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Judas (Lady Gaga song)

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"Judas"
Song

"Judas" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga, taken from her second studio album Born This Way (2011). The song was released worldwide on April 15, 2011, four days ahead of its scheduled release, by Interscope Records. Written and produced by Lady Gaga and RedOne, "Judas" is a dance song that speaks of a woman in love with a man who betrays her while simultaneously embodying things that have haunted her in the past, thus representing something that was bad for her – something she could not escape. Gaga explained that it's also about "honoring your darkness in order to bring yourself into the light, [...] You have to look into what’s haunting you and need to learn to forgive yourself in order to move on."[2]

"Judas" has a similar sound to Gaga's previous singles like "Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Bad Romance", and "Alejandro", and contains three distinct hooks and a break down influenced by house music. The breakdown contains influences of tribal-techno and dubstep. Gaga explained that the lines spoken during the breakdown talks about her being beyond the ability to redeem herself, in terms of the traditional views of what a woman is supposed to be. The artwork for the single was designed by Gaga in Microsoft Word and features a black background with the word "Judas" written in red capital letters in Impact font and took the picture with her cell phone for texture. It was released via her web video series, Transmission Gagavision. Critics noted similarity between "Judas" and "Bad Romance", but praised the musical production of the song, complimenting its energy and the robotic break down.

A music video for the song was filmed in early April, co-directed by Gaga and Laurieann Gibson and co-starring Norman Reedus. It includes a Biblical storyline where Reedus plays Judas Iscariot and Gaga plays Mary Magdalene. Prior to its release, the Catholic League condemned Gaga for the alleged use of religious imagery and her role as Magdalene in the video.

Background

"'Judas' is a dance song, definitely, [...] I think 'Judas' in the traditional RedOne/Gaga vein. It's great because it's a serious message, it's a little playful, but still serious, but still somehow you wind up dancing to it. That's what's great about her music. You know, like, my favorite songs of all time, dance songs, 'Billie Jean,' is a story you wouldn't think of singing but then you wind up dancing and singing the lyrics. I think that's the holy grail of music for me, which is dance."

—Fernando Garibay, one of the producers of Born This Way, talking about the second single "Judas"[3]

"Judas" was revealed as the name of the second single in Lady Gaga's interview for Vogue.[4] Gaga confirmed "Judas" on Ryan Seacrest's radio show on February 14, 2011. RedOne was revealed as the co-producer of the song.[5] At the 53rd Grammy Awards, he told MTV News that if the previous single from Born This Way, the title track, blew "your socks off, then you really need to wait for the next single.... I'm not gonna tell you the title, but the next single, it's ... I don't want to say. It's gonna gonna shock, [...]You're gonna be surprised and wanna go crazy."[6] Fernando Garibay, one of the producers of Born This Way felt that the song was about sometimes not choosing the right choice. "But you can't deny that the choice is not a part of you and who you are", he added.[3] On the radio show Last Call with Carson Daly, Gaga explained to the host Carson Daly that "Judas" was "about always falling in love with the wrong man over and over again, 'Judas' is a very, very dark song. It's rad."[2][7] With MSN Canada, Gaga revealed the metaphor behind the song as:

"'Judas' is a metaphor and an analogy about forgiveness and betrayal and things that haunt you in your life and how I believe that it's the darkness in your life that ultimately shines and illuminates the greater light that you have upon you. Someone once said to me, 'If you have no shadows then you're not standing in the light.' So the song is about washing the feet of both good and evil and understanding and forgiving the demons from your past in order to move into the greatness of your future. I just like really aggressive metaphors—harder, thicker, darker—and my fans do as well. So it is a very challenging and aggressive metaphor, but it is a metaphor.[8]

Gaga further explained the inspiration behind the song: "It’s about constantly walking towards the light in my life, but always clutching onto the light while peering towards the devil in the back, [...] I sing about what a holy fool I am, and that although moments in my life are so cruel and relationships can be so cruel I’m still in love with Judas. I still go back again to those evil things."[2] During her interview with Google, Gaga added to the song's meaning as about "honoring your darkness in order to bring yourself into the light, [...] You have to look into what’s haunting you and need to learn to forgive yourself in order to move on. And it’s really fun to dance to."[2] She had also previously explained to Popjustice that she has a lot of things that have haunted her from her past, including her choices, men, drug abuse, being afraid to go back to New York, confronting old romances. Hence "Judas" represented something that was bad for her, something she cannot escape. Gaga said: I keep going back and forth between the darkness and the light in order to understand who I am."

Composition

Garibay said that "Judas" sounds similar to many of Gaga's previous singles produced by RedOne, like "Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Bad Romance", and "Alejandro".[3] According to Jocelyn Vena of MTV, "Judas" finds Gaga in a similar territory music-wise but vocally she is in completely new territory, according to Popjustice who said that "in the verses and pre-chorus she hurls herself into a decadent half-sung, half-rapped Jamaican Patois style."[9] It contains three hooks and begins with Gaga singing the line "Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, I'm in love with Judas", accompanied by building synths. This is followed by a thumping electronic beat, as Gaga sings, "Judahhh/ Juda-a-ah/ Gaga". The utterance of these words are reminiscent of the opening verse in "Bad Romance".[10] Gaga's vocals are partially spoken, and at times have a Caribbean accent. The first verse follows as: "When he comes to me I am ready/ I'll wash his feet with my hair if he needs/ Forgive him when his tongue lies through his brain/ Even after three times, he betrays me/ I'll bring him down, a king with no crown."[11] The tone lightens up on the song's chorus, which is influenced by '80s pop in its melody, as the beat picks up a bit and Gaga sings, "I'm just a holy fool/ Oh, baby, he's so cruel/ But I'm still in love with Judas, baby."[10]

"Judas"
A 25 second sample of "Judas", where Gaga sings the chorus, which is followed by the tribal-techno influenced break down.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

After the second verse and chorus, the song features a break down influenced by house music. Gaga chants the lines in the same way she does in the middle of "Born This Way". Then she sings, "I wanna love you/ But something's pulling me away from you/ Jesus is my virtue, Judas is the demon I cling to, I cling to."[10] Gaga's vocals drew comparison to that of Rihanna's by Matthew Perpetua of Rolling Stone. He also added that her voice sounded less dark and dramatic and was full of "bubbly sweetness".[12] Popjustice wrote that the breakdown sounded like tribal-techno, and the whole song was "a turbo-charged electrogothic wrongness anthem".[9] Dan Martin from NME wrote that the breakdown was in the dubstep genre with the chorus being "pure-pop".[13] There are some similarities and influences of "Bad Romance which Gaga said was deliberate: "While sometimes it's important to push myself in new directions, sometimes I do count my stripes and make sure they’re all there, and 'Judas' was one of those records. I wanted it to be an evolution from where I’ve been before but in terms of the formula I wanted there to be something about 'Judas' that reminded people of what I’ve done in the past"."[9] According to the sheet music published on Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the song is written in the time signature of common time, and is composed in the key of C minor with a tempo of 124 beats per minute.[14] Gaga's voice ranges from the tonal nodes of B♭3 to E♭5 and the song follows a basic sequence of A♭–Fm7–Cm–B♭–Cm as its chord progression.[14]

Gaga had posted some of the lyrics of the song in February.[15] On March 22, 2011, Gaga revealed more lyrics for "Judas" in the Google interview. Gaga also confirmed that the song is influenced by the Biblical Judas Iscariot.[11] According to Popjustice, on the surface "Judas" is a song about being double-crossed ("even after three times he betrays me"), contemplating revenge ("bring him down, I'll bring him down down, a king with no crown, a king with no crown"), but being repeatedly drawn to awfulness: "I'm just a holy fool, oh baby he's so cruel, but I'm still in love with Judas, baby".[9] The middle eight of the song, with the lyrics "In the most Biblical sense, I am beyond repentance. 'Fame hooker', 'prostitute wench', 'vomits her mind'... But in the cultural sense I just speak in future tense. Judas kiss me if offenced, or wear an ear condom next time", talks about Gaga being beyond the ability to redeem herself, in terms of the traditional views of what a woman is supposed to be. "But I don't want to redeem myself, because in the cultural sense I believe that I'm just before my time. And if you don't like it, wear an ear condom," she explained. The main portion of the song is about Gaga in private and the middle eight is about Gaga in public, two themes that are explored elsewhere on the album too.[9]

Artwork and release

In the 42nd episode of Gaga's web video series called Transmission Gagavision, it was revealed that the single's accompanying cover artwork was designed by Gaga in Microsoft Word and features a black background with the word "Judas" written in red capital letters in Impact font. Below it is a red Christian cross with a heart in the middle. Gaga photographed the design on her computer screen using her cellular telephone "for texture,"[16] which resulted in visible pixels on the letters and cross, as well as a faint reflection of her face and hands holding the phone, to appear on the cover.[16][17] The episode showed Gaga sitting in a meeting with her creative team Haus of Gaga, discussing the specifics of her album release. "I don't want the word 'deluxe' on the album," she stipulated to her team. "I hate that word."[16] Scattered around Gaga were shown images, which were speculated by MTV as something "Judas"-related. On one photo the word "Judas" is printed with a cross on it. Jocelyn Vena from MTV felt that the artwork could have easily appeared in director Baz Luhrmann's version of Romeo and Juliet (1996).[16]

On the 41st episode of Transmission Gagavision, Gaga announced that "'Judas' is coming.[18] Let the cultural baptism begin. If they were not who you were taught they would be, would you still believe?"[10] "Judas" was scheduled to be sent to mainstream airplay on April 19, 2011, and digital retailers on the same day, but after the track was leaked to the internet, its release was brought forward to April 15, 2011.[19][20] This was done to counteract the pre-release leaks. Before the release, Gaga tweeted about the single, saying: "#PawsUpForJudas! I've learned love is like a brick, you can build a house or sink a dead body." On April 15, 2011, hours before the song was played on radio she again tweeted: "Even After Three Times He Betrays Me," she wrote, harking back to the song's lyrics about love and betrayal. "THE REAL JUDAS: HE'S EVERYWHERE, NOW. DON'T STOP UNTIL HE'S YOURS," she added.[17] In the United Kingdom, the song premiered on The Capital FM Network on April 15, 2011, during their program Home Run.[10] Gaga addressed the leak in the 43rd episode of Transmission Gagavision, likening it to a disembodiment, saying, "A slow death! Just put me out of my f---ing misery, just put that sh-- out. They were tearing [the song] limb for limb. First it was the arm of the song, then the liver...."[21]

Critical reception

Critics have noticed similarities with "Bad Romance" in the composition of "Judas". Jonathan Van Meter from Vogue gave the song a positive review, saying the song sounds like "it was written for the Ronettes, but set to a sledgehammering dance beat and is about falling in love with a backstabbing man of the biblical variety."[4] MTV's James Dinh noted that the song was very similar to "Bad Romance".[22] Popjustice also compared it to "Bad Romance" naming it "a highly evolved, Titanium-plated 'Bad Romance' from the year 2511 travelling half a millennium back in time to save music from a tidal wave of 'in the club'-obsessed pop drivel, and that's 'Judas'. We love this song so much. It's pop in all the right ways, it's noisy in all the right ways, it's brash and bombastic and funny and audacious and stupid in all the right ways, and it's smart in all the right ways, too.[9] Kevin O'Donnel from Spin felt that "[t]rue to form, Gaga delivers a rowdy, industrial-disco banger, and her performance is insanely over the top: She alternates between rapping, a robotic monotone, and a crow-like squawk — before gliding into a more conventional chorus that hews closer to 'Bad Romance'."[23] He added, "there's no denying the primal energy of "Judas," and the awesomely dark, bass-heavy breakdown (where Gaga shrieks like some sort horny futuristic droid) is one of the weirdest moments to hit the pop landscape this year."[23] Eric Henderson from Slant Magazine noted that the "connection and deviation from her previous single ['Born This Way'] couldn't be more pronounced. Musically, 'Judas' is pitched at about the same glitter-jackhammer level as 'Born This Way', though the big anthemic chords are almost inverted—not unlike Inner City's Big Fun vs. Good Life. It's a good twin, evil twin thing." Henderson continued that "'Judas' is a disturbed vision of a hell that—what do you know—ain't so bad after all. In a warped sense, it's the new single that seems more forward-thinking, though the message is certainly a great deal more muddled than the 'gay = great' equation at the heart of 'Born This Way'."[24]

Amos Barshad from New York declared that " If we were zooted out of our minds at five in the morning on a dance floor in the sketchy part of Berlin right now, this would almost definitely be the greatest song we'd ever heard."[25] Dan Martin from NME was of the opinion that "'Judas' is the song that Lady Gaga should have come back with. You can see why she didn't, since it is employs so many of the hallmarks that make a Gaga song a Gaga song. It's typically Gaga, unmistakably in the same lineage as 'Bad Romance' and 'Poker Face'."[13] Matthew Perpetua from Rolling Stone wrote that "'Judas' is a straight-ahead dance pop number that plays to the singer's established strengths. Though 'Judas' certainly has its own charms and at least three insanely catchy hooks it leans hard on Gaga's signature moves."[26] Maura Johnston of The Village Voice describes the single as "nastier and darker, but ‘Judas’ definitely mines the same territory as ‘Bad Romance’ – lots of instantly memorable wordless vocalizing, a pummeling beat, lyrics about a romance that is, well, bad."[27] Robert Copsey from Digital Spy gave the song five out of five stars and added that "[the] chorus [is] so blasphemously camp that it's worthy of Eurovision – a Scooch-meets-Lordi affair that, unsurprisingly, takes a few listens to get your head around. Thankfully, we can confirm that it's worth the effort."[28] Mark Lepage from The Gazette praised the song saying that "Yes, she’s got a conflicted relationship with him. Judas, I mean. As some of us have with her. Because now that Lady Gaga has undeniably vaulted from the ranks of zany disco queenette to full-fledged pop chart subversive, your Bad Romance with her has become serious."[29] Rick Fulton, while writing in the Daily Record, compared it to "'Like a Prayer' on steroids" and gave it three out of five points.[30]

Chart performance

After its release to the digital outlets and radio, Billboard theorized that "Judas" would need to sell between 350,000 and 400,000 copies in two and a half days, and make a large number of radio listener impressions "through the end of the airplay tracking period" on April 19, 2011, in order to debut at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart despite its rushed release.[31] The song debuted at number 30 at Billboard Pop Songs chart with 1,405 detections on 118 of the Pop Songs panel's 132 reporting stations, translating to an opening audience of 13.6 million.[32] For the issue dated April 30, 2011, "Judas" debuted at number four on Hot Digital Songs chart with 162,000 copies sold.[33] It debuted at position ten on the Hot 100, Gaga's third debut in the top 10, and started at number 48 on the Radio Songs chart with 26 million in audience.[34] The next week "Judas" dropped two places on the Hot 100, while selling 156,000 downloads (down 4%) in its first full week at retail.[35] On Radio Songs, "Judas" jumped from number 48 to number 36 (34 million impressions, up 29%), while also moving up to number 19 on the Pop Songs chart,[35] reaching a peak of number 15 to date.[36] According to Nielsen SoundScan, "Judas" has sold 399,000 copies of digital downloads.[37] "Judas" also debuted on the Hot Dance Club Songs Chart at number 38, and on Adult Pop Songs at number 40, for the issue dated May 14, 2011.[38] It reached a peak of six on Hot Dance Club Songs.[39]

In Canada, "Judas" debuted at number nine on the Canadian Hot 100, after three days of sales, entering the Digital Songs chart of Canada at number five with 16,000 copies sold.[40][41] The next week it moved up one position to eight, while becoming the greatest gainer on the chart, in terms of airplay. The song moved from number 66 to number 23 on the Canadian Hot 100 Airplay chart, with a 161% increase in audience.[42] In the United Kingdom, "Judas" debuted at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart on April 17, 2011, with 20,729 copies.[43][44] The next week it moved to number nine.[45] The song debuted at number nine on the French Singles Chart with 5,719 copies of the single.[46] In New Zealand, "Judas" debuted at number 13 on the New Zealand Singles Chart on April 18, 2011,[47] and also debuted at number six on the ARIA Singles Chart of Australia.[48] "Judas" was certified gold in Australia by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), for shipment of 35,000 copies of the single.[49] In Ireland and Finland, "Judas" achieved a top-five debut at positions four and three respectively.[50][51] Other top-ten debuts happened at Belgium (Wallonia), Norway and Spain.[52] In Japan "Judas" debuted at number seven on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart.[53]

Music video

Development

"It went through several changes and late-night debates because at one point, there were two completely different views and I was like, 'Listen, I don't want lightning to strike me! I believe in the gospel and I'm not going there.' And it was amazing because to have that conversation about salvation, peace and the search for the truth in a room of non-believers and believers, to me, that was saying God is active in a big way. And the place that it came to is surreal. We don't touch on things that we have no right touching upon, but the inspiration and the soul and idea that out of your oppression, your darkness, your Judas, you can come into the marvelous light. So it's about the inspiration and to never give up… We've created a new Jerusalem."

—Laurieann Gibson talking about the development of the video.[54]

The music video for "Judas" was filmed on April 2–3, 2011, and was directed by Gaga and her choreographer, Laurieann Gibson. Gaga called the filming and directing "the most exciting artistic moment of my career. It's the greatest work we've done."[55] The following Sunday, Gaga had tweeted, "Directing Judas video with my sister @boomkack is the most exciting artistic moment of my career. It's the greatest work we've done. Day 2." Her stylist and Thierry Mugler creative director Nicola Formichetti, had tweeted previously on Saturday, "Just finished shooting our incredible day 1. We are so blessed." By Monday, Formichetti announced that the shooting for the video was over.[55] Gibson explained the idea behind the video:

"I will tell you now, first off, I'm Christian, and my career is evidence of God in my life, and I think that most people are already thinking that Gaga and the blasphemy and they're premeditating the approach and I think they'll be very shocked to find out how huge and really groundbreaking the message is and how freeing the message is for all the right reasons. And it's really going to shock the world."[56]

The cast includes Norman Reedus as Judas, while Gaga plays the part of Mary Magdalene. Gibson and Gaga wanted to make sure the video's direction was perfect—so they vied to direct it themselves. "There was elements of 'Born This Way' during our collaboration [with director Nick Knight] and, as much as I loved it, there were moments where, for me, it didn't really evolve as I had inspired of the actual creative, which was still fine," Gibson added. But with the music video of "Judas", they were clear about the inspiration behind it. They approached a director, but the dates did not work out with him, so Gaga's manager asked her and Gibson to direct the video instead.[56]

Gibson said she took a moment before agreeing, as she had just wrapped up work on Gaga's Monster Ball HBO special, premiering in May, but she "couldn't resist. It's a phenomenal video: really powerful, really impactful. She's such a strong, committed artist. Her loyalty to me is something I will be forever grateful for. We're spiritually connected. We need each other ... and 'Judas' is ultimately a representation of our true bond."[56] With The Hollywood Reporter, Gibson explained that within the video they created a new Jerusalem.[54] The shock value in the video is purposefully added, but ultimately the story is about oppression; and about following your heart and the glory of being free.[57] With NME magazine Gaga revealed that the video will involve motorbikes, death and in the final seconds, a strong spoken word sequence about being "beyond repentance", which she explained: "People say that I'm trashy. or pretentious or this and that. [The video] is my way of saying 'I've crossed the line, I won't even try to repent. Nor should I'."[58] Forgiveness and destiny also play a part in the video, and Gaga wanted to portray a Federico Fellini-esque story with apostles being revolutionaries in a modern-day Jerusalem. They are led to Jesus, by Gaga as Magdalene.[8] Although initially reported to be premiered during an episode of the tenth season of American Idol,[59] the music video premiered on May 5, 2011, on E! News at 7 pm and E! Online at 11.30 pm.[60]

Synopsis

The scene of Gaga standing atop a rock, as waves engulf her, is reminiscent of artist Sandro Botticelli's The Birth of Venus.

The video opens with a motorcycle gang cruising down a freeway, wearing studded leather jackets. The motorcycle gang are the Twelve Apostles that Jesus is said to have, including Judas. Gaga as Mary Magdalene clutches onto a Jesus-like figure (Rick Gonzalez) who wears a golden crown of thorns. Among the riders is Judas, who crosses Gaga's bike as she looks meaningfully towards him. The gang passes under a flyover, when the song starts. They reach their rustic hideout called "Electric Chapel" where Gaga dances wearing a red sarong and a bikini top with crosses covering her nipple. Gaga's character watches curiously as the wily Judas enters the biker club and immediately gets involved in a brawl. While trying to protect Jesus from the fights she attempts to warn him about his apostle's impending betrayal, but becomes hypnotized by Judas' allure. The storyline is interspersed with choreographed dance sequences and close-ups of Gaga with stark imagery, including artistic eye make-up, which was compared to the Egyptian Eye of Horus.[61] Her flowing blonde hair is accented by a red bandana, blue leather top and puffy white dress in different parts of the clip. The blue top worn by Gaga displays the "Sacred Heart", a depiction of what Jesus is said to have revealed as a symbol of his love for humanity. During the second verses, Gaga points towards Peter during the line "Build a house", and towards herself during "Or sink a dead body".

After the second chorus, in a climatic sequence, the singer holds a gun up to Judas' mouth, and a stick of red lipstick bursts out and smears his lips. The scene portrays Gaga's choice to refuse to shoot Judas through the heart. As the breakdown ends, the music stops and Gaga is seen in a bathtub with Jesus and Judas, washing their feet and cleaning it with her hair. The sequence is interspersed with Gaga standing lonely on a rock as waves engulf her, the scene being reminiscent of artist Sandro Botticelli's The Birth of Venus[62] and Jesus marching towards his fatal destiny. The music restarts and Judas is shown pouring beer in the bathtub. Next Jesus is shown standing on a stage, surrounded by his supporters, the setting being inspired by scaffoldings present around newly constructed buildings in New York.[63] Gaga kneels in front of Jesus and tries to explain something to him, but he places his palm on her head as Judas looks on. After Judas delivers the fateful kiss upon Jesus' cheeks, marking him for his death, Gaga falls on the ground with a silent, anguished cry. The video ends with the death of neither Judas nor Jesus, but of Gaga as she's stoned to death by the crowd.

Reception

Gaga's eye make-up is compared to the Egyptian Eye of Horus.

Before its release, the Catholic League's president Bill Donahue criticized the music video for its portrayal of Gaga as Mary Magdalene. He spoke exclusively to HollywoodLife.com about Gaga’s focus on Judas and Mary Magdalene, calling Gaga "increasingly irrelevant" compared to people with "real talent," and attacking her for seemingly purposefully debuting the song and video close to Holy Week and Easter.[64] The conservative Catholic writer Steve Kellmeyer, author of Fact or Fiction in The Da Vinci Code, has a different opinion, saying that "She did it as well as it can be done in a music video."[65] Gaga noted in an interview with E! that the video was not meant to cause controversy in any way, jokingly adding "the only controversial thing about this video is that I'm wearing Christian Lacroix and Chanel in the same frame. This video is not meant to be an attack on religion. I respect and love everyone's beliefs. I'm a religious and spiritual person who's obsessed with religious art. I'm obsessed with it."[56] After its release, the Catholic League released a further statement stating:

"In her 'Judas' video, Lady Gaga plays fast and loose with Catholic iconography, and generates several untoward statements, but she typically dances on the line without going over it. The faux-baptismal scene is a curious inclusion, as is her apparent fondness for the Jesus character. But if anyone thinks the Catholic League is going to go ballistic over Lady Gaga's latest contribution, they haven't a clue about what really constitutes anti-Catholicism. The video is a mess, incoherent, it leaves the viewer more perplexed than moved."[66]

Jason Lipshutz from Billboard described it as a "motorcycle mayhem meets biblical betrayal."[67] James Montogomery from MTV described the video as a pure pop clip, "albeit one that looks great and is sure to earn the ire of a few folks on the religious right." He added that "Judas" is, at its sacred heart, an artistic explosion contained within the confines of a traditional pop clip.[62] Christian Blauvelt from Entertainment Weekly did not like the video at first, calling it her weakest effort to date and attributing it to Gibson's choreography and the literal storyline. However, he admitted that after watching the video a few times, it grew on him and added that "'Judas' might be Gaga's Last Temptation of Christ, a deeply misunderstood but devout examination of the Gospels that doesn’t register with those looking merely for dogma. Especially considering it’s highly sexualized embrace of bad-girl-gone-good Mary Magdalene’s dual role as reformed prostitute and tainted convert."[68] Tris McCall from The Star-Ledger felt that there was neither anything blasphemous about the video, nor anything too daring about it. McCall explained that the dancing in the video is a "pleasure to watch", but would have been better if the camera work was more professional. The eye-catching prop here is a gun that turns into a lipstick dispenser; an idea so stereotypically Lady Gaga that it should have been taken away from her on those grounds alone," he added.[69] Matthew Perpetua from Rolling Stone was certain that the video would offend some Christians for its irreverent and highly sexualized take on Jesus Christ; he also said that Gaga "filters the biblical story though her distinct visual style and the over-the-top sexual tension of HBO's True Blood."[70] The Daily Mail felt that Gaga was "certainly not concerned about offending with her latest music video."[71] Oscar Moralde from Slant Magazine called the production of the video as visually stunning, while adding that "For all its beauty, however, "Judas" is the work of a repertory, not a revolutionary. It takes familiar swatches from Gaga's palette (the leather-and-chain aesthetic of "Telephone"; the plaintive, tear-stained camera stare of "Bad Romance") and puts them all together for a competently executed work."[72] Phil Fox Rose, while reviewing the video for The Washington Post, gave it a positive review stating that he found it "moving, both artistically and spiritually." He then went on to explain how the religion related accusations against Gaga were completely biased.[73] VH1 found that the video was inspired by Madonna's "Like a Prayer", the films Our Lady of the Assassins, The Wild Angels and Romeo + Juliet, and the American television series Lost.[74]

Live performances

On April 17, 2011, Gaga performed "Judas" at a nightclub called Kennedy Lounge, in Tampa, Florida, after her Monster Ball show in the city's St. Pete Times Forum.[75] Gaga performed "Judas" live on television for the first time on Ellen on April 28, 2011.[76] She was accompanied by a string of male dancers, wearing black monk-like garments, her side. The song was performed as a dance-filled number, with Gaga singing the lines while wearing a blue latex ensemble. According to James Dinh from MTV, the "choreography [of the performance] seemingly more difficult than in her usual performances, the singer showcased her best high-energy moves." As the music came to a close, she struck a pose before planting a kiss on the cheek of DeGeneres, who playfully replicated her stance.[77][78] At the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, Gaga sang the song for French television show Le Grand Journal. Wearing a gold-embellished ensemble, a red hood and a black-and-white hairstyle, Gaga performed an energetic version of the song accompanied by her male dancers, on a stage in front of the Mediterranean Sea. She explained to host Michel Denisot that the inspiration behind her look was the religious imagery and fashion portrayed in the "Judas" music video. "I've been wearing very romantic, very biblical arrangements, and I always throw in some punk rock for good measure," Gaga added.[79] "Judas" was performed by Gaga on The Graham Norton Show on May 13, 2011,[80] and two days later on Radio 1's Big Weekend in Carlisle, Cumbria. "Judas" was the final song of the setlist, and she finished her performance by taking a bow with her dancers and musicians, as confetti rained on the crowd.[81] Gaga sang "Judas" on the season finale of Saturday Night Live on May 21, 2011, after performing the piano version of "The Edge of Glory".[82] She was dressed in a black shiny top and knee high boots, with a metallic headgear.[83] On May 27, 2011, Gaga also performed the song on Good Morning America as a part of their "Summer Concert Series". She wore a black sheer dress with a gold bejewelled jacket, and gold-studded bikini top and bottom. The stage was filled with steam billowing out of controlled machines.[84]

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Born This Way album liner notes.[92]

Charts and certifications

Radio dates and release history

Country Date Format
Worldwide[20] April 15, 2011 Digital download
South Korea[102] April 18, 2011
United States[19] April 26, 2011 Mainstream radio
Germany[103] May 13, 2011 CD single
Poland[104]
United Kingdom[105] May 16, 2011
United States[89] Digital download – Remixes
Australia[90]
United Kingdom[106]
Italy[107] May 17, 2011 CD single
United States[108] May 24, 2011

References

  1. ^ "Judas (Legal Title) – BMI Work #12598986". Broadcast Music Incorporated, House of Gaga Publishing, Inc. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
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