Yidio Question of the Day: Did Lady Gaga Rip Off Madonna With 'Born This Way'?

Lady Gaga: some love her, others just think she's a weirder version of Madonna. With the release of Gaga's latest single "Born This Way", the debate has only deepened. Thus, it's time to ask the Yidio Question of the Day:

Did Lady Gaga Rip Off Madonna With 'Born This Way'?

Yes:

Have you heard this song? It's an absolutely blatant rip-off of Madonna's hit "Express Yourself". The beat is almost the same, Gaga's is just faster. The melody is strikingly similar: there's even a point in "Born This Way" (around 1:23) where the melody is EXACTLY THE SAME as the melody in "Express Yourself" (at "lift you to a higher ground"). All this time, Lady Gaga has just been an updated Madonna, singing the same songs with weird clothes on. Even "Alejandro" was a knock-off of Ace of Base. Submitted as evidence: Exhibit A, "Born This Way" and "Express Yourself" side-by-side at thatsongsoundslike.com. Listen to those two side-by-side, and try to say that they're not ridiciulously similar.

No:

The song is similar, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a "rip-off". There's a difference between getting inspiration from a song (or paying homage to an artist) and ripping off their music. Lady Gaga is a self-professed fan of Madonna: she said so in an interview with Jay Leno, when asked about the similarity between the two songs. She also mentioned that Madonna's people emailed her saying there were no hard feelings, so if Madonna is cool with it, then why shouldn't we be? Gaga isn't out there denying that she took inspiration from the 80's pop idol, and many bands seek inspiration from the ones who came before them. A real rip-off would be if Gaga stole whole snippets of melody and then claimed she came up with it all on her own with no inspiration. So while "Born This Way" sounds very similar, it's nothing but a song written by a Madonna fan that makes a nod to Madonna's work.

Judgement:

The two songs are amazingly similar. It is clear beyond any doubt that Lady Gaga took inspiration from "Express Yourself" in her new single. But unless she denies that fact and tries to sell "Born This Way" as her own brainchild, then it's not a rip-off. It's simply an homage. However, the minute Gaga says "I did not take any inspiration from Madonna in any way", then she's ripping it off. And being a jerk.

What do you think?

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