in that black outfit with the huge plastic butt cheeks she accepted her grammy in.

  36. ThatBoyLuke says:

    @BellaMosley “Say what you will, Lady Gaga has more followers than anyone (last I heard) on Twitter and a huge fan base that not only keeps growing but makes Madonna’s, at her best, look paltry”

    Are you even serious?! LMFAO Gaga may be big at the moment but she has nothing on Madonna. Gaga has sold 18.5m copies of her 2 albums while Madonna has sold 230m and her last tour made like $450m (highest grossing tour by a solo artist EVER) from just 75 dates while Gaga has just about made $200m from over 200 dates lol

  37. original kate says:

    gaga’s performance is “express yourself” meets spinal tap. what’s next, singing “don’t speak” whilst dancing around a teeny stonehenge?

  38. Johnny Depp's Girl says:

    booooo.. I’m over this ho.

  39. KF says:

    She makes me grateful for bands like Arcade Fire, Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers and Muse. If you have to try that hard to get attention, you can’t be dedicating yourself to writing good music!

  40. gg says:

    eh, of course she rips Madonna, and this won’t be the last time either.

    But I still enjoyed watching the dancing and belting her heart out. She’s a good performer.

    I can certainly do without Rhihanna and M&Ms moaning about killing each other. And the punk can’t even crack a smile after winning a grammy. Now that’s your miserable poser right there.

  41. Bella Mosley says:

    @ThatBoyLuke

    I don’t disagree Madonna has and continues to do well. I am a huge fan, felt she was slighted by being snubbed at many award shows as she was not well respected due to her personal choices. She should have only been judged on her lifestyle.

    However, according to Billboard when comparing their first 2 years in the business (which they say is only fair way to judge):

    Per Billboard
    Madonna first reached the Hot 100 dated Oct. 29, 1983, and Lady Gaga, Aug. 16, 2008: Lady Gaga’s first two years-plus clearly outshine Madonna’s, in terms of chart visits and top 10s (8-5 in each category) and No. 1s (7-3).

    Only Time will tell. Madonna has 25 years on Lady Gaga. Will Lady Gaga survive? Who knows Stick around til 2036 and we’ll find out. LOL

  42. DSMR says:

    The only thing original about Lady CaCa is the fact that. Like the (ahem) “artists” of the early days of Rock & Roll, she exploits successful music. Only this time instead of blues musicians, she steals from the likes of U2, The Eurythmics, Madonna and Gary Numan. She adds her horrid lyrics, her take on cow bell and then passes it off as her own. She is all fluff, no substance. I half expect that, one of these days while on stage the mask will come off and there will stand Pat Boone. Lol.

  43. TG says:

    ThatBoyLuke – I am glad you mentioned the Aretha Franklin tribute getting a standing ovation just to stand there and sing because that is what I like. I often think the flashy dancing and other antics on stage are just smoke screens to distract from the fact that many of the performers today are not great singers.

    And @Frankly the L’Eggs comment is too funny I remember those from the 80’s and if Gagga had done that it would have been great.

  44. TaylorB says:

    Frankly,

    That is EXACTLY what I thought when the brought out the egg. Her being stuck in there a la Harry Shearer in Spinal Tap with the nerdy roadie trying to free her. That would have made my week.

  45. Angel says:

    I jsut can’t understand what her fans see in her ? :r
    And this song… omg, I TRIED to listen…. just no

  46. Cakes says:

    I hate getting to the comments late cuz y’all already say what Im thinking!

    Im kind of embarassed to admit this but I linked Lady Gag’s arrival to my FB from dlisted and said “its all been done before, her act is old and no one is impressed”……my 26 year-old guy friend and total gaga worshipper said that “most girls like me dont get her and Im just jealous” Palm met forehead. I was kind of embarassed for him.

    ITA with whoever said she believes her own hype. Some of music is catchy but shes not the “artist” she thinks she is.

  47. Writ says:

    just a demon worshiper giving a bad message to youth. Her Madonna rip off pop song was cute because she sure isn’t. But she is just winding down. Someone else with even less talent and more imagination will enter the music scene with a wilder gimmick and music will not be music but gimmickry which seems to be the thing these days. Gaga will go gaga, make her money and be replaced. People are always looking for the next best thing like Justin B, who will run his course too.

  48. Ron says:

    You know many artists have come and gone during Madonna’s years on the charts. Many artists that have been compared to her, and are now still around but are never going to have hit songs over 3 decades. I like Lady Gaga, but she still had a LONG way to go to be in the same room as Madonna. Also, she needs to lose the “schtick” or she is just going to lose fans. It does not seem sincere in any way anymore. Nicki Minaj was more fun to look at last night than Gaga arriving in her ben wa ball.

  49. Poopsicle says:

    I’m not in love with this song because it sounds… “normal” and not Gaga. I love the weirdness of Gagas dance music and this sounds too inspirational.

    But seriously people get over fucking Madonna. She doesn’t make music anymore…sorry. People draw inspiration from other great people there’s only so much weirdness one can create. I think Lady Gaga has done a good job creating her own level of weird.

  50. Vera says:

    I just can’t help but think with the hair cut she has and the prosthetics glued on, she looks like an alien from Star Trek. She completely has Vulcan bangs.

    The performance wasn’t bad, but it was not memorable at all. Even so, she does have a voice on her, which did come through in the song, but it still didn’t make the song that much better.

    If this performance had happened last year, I probably would have been rather disappointed – I mean, Gaga was everywhere and doing outrageous things and it was entertaining. But now that she’s kind of dying out as she has been shoved in everyones faces for the past three years, I didn’t care that it wasn’t something huge – I wouldn’t even have cared if she hadn’t been there.

  51. JenJen says:

    Even Madonna was more humble than this PR machine, I thought it was a remake when I heard it. Same hair and all. Nothing original about her all, greed has been around since the beginning of time.

  52. Kim says:

    SHES SO WANNA BE SHOCKING ITS LAUGHABLE!

    I think her thanking Whitney was part honor to Whitney and part dig to Madonna (jab jab Whitney is more talented than you). You know Madonna secretly loves that she thinks Gag worships her but it was Gaga saying I worship Whitney moer – u know that would piss MadonnaEgo off.

  53. Susan says:

    I think she has officially jumped the shark.

  54. jr says:

    Madonna is working on NEW ALBUM….gonna kick some ass….

  55. Cherry Rose says:

    While I’m not Madonna’s biggest fan, I have to say, Madonna has earned the right to take herself seriously. The woman has been performing for 25 years now, and should be one of the grandmothers of pop. Sorry, but Gaga has brought nothing new or inventive to pop music.

    All Gaga has done is rip off and copied artists like David Bowie, Grace Jones, Bjork, and many others.

    Dressing up in Kermit frogs does not make you a genuis. It just makes you look stupid and an attention whore.

  56. Jayna says:

    Whoever said Madonna isn’t making music anymore or doing much of anything. Four albums during this last decade, and starting on a new one this year. Last two tours highest grossing of all time for solo artist female or male. Get your facts straight.

  57. Jb says:

    Her thanking Whitney Houston was soooo passive aggressive- obviously she’s insecure and pissed off over the “she copied Madonna” hoopla. I’m definitely over her. Give credit where credit is due, Gaga!

  58. Bopa says:

    Born This Way sounds like the cheap or free license songs people use to make YouTube videos. Not a song that anyone would ask “who made this?”

  59. Eleonor says:

    Since 1985 everytime there’s a new successfull pop singer people claims the new Madonna, but after a couple of years nobody remember who was.
    Lady Gaga had two-three good hits which were better than this. Yes it is something decent, but it resembles too much Express yourself, and even the graphic of her new album it’s something we’ve just seen
    http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2011/02/photos-did-lady-gaga-copy-kylie-minogues-album-cover-you-be-judge

    We have to wait a little bit more, to see if she can go on.

  60. B says:

    Gaga should give credit to Mork from Ork, since she lifted the egg idea.

  61. Brittany says:

    I definitely sing along to Gaga’s music, but I’m completely over her as a person.

    Boring.

  62. Trillion says:

    Way too derivative for me, since I am of the generation Madonna exploded upon. I just cannot even hear it without thinking of “Express” but when THAT song came out I remember thinking it was a rip-off of Staple Singers “Respect Yourself” (not sure it that’s the title). Gaga has set the bar very high for herself and has unfortunately fallen short. I appreciate where she’s coming from lyrically but she can do so much better than this.

  63. Gabriela says:

    Crappy pop song with poor lyrics. Ughhhhhhhh go away already

  64. sickofit says:

    sorry but this song is just boring, her grammy stage “show” was just preposterous.
    and i really liked her when she started

  65. mymy says:

    First let me say. I can’t stand Lady Gaga. She is so contrived. I so do not get how anyone thinks she is authentic.

    Now what shocks me further is people yelling at her for ripping off Madonna. Madonna has ripped off almost all her looks and she poses in photos along the years identical to many famous photo’s. She takes songs from lesser people who do not have the fame .

    Here is her rip off of express yourself
    http://www.aishamusic.com/lawsuit_many_artists_madonna_stole_from.htm
    go to the site above and just look at the photo’s. She get away with it. She steals form everyone Kyle. Because she is more famous people give her a pass

  66. Poopsie says:

    “It sounds more like “waterfalls” to me than “express yourself”… anyone else hear it? ”

    -I totally agree! I think it sounds like both the more I listen to it. But if you slow it down it totally sounds like waterfalls…it’s not just you. I can’t believe how much of Lady Gag’s performance was just like Madonna’s Express Yourself. I am a fan of both girls but I’ve watched so many of Madonna’s performances that she is still top notch in my book. Lady Gaga is trailing behind and last nights performance was a total copy cat to Madonna…the only thing original (if any) was the organ playing that she did. Lady Gaga made way too much hype over her new song to the point that it really was nothing special. What is up with those fugly costumes? It looks like melted butter.

  67. Karen says:

    Lady Gaga is beautiful and talented but why didn’t she treat the crotch crabs that made her keep rubbing her “V” area during her song? I don’t remember Madonna doing that, so at least this was origional, abet disgusting.

    Karen

  68. Tiffany says:

    She was born Stephanie Germanotta, spoiled rich kid with highlights and Ambercrombie jackets. Oh yes, I never fit in, people laughed at me in school. Blech.
    What a lie she is. Failure as a “punk” artist, so she changed her look.

    Totally killing me with the Spinal Tap Harry Shearer reference and L’eggs!

    Like I said, if she was born that way, it must have been a biotch for her mom with all those horns. I don’t have to wonder which capital h i m she is singing to. Illuminati slave getting to the top.

  69. Ari says:

    This girl is delusional. I swear she thinks she is really a monster or alien and will not be satisfied until we all fall under her “spell” and she can take over the world with her stupid followers of crappy music.

    I realize my comment reads even crazier by acknowledging her existence.