“Doo Wops and Hooligans” by Bruno Mars

Doo Wops and Hooligans is a fun but confusing album, which feels like it should really be two albums.  Or maybe like an album written by two different people.  Or maybe half the songs are for the guys and half are for the girls, and Bruno Mars should have chosen one of the other…

“Born This Way” (The Album) by Lady Gaga

When Lady Gaga’s most recent album, Born This Way, was released at the end of may, it sold 215,000 copies in Britain, more than the rest of the top 10 combined.  In the US, it sold 1.11million.  It was a huge album – in sales, but also in some of the publicity it received.  Church leaders were queuing up to condemn the video for Judas before it had even been released.  But the album has clearly struck a chord with a lot of people.  So here, at long last, are some of my responses – as a fan, and as a Christian.

Judas

A few weeks ago I was sitting in a car with two colleagues driving through the Welsh countryside.  We were travelling back from a conference, pretty tired and talking about nothing in particular.  Then, suddenly, an expectant hush fell in the car and the radio was turned up – Lady Gaga’s new single Judas was being played for the first time on Radio 1.

I decided to write about it as soon as I got back.  Then I changed my mind, because I realised that the video for this song would probably be a lot more controversial than the words.  And I wanted to see if I was right before I said anything. I think the jury’s probably still out…

Ballads and Bards

A couple of short-but-great posts for you to chew on, courtesy of Rosemary (aka étrangère).

In the first, she helpfully considersthe role of the song writer in shaping our thoughts and attitudes, drawing interesting links to Lady Gaga and her recent hit, Born This Way.  Whereas I’ve previously blogged more about the way LG reflects the values already in society, Rosemary helpfully suggests that she’s also shaping the way people think.

As a follow up/prequel she then suggests that song writers and story tellers, while their work might not always be true, do always point us to the fact we live in a “meaning-drenched universe” – a hint that there is a bigger story written and performed by a greater Song Writer.

They’re definitely worth pondering…

Quote of the Day: Write the Songs

Send for the Bard!

“Born This Way” by Lady Gaga

It’s tempting to launch straight into the content of the song without stopping to think about the actual song. But if you do, you miss the fact that it’s brilliant. It’s not Bad Romance, by any stretch, but still pretty darn good. Right from the beginning, you know this is going to be classic, in-your-face Gaga, and when the chorus comes along, you aren’t disappointed.