Love her or hate her, you’ve got to admit that Lady Gaga knows how to make a music video. Her clips always have been a mixture of high-art posturing and knowing nods to pop-culture ephemera, and “Judas” is no different. While it’s not filled with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it references like “Telephone” or odes to German Expressionism like “Alejandro,” there’s still plenty to wrap your eyes around in “Judas,” offering a mixture of the sacred and the profane. Gaga merges mentions to religious iconography and cult biker flicks (and pretty much everything in between) in the video, and so, we decided to take notes. Here’s our “Judas” pop-culture cheat sheet, alphabetized for your perusing pleasure … you can’t tell your Botticellis from your Brandos without it. “The Birth of Venus”
: Iconic 15th century painting by Sandro Botticelli depicting the Roman goddess Venus emerging from the sea. Art historians have interpreted the work in many ways — a contemplation on physical and spiritual beauty, a celebration of the divine, a “wedding painting” meant to, uh, inspire the bride and groom — but in “Judas,” when Gaga strikes a pose similar to the painting, she seems to be paying tribute to all three.
Electric Chapel
Gaga has said that she created her Monster Ball Tour so that her fans “would have a place to go … a safe place … an ‘Electric Chapel.’ ” It’s also the name of a song on her upcoming Born This Way album. In “Judas,” the Chapel is reimagined as a biker bar, where LG attempts to warn Jesus about Judas’ impending betrayal.
Eye of Horus
An ancient Egyptian symbol of protection, closely associated with the goddess Wadjet. In “Judas,” Gaga wears eye makeup that recalls the symbol, which makes sense, since, as Mary Magdalene, she attempts to protect Christ from Judas’ backstabbing.
Foot Washing
A religious rite observed by several Christian denominations. In the Bible, Christ washed the feet of his apostles before the Last Supper, the final meal he shared before his crucifixion. Gaga washes Christ’s feet in “Judas,” perhaps symbolizing his forthcoming demise, something that Judas certainly had a hand in.
Golden Gun
Fictional weapon from the 1974 James Bond film “The Man With the Golden Gun,” and a totally kick-ass sidearm in the “GoldenEye” video game. Gaga wields a similar piece in “Judas,” though hers doesn’t contain bullets; instead, it’s a rather grandiose tube of lipstick, which she smears on Judas’ face.
The Kiss of Judas
In the Bible, it is Judas’ final act of betrayal — he kisses Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane after the Last Supper as a way of identifying him to the soldiers who have come to arrest him. The same scene is played out in “Judas,” as the betrayer plants a pair of kisses on Christ’s cheeks.
Mary Magdalene
A disciple of Jesus and one of the most controversial characters in the Bible, early scholars painted her as a repentant prostitute, while in the 20th and 21st century, she has come to be celebrated as a patron saint of women’s preaching and ministry. Not surprisingly, Gaga takes on the role of Magdalene, reimagining her as a badass chick with a penchant for chola fashion.
Norman Reedus
American actor/model known for his roles in “The Boondock Saints” and, more recently, AMC’s “The Walking Dead.” In “Judas,” he plays the titular apostle with gleefully evil aplomb.
Rick Gonzalez
American character actor who has appeared in dozens of films, most notably “Coach Carter” and, uh, “Old School,” where he played “Spanish.” In “Judas,” he’s given a gangster makeover as Jesus Christ.
Sacred Heart
Religious icon that symbolizes Christ’s divine love for humanity. Often depicted as bleeding and wrapped in thorns, in “Judas,” Gaga can be seen wearing a Sacred Heart on her wardrobe.
Simon Peter
One of Christ’s 12 apostles, also known as Saint Peter, he is regarded by the Catholic Church as the first pope. Before the Last Supper, when Christ washed his apostles’ feet, Peter originally refused, claiming he was not worthy. During Christ’s arrest, Peter sliced the ear of a servant of the High Priest who had come to seize him. In “Judas,” Gaga singles out Peter at the “Electric Chapel,” patting him on the back.
The Wild One
1953 biker film starring a young Marlon Brando as the leader of the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club. That leather-clad gang of ne’er-do-wells seems to be the direct inspiration for Christ’s biker-apostles in “Judas.”
Lady Gaga’s JUDAS video is rife with symbolism. But this time the symbolism is blatant, and planted directly by Gaga herself, who directed the video. Some of her old tricks and symbols are here, but she beckons us into a surreal fantasy world that to her quoted from a recent MTV interview “resembles a fresco” .
LADY GAGA JUDAS Subliminal Messages (BACKMASKED/reversed) w/ Subtitles
While I don’t know for sure if a fantasy world of cholo gangs and the guy from Boondock Saints necessitate a fresco, the imagery is crisp, clean, sharp, and powerful. Lets take a look at the video up close.
First Gaga is seen with the 12 disciples in the form of a biker gang. She is Mary Magdalene, (admittedly she explains in an MTV interview) dressed almost as Isis, or the High Priestess, wearing the mystical color of royalty, purple, and headresss. She is smiling and clearly happy to be with, or aligned with Jesus. She stares longingly at Judas as she he rides past them, but still looks committed to Jesus. If you look at Judas as representing the record companies, or who she would betray Jesus, the soul of her own truth and music too, this would be her in an early stage of career looking longingly at what could be a successful future in the form of Judas slowly passing her on a motorcycle. Thomas and Johns jackets are also showed. Thomas, and Judas and Peter are the three apostles who doubted, betrayed and denied Jesus.
When they dismount the bikes, its clear that they are at the feast that Jesus and all his disciples attend the night before Jesus’ crucifiction. In the bible, this is where Jesus is betrayed, and denied by Peter, who make a small cameo in the video as well. At 2:27 She gives “props” to Peter with the lyrics “Build a house or sink a dead body” Peter not only denied Jesus on the fateful night that this video takes place, he also sinks when he trys to walk on water with Jesus, but cant because he loses his faith. The fact that she points to him on this lyric is telling. Peter lost faith in Jesus several times. Gaga is not losing faith, but betraying both her personalities in the video, so perhaps she is making this point clear, That her allegiances are many, but she never, ever loses faith. For to her, only dead bodies sink. The dead, lifeless body of someone who has lost faith. At 2:39 seconds Lady Gaga is seen tugging a golden cord. The golden or sometimes known as a silver cord is best defined as this: In metaphysical literature, the silver cord, also known as the sutratma or life thread of the antahkarana, refers to a life-giving linkage from the Higher self (atma) down to the physical body. It also refers to an extended synthesis of this thread and a second (the consciousness thread, passing from the soul to the physical body) that connects the physical body to the etheric body, onwards to the astral body and finally to the mental body.[1] The cord that connects the higher and lower selves, the astral body to the physical body. She is pulling and tugging on it like she is the master of it. Jesus is very near to where she lets the golden cord back into the air. Perhaps her way is through Magical Catholiscism? Then she is seen quickly after this, hugging and bestowing care and love onto someone, just like Jesus is seen doing earlier in the video, in the same style. A short quick clip showing their love to their apostles and people. Perhaps she is saying that she masters herself so that she may bestow love upon her fans, or perhaps she travels astrally to create the visions for her art. Then at 3:41 she says “king with no crown” as Jesus is looking down. Perhaps saying that Jesus was the king with no crown? The King of man, with no real material crown to speak of. Just one of the spirtual kingdom. Perhaps thats why Jesus is showed looking contemplative here. Then a fight breaks out and she is seen prtoecting Jesus from Judas, whos running around like the kind of drunk maniac you dont want at a party. Her eye makeup at 3:07 is oddly reminiscent of egyptian makeup, which could connototate a connection with the ancient wisdom that was handed to Isis, which ca be viewed as alchemy, and the story of Jesus. That they are both telling us essentialy the same thing. Their is a clear choice between good and evil, and we have both things alive and well in us. This thought reaches its pinnacle in a few moments with the climax of the video. Now things get interesting. At 3:23 Gaga is seen as the duelmaster in between Jesus and Judas. Whats interesting is how she is dressed. Like a member of the church. Even her hat represents the Bishops spiraled staff.
Above is a picture of San Leandro, who was Bishop in the early Byzantine Court. You can see his staff is spiraled, as Lady Gaga’s hat is. Her costume is reminciscent of the Bishopas well. Is she representing the church in this epic climax? The church betraying Jesus’s secret esoteric and Gnostic teachings? She ten takes out a gun, and points it at Judas, smearing him with lipstick. She looks at Jesus in anguish before and after this action. She is showing a switch of allegiance from Jesus, who she comes to defend, and Judas, who she instead of shooting with a bullet, shoots with a kiss, or smear of lipstick. This shows her connection to Judas is in fact solidified and something to cause her grief.
Is Judas her allegiance to her record company, and the duty she must undertake to be the Christ lover to her fans and to complete the higher conciousness of herself through art? We talked above about the golden cord, and Jesus being a driect path way in religious and or magic to channel ones energy into beautiful and creative inspiration and artistic endevour. Is Judas the earthly price she must pay for such things? She immediatley is show in two different positions in water. One is on a rock in an ocean, where she wears gold, which as we’ve seen from my dissection of the “Bad Romance” video represents the solar deity inside oneself the higher power. The higher power is being overswept into the ocean in a kind of reverse baptism, or fall from grace. Her higher self is being submerged into the ocean, swept away by the waves. But is it a negative thing? Please also note the similarity between Oannes, or the Fsh God who is closeley linked with John the Baptist, and whos post Christ symbology grew out of the spiraled Bishops staff we saw earlier in her costumed hat at the Jesus Judas duel. Her gold dress comes to a finlike point, and she is about to be immersed in the ocean. Oannes is an ancient God of Babolyn who brought art to the world. This is akin to the role Lady Gaga sees herself playing out. “Today is the feast day of John the Baptist, who, in Christian tradition, acted as an initiator to Christ through the sacrament of baptism. The name “John” comes from the Hebrew “Yohanen” meaning “from the waters”. The John the Baptist story seems to be an echo of a much older, pagan story – that of Oannes, the fish-headed initiator god of the Babylonians. Nightly, Oannes would rise from the sea and, like other “communicator” gods Djehuti (“Thoth”), Hermes, Wotan, would teach arts, language and sciences. These two figures, Oannes and John the Baptist, share not only a name, but a job description (initiation by water). In the Christian story, it is Jesus who plays the “communicator god” role, but even in the early second century the gospels acknowledge;” “Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah” Again she embraces the water in ecstasy not anguish, and returns to it. Then Jesus Judas and Mary Magdalene all share the tub of the living waters, each playing out their different role. Each battling for the soul of Gaga Magdelene. This part is eerily reminiscent of Bad Romance, when her re birthing from lower self to higher self occurred in a bathtub, after being forced to drink the living waters. this time she is playing in the water, using it to channel both higher and lower sects. She is the medium in between Jesus and Judas, Jesus the highest power, and redeemer of higher consciousness, and Judas the animal, primitive self. The good and the evil, and Gaga in between. Also fire plays a role, like it did in the Bad Romance video, burning in the background, perhaps as a symbol of Jesus’s baptism through fire. she is shown begging for Jesus’s mercy and forgiveness, and is clearly in anguish over her favor with Judas. she is reaching for Jesus while Judas is pouring holy bath water on her sexually posed ass as to say her higher self is with Jesus, but she her earthly body, her sex her fame are all connected and stuck behind with a betrayer and necessary evil. The last part is the most haunting, Gaga dressed in white, clearly reborn after this rite of betrayal and forgivness, is stoned by the public. Outwardly it could be symbolic of any public backlash shes had or would excpect. But what really sticks out is her costume choice. a really interesting spin would be to compare her post reserection outfit, with the post resserection outfit of Lucy from Dracula:
What could she possibly be saying here? Her twisted allegiance to the Judas of the record industry has rendered her a vampire? Remember from my earlier lyrics post “in the biblical sense I am beyond repentence, but in the cultural sense I speak in future tense” The lyrics of the song show that he has made some sort of sacrifice, be it emotional, ritual, occult, mental physical or all of the above, to become famous. She is a “fame hooker prostitute wench” . Is she drawing parallels between her and the risen vampire Lucy from Dracula? Has she risen again as a beautiful twisted piece of evil that is to be destroyed? Or is that just one part of her, that is being destroyed? Or perhaps the public is screaming for her death and WANTS to see her higher, resurrected self destroyed. Clearly the color white of the costume is a symbol of being reborn, especially on the heels of the earlier clips. I liked this video alot and I love Lady Gaga. Thanks to her for keeping pop music interesting and for bringing some definite ancient symbolism back into the limelight!
LADY GAGA JUDAS REVERSED MESSAGES
GaGA Judas and the New Jerusalem?
Why make a pop song about a famous and evil biblical character? On the surface it’s a love song with “dark” undertones but I will try to put it in the light of some symbolism I believe Lady Gaga is privy to, and has used in other videos and songs. Please see my older post “GaGa and the All Seing Eye” for more background. Also please see my previous post to listen to the song “Judas” which I talk about below.
Judas Lyrics
Ohohohoh I’m in love with Judas Ohohohoh I’m in love with Judas Judas! Judaas Judas! Judaas Judas! Judaas Judas! GAGA [Lady Gaga - Verse 1] 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, bring him down, down A king with no crown, king with no crown I’ll wash his feet with my hair when he needs, when he comes to me I’ll be ready. It’s important to note that gaga is putting herself in the Christ role, the role that in alchemy, we must put ourselves in to thus crucify the heavy matter or prima material of the soul, and rise again to higher, lighter more spiritual heights. The crucifiction and resurrection are symbolic of killing the unwanted in oneself and rising again as a new superbeing. Lady GaGa is putting herself in this direct biblical role in this song. This has been a theme in her other videos. Bad Romance suggested a spiritual death and awakening transformation through magical means. Or is Gaga putting herself in the role of the new Christ? The Anti Christ? And Just how accurate is that decription in reality? Lets move on…. “Forgive him when his tongue lies through his brain” Sounds to me like a reference to the pineal gland. This gland plays an important part in estoteric folklore and conispiracy theory. Wikipedia: The secretory activity of the pineal gland is only relatively understood. Historically, its location deep in the brain suggested to philosophers that it possessed particular importance. This combination led to its being a “mystery” gland with myth, superstition and occult theories surrounding its perceived function. René Descartes, who dedicated much time to the study of the pineal gland,[25] called it the “seat of the soul.”[26] He believed that it was the point of connection between the intellect and the body.[27] The relevant quotation as to Descartes’ reason for believing this is, My view is that this gland is the principal seat of the soul, and the place in which all our thoughts are formed. The reason I believe this is that I cannot find any part of the brain, except this, which is not double. Since we see only one thing with two eyes, and hear only one voice with two ears, and in short have never more than one thought at a time, it must necessarily be the case that the impressions which enter by the two eyes or by the two ears, and so on, unite with each other in some part of the body before being considered by the soul. Now it is impossible to find any such place in the whole head except this gland; moreover it is situated in the most suitable possible place for this purpose, in the middle of all the concavities; and it is supported and surrounded by the little branches of the carotid arteries which bring the spirits into the brain.[25] (29 January 1640, There is an ancient practice of working the tongue up through the roof of the mouth to accelerate DMT drippage and or use of the pineal gland. Is this what Lady GaGa is referring too? The lyric “A King with no crown” comes right after this. The crown chakra is the yogic reference to the pineal gland. A king who indeed has a crown, a hidden one inside his body. [Chorus] I’m just a Holy Fool, oh baby he’s so cruel But I’m still in love with Judas, baby I’m just a Holy Fool, oh baby he’s so cruel But I’m still in love with Judas, baby I’m just a holy fool, the fool in the tarot represents 0, the beginning of the card, and this signifying gaga as the leader of a new world order? Or is it a reference to the kabbalah? The fool stands on the edge of a mountain, with a dog nipping at its heels. On the precipice between happiness and extreme tragedy. GaGa in later verses will talk of a conflict between Jesus and the demon Judas. Is she in a perpetual Fool state att the edge of a glorious mountain with a dog nipping at her heels? Is this the record industry perhaps herding gaga towards the edge? Or is she talking of the feeling of being the endless number, the zero, the middle of the circle where all things begin and all things end. Why is he so cruel? Ohohohoh I’m in love with Judas Ohohohoh I’m in love with Judas Judas! Judaas Judas! Judaas Judas! Judaas Judas! GAGA [Lady Gaga - Verse 2] I couldn’t love a man so purely Even darkness forgave his crooked way I’ve learned our love is like a brick Build a house or sink a dead body “I couldn’t love a man so purely”, hints at being united in some sort of ritual or ritualistic event, or holy union. It harkens the purity of esoteric solace with a being. “Even darkness forgave his crooked way”, supposing that the powers of the dark are aiding and a bedding him, and welcoming him into the fold. “Love is like a brick, build a house or sink a dead body.” The prima material of the alchemical self can be used to create a holy structure or do murder. Structures are also used often in Freemasonic symbols as Hiram Abiff was a builder and architect and his story is at the epicenter of Masonic symbolism. I’ll bring him down, bring him down, down A king with no crown, king with no crown [Chorus] I’m just a Holy Fool, oh baby he’s so cruel But I’m still in love with Judas, baby I’m just a Holy Fool, oh baby he’s so cruel But I’m still in love with Judas, baby Ohohohoh I’m in love with Judas Ohohohoh I’m in love with Judas [Bridge] 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 Perhaps the most important part of the song, Gaga is telling us in the most biblical sense she is beyond repentance. Her use of the BIBLE as the specific reference point is interesting because if she were versed in the magical and esoteric arts, the Bible is just one text, amongst many. It is a specific text, with a specific viewpoint and specific stories. The bibles point of view states that Satan, Lucifer, ect are the doers of evil, the enemy, and by aligning herself with them she is, in biblical terms, beyond repentance. According to the bible, Lucifer is beyond repentance and can never enter the kingdom of heaven because he disobeyed God the father and created his own kingdom. In esoteric reference Lucifer if the Morningstar, Venus, or Astarte (in female form) the god or goddess of material and worldly things. One would most certainly make an alliance with this being if entering into some sort of American Corporate ritual order where the elite would be found worshipping a being who has one foot in the hand of material things. She solidifies that idea by stating she’s a Fame hooker, a prostitute wench, alluding to some awful price or initation she’s had to do for the price of fame. Most certainly it could involve sex, especially if you were to look at her being a MK Ultra Monarch project complete with an alter personality. “But in the cultural sense I just speaking in the future tense”, is a key phrase as well, saying that she can only look to the future where now as reward for her price, she has the ear of an entire culture. “Kiss me if I am offensed”, is she again putting herself in the Christ role, to be kissed before being sacrificed, or entering the resurrection phase. Or wear an ear condom next time? This part is truly bizarre, and puzzling. It must mean something very important as it is awkward in placement in the song, and feels like it was forced to be in there. I will have to do more research into ear symbolism, and what other possible meanings of condom she could mean. Also I would love to hear any explanation shes given of the song. I wanna love you, But something’s pulling me away from you Jesus is my virtue, Judas is the demon I cling to “I want to to love you, but something’s calling me away from you”, Is this evidence of her alter personality battling against her original personality which was raised Catholic and thus in debt to Jesus? She feels conflicted about her new allegiance to the dark side, Jesus being her past virtue and savior, but Judas is the demon she clings to. This is yet another exhibition of her split personality which we also see in the beginning of the Born This Way video. The higher self and the lower self in the battle of good vs. evil. We also saw this in the Bad Romance video. I cling to [Chorus] I’m just a Holy Fool, oh baby he’s so cruel But I’m still in love with Judas, baby I’m just a Holy Fool, oh baby he’s so cruel But I’m still in love with Judas, baby Ohohohoh I’m in love with Judas Ohohohoh I’m in love with Judas Judas! Judaas Judas! Judaas Judas! Judaas Judas! GAGA
Watch Katy Perry And Kanye West’s New Video ‘E.T.’ This is beyond amazing! The long-awaited video for Katy Perry’s song “E.T.” has finally been released via MTV.com and VEVO! Co-produced by Dr Luke, DJ Ammo and Max Martin and recorded together with the hip-hop star Kanye West, the track is the fourth single taken from Katy’s CD “Teenage Dream”. As for the video, it is truly spectacular! The Floria Sigismondi-directed visual is alien-themed, with high-budget, incredible getups, make-ups and charming galactic views. An absolutely creative artwork!
Watch Katy Perry And Kanye West’s New Video ‘E.T.’
Katy Perry and Kanye West pair’s new single, “E.T.,” rises 2-1 this week, ending the six week reign of Lady Gaga‘s latest effort, “Born This Way.” The No. 1 takeover with “E.T.” gives Katy’s new album, Teenage Dream, its fourth No. 1 single, joining “California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream,” and “Firework.” The music video for “E.T.” premieres on MTV (March 31).
Meanwhile, Gaga’s “Born This Way” slips 1-4, making way for Rihanna‘s “S&M” to achieve a new peak position at No. 2 and Cee-Lo Green‘s “F**k You” to rebound from 4-3.
This week’s top 10 singles:
1. Katy Perry featuring Kanye West – E.T. 2. Rihanna – S&M 3. Cee-Lo Green – F**k You 4. Lady Gaga – Born This Way 5. Black Eyed Peas – Just Can’t Get Enough 6. Wiz Khalifa – No Sleep 7. Chris Brown featuring Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne – Look At Me Now 8. Pink – F*ckin’ Perfect 9. Jeremih featuring 50 Cent – Down On Me 10. Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull – On The Floor
