by Whitney-Marie Halaby ‘14

The notorious Lady Gaga, known for her unique choice of dress, her provocative songs and her outspokenness for gay and transgender rights, is continuously evolving into something new. But, as she becomes this generation’s Madonna, controversies follow her. The most recent uproar surrounded her song “Judas,” a single from her second album “Born This Way.”

The name of the song itself is not what caused the hullabaloo—it was the lyrics and its video. One of the most controversial parts of “Judas” is when she sings “I wanna love you/ But something’s pulling me away from you /Jesus is my virtue/ Judas is the demon I cling to.” Later in the song’s lyrics, and in the video as well, Lady Gaga betrays Jesus. Not too surprisingly, the song has offended some Christians.

Lady Gaga has not always been as outspoken as she is now. Her first album “The Fame” was just like any other pop singer’s album. It had spunk, with its own twist. But somewhere along the road between “The Fame” and “Born This Way” something changed. She was no longer a typical pop star aspiring to make it to the top ten on the billboards; she became a fearless artist who sparked plenty of controversy. This change, whatever it might have been, has caused her to become one of the most controversial stars of this generation and it seems to overshadow her place as a legitimate pop star.

In a review of her new album, Washington Post critic, Chris Richards describes Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” as a “dark, dense and surprisingly aggressive listen. But musically, it felt conservative and predictable. And at its worst it sounds like reheated leftovers from some ‘80s movie sound track. For an information-age superstar who’s managed to squeeze us all into a global group hug, shouldn’t Gaga be delivering something a little more zeigeisty?”

Criticism has come from others besides music reviewers. A spokesperson for the Catholic League, a group for religious and civil rights, stated that Lady Gaga is constantly pushing the envelope and that her actions are juvenile and immature.

“She is trying to rip off Christian idolatry to shore up her talentless, mundane and boring performances,” added Bill Donahue, president of the Catholic League. Donahue is speaking not only for Catholics, but for other major Christian religions who feel that Lady Gaga has offended their religion with her “vulgar” lyrics.

Freshman Alexis Amanguana would beg to differ with this statement. He says that Gaga has said that she is a devout Catholic and is just expressing herself through her music. Fans of Lady Gaga are quick to point out that many pop stars have stirred up controversies in the past.

“She isn’t the only one to do things with religion. Madonna’s music video ‘Like a Prayer’ was also controversial, and I think she used biblical references to express how she has been betrayed by her past lovers,” said Amanguana.

French teacher John Falls, a fan of Lady Gaga, said that he remembers a time when ‘Like A Prayer’ was taboo, and now he says it is played on several stations without controversy. Falls sees other similarities between Madonna and Lady Gaga, saying that Madonna led the way for Lady Gaga to be so upfront with her stance on social issues; Lady Gaga learned from Madonna that creativity equals longevity.

Still, Lady Gaga’s future is as up in the air as her lyrics. Whether she stays as famous as she is now or becomes a distant speck in pop culture past depends on whether she can deliver talent on top of controversy.