Radio Ga Ga and Lady GaGa are “it’s complicated” on Facebook.
Today this happened:
I listened to the Queen’s “Radio Ga Ga” for the 500th time in response to seeing Lady GaGa news somewhere on the internet.
Then this happened in my brain:
“We hardly need to use our ears.” Is my favorite line from Queen’s “Radio GaGa” and I have to think it’s Lady GaGa’s as well. Every time I hear a Lady GaGa song I have can’t help but think “What the hell is she talking about, who the fuck is Alejandro?” I will concede right out the gate that Lady GaGa’s videos are fucking awesome. If you disagree you don’t like things. Her videos make people like the “Thriller” video more, they are that good in terms of style. Her songs esthetically speaking make me want to dance and kiss girls on a level only a teenage version of myself can fully explain, in fact, I have actually had had multiple instances of dancing and kissing greatly enhanced by Ms.GaGa’s sonic invasion.
But here is the rub.
Queens “Radio GaGa” like many of their songs, recognizes, either by composition or lyrics or Freddie Mercurys spandex that, at the end of the day, the whole idea of pop music is a little silly. The synthesizer in “Radio Ga Ga” practically begs for recognition at its own ridiculous existence in the song. I’m comfortable in believing that Queen knows full well that its commentary on pop culture through beats and the angelic wailings of Mr.Mercury is pretty absurd. Queen knows that being this smart about something as essential and frivolous as art on the radio is simultaneously funny and beautiful. I’d like to think that Brian May smirks if he hears “Radio Ga Ga” on his commute to whatever Brian May does these days.
Lady Ga Ga is not smirking. I think she genuinely pleasures herself to the idea that millions of faceless women fawning over the diamond encrusted peacock she attached to her ass on the VMAs last night. In interviews the women speaks as if she’s being interrupted between bites of caviar served to her by a shirtless manservant and in between bites (lets be honest) its hard to fully articulate the awesomeness of “Telephono”. Telephono is awesome, I enjoy it, but at the end of the day it’s not about anything. It sounds so fun that it doesn’t have to.
This would all be fine if Lady Ga Ga was Kiss. Kiss just wanted to be Kiss, they just wanted to party everyday and… ya know… rock all night, but Lady Ga Ga appears to want allot more than that. You don’t do political protests, you don’t wear lingerie to a Mets game and you certainly don’t make videos as awesome “Poker Face” unless you want to be an artist and if you want to be an artist… in my humble opinion you can’t just “Leave your heart on the dance floor”. Queen implores you “You had the time, you had the power, you’ve yet to have your finest hour.”
The thing that kills me as I listen to “Bad Romance” isn’t that its bad, it’s fun. It’s the nagging thought, “If only this bitch had something to say.”
Brian Wilson wrote “Little Saint Nick”
, but he also wrote “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”
It would be nice if Lady Ga Ga didn’t “Just become some back ground noise.”
It’s nice but that all I hear right now…. and I’m trying to think here.
See you tomorrow,
DGO
