Response to: Miranda Simpson "The Gaga Gospel"

Miranda,

Just to start, your blog entry was interesting to read and provided me with further insight into the mind of Lady Gaga that I much appreciated. It was a great read!

Now onto my comments on “Judas”...

Although our professor did mention that we would be watching "Judas" in class (if I'm not mistaken), after reading your blog I had a sudden urge to make my comments on the song right away. I grew up in a very Roman Catholic environment; Strong Italian Catholic values, church every Sunday, Catholic elementary school, Catholic all-girl high school...the works. Although I have grown away from my religious institutional attachments, the values and the symbolic messages still strongly resonates with me. My past and my current values are probably all reasons why I am deeply offended by the lyrics of “Judas” and Lady Gaga's constant need strike a cord with the Catholic community. I understand that there is probably some deeper meaning to her lyrics, some internal struggle between good and bad perhaps, but why must she always use Catholic references in her music? I feel it goes further then her devout Catholic upbringing and more to do with global attention. As a Catholic herself, she knows how strongly the Catholic community feels about their values and they will retaliate when they are offended. Sometimes, Lady Gaga just takes religious references too far, and I think its a strategy to make her music controversial and more interesting for people. And lets face it, it's working. People all around the world cannot wait until they get their next taste of Gaga- whether it be a new album, a new music video, an outfit choice, or even a 10 minute talk-show interview. The world knows that when Lady Gaga is involved, it is going to be exciting and controversial.

Personally, I feel that Lady Gaga has found her niche- offending the Catholic religion. Whether her music has deeper meaning, the first time people hear a song they do not automatically seek the deeper meaning of the lyrics, but instead they listen to the the literal sense of the words. Lady Gaga has learned to play the game- offend people with the lyrics but inspire people with their meaning.

PS I am not even a hard core Catholic and it is interesting to note how offended I got by it. Just imagine the opinions of the strong Catholic community...

oh the power of interpretation...

I just want to state my interpretation of the lyrics to Lady Gaga's Bad Romance and how it contrasts with the interpretation of the professor. Yes, I am well aware that the song is about her relationship with the music industry and how she is willing to accept every negative aspect of the industry in order to achieve her prime goal of fame, but, as an outsider not knowing much about Lady Gaga's history, I have interpreted the lyrics in a way that I have understood them to mean.

As those of you who were in lecture are aware, Professor Harris explained her interpretation of the Bad Romance lyrics and how she interpreted them as a story about unconditional love. A love story about a woman who is so in love with a man that although she sees that he is a mess, she still loves and accepts him. She accepts all of him for who he is, and she will always love him. No matter the state that he is in, all she wants from him is his love.

I, on the other hand, have a whole other interpretation of what the lyrics mean and about the relationship described in the song. In contrast to the professor, I understood the lyrics as describing an obsessive relationship, one where the woman is so in love with the man that she is willing to put up with his negative behaviour. A relationship where the woman understands the damage that he is doing to her, and yet she is so addicted to his "love" that she cannot escape him. Even within lyrics, with the hard words that she uses to describe the relationship- ugly, disease, criminal, drama, revenge - makes the relationship seem dark and heavy. The way she constantly repeats "I want your love" exudes a sense of addiction and a need that seems very unnatural. I also noticed an interesting coorelation between the video and the way in which I interpreted the lyrics; whereas in the lyrics the woman does not seem to want to overcome her obsession of him, but in the video, she seems to overcome her powerlessness within the "relationship" by setting the bed, and her lover, ablaze.

It was definitely interesting that her interpretation was one of positivity, where the woman accepts the man for who he has become and how she is willing to stand by him at times of difficulty. In contrast to my interpretation as a negative relationship, where the woman seems so distraught and emotionally damaged by the relationship, but how she is so addicted to him that she continues to stay in the relationship.

Jesus Christ: The Original Superstar

 As an official start to my blog I will outline my intentions with the blog title as it relates to my impressions of the second lecture.

Last week's lecture was my official introduction to Christianity and Popular Culture and I am definitely excited to dive into something very new to me. My first lecture became an official realization of how Christianity is a major part of popular culture and how Christian images and references are found in many forms within our society and culture. This awareness has helped me realize how the image and message of Christ has lived on over the centuries, and how He continues to be a large influence. That is where my idea of the original superstar stemmed from.

What is a Superstar?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a superstar is defined as “a star (as in sports or the movies) who is considered extremely talented, has great public appeal, and can usually command a high salary”[1]. Already, one can connect the meaning of a superstar to Christ by examining the impressions He has left on the world. Although Jesus does not meet the criteria of “commanding a high salary” or being a sport or movie star, He attains the charisma, global appeal, and talent that continues to leave an impression today. Jesus' image is known world wide and His teaching are continually studied and preached year after year. Jesus, in my opinion, was the beginning of celebrity for He is known everywhere and by everyone. He was the first global celebrity.

One major element that the Merriam-Webster definition does not include when defining the word “superstar” is someone who has a large public following and influences society or individuals. Today, people are highly influenced by celebrities. Celebrities are people that everyday individuals idolize. Kanye West, who was discussed in lecture, is a superstar for he has an enormous influence in the music world. His talent, which has been critically acclaimed numerous times, has sparked a public following; people buy his CDs, go to his concerts, and buy his clothing line. His influence is enormous and people truly idolize his talent and status.

So as a major superstar of our time, who is Kanye West's influence? Jesus! Through Kanye's lyrics, videos, and even jewelery pieces, he makes it clear that Christ is a very important influence within his life. Jesus is such a superstar that celebrities of our time, and decades past, have referenced- either through lyric, images, script, or video- Him.

An interesting reality...

Today, I walked into my brother's bedroom and he had a painting of Kanye West and Jesus' Cross on his side table (photo provided below). I thought it was very interesting to see both these influences together, showing how Jesus, after centuries, still has the same influence as a celebrity from our time.

Jesus is definitely the original superstar, withstanding the test of time.

Hello Blogging World!

Welcome to my SMC305 Christianity and Popular Culture blog! I am fairly new to the concept of blogging and this is my first Christianity course, or any culture course for that matter. I am actually an environmental studies student so this is definitely new territory for me. Although this is a little out of my element, I am very eager to  learn more about Christianity and popular culture in today's society and develop my blogging skills as well. I hope my blogs become more interesting as the weeks progress and as I become more exposed to the course material. Hopefully, by the end of this course, I will be able to find references to Christianity more often within everyday life!