Lady Gaga Versus Madonna: Madonna Wins

Lady Gaga gets a lot of press for being edgy and daring, but perhaps not as much press we might expect. Why? It's likely because we've all seen it before. It's a been there, done that mentality. Anyone remember Madonna?

In the 1980s, Madonna's get-ups and performance habits were stunning, revolutionary. Her fame came not just because she was a singer who sang catchy pop songs, but also because she was unafraid of being sexy, daring and downright raunchy. We were stunned, shocked and secretly delighted. Women the world over rejoiced that another woman would put herself out be unabashedly (and unapologetically) sexy.

It's fair to say that Madonna paved the way for artists like Lady Gaga. Madonna made common the bustiers, the black leather getups, and the extremely revealing clothes. Madonna's onstage persona was -- from the get-go -- provocative, edgy, and at times controversial.

While other artists tried to copy, it seems they lacked either Madonna's daring, her natural sense of what is shocking, or simply her gumption. It wasn't until Lady Gaga arrived that we saw an artist who could equal what Madonna had delivered years before. Lady Gaga is also daring, provocative, and unafraid of controversy. But while she gets a lot of press for her daring escapades, the reality is she will never garner the same kind of attention that Madonna once did.

Because while Lady Gaga can be shocking in her black leather body suit with fake blood splayed across her chest, in some sense we more apt to accept her escapades because we've seen them before. Although looking back, it can seem that Madonna's daring was much more conservative compared to Lady Gaga, the reality is she did pave the way.

In her day, pop artists were of the Tiffany or Debbie Gibson variety. They were somewhat safe, they created safe and generally clean music, and they performed appropriate to their age and gender. Madonna crushed through all of that, encouraging us to consider that a woman could be at once a consummate performer while also pushing the boundaries of what we think is acceptable. Over a period of time, we began to accept what Madonna supplied to us and even her escapades no longer garnered the attention they once did.

Today when Madonna tours, we might be a little bit surprised at some of her daring, since her age seems to negate some of the costumes or performance elements that she includes. But if we've learned one thing from Madonna, it's that the usual boundaries don't apply and that we can be anyone we choose.

It's fair to say that Lady gaga has taken on the Madonna approach. Her costuming, her performance values, and her desire to push the envelope are all similar to Madonna's approach. It would be fair to say that she has taken the best of what Madonna has to offer, has added her own touch, and then created a whole new persona.

From all accounts, including music blogs dedicated to following various artists, Lady gaga has more inherent talent that Madonna did. So it's likely that she will also continue on in the entertainment business for many years to come. And that's a good thing, because as Madonna gets older the geriatric routine may do little to push the envelope and might instead disturb us.