(Archive May 1, 2011) Song Review: “Judas” by Lady Gaga

By Sam Ingemie | Observer Reporter

Lady Gaga’s highly anticipated second single “Judas” off her new album Born This Way, was leaked to the internet April 14, just 4 days shy of its original release date. Regardless of the leak, Lady Gaga did not disappoint.

In “Judas,” Gaga treads in familiar territory with a fast-pace, huge beat, and insanely catchy dance tune. It is not, however, some substance-less song that is only good to dance to. “Judas” maintains a deeper meaning throughout the song, another strong point of Gaga’s.

“Judas,” a much darker song in comparison to the new album’s first single “Born This Way,” is a track that represents different ideas or elements that Gaga has struggled with. In an interview with “The Skorpion Show” on YouTube.com Gaga said, “I sing about what a ‘Holy fool’ I am, and that although moments of my life are so cruel and relationships can be so cruel, I’m still in love with Judas – I still go back, and back again.”

In the song she uses biblical references to emphasize this meaning. The Judas that she speaks of in the song is a reference to Judas Iscariot, the man in the Bible who betrayed Jesus Christ.

“Judas” is not only lyrically powerful, but also powerful in the sense of hooks. Gaga has definitely mastered the “art” of musical hooks – beats, rhythms, or lyrics that catch a listener’s ear. There are three main hooks in “Judas,” all masterfully crafted together to form one insanely catchy dance song.

From the introduction of the song to the two main verses to the chorus, “Judas” packs a huge punch in terms of beats and lyrics in its hooks. Much like some of her previous singles, namely “Poker Face” and “Bad Romance,” “Judas” is one of those songs you can just never seem to get out of your head.

Both rhythmically and lyrically powerful, Gaga has outdone herself, yet again, bringing an inevitable chart-smashing number 1 hit to the table. It is Gaga, though, what else can you expect?

My rating? 10/10. Huge fan of “Judas” and of Gaga herself. I, personally, cannot wait to see what Born This Way, her new album dropping May 23, is going to bring to the table! From how it has been shaping up, it has all the potential to go down in the record books.