stephornyak: Lady Gaga Drops 'Judas' Early

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Lady Gaga Drops 'Judas' Early

Dark, synthy track premiered on London radio station on Friday.
By Jocelyn Vena

Lady Gaga
Photo: Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

When you're Lady Gaga, scheduled premiere dates mean absolutely nothing. Her next single, "Judas," was originally slated to drop April 19, but Capital FM in London played the song days earlier, during the radio station's "Home Run" program on Friday afternoon (April 15).

The RedOne-produced track finds Gaga in familiar territory, singing about a lover she knows might not be right for her, but whom she just can't resist. "Ohhh, I'm in love with Judas," she opens on the track, accompanied by building synths. Soon a thumping electronic beat kicks in as Gaga sings, "Judahhh/ Juda-a-ah/ Gaga." The battle cry is reminiscent of the one in "Bad Romance."

Gaga's vocals are partially spoken, and at times she seems to have a Caribbean accent. She laments, "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, I came with no crown."

The tone lightens up a bit more on the song's chorus, which throws back to '80s pop in 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."

After the second verse and chorus, the song breaks down into a churning house song as Gaga chants in much 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."

A day before she decided to release the track early, Gaga tweeted this message for her fans: "#PawsUpForJudas! I've learned love is like a brick, you can build a house or sink a dead body."

The song is Born This Way's second single, following the phenomenal success of "Born This Way." The album hits stores on May 23, and the video for "Judas," directed by Gaga and her creative director Laurieann Gibson, is expected to premiere in the coming weeks.

"Let the cultural baptism begin," Gaga said of the track in a Gagavision video earlier this month. "If they were not who you were taught they would be, would you still believe?"

What do you think of Lady Gaga's "Judas"? Share your reviews in the comments!

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