Mamadonna vs Gaga: the reductive mash-up edition

A video has leaked of Madonna rehearsing for her upcoming MDNA tour in Israel, and in it she performs a mash-up of her iconic 1989 hit “Express Yourself” and Lady Gaga’s song “Born This Way.”

Comparisons were made about the two tracks as soon as Lady Gaga released “Born This Way” in 2011, and when Madonna was asked about it by ABC News she said, “I thought, this is a wonderful way to redo my song. I mean, I recognized the chord changes.” She then went on to call it “reductive,” which quickly became the most looked-up word of the year. I love Madonna because she’s always teaching me something new. Like pretentious words every smart cunt should keep in her back pocket. As soon as “reductive” slid off her tongue, I squealed like my 15-year-old closeted self who knew every line to Truth or Dare.

The best part about the below clip is that the song ends with Madonna singing from the chorus of “She’s Not Me” off her 2008 album Hard Candy. The song is about a copycat, with lyrics like, “She’s not me/She doesn’t have my name/She’ll never have what I have/It won’t be the same.”

Of course, Madonna is aware that imitation isn’t always the highest form of flattery — Guy Bourdin is still rolling in his grave over her video for “Hollywood.”

Doesn’t Lady Gaga know you’re only supposed to rip off dead people?!

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