Seniors learn about style from Lady Gaga phenomenon

 

[caption id="attachment_11457" align="alignleft" width="242" caption="Lady Gaga performing - wikimedia commons"][/caption]

Carol Forsloff - Several folks of a "certain age" sat in front of the television just to see what the hype was all about, before Lady Gaga was introduced.  What they learned is how years might first change perception, but some things stay the same. 






Lady Gaga was featured on the Today Show.  She came out singing a standard tune, dressed in tights and glitter.  Her voice soared over the crowd that spread through the streets so that viewers could imagine her popular draw.  What the big surprise, however, was her musical ability, the quality of her singing and her ability to play the piano from different physical positions, including upside down. 

The expectation from those seniors was simply show without substance, because that was the conversation in the room.  It hearkened back to those 1950's times when teens jumped and sighed and screamed at the contortions of a young man who became a sensation for his hip-swiveling antics, tight pants, sexy, full lips, tight pants and lusty voice in full throttle. 

What people learned, as Elvis Presley unfolded his charms was the man could sing, and well.  He had a voice that could belt out standard, modern tunes, the new rock and roll and gospel that brought folks to their knees. 

The Lady Gaga, in the opinion of many, and the seniors in the room that day, has that Elvis quality that packages a good-looking image wrapped in talent and delivered in extraordinary ways.  She also writes her own music, sings and plays it, then smiles at her public with those down-home charms and captivates her crowd. 

So while some things change, in other ways as the old saying goes they stay the same, as this newest phenomena reveals.  Those seniors sitting around watching Lady Gaga on a June morning 2010 learned what their parents did many years ago, that underneath what looks only pop and glitter might be something real and potentially lasting after all.