Lady Gaga: Just like Madonna - Ooh!

Lady Gaga and her Little Monster fans take much pride in her alleged originality, but somehow the flamboyant songstress has come up with yet another Madonna sound-alike: "Born This Way."

The much anticipated number starts off sounding like Madonna's "Express Yourself" and there's even a Vogue-like spoken part later on. Yet Lady Gaga has made the claim that she wrote the song in 4 minutes.

You would think after all the comparisons of "Alejandro" to "La Isla Bonita," Lady Gaga would avoid Madonna sound- alikes like the bubonic plague.

But let's back up a moment. Lady Gaga has acknowledged that Madonna has been one of her influences, as well as the late Michael Jackson, David Bowie and Grace Jones. She names Freddie Mercury of Queen as her number one influence.

So when does borrowing a style from another singer cross the line from an influence into being just a plain ol' copycat? Am I a copycat for paraphrasing a line from Madonna's "Like a Virgin" in my title? No, I'm just trying to be cute.

But, I would say you probably cross the line when you have more than one part in the song that reminds you of another singer and that has certainly occurred in "Born this Way" with the "Express Yourself" and "Vogue" imitations. Maybe even three, because some people are even hearing some "Ray of Light" in there (although I didn't notice that myself).

Will this hurt Lady Gaga and make her look like a phony, particularly after she told the Scottish Daily Record that she is unique " and can't be copied." She said that "millions of girls" have tried to copy Madonna but are now gone while "Madonna is still there because she is something special."

Is Lady Gaga now one of those millions of girls who will soon be gone? Probably not, but even if it came true, she's already made a bundle on her other hit songs, like ""Paparazzi," "Poker Face" and my favorite, "Bad Romance."

So the real question is: why does she need to copy anyone? Has she run out of original inspiration?

Sources:
The Fear Factor; Lady Gaga uses tough times as inspiration
Hollywood Reporter: Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' Criticized for Similarities to Madonna Songs