Wannabe

XTINA is channeling Madonna circa "Express Yourself"on The Voice.

 Undoubtedly a nod to the smash "Not Myself Tonight".

As it turns out, Lady Gaga was more than pleased to ruffle Madonna's feathers

In a new interview with Attitude, Lady Gaga addressed her conflicts with the Queen of Pop over the Gaga song "Born This Way."

"I have to be really honest, I was completely kind of floored that Madonna was singing my song on her stage every night! I'm certainly not thinking about anybody but me and my fans when I'm on stage," Gaga said to Attitude, referencing the fact that Madonna took to performing a mashup of "Born This Way" and her own song "Express Yourself" during live concerts last year. (The songs share a similar beat and melody.)

"The fact that I was on her mind at all. I mean, Madonna's ... she’s Madonna. I looked up to her for a long time. I'm not quite sure what her intention was -– to do that in the show, but I don’t really care," Gaga continued. "I think playing into the gossip of the tabloids and, I guess the fodder of the competition, that's just not what I'm about. She chooses to use her voice the way she chooses to use hers and I choose to use mine the way I use mine. All it meant to me was that Madonna Ciccone was singing my song on her stage and I'm 27! And as a punk-rocker from New York, I've basically been hoping that I would become so good that one day I would piss off Madonna!"

I'll Remember...

1989

2nd Proof artwork proof sheet used for the limited foldout poster sleeve

I'll Remember...1989

UK Sire label limited edition 2-track 12" vinyl picture disc

I'll Remember...1989

Strike a Pose...1989

I'll Remember...1989

Is ‘Born This Way/Express Yourself’ Mash Up Too Much?

As many a Madonna fan and Little Monster know, the Queen of Pop is set to use her ‘MDNA’ tour set to tribute pop diva Lady Gaga by performing a mashed-up version of the latter’s ‘Born This Way’ with her own ‘Express Yourself’.  Immediately coming under fire after its early 2011 release for sounding nearly identical to Madge’s 1989 hit, Gaga dismissed the claim of copying while her pop predecessor labeled it ‘reductive’.

Now, as audio has surfaced of Madonna’s intent to fuse the twin pop tunes on her latest live trek, we who thought the flame had cooled see it may be readying to reach higher heights.  Take a listen below and you tell us:

Express Yourself/Born This Way Mash Up

If this is intended to be a jab won’t really be known until the visual accompanies the audio.  However, knowing Madonna, the intent is questionable.  Gaga, who has been pretty silent regarding Madge’s comments, has remained so while the ‘Like a Prayer’ pop diva has continually pushed the issue. 

Madonna (and fans) have substantial evidence of what could be considered “copying”.  But, like Madonna – the older, more established artist – has continuously been the most vocal about the issue.

From the sounds of it, I picture a cheerleader/marching band dance off between two teams, similar to the Super Bowl performance with Cee-Lo.  Let’s hope this is all in fun and that Madonna is not stooping the level of Gaga’s ‘Little Monsters’.

I'll Remember...1989

Express Yourself UK 35" x 25" poster

Quote Of The Day

“I thought, this is a wonderful way to redo my song. I mean, I recognized the chord changes. I thought it was… interesting.”

Madonna

The 30 All-TIME Best Music Videos

Madonna, 'Express Yourself' (1989)

Madonna has always been a keen student of pop-culture history, and her creative powers were probably at their peak in the late 1980s on the album Like a Prayer. But while the title track generated the most controversy, the multimillion-dollar video for “Express Yourself” generated the most praise. 

Shamelessly ripping off the 1920s Fritz Lang classic Metropolis (the epigraph of the clip — “Without the heart, there can be no understanding between the hand and the mind” — paraphrases a recurring mantra of the movie), a young director by the name of David Fincher expressed himself by harnessing all of Madge’s signature leitmotifs (the blond hair! her outfits! naked men! a running metaphor to do with a cat!). The video is as powerful to watch as the star herself.