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Born This Way Literary Devices

1912 Words8 Pages

The music industry has always been a reflection of the cultural and social situations of a particular audience. Every genre has its unique sound and style that expresses the attitudes and experiences of a particular time and place. Lady Gaga's hit song "Judas" from her 2011 album Born This Way was a significant cultural artifact of its time due to its use of religious imagery, camp aesthetics, and the combination of EDM and recession pop sounds. This paper analyzes how these elements express and reflect the cultural situation of a particular audience, comparing Lady Gaga's use of them to other artists and songs from previous decades, and discussing their extension to the queer community. By examining "Judas" in this way, this paper aims to gain a deeper understanding of how music reflects and shapes cultural trends and …show more content…

The narrator describes a love triangle between Judas, Jesus, and herself, using Judas as a metaphor for a lover who has betrayed her. The lyrics are overtly packed with religious symbolism and stories such as the crown of thorns and repentance for committed sins. The chorus in particular is rich with metaphors with lines such as "I'm just a Holy Fool, oh baby he's so cruel, but I'm still in love with Judas, baby" that suggest a complex and conflicted emotional state due to her betrayal. The cultural situation of Lady Gaga's audience can be seen in the way that she uses religious imagery and symbolism in the song. Lady Gaga is known for her outspokenness and advocacy on behalf of marginalized communities, in particular the LGBTQ+ community, and "Judas" can be seen as an attempt to challenge and subvert traditional religious narratives as religion has historically been weaponized against the queer community. By portraying Judas as a romantic figure and using religious imagery in a provocative way, Lady Gaga is attempting to push back against societal norms and

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