Does Madonna’s Cover Of “Born This Way” Prove It’s An “Express Yourself” Knockoff?

At rehearsals for her concert in Tel Aviv, Madge segued from “Express Yourself” to “Born This Way” — but this doesn’t quite read as a high five to Lady Gaga for making awesome music.

Video available at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=d88VxgklrBQ.

This year Madonna said this to ABC News about Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”: “I thought, this is a wonderful way to redo my song. I mean, I recognized the chord changes. I thought it was … interesting.” In this video of her rehearsal in Tel Aviv she does something… interesting herself, covering “Born This Way” in the middle of “Express Yourself.” It’s either in a friendly homage to her potential replacement as queen of pop music or, as the internet seems to agree, an overtly underhanded move to show that the song sounds just like “Express Yourself” and thus makes Gaga the cheap Forever 21 copy of her designer Dolce & Gabbana self, the Hershey’s Kiss to her Godiva, the acid wash reprise of the real thing people wore in the 80s, etc. Thoughts?