Lady Gaga: Judas (Single Review)

by Bradley Stern
filed under: Lady Gaga, RedOne, Single Review

lady gaga judas Lady Gaga: Judas (Single Review)

Just one week before Easter weekend, Lady Gaga (not-so-accidentally) sprung a leak early this morning, resulting in the sudden rush release of “Judas,” the religion-wrought second single from Gaga’s upcoming studio album, Born This Way.

As I pointed out when the track first began to leak, “Judas” come packaged on top of a relentlessly grinding, “sledge-hammering” beat; a natural progression from the noisy, ‘everything-but-the-kitchen-sink’ production of “Born This Way,” now aided by RedOne‘s trademark repeat-heavy styling. (The song also doesn’t sound entirely different from a similarly sledge-hammering RedOne production, Nicole Scherzinger‘s “Poison.”)

As “Poker Face” is to “Bad Romance,” so too is “Bad Romance” to “Judas.” The song follows in a nearly identical structure to “Bad Romance,” from the same soaring chorus down to the “whoa-oh-oh!” follow-up. Instead of “ra-ra, ah-ah-ah!”, we have “Ju-da, Ju-da-ah!” (Not exactly the most daring show of creativity, to be sure.)

“Judas” is also quite similar in theme, as Gaga treads lightly across a sprinkling of biblical references (oh hay, Jesus!) and demonic undertones to weave a tale of–well, a bad romance: “I learned love is like a brick, you can / Build a house or sink a dead body,” Gaga speak-sings. It’s not quite blasphemous enough to incite fury amongst bible-thumpers, but still enough to keep the Illuminati fear-mongers pointing their trembling fingers for weeks.

About three minutes into the chaos, the song gives way to an utterly insane, tribal-meets-Bollywood electronic breakdown. “But in the cultural sense, I just speak in future tense / Judas kiss me if offenced, or wear an ear condom next time!” Gaga cries. As it turns out, a nonsensical chant about fame hookers vomiting their mind works well enough when masked by a mile-a-minute mixture of electro-tribal beats. But in writing? It’s one of Gaga’s most embarrassing, cringe-worthy moments in lyricism…ever.

att89b44 Lady Gaga: Judas (Single Review)

Redemption comes immediately thereafter with the song’s post-tribal bridge, which strip away some of the more noise to expose a gorgeous ’90′s hi-NRG beat: “Jesus is my virtue / And Judas is the demon I cling to…I cling to!” Gaga victoriously cries, her clenched paw raised high. It’s within this brief moment of clarity that the song truly shines brightest.

In short: “Judas” is a good pop song: It’s catchy (increasingly so after each play), full of textured beats, and (mostly) danceable. But in the same breath, it’s loud, grating, entirely derivative and slightly obnoxious, thus ushering in the larger issue at hand: My complete inability to connect with the Born This Way era.

As with “Born This Way,” I’m hopelessly neither here nor there with “Judas.” The beats bang hard and the melodies are catchy, but the song’s breakneck speed, yelping caws and headache-inducing production value are all a bit too much to embrace.

Every song on The Fame and The Fame Monster (MuuMuse Review) made sense from the start: I didn’t have to play “LoveGame” a hundred and fifty times in order to discover a melody buried deep within layers of loud, noisy production–it was a single play, and an instant love affair.

But now, I have to try with Gaga–really, really try in order to love. While she’s busy proclaiming that the late Alexander McQueen penned “Born This Way” from Heaven and that her “Born This Way” face spikes are actual bones she was born with, it’s a song as underwhelming as “Judas” that truly adds weight to the most common charge from critics: That Lady Gaga is style over substance.

While “Judas” isn’t actually bad, I’ve truly had just about enough of Gaga Nouveau: “Born This Way” and “Judas” don’t even slightly hold a candle to the infectiousness of “Just Dance” or “Bad Romance,” nor the slinky beats of “Starstruck” or “So Happy I Could Die,” nor the celebratory joy of “Boys Boys Boys” and “Monster.”

I know this means I’ll have to invest in a few more ear condoms this year, but hey…I was born this way, baby.

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  • Correysince81

    I miss the fame monster Lady GaGa this one is too wierd and she is trying to hard.

  • Cindy

    I must have to say your comment is very much on point. They are opinions that matter and are ment to be constructive not destructive. When a song is a Hit it’s a hit, it’s infectious and makes you want to listen to it over and over and over and This BTW era just doesn’t even come close to FM Era and miss the fact that she just doesnt do it for me anymore. I hate it because I LOVED FM, and I hate that I cant love BTW or Judas they wont ever see my repeat button..maybe my ipod but not one to brag about :(

  • Charmed4good

    Well, I for one remember reading on so many forums ,and thinking to myself, “GAGA! WE WANT BAD ROMANCE PART 2″ We all wanted something this-gaga. Something that could be as big a hit. So why are we complaining now? Why are we calling it trademark Bad-romance. It’s trademark Gaga people. Something in a familiar territory, something we don’t have to try and accept and love as with “Born this way”.

  • wtf

    music degree? soooo you have a music degree and you’re actually defending this generic pop crap? If that’s truly the case then I can’t believe what I just read. it’s NOT abstract art and it does NOT sound industrial. so how about you tear up that music degree of yours and slap your professors, then go listen to some of the Boredoms and NIN and then maybe, just maybe , you’ll understand what abstract and industrial sounds like (respectively)

  • Ngdalldaway

    Yea, i was a die hard GAGA fan, been to two of her concerts and just adored her music. all her music was just HOTTT, and fame monster was ingenious! U would never be able to make me (a dude) turn it down at a stoplight, cuz people could stop and laugh, but turn there radio back up with GAGA bumping after they drive off. guilty pleasures. AND THE MUSIC VIDEOS! AMAZING! then born this way cam out. SUCKED, not her best AT ALL, i gave her the benefit of the doubt till Judas, and now i just dont know what to say……i guess i hhave to hear the whole album. and whats up with trying to look like the devil? thats bogus, disgusting and scary. PLEASE GAGA< GO BACK TO YOUR ROOTS ) STOP TRYING SO HARD )

  • http://twitter.com/CarolynFran Carolyn

    I am shocked to read something like this. The songs you named in my opinion are really boring, nothing new, trying to be original but not working. I really like Judas from first listen and am a hardcore Gaga superfan but I think the point is if you think the songs you named above are “amazing” you probably will not like something like this.

  • http://twitter.com/CarolynFran Carolyn

    I totally disagree, and I’m not a Gaga fan who thinks everything she does is the cat’s meow: example, thought BTW was mediocre (very disappointing for a superfan, both in terms of lyrics and music) and “eh eh” still stands as the worst Gaga song. However, the lyrics to Judas, in my opinion, are fantastic. I feel that breakdown is actually saying something a little deeper–she’s saying I’m being condemned because I “vomit my mind” ever heard of “verbal diarrhea”? where you just say what you’re thinking with disregard to whether or not it will offend people? Yeah that’s Gaga… She’s saying she’s bringing something forward-thinking to the cultural sphere (“i speak in future tense”) and if you’re “offensed” wear an ear condom–i.e. protect yourself from the culturally new breed she represents. I don’t think Gaga invented this forward thinking cultural movement (being pro-gay rights, etc) but she is representative of it…. But if you aren’t aware of where she’s coming from I guess you just think it’s “nonsense”…

  • http://twitter.com/CarolynFran Carolyn

    I really disagree on the lyrics part… see my comments in response to Dylan Cook below. I think the lyrics are really innovative and saying something different… The ear condom part I LOOOVEEE i feel it’s very inspired by Yoko… So yeah if you are expecting fun pop she’s obviously coming from a different place.. I can’t believe people tout Britney, Katy and Rihanna as putting out “amazing” songs and yet Gaga is considered derivative?? Yes melodically Gaga works in the same circles but honestly, all the major pop songs in the past 40 years have the same types of chords/chord structures, if you know music you know that. Those three–britney, katey, rihanna unfortunately are lyrically confined to partying “up in the club”, being “naughty” and making terrible, thinly veiled sexual innuendo with 0 creativity or innovation. This song does not insult religious people directly, though no doubt some religious people will be offended. It uses Judas–a cultural symbol of betrayal–to talk about a man who has betrayed her but she’s still in love with.

  • lexi

    agreed!

  • lexi

    I don’t think she is trying to look like the devil.

    She mentioned in an interview something about creating a new breed of human, something she invented for herself and her “monsters”. Basically a made-up futuristic human/monster race, one that is blind to hate and prejudice.

    When we all come together for her shows, no matter our age, race, gender..etc we’re all there together having fun, dancing, and supporting gaga.

    It looks more alien-like rather than devil. But maybe its unique to what each individual sees as to what they believe.. If you think she’s trying to look like the devil then maybe it reflects your thoughts about religion and the evil demons in your reality..

    See, this is what art is – thought provoking. :)

  • lexi

    i’m going to have to disagree with you ‘wtf’ respectfully of course (each to his own) but one can be into both NIN AND Lady Gaga (such as myself) and I find her new sound more industrial than pop, though thats not to say she’s COMPLETELY changed, more so that she has taken all these different influences and has fused them together.

    Lady Gaga, in real life, is a rock girl. She listens to Led Zep, Metallica and lots of other bands from the 60s 70s and 80s. She was sucked into making dance tracks for her first album (as she was originally a dance song writer, writing songs for Britany Spears and other popstars) , but now that she has made a name for herself she can venture off and experiment with something different..

    god i don’t even think this is making sense, i’m too tired :P but whatever googoo said… :)

  • lexi

    Carolyn, you are my new best friend! this is EXACTLY what i was thinking, you hit the nail right on the head! :)

  • lexi

    If you despise her so much, what are you doing wasting your time listening to her songs, reading reviews about her songs, and then commenting about it??

    Dont you have better things to do with your time? Shouldnt you be reading reviews about the artists you actually CARE about and comment on THEIR blogs and tell them how wonderful they are, rather than being so negative to those you hate…

    If you don’t like something you know you have the choice to NOT LISTEN TO IT. The song isnt even on the radio yet (not where I live anyway) so you must have gone out of your way to find it.

    Go get a life and find something else to do with your time than bringing everyone down with your negative-ness.. :P

  • http://twitter.com/HabbGaGa Lady GaGa

    I Don’t agree sorry, Lyrically I think this is one of gaga’s best moments. and that’s what i feel that this new album is focusing on his her ability to be able to write her own music, Is what i think she’s trying to do. I Do agree with what you said about. as soon as I heard Poker face I was like. In love, this took about 3 Listens and i was dancing around my room, So I get what you mean by that! But tbh. I think lyrically and Musically one of her best moments, how can you say, I wanna kiss you. but if i do then i might miss you babe? Is better then I’ve learned our love is like a brick, you can build a house or sink a dead body. It kinda sounds silly in text. But, i feel every one of the lines in both born this way + Judas could be on a bumper sticker. for a saying, if you know what i mean. There great sayings. I Would say, this beats out boys boys boys, so happy i could die and monster. In my opinion… I think this could be my 2nd favorite song of hers, after bad romance. I’m starting to like it a bit more then bad romance atm. But then again, when I heard just dance, I was like. Ew i don’t like this. and then I came to like it… So, it just changes. This song is a hit record. and is already number 1 in 12 country’s, She hasn’t stopped. And I don’t want her too. I’m enjoying this gaga stay! I don’t think shes going anywhere, don’t like it? wear a ear condom.

  • Shirohana86

    I used to like her, I thought she was going somewhere but now she just seems like an attention ho. Personally as a girl this is not something I would call inspire worthy, or even make me open my opinions to new thoughts. Is this the kinda crap that females are sposed to listen to nowadays? Sorry but it just plainly disgusts me, and makes no sense at all to me.

  • Shirohana86

    I can see where your coming from, but personally this seems just like the kind of attention grabbing tatic that Britney or rhianna would use, sorry.

  • Justinluvsgaga

    Its caught in a bad romance. dumb shit maybe before you critsize maybe you should get the lyrics right reguardless shes fucking lady gaga people are gonna love her and some are gonna hate her people were the same way with Michael Jackson…

  • Justinluvsgaga

    Its caught in a bad romance. dumb shit maybe before you critsize maybe you should get the lyrics right reguardless shes fucking lady gaga people are gonna love her and some are gonna hate her people were the same way with Michael Jackson…

  • justinluvsgaga

    Agreed Bad Romance is her best song yet but people are afraid of different everybody is so used to going with the flow so when somebody like her and in the past michael jackson, madonna etc. interupts the flow people dont know how to react so they automatically start to hate. It’s a shame really.

  • justinluvsgaga

    Okay this song is def not her best but we have heard amazing from GaGa so let’s wait and see what the rest of her album will bring.,,

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Nik-Schmidt/730170106 Nik Schmidt

    Alright, So I’m a Dj and I review music all the time..I m a gaga fan who has purchased her albums which gives me not only the right to review but to know I will give an honest review overall… So we can’t debate gaga has had some successful hits and deserves the fame that she has.. Just Dance/Pokerface and Lovegame were her most successfull hits.. I even very much liked her singel Alejandro and I didnt at first but it grew on me…So when she released Born this way I was excited yet felt let down like she just rushed to release anything just to keep her name in the spotlight… but after a few listens it grew on me a little bit.. I still don’t think Born this way is as good as her FAME/FAME MONSTER material.. BUT i support creativity , the only way to know is to be bold and to go different.. Sometimes it works out sometimes it doesnt..As for Judas in my honest opinion it doesnt.. I think it lacks creativity to be honest.. the lyrics on her FAME/FAME MONSTER were perfect and dead on.. As a gaga FAN i feel robbed because I feel like i would much rather wait another 6 months for Good Gaga then a rushed cd that needs improvement.. Now I also wanna add that gaga writes her material so i would much rather be A real artist and write my material and fail then to be a success singing backup karaoke to someone elses material.. So I give props for the artist that she is and no one can take that away from her but right now we should all feel a little gaga robbed. Theres a reason why JUDAS debuted on the top 100 at number 10. honestly all her other singles debut at 1 or 2 even..Debuting at 10 is actually really good in my opinion for this song to me shouldnt merrit being in the top 10.. As I said I support creativity and I am a fan but to me Judas doesn’t hold much of that either.. Lyrics alone I could have written in the 3rd grade..So Far not impressed but I will await the next single… I was expecting a huge fight between Britney and Gaga this year but so far I gotta say Britney’s got this.

  • judasbaby

    The Hell! I LOVED THE SONG ONCE I HEARD IT

  • guest

    :(

  • Anonymous

    I am a big GaGa because when she is being creative she has much to offer. I think what happened is simple. She let producers and the image side of pop go to her head and she thought she was unstoppable. More songs where she chants her own name eg: a rapper, indicate as much and are getting tired.

    It’s like someone else pointed out, it’s almost as if gaga didn’t even listen to the album before it was released.

    I digress, and I hope this pushes her to write her best work yet for her next album. I know she is deeply connected with her fans online so I would think she’d be the first to realize this effort was garbage.

  • Aworkinprogress_102

    Whoever believes in me will do the works I do, and will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. John 14;10

    The lyrics in this song are not works of Jesus Christ or any of his followers. Followers of Christ claiming that there is nothing wrong with this song must read their Bibles more!
    There is an adversary in this world and he wants your soul. For hell is a very real place. Psalm 9:17, The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.

    As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die… (Ezekiel 33:11)

    I praise and thank Jesus Christ for my salvation and for the salvation of those who follow him! And I will pray for the salvation of the wicked and lost. May God Bless all people!

  • X1zyqz13

    As a gay man, how were you offended by Born This Way? It’s a message of acceptance, love, and strength. Judas is not condemning anyone, regardless of what Fox News says, it’s contrasting Judas to a past lover of hers, someone who hurt her. She sings, “Jesus is my virtue and Judas is the demon I cling to,” very clearly showing she believes Jesus is good and how she’s in a bad emotional struggle with Judas.

  • Studboy02us2001

    Or it’s just gimmicks to cover up the pile of crap she is about to serve up to us. .

  • EstrellaX

    I am not that much of a Gaga fan, and I ma definitely not a member of her horde of lil Monsters, but I respect her person and her creativity. However, Born This Way and Judas were both great disappointments to me in the lyrical department. She can- and has-done much, much, better.

  • Labbekh

    You people take many retarded things too seriously. Why the hell do you even care what she’s singing about? Seriously, she could be singing about mutilating people and eating their guts, why would that offend you? It has nothing to do with you, it’s all about her. She (or whoever writes her lyrics) wrote them, not you. She expresses her own feelings/thoughts through them, even if you like it or not. You people get offended by too many things, mainly because you fail to understand the complexity of life and of human psychology. You’re too narrow-minded to appreciate such matters.

  • Gems87621

    I think that Judas is as good as Poker Face or Bad Romance but because the songs are so similar in structure it doesn’t seem as good, if Judas came out first I think Bad Romance would be getting the criticism. The lyrics are ridiculously corny but I’m not religious so it doesn’t offend me, I just find them hilarious. Despite knowing how similar the songs are and noting that she’s not being as creative as I feel she has the talent to be I still cannot stop listening to the song over and over whereas Born This Way just didn’t have any impact on me at all. I just hope she will release the single You And I as I feel it’s a very good Elton John esque song but she probably won’t as it won’t be as popular among her supposed ‘Little Monsters’.

  • http://www.facebook.com/allan.h.fairbairn Allan Henry Fairbairn

    geez, lighten up.

  • Custom Canvases2009

    It seems to me that Gaga has been able to come out with two outstanding, real, new, and creative albums. if you think about it that’s a lot of music in a short period of time. How ever she talks of never taking a break and staying on tour for as long as people will come watch even if it kills her. But this latest release of singles (Born this way & Judas) seem to be evidence that maybe a good rest and relaxation might be whats needed for lady gaga to create the music we all know she is capable of creating! excellence can not be rushed, creativity can not be forced and being original is hard to do. If I could say any thing to lady gaga I would ask her to ‘please slow down take time to take care of your self, so that you can continue to wow your fans with all your talents for many years to come. As your devoted monsters we will wait and be patience because good things come to those who wait.’

  • http://www.facebook.com/JoeJoeAZ Joseph Dadey

     I’m certainly not offended by the lyrics of “Born this Way”. They bear a lovely message.

  • http://www.facebook.com/JoeJoeAZ Joseph Dadey

    I can’t say I’m instantly loving the stuff I’m hearing off this new album. Yes, it’s grown on me, but
    it wasn’t love at first hear. I’ve pretty much accepted that the stuff I’ve heard from her new album ( I think about 4 tracks, and one other song in live performance on Oprah) is
    certainly less immediately “sticky” than Fame or Fame Monster. That in and of itself isn’t a bad thing. She’s
    established a fan base, and a reputation she can expect people to listen a little longer
    before writing it off. But I was hoping for at least one or maybe two instantly wonderful songs, and I haven’t heard it thus far.

    I liked this song (Judas) a little better after I saw the video, and I’m happy she held back a little bit, and wasn’t so outrageous. She tends to push the envelope of outrageous close to the point of being inaccessible.

    Not being a particularly religious person,  I interpret the song more about being drawn to someone who is bad despite knowing they’re bad, being told through the metaphor of Judas. If this actually was her intent, I think that’s a brilliant idea, but I honestly have no clue. With the accusations on born this way sounding like Express Yourself, she’s not helping to dispel the notion that she borrows heavily from Madonna.

    Both Judas, and Born this way, although I like them more now, sounded chaotic and incoherent when I first heard them, and all the songs I’ve heard (aside from the live performance on Oprah which was just her and a giant shoe-shaped piano) have this relentless hammering metronome bass track. Not to say that this sort of beat isn’t common in pop music, but it sounds like the same beat throughout the tracks I’ve heard, and it’s not a particularly interesting beat.

  • http://www.facebook.com/JoeJoeAZ Joseph Dadey

     I kind of said a similar thing in my post before I’d read this, but I think I like your interpretation of the meaning of the song better.

  • http://www.facebook.com/JoeJoeAZ Joseph Dadey

     I just think she needs a vacation. Being a mom to all those little monsters gets at you after a while.

    I’m not feeling this new album thus far, but I’m hopeful that I’ll fell the next one.

  • http://www.facebook.com/JoeJoeAZ Joseph Dadey

    By the way, Bradley Stern, thanks for the great review. To the people who’ve posted comments: Thanks for the (mostly) friendly discussion, it’s nice to see people disagree without being so combative.

  • Floe33

    Free speech…Everyone is entitled to that… 

  • Missfiveday

    not very original. I’m so sick of Lady Gag me, at first her music was ok even tho it’s obvious that she was put together by a production company, aimed at what gets people attention to make millions of $$$. Her last compilation was way too overplayed. As I listened to her newest releases I wasn’t impressed at all, very unimaginative!!! and heavily produced!!! believe me living thru the 80s and 90s I know when it’s all a show. where’s the pictures of gaga in the years leading up to her “transformation”? right… she just magically appeared!! lmao

  • Lindy1229

    This is the best review out there. “Born This Way” had too much hype. It’s not a surprise that Judas, though danceable, is not on the billboard top 100. “Edge of Glory” is at #15 (as of 6/15/11) and even that song becomes unbearable and redundant. How many times does she say “the edge!”?   “Judas” is the most bearable. I also like Scheiss and The Queen but do not feel that these tracks will hit the airwaves. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE LADY GaGa but was disappointed when I finally heard the entire album. I understsand that artists should constantly evolve but this just wasn’t for me. I, too, miss “Just Dance”, “Bad Romance”, “Boys Boys, Boys”, “Money Honey”–every song was so addictive.

  • Lindy1229

    This is the best review out there. “Born This Way” had too much hype. It’s not a surprise that Judas, though danceable, is not on the billboard top 100. “Edge of Glory” is at #15 (as of 6/15/11) and even that song becomes unbearable and redundant. How many times does she say “the edge!”?   “Judas” is the most bearable. I also like Scheiss and The Queen but do not feel that these tracks will hit the airwaves. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE LADY GaGa but was disappointed when I finally heard the entire album. I understsand that artists should constantly evolve but this just wasn’t for me. I, too, miss “Just Dance”, “Bad Romance”, “Boys Boys, Boys”, “Money Honey”–every song was so addictive.

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