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Well it's sort of amazing.
Actually it's not sort of amazing, it just is amazing. And yes we would say that because we do genuinely think Lady Gaga is the best thing to happen to pop in at least 18 years. But we are also saying it because the song is amazing, and if that's not complete objectivity we don't know what is. (Well it's not that for a start - Objectivity Ed)
You want to know what it sounds like, obviously. Well, it is very straightforward song and the production matches that - compared with the all-guns-blazing sound of something like 'Bad Romance' or 'Dance In The Dark' 'Born This Way' offers a relatively sparse, crisp, glacial sound. Also, and this will undoubtedly prompt an amusing rage from Madonna fans incapable of comprehending a world in which more than one female singer can be popular, so brace yourself: 'Born This Way' sounds a bit like a modern nod to 'Vogue' and 'Express Yourself', with a bit of 'Deeper & Deeper' thrown in for good measure. The production is far from boring (it sounds great and nothing like what Gaga's done before) but if you're expecting some sort of death metal/Belgian techno crossover hit you may wish to adjust your expectations ahead of Friday's first play. It's a fresh sound, but in the mentalness stakes it's not the sort of song you would fire across a field at a cow if you wanted to make it do an involuntary poo. We are sure the rest of the album will offer plenty of sonic ridiculousness but 'Born This Way' is all about giving the song itself room to breathe.
As for the song, you know the lyrics already, because Gaga posted them in full that night we did those lyric tweets. Reading the lyrics in isolation it might seem like a song with all the subtlety of George Michael collecting his holiday snaps but hearing the words in the context of the song itself the whole thing struck us as far less heavy handed, and as not so much a gay anthem as an equality song. It's a song about gays being alright, but it's also a song about straights being alright, and everyone else being alright too. It's a freedom anthem, and you can't go wrong with a bit of that. Having said this, 'Born This Way' will obviously be portrayed by many as a gay record. Is that a brave move?
Well in one sense, while hardly commercial suicide, that sort of song will simply not sell as well as a song about, say, going clubbing or whatever. So it's brave in a way, but it's hardly true that there's nothing to gain from all this. The Gays have not exactly sat on the fence vis a vis the whole 'is Lady Gaga any good?' debate, so she's unlikely to win a large number of new fans, but in terms of strengthening 'brand Gaga' the idea of jeopardising sales in order to celebrate who you are will probably do her more good in the longterm. So if you were feeling uncharitable you might say that it's a very elaborate and calculated positioning exercise, but it really doesn't feel like it when you're listening to the song. It just makes you feel very alright about whatever you happen to be. And, again, you can't go wrong with a bit of that.
Some people have asked us on Twitter how 'Born This Way' compares to other songs. Is it better than 'Bad Romance', a few people have wondered. In a battle between 'Born This Way' and the Britney single 'Hold It Against Me', others have asked, which song would win? Well to the first question it's too early to say (we'll hold our hands up here and say that the first couple of times we heard 'Bad Romance' we thought it sounded too much like 'Poker Face' - amazing) and to the second question we love 'Hold It Against Me' in some ways and we love 'Born This Way' in various other ways, but we prefer 'Born This Way'. Come back to us in a few weeks once we've got used to both songs and ask us again, if you like.
What role will 'Born This Way' play in Lady Gaga's ever-expanding discography? While her fan interaction is (for better or worse) already legendary, Gaga has always done a good job of seeming to exist, creatively, in something of a bubble. What's interesting about 'Born This Way', however, is that it feels a bit like a response to two main criticisms people throw at Lady Gaga.
Criticism 1: "You rip off Madonna all the time but don't credit her."
'Born This Way' answer: "Well how do you like this then, I've made a song that sounds like some of her big hits (but also like its own song), because OBVIOUSLY I know who Madonna is, it's not as if I am somehow expecting you all to imagine that I have never heard of this 'Madonna' singer, it's bloody Madonna after all isn't it."
Criticism 2: "You bang on about your bloody 'Monsters' all the time and you're always going on about the gays this, the gays that, but then we listen to your music and it's just stuff about going clubbing with a few abstract references to things being a bit weird sometimes."
'Born This Way' answer: "Here's a song that is specifically and explicitly about that sort of stuff, so piss off."
It feels like 'Born This Way' is a bit of a turning point for Lady Gaga - on both those counts it's the moment where she's putting her money where her mouth is. It is certainly a big test, because the absurd level of hysteria building towards Friday's premiere (and Sunday's first performance) is putting a huge amount of pressure on the song itself. It's almost an unfair amount of pressure, really. Can anything live up to this hype? Mind you, when you think about how much we and so many other people harp on about her being pop's Second Coming, it's only fair that expectations are high. Fortunately the song is, as we have already stated, amazing.
So what happens next? Well, you'll hear the song on Friday, then you'll see it performed at the Grammys on Sunday. What we think will happen in the short term is that 'Born This Way' will make a massive short-term impact post-Grammys but will not instantly provide Gaga with the same sort of huge leap forward she experienced with 'Bad Romance'. That job may well be done by the album's second single, which will then lead into the album release. And then, over the next year or so, in the context of the rest of the album and with added familiarity, 'Born This Way' will seem like less of an 'ooh look at me sorting out equality for a generation' statement song and will instead just start to seem like a completely normal pop song. Which, 'message-wise', we suppose is sort of the whole point - you get in people's faces so you don't need to get in people's faces any more. Perhaps the moment when 'Born This Way' clicks as a completely normal pop song is the moment when 'Born This Way' has changed pop.
Or perhaps not. Perhaps we've drifted off on a wild tangent. Perhaps the whole song is awful - we've only heard it twice and we were really, really drunk on both occasions. But we are pretty sure that 'Born This Way' is a solid gold pop corker and we are going to stand by that claim until further notice.
The End."
Gaga tweeted the full lyrics for "Born This Way"
Actually it's not sort of amazing, it just is amazing. And yes we would say that because we do genuinely think Lady Gaga is the best thing to happen to pop in at least 18 years. But we are also saying it because the song is amazing, and if that's not complete objectivity we don't know what is. (Well it's not that for a start - Objectivity Ed)
You want to know what it sounds like, obviously. Well, it is very straightforward song and the production matches that - compared with the all-guns-blazing sound of something like 'Bad Romance' or 'Dance In The Dark' 'Born This Way' offers a relatively sparse, crisp, glacial sound. Also, and this will undoubtedly prompt an amusing rage from Madonna fans incapable of comprehending a world in which more than one female singer can be popular, so brace yourself: 'Born This Way' sounds a bit like a modern nod to 'Vogue' and 'Express Yourself', with a bit of 'Deeper & Deeper' thrown in for good measure. The production is far from boring (it sounds great and nothing like what Gaga's done before) but if you're expecting some sort of death metal/Belgian techno crossover hit you may wish to adjust your expectations ahead of Friday's first play. It's a fresh sound, but in the mentalness stakes it's not the sort of song you would fire across a field at a cow if you wanted to make it do an involuntary poo. We are sure the rest of the album will offer plenty of sonic ridiculousness but 'Born This Way' is all about giving the song itself room to breathe.
As for the song, you know the lyrics already, because Gaga posted them in full that night we did those lyric tweets. Reading the lyrics in isolation it might seem like a song with all the subtlety of George Michael collecting his holiday snaps but hearing the words in the context of the song itself the whole thing struck us as far less heavy handed, and as not so much a gay anthem as an equality song. It's a song about gays being alright, but it's also a song about straights being alright, and everyone else being alright too. It's a freedom anthem, and you can't go wrong with a bit of that. Having said this, 'Born This Way' will obviously be portrayed by many as a gay record. Is that a brave move?
Well in one sense, while hardly commercial suicide, that sort of song will simply not sell as well as a song about, say, going clubbing or whatever. So it's brave in a way, but it's hardly true that there's nothing to gain from all this. The Gays have not exactly sat on the fence vis a vis the whole 'is Lady Gaga any good?' debate, so she's unlikely to win a large number of new fans, but in terms of strengthening 'brand Gaga' the idea of jeopardising sales in order to celebrate who you are will probably do her more good in the longterm. So if you were feeling uncharitable you might say that it's a very elaborate and calculated positioning exercise, but it really doesn't feel like it when you're listening to the song. It just makes you feel very alright about whatever you happen to be. And, again, you can't go wrong with a bit of that.
Some people have asked us on Twitter how 'Born This Way' compares to other songs. Is it better than 'Bad Romance', a few people have wondered. In a battle between 'Born This Way' and the Britney single 'Hold It Against Me', others have asked, which song would win? Well to the first question it's too early to say (we'll hold our hands up here and say that the first couple of times we heard 'Bad Romance' we thought it sounded too much like 'Poker Face' - amazing) and to the second question we love 'Hold It Against Me' in some ways and we love 'Born This Way' in various other ways, but we prefer 'Born This Way'. Come back to us in a few weeks once we've got used to both songs and ask us again, if you like.
What role will 'Born This Way' play in Lady Gaga's ever-expanding discography? While her fan interaction is (for better or worse) already legendary, Gaga has always done a good job of seeming to exist, creatively, in something of a bubble. What's interesting about 'Born This Way', however, is that it feels a bit like a response to two main criticisms people throw at Lady Gaga.
Criticism 1: "You rip off Madonna all the time but don't credit her."
'Born This Way' answer: "Well how do you like this then, I've made a song that sounds like some of her big hits (but also like its own song), because OBVIOUSLY I know who Madonna is, it's not as if I am somehow expecting you all to imagine that I have never heard of this 'Madonna' singer, it's bloody Madonna after all isn't it."
Criticism 2: "You bang on about your bloody 'Monsters' all the time and you're always going on about the gays this, the gays that, but then we listen to your music and it's just stuff about going clubbing with a few abstract references to things being a bit weird sometimes."
'Born This Way' answer: "Here's a song that is specifically and explicitly about that sort of stuff, so piss off."
It feels like 'Born This Way' is a bit of a turning point for Lady Gaga - on both those counts it's the moment where she's putting her money where her mouth is. It is certainly a big test, because the absurd level of hysteria building towards Friday's premiere (and Sunday's first performance) is putting a huge amount of pressure on the song itself. It's almost an unfair amount of pressure, really. Can anything live up to this hype? Mind you, when you think about how much we and so many other people harp on about her being pop's Second Coming, it's only fair that expectations are high. Fortunately the song is, as we have already stated, amazing.
So what happens next? Well, you'll hear the song on Friday, then you'll see it performed at the Grammys on Sunday. What we think will happen in the short term is that 'Born This Way' will make a massive short-term impact post-Grammys but will not instantly provide Gaga with the same sort of huge leap forward she experienced with 'Bad Romance'. That job may well be done by the album's second single, which will then lead into the album release. And then, over the next year or so, in the context of the rest of the album and with added familiarity, 'Born This Way' will seem like less of an 'ooh look at me sorting out equality for a generation' statement song and will instead just start to seem like a completely normal pop song. Which, 'message-wise', we suppose is sort of the whole point - you get in people's faces so you don't need to get in people's faces any more. Perhaps the moment when 'Born This Way' clicks as a completely normal pop song is the moment when 'Born This Way' has changed pop.
Or perhaps not. Perhaps we've drifted off on a wild tangent. Perhaps the whole song is awful - we've only heard it twice and we were really, really drunk on both occasions. But we are pretty sure that 'Born This Way' is a solid gold pop corker and we are going to stand by that claim until further notice.
The End."
Gaga tweeted the full lyrics for "Born This Way"
BORN THIS WAY
WRITTEN BY: LADY GAGA
PRODUCED BY: LADY GAGA, FERNANDO GARIBAY, DJ WHITE SHADOW
MIXED AND ENGINEERED BY: DAVID RUSSEL
INTRO:
It doesn't matter if you love him, or capital H-I-M
Just put your paws up
'cause you were Born This Way, Baby
VERSE:
MY MAMA TOLD ME WHEN I WAS YOUNG
WE ARE ALL BORN SUPERSTARS
SHE ROLLED MY HAIR AND PUT MY LIPSTICK ON
IN THE GLASS OF HER BOUDOIR
"THERE'S NOTHIN WRONG WITH LOVIN WHO YOU ARE"
SHE SAID, "'CAUSE HE MADE YOU PERFECT, BABE"
"SO HOLD YOUR HEAD UP GIRL AND YOU'LL GO FAR,
LISTEN TO ME WHEN I SAY"
CHORUS:
I'M BEAUTIFUL IN MY WAY
'CAUSE GOD MAKES NO MISTAKES
I'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK BABY
I WAS BORN THIS WAY
DON'T HIDE YOURSELF IN REGRET
JUST LOVE YOURSELF AND YOU'RE SET
I'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK BABY
I WAS BORN THIS WAY
POST-CHORUS:
OOO THERE AIN'T NO OTHER WAY
BABY I WAS BORN THIS WAY
BABY I WAS BORN THIS WAY
OOO THERE AIN'T NO OTHER WAY
BABY I WAS BORN-
I'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK BABY
I WAS BORN THIS WAY
DON'T BE A DRAG -JUST BE A QUEEN
DON'T BE A DRAG -JUST BE A QUEEN
DON'T BE A DRAG -JUST BE A QUEEN
DON'T BE!
VERSE:
GIVE YOURSELF PRUDENCE
AND LOVE YOUR FRIENDS
SUBWAY KID, REJOICE YOUR TRUTH
IN THE RELIGION OF THE INSECURE
I MUST BE MYSELF, RESPECT MY YOUTH
A DIFFERENT LOVER IS NOT A SIN
BELIEVE CAPITAL H-I-M (HEY HEY HEY)
I LOVE MY LIFE I LOVE THIS RECORD AND
MI AMORE VOLE FE YAH (LOVE NEEDS FAITH)
REPEAT CHORUS + POST-CHORUS
BRIDGE:
DON'T BE A DRAG, JUST BE A QUEEN
WHETHER YOU'RE BROKE OR EVERGREEN
YOU'RE BLACK, WHITE, BEIGE, CHOLA DESCENT
YOU'RE LEBANESE, YOU'RE ORIENT
WHETHER LIFE'S DISABILITIES
LEFT YOU OUTCAST, BULLIED, OR TEASED
REJOICE AND LOVE YOURSELF TODAY
'CAUSE BABY YOU WERE BORN THIS WAY
NO MATTER GAY, STRAIGHT, OR BI,
LESBIAN, TRANSGENDERED LIFE
I'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK BABY
I WAS BORN TO SURVIVE
NO MATTER BLACK, WHITE OR BEIGE
CHOLA OR ORIENT MADE
I'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK BABY
I WAS BORN TO BE BRAVE
REPEAT CHORUS
OUTRO/REFRAIN:
I WAS BORN THIS WAY HEY!
I WAS BORN THIS WAY HEY!
I'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK BABY
I WAS BORN THIS WAY HEY!
I WAS BORN THIS WAY HEY!
I WAS BORN THIS WAY HEY!
I'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK BABY
I WAS BORN THIS WAY HEY!
The track will officially premiere on February 11 with her performing the song at The Grammys on February 13.
[I Don't Mind Being Thanks]
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