One of the first things I learned from my Facebook feed Monday morning was that Lady Gaga could sing.
Wow. Who knew?
Really? Who knew? Millions of people knew! she’s been selling lots of music and filling venues for years now. Why the recent revelation?
Because Sunday night Lady Gag sang at the Oscars. Which means people of my generation saw her. (I didn’t) They heard her.
They were, apparently, awestruck. This wasn’t the Lady Gaga they’d heard about or read about.
I am awestruck as well. But not at or about Lady Gaga.
No; I am awestruck that people my age have become their parents.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. At some point their parents had become their grandparents.
But didn’t we recognize this when we were younger? Didn’t we all watch The Breakfast Club and decide we wouldn’t become Principal Richard Vernon?
As young people, most of us felt misunderstood by our parents and their generation. It felt as if they just didn’t understand. They didn’t like our music, our hair, our clothing choices.
They didn’t “get it.”
Until Sunday night, we didn’t “get it.” Now we are surprised.
What other assumptions have you made about the world as it is now that betray your disconnection with present reality in favor of the world ‘back in the day”?
everyday theology 
I knew she could entertain, but I didn’t know she could sing. Of course, I speak as one who has never been up on pop music very well, even when I was a teenager (the apex of my pop music knowledge), and as one who has never paid any attention to her singing before. I would never have said she couldn’t sing, just that having no experience, I had no data on the basis of which to judge one way or the other. Also, appreciating Lady Gaga singing Sound of Music songs may not be the same thing as appreciating her singing other songs in her current repertoire. I also have no trouble recognizing that someone can be immensely talented and yet still not one who produces what I want to listen to; i.e., I take myself to be the arbiter of MY taste, not taste in general.
There is a big difference between being able to entertain and being able to sing. Her performance at the Oscars was entertaining because she could sing so beautifully. I didn’t feel 41 or old because she blew me away with that performance. I did feel old because I felt like a proud mama seeing my baby butterfly spread her beautiful wings and showing her true talent and not her legs for a change 😜