Madonna: Lady Gaga's Music 'Reductive,' Has My Influence

When Lady Gaga released "Born This Way" last year, a nation of music fans immediately thought of Madonna's seminal hit "Express Yourself." Turns out the Material Girl was thinking the same exact thing.

"I thought, this is a wonderful way to redo my song," the pop legend tells ABC News in a new interview set to air Friday on "20/20." "I mean, I recognized the chord changes. I thought it was... interesting."

Gaga has long been accused of borrowing heavily from Madonna's act, from her use of Catholic imagery to gay rights activism to her often provocative wardrobe of fishnets, cone bras and other eclectic bits. Madonna acknowledges that she sees the connection.

"I certainly think she references me a lot in her work. And sometimes I think it's amusing and flattering and well done," she tells the newsmagazine.

However, lest one make accusations of unrepentant plagiarism, Gaga herself has agreed that much of her work is enabled by Madonna's legacy.

"Madonna is a wonderful ­influence on me," she told the Daily Mirror in November. "I feel blessed to have grown up with a ­powerful, blonde woman to show us the ropes. It's all down to her that I’m able to do what I do."

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Comments

[Meghan Chavalier]

05:54 PM on 02/26/2012

Until Lady Gaga lasts 30 years in the industry like Madonna has...I don't think there should even be a question as to who the real Queen of Pop is.

[USA90815]

04:20 PM on 01/22/2012

Madonna has charged Virgin Airlines as being reductive. She claims Richard Branson stole her idea from her Virgin tour of 1983. (plane = phallic symbol)

[Ascare26]

03:41 AM on 01/19/2012

Madonna is blasting everyone this week, I don't know why she feels the need to do this. Even if you feel that way, just keep your mouth shut. It just gets you bad press, more questions, what is the point? Gaga idolizes her, which she knows why bring her down? It seems like pure jealousy from Madonna.

[JonnieBoi]

08:28 AM on 01/26/2012

really..LOL... so when u do your work and your peers steals your ideas.. you just take it like a B*tch.. got it.. I completely understand your world..

[BlacknProud310]

03:59 AM on 02/03/2012

Three words = Super Bowl Sunday.

She needs the publicity...remember? I mean come on...Its Madge and this is how she's always done it.

[Tonydeeee]

10:15 PM on 01/18/2012

Who cares?

[ask0]

07:01 AM on 01/17/2012

I have a lot of respect for Gaga - she is a much better person and talent.

Anyway to use her own word -Madonna is queen of "reductive" There is nothing original about her as this wonderful site displays

http://www.listal.com/list/lady-gaga-did-not-steal

After looking at those pictures the word ersatz comes to mind.

[indywoman]

12:36 AM on 01/18/2012

Wow. I had no idea. Well...I had some idea, I've been around a long time, but it seems she has never had an original idea! I mean, she does sing about all the famous women in those photos. This does make me think that she shouldn't be saying anything about Gaga, in light of the fact that she is doing the same thing Madonna did. I do think it is kind of funny that Elton John is mad that she got that award. I really don't know enough about it to judge, but it is so rare that someone famous says that someone else famous doesn't deserve an award!! Maybe Kanye started something...?

[Ascare26]

03:49 AM on 01/19/2012

wow, that link is crazy.

[WhiteGinger]

03:59 AM on 01/17/2012

I love Madonna, but lets be honest she has made a career of copying other people too. I wonder if Marilyn Monroe would think Madonna is reductive, she certainly has copied her image a lot over the years. If you look at a lot of her videos and performances she has "referenced" many people, Deeper and deeper- the Andy warhol edie sedgwick crowd, Marie Antoinette- MTV Vogue performance, etc..

I always thought she invented vogue dancing, lol. Until I saw the movie "paris is burning", and learned the history of it.

Madonna has had a long career with lots of different incarnations, it would be really difficult for stars not to do anything that is she has not done before. Didn't Gwen Stefani also get campared to Madonna when she first started?

In any case, express yourself is still a great song, I'm not a big fan of born this way, but Gaga's other songs are great like bad romance and edge of glory, she obviously has great musical talent
have you seen her performance on Howard stern?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_GMgkcc2KM

[Badger33]

03:41 AM on 01/17/2012

Which one is the most prolific, talentless provocateur/exhibitionist?

[discoecstasy]

03:01 AM on 01/17/2012

I'm tired of these Madonna vs Gaga online battles. Who knows behind closed doors they're best friends?

Anyways, Lady Gaga first came onto our consciousness since 2008. That's 4 years. Madonna first burst onto the scene in 1983. So, 4 years into her career to 1987, what did Madonna achieve?

Madonna
- 3 albums (2 were #1)
- 6 #1 singles
- 1 hit movie (Desperately Seeking Susan) + 1 flop (Shanghai Surprise)
- No Grammies (up til 1987)

Gaga
- 2 albums (1 #1)
- 3 #1 singles
- No movies
- 5 Grammies

So ... I'd say Gaga certainly received more recognition (on the strength of the Grammies). Having said, in terms of cultural impact and $$, Madonna certainly made more impact methinks in those 4 years.

[Robbert Bricker]

11:38 PM on 01/16/2012

a madonna, lady gag me will NEVER be

[Eric the canuck]

09:50 PM on 01/16/2012

Lady Gaga is really unreal. She can sing and is really a musician. She even writes songs. Need I say more?

[Robbert Bricker]

11:38 PM on 01/16/2012

yeah... now if they could only get her to sing without an autotuner.... oh wait... then everyone would realize she can't sing.

[bmcombs]

08:06 AM on 01/17/2012

You apparently haven't seen the hundreds of live performances that are online. Everytime she performs a song it is different.

[twasbrilligand]

06:15 PM on 01/18/2012

Um . . . what the bleeding hell do you mean by "she even writes songs?" As if it should be unusual for a musician to write her own music. Madonna sings and writes songs too. She just won a Golden Globe for her songwriting. She's also more prolific than that thing Gaga will ever be.

[NoSillyName]

08:03 PM on 01/16/2012

A fan of neither, and yes, there are many similarities.

[TipsyFrisky]

05:53 PM on 01/16/2012

Gaga caterwauling is only suitable for the D E A F T O N E monsters that follow her.

[AyeChart]

05:07 PM on 01/16/2012

Madonna vs Gaga.  Doesn't matter, as neither will ever sing 1/10th as well as Beth Hart.

[Yung Dai]

03:02 PM on 01/16/2012

Did anyone one of you commenting actually watched the 20/20 interview? I did......she is a horrible negative and ugly person. I've never heard anyone so condescendingly answer questions to a reporter. Jesus murphy.....ugh. Love her music but don't like her.

[NoSillyName]

08:08 PM on 01/16/2012

Yes, Madge is Miss High And Mighty.

[Billk29]

01:58 PM on 01/16/2012

Gaga owes a lot of people for her success. Bowie,Manson,Madonna to name just a few.

[Jesus Germanotta]

02:12 PM on 01/16/2012

I know. I think Lady Gaga needs to stop her copying. Here is the list of all the people she's lifted work from:

www.listal.com/list/lady-gaga-did-not-steal

[Yung Dai]

02:59 PM on 01/16/2012

Please who are we fooling. Let's not forget Confessions on a Dancefloor was a borrow fest of other people's songs. That's how music is these days, we should all get over it.

[NoSillyName]

08:12 PM on 01/16/2012

Odd. You use her surname, you say she's "lifted work", but the link name is
"lady-gaga-did-not-steal".

I didn't click on it.