They are both acknowledged as the “Queen of Pop”; they are provocative, eccentric and innovative in their stage performances; they are both fashion icons; and they are both confident women who don’t really care what the media think of them. Madonna and Lady Gaga, although with nearly 20 years of difference, seem to share many common features and they certainly like each other a lot.

Similarities

a) Common start in New York City

In a recent interview to Rolling Stone magazine, Madonna has admitted that she sees in Lady Gaga a lot of herself in her early steps in pop music. Like Lady Gaga got her start in the late ’00s performing with Lady Starlight in the hottest New York clubs, Madonna entered the pop scene in the early ’80s by performing in New York City venues and launching a brand new performing style. Similarly, Lady Gaga adores Madonna to the extent of imitating her in her video clips and in dance moves.

b) Smash hits in debut albums

Both Madonna and Lady Gaga made momentous success with their debut albums.

When Madonna firstly appeared as a “Material Girl” in 1985 she launched a totally unique style that no other female artist had launched until then. Her voice, her moves, and her songs captured the audiences immediately and her debut album “Like a Virgin” (1985) peaked at #1 of the U.S. Billboard 200 and went 10x Platinum in the United States. “Material Girl”, “Like a Virgin”, “Dress You Up”, “Into the Groove”, “Angel” and “Love Don’t Leave Here Anymore”, all became smash hits that still enjoy airplay on radio shows around the globe as well as on MTV.

Lady Gaga’s debut album ‘The Fame’ (2008) peaked at #1 of US Dance/Electronic Albums and #2 of the U.S. Billboard 200 and went 3x Platinum in the United States. “Just Dance”, “Poker Face” and “Paparazzi” became smash hits that peaked top places of the Hot Dance Airplay and Hot Dance Club Play, the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, but also the UK Singles Chart. “Just Dance” was also nominated for Grammy Award in the Best Dance Recording category, while “Poker Face” was nominated and awarded the Grammy Award for the Best Dance Recording of 2010.

c) Provocative Video Clips

Recently Lady Gaga released the video clip of “Alejandro”, the third single of her second album “The Fame Monster” (2009). “Alejandro” has direct connotations to Madonna’s “Vogue” and “Justify My Love” by bringing into play androgyny models on a black and white setting. Gaga is bleach-blonde and, for the first time, abandons the extravagant outfits wearing a female pantsuit and a cone-bra. Another common point is the use of super athletic dancers dressed in underwear and high heels that evokes Madonna’s “Vogue” dancers – perhaps the most shocking, but at the same time progressive pop video clip of the 1990s.

Other similarities are to Madonna’s “Like a Prayer”, “Erotica” and “America Life”. “Alejandro” uses heavily religious symbolism and imagery to the extent that Lady Gaga is accused of provoking the Catholic Church by being dressed as a nun, holding and swallowing a rosary, dancing in a flaming setting, getting unified with God and endorsing to extreme sexualization. Moreover, the military marching, the leather uniforms, the mind-controlled slaves, all refer to Third Reich.

Differences (or Why Lady Gaga is no Madonna)

Madonna is currently a 52-year old family woman, who performs whenever she wants, produces records when she has something to say and lately has decided to enter the fashion world by launching a new line called “Material Girl.” Even if Madonna is not anymore as active as she used to be or – for some critics – as successful as before – she has been the original diva of Pop that loved to shock the audiences and she has repeatedly achieved that. Her influence in pop music is unique and she has carved the path for every Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera or Britney Spears to follow. For this influence she definitely deserves the utmost recognition.

Lady Gaga is talented in all rights. But even then, she loses her focus. As already explained “Alejandro” and “Like a Prayer” are two very similar video clips because they both provoke with their insinuations in religion. However, “Like a Prayer” has a story – a black man is falsely accused for a crime and Madonna, terrified of the racists in the town, runs into a church where she prays to a Black saint, St. Martin de Porres, to save the poor guy. On the contrary, “Alejandro” has no story, no message and no meaning. It is a purely sadomasochistic video clip featuring Nazi marching troops in a dehumanizing fascist setting. In other words, it is nothing like Madonna; nothing like pop; nothing like culture after all. Somewhere in the long run, this may turn against Gaga because even if she see the signs of our times – immorality, praise of sex, lack of values – eventually audiences will be tired of this mind controlling game that Gaga seems to be playing with them.

Conclusion

Overall, both Madonna and Lady Gaga are controversial. They both got that extra edge that took them way above any other performer of their era. Fearless, innovative and intelligent, Madonna and Lady Gaga have their way with the audience, but are also heavily criticized by their opponents. When Madonna started her career many critics questioned her musical value. Over the years Madonna, being more a smart professional and less a multi-octave voice singer, managed to climb up the pop scene and become the indisputable “Queen of Pop”. Within two years, Lady Gaga has endured heavy criticism for her extravagant appearances and her manipulative way of intriguing audiences, but there is little doubt that this tiny 24-year old girl s talented and ready to go higher and further in her music career.

Sources:

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1623923/20091015/madonna.jhtml

http://www.examiner.com/x-1994-LA-Celebrity-Headlines-Examiner~y2009m10d15-Madonna-in-Rolling-Stone-Lady-Gaga-is-a-baby-me

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Like_a_Virgin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fame