Considering the hype for Lady Gaga’s new single, “Born This Way,” it may have come as a surprise when the music video premiered on Vevo without much fanfare.
Gaga said in an interview this morning with BBC’s Radio 1 that the inspiration for the video came from the idea of being reborn multiple times throughout one’s life. She could not have done a better job at hitting viewers over the head with her message.
The video starts with a two and a half minute “Manifesto of Mother Monster,” reminiscent of 80s B-rate horror movies. It sets up Gaga’s ultimate question: how do you protect something good–or perfect– without evil?
Lady Gaga said this morning that the video, and by extension her album, was meant to represent the birth of a new race, one devoid of prejudice. Although rebirth is certainly a central theme in Gaga’s work, the struggle between good and evil seems random and, at first watch, makes the music video seem cliche. Perhaps, though, Lady Gaga is trying to send her little monsters an optimistic message: if we can learn to love each other, maybe we don’t need evil to protect what’s good in the world.
Deeper meaning aside, Gaga’s new video is a beautiful homage to many different aspects of pop culture. Although “Born This Way” has been criticized for bearing a close resemblance to Madonna’s “Express Yourself,” Lady Gaga made sure that her new music video was no imitation. While it references other artists, the concept and execution of the idea is straight from the Haus of Gaga. Lady Gaga wrote the script, so the message is purely her own.
At first listen, “Born This Way” seems like just a generic pop song. Gaga uses the music video to show that it is more than that. The message may be generic, but just as there is a bizarre beauty in the music video, there is a bizarre beauty in the message’s simplicity. We also finally get the chance to understand the pop star’s new prosthetic accessories: the horns may look ugly to us, but Lady Gaga, no matter what form she is currently, will always feel beautiful. And so should we.
