She’s talented and smart, and got her start at a friends club, and he says she’s nice, but… sorry…
Prince in the rain for the win.
Since this is CC, I feel I have to mention that she is an alumna of CTY.
I don’t think she was lip-synching on any of the lead vocals, but I think some of the backing vocals were tracks (and some of those, I think, are her voice as well).
I also agree that Prince was the GOAT of Super Bowl performers, but this one was pretty good, especially since she carried it all herself without any guest singers.
oh and yes, from the parent perspective…loved the “hi mom, hi dad” in the middle!!
The only place where I wonder if she was lip synching would be where she was on the wire flying around (she is one brave person, diving off the roof of the building like that), I don’t know how you can sing while doing circus-like acrobatics, or when she was singing on the roof for that matter.
Her song choices were subtly political, I suspect many of those listening to her singing “This land is your land”, for example, know the context of it and who Woody Guthrie was, and her song “Born this way” is a paen to someone being themselves and not judged for who they are, which has much political significance as well.
On the other hand, it is a way to do it with class, while I don’t have a problem with performers making political statements since that has been part of music since it was created, the subtletey was much appreciated (plus I think the NFL told her not to be overt).
And as bad as the half time shows can be, anyone remember the drivel they used to have? In the 70’s they had this group called "Up the People’ (or some such) that was like the Ray Coniff singers (only worse), singing all these perky, upbeat songs that were painful to listen to. Supposedly, after several years of this, someone suggested to Pete Rozelle getting them again, and he said something that used the word up that was very, very rude lol.
The songs make a statement because they are her songs not because she set out to do a political statement.
People read too much into things. Great show.
I’m sure the Woody Guthrie reference was political, but not terribly overt. Woody Guthrie was a tenant in one of Fred Trump’s apartments and wrote lyrics about him, personally!
Also the original This Land Is Your Land lyrics included this verse:
“There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me. The sign was painted, said ‘Private Property.’ But on the backside, it didn’t say nothing. This land was made for you and me.”
http://time.com/4188991/woody-guthrie-donald-trump-fred-trump-songs/
I thought Lady Gaga’s performance last night was terrific.
I think her political message was subtle. This Land is Your Land was chosen for a reason.
As this is CC, Gaga went to the same college program as my own daughter (but is a few years older), though dropped out. She was studying musical theater at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts’ CAP21 program (musical theater studio).
And actually, she chose to sing one of the last verses of “Born This Way” (instead of the first verses/choruses that she sang for her other hits) because she supposedly felt strongly about the inclusiveness of these words:
"No matter gay, straight, or bi,/ Lesbian, transgendered life, I’m on the right track baby/I was born to survive.”
She was quietly political, I think.
i think it was “up with people”…oh the dreck…“thanks” for bringing back that memory LOL @musicprnt
Sad part is, @thingamajig , I suspect there are people who look at that as "the good old days’ of superbow halfime performances, kind of like having Pat Boone do a halftime show…
I think her songs were deliberately chosen, “Born This way” lyrics are not exactly vanilla, it explicitly touches on things that are controversial to some, mentioning “transgender life” in a state embroiled in one of the infamous bathroom wars is not exactly typical lyrics that Jimmy Buffet condensed brilliantly in his “alt country” song, whose title probably would get me in trouble here. And This land is your land (which in my last post I said most people understand, meant to say didn’t understand), which I can remember singing as a kid in school with the lyrics carefully chosen to be about the beauty of the country, when Guthrie wrote it as a protest against landlords and property owners and banks.
It was a classy way to protest, it sent a message. I suspect the NFL got more than a few e-mails and such protesting her singing there, once they figure out what “Born This Way” and This Land is your land meant.
I personally think that she was deliberately inclusive of just about everybody.
Patriotic, gay, conservative, liberal. It was just her as a performer and as a person.
It was meant to be a tribute to the diversity of USA.
Hi! to Mom and Dad!
It’s interesting how meanings of songs/lyrics may change over the years.
The controversy (if there is one) in “This Land is your Land” is not in my book. At all.l
And I’m a ton older than Lady Gaga.
I can’t think of anyone that I could even talk to that would think there is a political statement in that.
I’m sure there was years ago but honestly the words don’t promote anything but unity right now.
I think about this every time I hear “You are My Sunshine” (my only sunshine)
Just heard it sung at a wedding! From father to D.
All I could think was NOOO!
Look up those lyrics any time you think it’s a great upbeat song!
It can’t get anymore depressing.
Here’s a verse:
'“I’ll always love you and make you happy,
If you will only say the same.
But if you leave me and love another,
You’ll regret it all some day”
I appreciate what you are saying, but it is a highly political song, written by our country’s seminal political songwriter.
Many people misunderstand it, just like when right-wing politicians used “Born In The USA” without understanding it.
I am not saying I know for sure she was this clever, but if you wanted to send a subtle leftist political but still highly patriotic message, you could not do any better than a verse of that song. She strikes me as definitely smart enough to get that, and if she wasn’t I am sure one of the 100s of people around her would have mentioned it to her.
I think the reason many people don’t think of “This Land…” as political is that often only the first couple of verses are sung, perhaps in a deliberate effort not to be anything but patriotic. The song had multiple versions, at least two by Guthrie himself and more by others who recorded the song. Pete Seeger recorded a version in which he tacked on additional lyrics:
Maybe you’ve been working as hard as you’re able,
But you’ve just got crumbs from the rich man’s table,
And maybe you’re thinking, was it truth or fable,
That this land was made for you and me.
Woodland and grassland and river shoreline,
To everything living, even little microbes,
Fin, fur, and feather, we’re all here together,
This land was made for you and me.
This land is your land, but it once was my land,
Until we sold you Manhattan Island.
You pushed our Nations to the reservations;
This land was stole by you from me.
Supporting @abasket view about subtle message. Singing “this land is your land” after "god bless America " sends message
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/02/06/if-you-thought-lady-gagas-halftime-show-was-apolitical-consider-the-origin-of-this-land-is-your-land/?utm_term=.dafa189e0efe
I think she is wicked smart and knew exactly what she was doing. At this point I think her message may have been too subtle for her audience.
Is there value in just singing to the choir?
Yes.
Also agree that the patriotic songs in the beginning of her act were a very classy statement about what makes America great. 
She let the songs do the talking, and she didn’t make any message all about her or outrageousness. I was really impressed! I think it’s great that she went out there and sang about trans and gay people and acceptance which is a statement in itself. Don’t be a drag when you can be a queen!
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
That pretty well sums it up. Having said that, I think we’ve exhausted that part of the conversation.
Ok then. On is different subject, I find it despicable that she is being “body shamed” for a flabby belly. I bet 99% of the people criticizing her could not keep up with a fraction of the dancing, moving and flying she was doing during the show. And while wearing high heels and singing no less. I wish I had her flabby belly and body. Hahaha