Angry Lady Gaga addresses “Born This Way” and “Express Yourself” similarities in NME

Lady Gaga in zippers on the cover of NME April 23 2011

Not only did Lady Gaga expose herself in a revealing series of evocative photographs for the most recent issue of NME magazine, she also exposed herself in a revealing, frustrated, profanity-laden interview!

Here’s a snippet of the interview in which Lady Gaga addresses critics who claim her song “Born This Way” is just a rip off of Madonna’s “Express Yourself” from 1989:

A bit of it does sound quite a lot like ‘Express Yourself’, though, doesn’t it?
“I don’t think… I swear to you. I am not stupid enough to put out a record and be that moronic.”

The reference seemed so obvious that it had to be intentional because, as you say, you’re not stupid…
No. Listen to me. Why the f**k…? I’m a songwriter. I’ve written loads of music. Why would I try to put out a song and think I’m getting one over on everybody? That’s retarded. What a completely ridiculous thing to even question me about. I will look you in your eyes and tell you that I am not dumb enough or moronic enough to think that you are dumb or moronic enough not to see that I would have stolen a melody. If you put the songs next to each other, side by side, the only similarities are the chord progression. It’s the same one that’s been in disco music for the last 50 years. Just because I’m the first f**king artist in 25 years to think of putting it on Top 40 radio, it doesn’t mean I’m a plagiarist, it means I’m f**king smart. Sorry.

The criticism did seem to take the wind out of the song’s sails.
There’s a lot of people who want to see me fai. The minute they see something to shoot at, they shoot, and the bigger I become the bigger a target I am. Nobody in this room at any point looked around and said, “Oh my God, it’s ‘Express Yourself.’ Not once. Listen. I swear to you. I can only be honest with you about it.

Alrighty then! I’ve been a big fan of Lady Gaga and her music, but I have to say that I’ve been a little disappointed with her latest efforts, both in the studio and in interviews. (I’m a little monster and I get to have my opinion, right?) I remain cautiously optimistic about the new album though. C’mon Gaga, blow me away!

Lady Gaga NME photo in a see-through zipper suit

And speaking of Lady Gaga blowing things away, here is another excerpt from the NME interview:

‘Let me tell you something. If you f****** rip my hairbow and my wig off my f****** head, my shoes, my bra, every single thing on my body, and you throw me on a piano with a microphone, I will f****** make you cry.’

‘I feel I have been probed endlessly about who the f*** I am. I have been quite open about it. And still nobody seems to have a clue.’

Dayum girl! Don’t worry LG, it gets better!

For those of you who are new to the “Born This Way” “Express Yourself” comparisons, here are the two songs so you can draw your own conclusions:

Express Yourself:

Born This Way:

Photos: NME