In the lead-up to Super Bowl LX on February 8, Lady Gaga has reinterpreted Mister Rogers’ iconic “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” Her cover of the PBS show’s theme song was recently unveiled in a new commercial for Redfin and Rocket, who has since shared a behind-the-scenes video in which Gaga discusses her relationship to the tune.
“Mr. Rogers was so clearly someone that stood for something, and it’s powerful to think of what he would say right now,” she remarks. “It’s kind of a special song to revisit at this time.”
Amid increased assaults on the rights of immigrants and other marginalized groups, particularly throughout Minneapolis, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” strikes a political note. The song’s lyrics clearly emphasize the importance of community, repeatedly asking whether the listener will be the singer’s neighbor.
“I think Mr. Rogers stood for a universal message that we should never forget,” Benjamin Rice, Gaga’s frequent collaborator, agrees. “Human connection is everything.”
Gaga isn’t the only artist that has turned musical expression into a political one. Singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen recently wrote a protest song titled “Streets of Minneapolis,” describing ICE’s violent assaults across the Midwestern city. During the Sundance Film Festival, stars such as Natalie Portman and Olivia Wilde also condemned ICE and Border Patrol during interviews, while also donning “ICE Out” pins.
“What’s going on in this country right now is absolutely horrific,” Natalie Portman told Deadline. “What the federal government, Trump’s government, Kristi Noem, ICE—what they’re doing is really the worst of the worst of humanity.”
Wilde echoed the sentiment, telling Variety that she was “appalled and sickened. We can’t go another day just sort of accepting this as our new norm. People are being murdered.”
Aside from discussing the song’s current relevance, Gaga also reflects upon watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood in the behind-the-scenes clip. “I just think about my earliest memories as a kid watching Mister Rogers, and I think about how much he meant to people, especially kids at home,” she says. “I feel like this just needs to be very heartfelt, kind, and warm.”
Hear Lady Gaga’s cover of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” and explore the backstage footage on Rocket’s Instagram.
In a new Super Bowl commercial, Lady Gaga unveils her reinterpretation of Mister Rogers’s iconic song, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
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