Born This Way (song)
Encyclopedia
"Born This Way" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga
, from her second studio album, Born This Way
. Written and produced by Gaga, Fernando Garibay
, Jeppe Laursen
and DJ White Shadow, "Born This Way" was developed while Gaga was on the road with The Monster Ball Tour
. Inspired by the 1990s empowering music for women and the gay community
, Gaga explained that "Born This Way" was her freedom song. Previously, she had sung part of the chorus
at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
in 2010. The song was announced as the lead single
from the album, and was released on February 11, 2011, alongside the lyrics and artwork.
"Born This Way" is an electropop song, backed by rumbling synth sounds and a humming bass, with a percussion added in the chorus. It also includes Gaga singing a capella near the end with an organ
added. The lyrics of the song talk about self-empowerment and feature the names of LGBT
communities. The usage of the terms "chola
" and "orient
" in the song drew criticism from some Asian and Hispanic communities, who claimed that the terms had been used in an offensive and derogatory manner. The song was treated with different remixes, including a Country Road version recorded by Gaga herself, and another by Indian music producer duo Salim and Sulaiman Merchant
.
"Born This Way" received mixed to positive reception from critics; it was complimented for being a "club-ready anthem", while facing criticism for having similarities with Madonna
's 1989 single "Express Yourself". The song reached number one in 19 countries, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland and Sweden. In the United States, it became her third single to top the Billboard Hot 100
chart. Additionally, "Born This Way" became the 1000th number-one song on the Hot 100, spending a total of six weeks atop the chart. It became the fastest-selling song in iTunes
history, selling one million copies in five days.
The accompanying music video
for the song was directed by Nick Knight
and Gaga herself. It was inspired by painters like Salvador Dalí
and Francis Bacon, and their surrealistic
images. In it, Gaga gives birth to a new race, which is shown with the help of a prologue. A series of dance sequences later, the video concludes with the view of a city populated by this race. Critics noted the video for its cultural references and artistic similarities to the work of Michael Jackson
, Madonna and late fashion designer Alexander McQueen
, as well as to Greek mythology
and surrealism. The song along with its music video won two awards at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
and two awards at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards
. Gaga first performed the song at the 53rd Grammy Awards
, after coming out of an incubating vessel. It was also performed during the last leg of The Monster Ball Tour and in television shows like Saturday Night Live
and Good Morning America
. Singers Katy Perry
and Maria Aragon
have covered the song.
was touring for her second world tour, The Monster Ball
. At that time she started developing ideas for her second studio album, Born This Way
. The first song written and recorded for the album was the title track itself, described by Gaga as a "magical message" song. She wrote it in ten minutes and compared the process to an Immaculate Conception
. One of the first people to listen to the track was Gaga's friend Perez Hilton
, who considered it to be a staple song for the gay community and felt it would be successful. White Shadow, one of the producers of the track, credited Gaga for coming up with the idea and the theme behind the song. "We recorded it around the world, on the road, in whatever was available. It sounds like it reads, but not like you think until you hear it," he added. Gaga wanted to record her own freedom song, and explained with Billboard
her inspiration behind the song:
On the 43rd episode of her web video series, Transmission Gagavision, Gaga told the interviewer that the greatest challenge she faced while writing "Born This Way" was how she could leave her insecurities behind her, and become confident. "'Born This Way' is who I am. An artist in a constant state of half-fantasy/half-reality at all times," she added.
the words "Trois Jours" ("Three Days"), along with a picture of the official single artwork, via TwitPic
. Gaga is shown naked in the black-and-white cover art and displays the tattoos on her back. Her hair is air-blown and she wears heavy make-up while sharp edges protrude from her face and shoulder. The artwork was described by Charlie Amter from The Hollywood Reporter
as harkening back to the classic record covers from the 1980s. He compared it to the artworks by bands like Missing Persons, Roxy Music
and Duran Duran
. Gordon Smart from The Sun also felt that the "stark black and white image" had a glossy eighties air about it. Tanner Stransky from Entertainment Weekly
gave a positive review of the cover art, feeling that Gaga looked almost "animalistic" in the picture, and her flowing hair made her look like a creature from the African jungle. She also added that the artwork was "totally and completely fierce". Archana Ram from the same publication found similarities between the "Born This Way" cover art and Kylie Minogue
's cover art for her 2007 single "2 Hearts
". Nicole Eggenberger from OK!
described the artwork as a perfect balance between the singer's "wild side" and her glamorous looks. Leah Collins from Dose
believed that the extreme make-up and tattoos were an ironic play on the title of the song.
Gaga had sang a few lines from the song while accepting the 2010 MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year
, for "Bad Romance
". Given as a Christmas gift to her fans, Gaga announced, via Twitter, the release dates of the album and the lead single at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Day, 2011. The single was dated to be released on February 13, 2011, while the album on May 23, 2011. Supplementing this announcement came a black-and-white photograph in which Gaga, according to Jocelyn Vena from MTV
, is "nude from the waist down, with her hair blowing about, and sporting a jacket with 'Born This Way' emblazoned in what looks like bedazzled jewels." In late January 2011, Gaga released the lyrics of the song, before announcing that she planned to release the single two days prior to its stipulated date. Hence the song was premiered on radio stations worldwide at 6 a.m. EST
on February 11, 2011, and was released for digital download
from online retailers at 9 a.m. EST the same day.
, Paul Blair (aka DJ White Shadow) and Fernando Garibay
, while it was mixed
at Abbey Road Studios
in London and Germano Studios in New York. The club-beat influenced song begins with Gaga's voice uttering the line "It doesn't matter if you love him or capital H-I-M" on a loop
, backed by a rumbling synth sound and a humming bass. As the synths change into a beat, Gaga belts out the song's first verse, followed by the bass dropping off and the percussion-backed chorus
, "I'm beautiful in my way, 'cause God makes no mistakes; I'm on the right track, baby, I was born this way", which Jocelyn Vena from MTV likened as being "meant to be heard in a big space. It's fast and hard-hitting." After the chorus she chants the line "Don't be a drag, Just be a queen" a number of times on top of handclaps
, before moving to the second verse. After the second chorus an interlude
follows, where Gaga chants the names of various communities. Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine
felt that the interlude is a mixture of the music from American television show, Glee
, and the song "There But For the Grace of God Go I" by Machine. The music fades out
for a moment as Gaga sings a capella, before the addition of an organ
and Gaga closes the song. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing
, "Born This Way" is written in the time signature
of common time, with a moderate dance beat tempo
of 124 beats per minute. It is composed in the key
of B major
as Gaga's voice spans the tonal nodes of F3 to C5. "Born This Way" follows a chord progression
of C5–F5–E5–B5 in the verses, and F5–F–E–B–Bm7–C in the chorus.
The lyrics during the verses talk about empowerment, while the chorus talks about making no apologies and accept one as themselves. It features the names of LGBT
and other minor communities, which was due to the support that Gaga had received from the community over the years. She also explained that since The Fame
and The Fame Monster
did not directly address those communities, "Born This Way" was her chance to create something that not only supported her political and social beliefs, but also empowered her to artistically say, "'I'm not being safe with this record.' I'm not trying to gain new fans. I love the fans I already have, and this is for them."
After the early release of the lyrics, it had garnered criticism from some Asian and Hispanic communities, including Latino groups MECha and Chicanos Unidos Arizona, claiming that the usage of the terms "chola
" and "orient" was offensive and derogatory. In response to the lyrics, Robert Paul Reyes of Newsblaze.com stated that while he agreed with its pro-gay stance, he questioned the use of the term "chola", asking, "Are Latinos supposed to be grateful that a white superstar, born of privilege, included a racist shout out to our community? Not all Latino ladies are 'cholas' in the barrio, some of them are teachers, writers, engineers and nurses and doctors." Radio stations in Malaysia chose to garble the part of the lyrics dealing with the acceptance of the LGBT community, due to concerns over censorship
in the country, on content deemed offensive. In response, Gaga urged her Malaysian fans, who wanted the uncensored version to be played, to take action by stating: "It is your job and it is your duty as young people to have your voices heard. You must do everything that you can if you want to be liberated by your society. You must call, you must not stop, you must protest peaceably."
, to accompany the song. The first set of remixes were done by LA Riots, Chew Fu and DJ White Shadow. Titled Born This Way – The Remixes Part 1, the remixes were released as CD single and digital download on March 15, 2011. Another set of remixes were done by Michael Woods
, Grum
, Dada Life
, Zedd, Bimbo Jones
and Twin Shadow
. It was released on March 29, 2011, for digital download only, with the name Born This Way – The Remixes Part 2. Gaga released a "Country Road Version" of the song on March 15, 2011, via her Twitter account. The version opens with the sound of guitars and then introduces a fuzzed-out slide guitar
and harmonica
wheeze
, with the original disco beats replaced by restrained brush drumming
and a more laid-back vibe. Once the first chorus starts, the song chugs alongside the harmonica sounds. Just before the three-minute mark, Gaga sings new lyrics, "If I wanna make it country, baby, then it's OK, cuz I was born, I was born, I was born this way," over a picked mandolin
. According to Gil Kaufman of MTV
, the song breaks into full-on country-rock mode, reminiscent of late-period Bon Jovi
music, in the final minute. A portion of the money earned from sales of "Country Road Version" went to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
(GLSEN).
A Bollywood
version of the song was done by Indian music producer duo Salim and Sulaiman Merchant
. The remix was released on DesiHits.com, a website for South Asian music and entertainment news. The Merchants were discussing music projects with Anjula Acharia-Bath of DesiHits.com, when they came to learn that Gaga, who did not have much reach within the Indian diaspora
, was interested in a Bollywood remix for "Born This Way". The Merchants were contacted by Gaga's manager, Troy Carter, and the remix was finalized. Sulaiman explained that they received Gaga's raw vocals from "Born This Way", and using it as a base, they designed the remix. "We sent her a rough cut of our composition for initial feedback on whether we were giving it the right groove. She loved it and that’s how we went about it," he added. The Merchants used a number of Indian musical instruments like the dugi, sitar
by Sunil Das, and the dhol
and dholak
in the chorus. Sulaiman told MTV News
' Jocelyn Vena:
Salim said that he sang a little bit of alaap
to give the remix a Sufi
touch, "as that's the kind of music we do and it was also about adding our signature." Gaga's management team were satisfied with their remix and wanted them to do another remix of her next song, "Judas
". The Bollywood remixes were a part of the Indian tracklist of Born This Way.
called the song a "disco anthem", and said the chorus "crashes in with the weight of a discarded meat dress
". He also felt that the "campness" of the music made the lyrics sound less serious than it is. Rick Florino of Artistdirect
gave the song five out of five stars and labeled it as "an immediate pop classic", complimenting the hook and the chorus. Alison Schwartz from People
added that "the club-ready anthem, complete with a few A Capella chants and Italian lyrics, shows off Gaga's powerhouse vocal chords—and knack for powerful songwriting." Jem Aswad from Billboard responded positively to the anthemic nature of the song, and felt that it would become a staple song to be played on the radio and dancefloors in the following months. Nick Levine of Digital Spy
gave the song five out of five stars, describing it as a "life-affirming equality anthem, a straight-up club pumper and a flat-out fantastic pop song." Writing for Slant Magazine
, Sal Cinquemani understood that Gaga "has tapped into something truly special, maybe even important." He also complimented the song's underlying message of equality. Meghan Casserly of Forbes
expected "Born This Way" to be the biggest gay anthem
ever, since, according to her, it was written with that purpose in mind. Annie Yuan of The Hollywood Reporter
labeled the song "a hodge-podge of other pop tunes." Kevin O'Donnell of Spin
gave a mixed review, pointing out lyrical similarities to Michael Jackson's "Black or White" (1991). He added that seeing the hype surrounding the project, he expected Gaga to release a song "as epic and instantly classic as The Beatles
' 'A Day in the Life
' or Queen
's 'Bohemian Rhapsody
'. Imagine what she'd come up with if she'd spent more than ten minutes writing [the song]."
Many critics noted similarities between "Born This Way" and Madonna's 1989 song, "Express Yourself". Popjustice
website pointed out the influence of other Madonna songs like "Deeper and Deeper
" (1993) and "Vogue" (1990). Rob Sheffield
of Rolling Stone
acknowledged the influences of Madonna but pointed out that they would not overshadow the song, as it "[summed] up all the complex Gaga mythos, all her politics and Catholic angst and smeared lipstick, in one brilliant pop blast." Caryn Ganz, while writing for Yahoo! Music
, criticized "Born This Way", stating that the song was "overworked, overwrought, noisy, cheesy, and very, very derivative." She specifically noted the similarities to songs like "When Love Takes Over
" (2010), "Waterfalls" (1993), and three of Madonna's songs: "Express Yourself", "Ray of Light
" (1998), and "Vogue". Megan Friedman from Time
and Marissa Moss from The Huffington Post
summarized their reaction as "mixed", due to the similarities they found with "Express Yourself". Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph
noted that the imitative nature of the song would affect perceptions of Gaga's artistry, since "Born This Way" was "[basically] a reworking of Madonna's 'Express Yourself' with a touch of 'Vogue', which is a bit too much Madonna for someone who is trying to establish her own identity as the, er, new Madonna."
Ann Powers
of the Los Angeles Times
concluded that "Born This Way" had an entirely different message from the Madonna songs it was being compared to and further defended it by saying, "Whether its sound comes too close to one or another Madonna song seems beside the point; what current pop hit doesn't go green by recycling something familiar?" Sheffield defended Gaga by pointing out that "Express Yourself" was also copied by Madonna from the Staple Singers
' song, "Respect Yourself
". Gaga herself addressed the comparisons on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
, explaining that she had received an e-mail
from Madonna's representatives, who had mentioned their support for "Born This Way". If the Queen says it shall be, then it shall be," she added. CNN
later reported that Madonna's representatives were not aware that the singer, or her team, had sent Gaga an e-mail regarding the situation. Two months later, while getting interviewed by NME
magazine, Gaga further addressed the comparisons to "Express Yourself":
chart, for the issue dated February 26, 2011, as well as becoming Gaga's third number one single. "Born This Way" became the nineteenth song to debut at number one on the Hot 100, and the 1000th number one single in the chart's history. The song sold 448,000 digital downloads in three days, the most downloads in a first week by a female artist, beating the previous record held by Britney Spears
' "Hold It Against Me
". "Born This Way" remained at the top the following week, selling another 509,000 copies in its first full week of release, and becoming the first song to enter the Hot 100 at number one and hold that position for a second week since Clay Aiken
's "This Is The Night" in 2003. Subsequently, the song held the number one spot for six weeks making it the only song to debut at number one and stay there for over a month since Elton John
’s "Candle in the Wind 1997
" in 1997. "Born This Way" went onto break the record for the fastest selling song in iTunes
history, selling a million copies worldwide in five days. The song's CD single sold 24,000 copies in its first week of release and a total of 40,000 copies till March 2011. As of October 8, 2011, "Born This Way" has sold 3,285,000 digital copies in the United States. It is her eighth consecutive song to top the two million mark, and her sixth song to reach three million downloads.
"Born This Way" debuted at number 14 on Billboards Pop Songs
chart with 4,602 plays after three days of availability, the highest detections total by a debuting song in the chart's history. It was the second-highest debut on that chart, behind Mariah Carey
's "Dreamlover" (1993) which debuted at number 12. In its seventh week on the chart, "Born This Way" reached the top, becoming Gaga's seventh number-one song there, thus tying her with Pink
and Rihanna
as the artist's with the most number one songs on the chart. In addition, the song broke the overall airplay debut record with a first week audience of 78.5 million, entering at number six on the Radio Songs chart; this feat surpassed Janet Jackson
's "All for You" (2001) which had debuted at number nine with an audience of 70 million. "Born This Way" topped the chart after seven weeks, becoming her second number-one radio song after "Paparazzi"
. "Born This Way" topped the Japan Hot 100
and Hot Dance Club Songs charts, reached top-ten on Latin Pop Airplay and Adult Contemporary, and number 11 on Adult Top 40 charts. "Born This Way" took the number one position in its debut week in Canada, remaining atop the Canadian Hot 100
for seven weeks.
On February 20, 2011, the single debuted at number one in Australia on the official ARIA Singles Chart
, becoming Gaga's third number-one single there, and the highest selling song to debut at the top. "Born This Way" was certified four-times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA) for shipment of 280,000 copies of the single. The single debuted at number one on the New Zealand RIANZ
charts, becoming Gaga's second number-one single there after "Poker Face
" (2008). It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
(RIANZ) for shipment of 15,000 copies of the single. In the United Kingdom, "Born This Way" logged first week sales of 60,000 digital copies, landing it at number three on the UK Singles Chart
, which became its peak position. Elsewhere, the song debuted atop the charts in Spain, Finland, Ireland and the Netherlands. "Born This Way" debuted at number two in Italy, France, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Germany and Belgium (Flanders). In addition, it debuted at number-four in Denmark and then moved to the second spot. It also entered the top ten of the charts in Czech Republic and Hungary and reached the top of the charts in South Korea.
was shot the weekend of January 22–24, 2011 in New York City, and was described by Gaga's team as a "profound, so inspiring and so incredibly beautiful" video. The video was directed by Nick Knight
. Choreographer Laurieann Gibson told MTV News
that the video would be "shocking" and one can expect the execution of the highest level of vocal music art and dance. Hollywoodlife.com reported that Gaga spent the first week of February editing the video in Greenwich Hotel, New York, working during the night as she had to spend the morning rehearsing for her upcoming Grammy Awards performance. Media reports suggested that the singer might play the character of Jo Calderone, the male model she had portrayed in the September issue of Vogue Hommes, Japan. Fernando Garibay
explained that the video "is of cultural relevance, and hopefully helps people that are an outcast, bullied. Hopefully makes people aware that it's OK to be yourself." According to Gaga, she was inspired by the paintings of Salvador Dalí
and Francis Bacon, and their surrealistic
images. Gibson explained the inspiration behind the video to MTV News:
Gibson recalled having to work with Gaga on her dancing in the video, and to make her a better dancer she wanted Gaga to be confident. Gaga chose New York to shoot the video because the city is her birth place. Before shooting started, Gibson and Gaga decided there was only one place to work on the avant-garde, modern dance routine for the video, Alvin Alley, where Gibson had studied dance. "We rehearsed there because the choreography is really modern-based. It's, like, more technical than anything she's ever done," she recalled. Shooting also took place in Brooklyn for two days. Since Gaga did not want set pictures to be taken before the video was ready, her team had to hide the location and were successful, except at the last day when paparazzi
started sneaking around.
The video featured full-bodied tattooed model Rick Genest
(Rico), better known by his stage name Zombie Boy. Gaga painted her face in a similar way to Genest, in one of the sequences. She said that the scene displayed the fact that she would not allow society or critics to dictate her beauty. "I tell you what I think is beauty, and hence the scene was of me and Rico defining ourselves in artistic way and not relying on society to dictate it," she added. The costumes for the video were designed by Nicola Formichetti
, who blogged about the various designer pieces shown in it. In the opening sequence of the video, Gaga wore a head accessory by Alexis Bittar
, a diamond neckpiece by Erickson Beamon with earrings by Pamela Love, and a stained-glass dress by Petra Storrs. Finger rings were provided by Erickson Beamon and chiffon clothes by Thierry Mugler
. For the "Born This Way" skeleton scene, both she and Rico wore tuxedos by Mugler while the slime during the orgy scenes were courtesy of Bart Hess. For her Michael Jackson
impression in the alley, Gaga wore shirt and pants by Haus of Gaga
, shoes by Natacha Marro, a Billykirk belt and LaCrasia gloves.
's silhouette in a steam-filled alley, inside a pink triangle
frame. The triangle transitions to a shot of Gaga, with two opposite facing heads, sitting in an ornate glass throne amidst a star-filled space. Bernard Herrmann
’s prelude to the movie Vertigo
plays while Gaga declares, "This is the manifesto of Mother Monster," and begins telling the prologue of the video—a story of the creation of an extraterrestrial race which "bears no prejudice, no judgment, but boundless freedom." Gaga is shown sitting in the throne above a planet, with her legs spread apart
, giving birth to a "new race within the race of humanity." As she continues, Gaga explains that the birth of the new race was followed by the birth of evil, due to which Gaga is split in half while being pulled between the two opposing forces of good and evil. Her new half gives birth to an assault rifle and begins to fire it. The prologue concludes with Gaga questioning, "How can I protect something so perfect, without evil?"
As the song begins, numerous people are shown on their hands and knees in a motionless, organized pattern, in a seemingly endless black space. Gaga appears in a black bra and underwear, with shoulder and facial protrusions. She begins walking in an eccentric manner among them with raised hand, before contently nodding her head and crouching on her hands and knees to join them. When the first verse begins, everyone raises their head and begins dancing to elaborate choreography. The scenes alternate between the dance, and Gaga singing on her throne in space. As the second verse begins, Gaga and Rico are both shown wearing tuxedos, with her face painted to mirror his full-body zombie tattoos. Alternating clips show Gaga caressing and attempting to dance with him while he stays expressionless and motionless for the most part. When the chorus plays for the second time, Gaga sings in a room of mirrors, with her head displayed in a glass box among several oddly distorted mannequin heads. In the succeeding shots, she is once again shown on her throne giving birth to more members of the new race. Several more choreographed routines are performed by Gaga and her dancers, and when the song ends, they all gather in a circle and embrace in a hug.
In the video's conclusion, a person's silhouette dances and struts in an alley, a tribute to Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel
" video. The silhouette is revealed to be Gaga; her face drastically misconstrued, with sharp horns protruding from her face, glowing eyes, uneven hair, and a distinct Madonna-esque gap between her front teeth. The gap in her teeth is said to be inspired by the gap she had when she was young. Lady Gaga has commented how she was often teased for it and kids would call her "rabbit teeth". She sheds a single tear as the pink triangle frame appears again, and inside it, a silhouette of Gaga sitting atop the unicorn. A city is seen in the background and a rainbow appears above her, and the final shot is a closeup of Gaga in her zombie makeup, chewing bubble gum and blowing it, as the pink triangle zooms away.
The music video for "Born This Way" was met with mostly positive reception among music critics. James Montgomery of MTV
praised the overall creationism
concept of the music video, adding that it "sort of makes sense, it sort of doesn't, but that 100 percent doesn't really matter much. This is Gaga at her most fabulous, her most out-there, her most, well, Gaga." In conclusion of his review, he wrote that the fantasy aspects of the video is overshadowed by the overall spectacle, which he believed was analogous to Gaga, "after thoroughly dominating this world with 'Born This Way,' [she] seems content to create brand-new worlds to tower over." Myrddin Gwynedd of The New Zealand Herald
felt that Gaga's penchant for eccentric and provocative imagery, was extreme in the video. Raphael Chestang from Entertainment Tonight
praised the performance of Gaga and her dancers in the video, also complimenting the fashion. Monica Herrera from Billboard noticed that the video bore similarities to the music video of Madonna's "Vogue" and "Borderline
" (1984), while believing it to be "more of a high-fashion short film than a conventional music video". Jim Farber from New York Daily News wanted Gaga to add more humor in her videos, adding that although the video had "joyous" shock value, it definitely lacked creativity.
Oscar Moralde from Slant Magazine
noted that in the video, "Gaga fully embraces the monstrous as a part of her." Moralde further explained that previously the singer had acknowledged her role as "Mother Monster", but never to the visceral, fully embodied extent that she does in the video. "The things that are monstrous, the things that are different—for Gaga, those are the things that are beautiful," he concluded. Gina Serpe from E! Online criticized it for being a "Madonna rip-off", while Matthew Perpetua of Rolling Stone
noted similarities to some of Madonna's work and the imagery from in the 1927 German expressionist
film, Metropolis
. Ann Powers
from Los Angeles Times
noted that the video paid tribute to the Goddess movement
and feminism
. According to her, with the video Gaga made goddess culture accessible to the mass, by portraying images borrowed from fine art, cinema and cool subcultures. Examples given by her included the portrayal of Rico as her partner, instead of a conventional-looking male or female consort. Powers further added that "Gaga has found a way to place female empowerment at the center of her vision without sacrificing the gains she makes by being a daddy’s girl or a 'boy toy'." Megan Powers from Time
criticized the video and Gaga's usage of shock-imagery, which she still found "strange". The video has been noted for its cultural references and artistic similarities, not only to other recording artists such as Jackson and Madonna, but to Greek
and Roman mythology
, surrealism and the work of Swiss painter H. R. Giger
and late fashion designer Alexander McQueen
. The video won two awards at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
, in the categories of Best Female Video
and Best Video With a Message. Along with the song winning the 2011 MTV Europe Music Award
for Best Song
, Gaga won also the award for Best Video
with "Born This Way" at the same event.
, singers Justin Bieber
and James Blunt
performed their own rendition of the song along with DeGeneres, improvising
the music, while singing the chorus. During the show, Gaga confirmed via telephone, that she will perform "Born This Way" on February 13, 2011, at the 53rd Grammy Awards
. Gaga arrived at the ceremony in a giant incubating vessel that was carried onto the red carpet by numerous fashion models. She later emerged from another bigger egg on stage, dressed in a high ponytail, gold bra top and long skirt, with black and gold makeup and pointed shoulders and horns protruding from her face. The "Born This Way" performance was introduced by Ricky Martin
. In the first few seconds after performing the intro of the song, Gaga emerged from the egg, and after the first chorus, she whipped her hair in a manner similar to singer Willow Smith
. Before the "No matter gay, straight or bi" line of the song, an organ emerged from the stage floor. Gaga played the music on the organ, which was surrounded by mannequin heads submerged in gel, before belting out the rest of the bridge as her dancers surrounded her. Before leaving the stage, Gaga put on her trench and hat as the song faded out and Gaga and her dancers ended the performance with their hands put up in paws.
According to Gaga the Grammy performance was inspired by many things, including Gregorian music
, Alvin Ailey dance moves and Martha Graham
's dance energy. On The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
she explained that Smith inspired her to "whip my hair back and forth on stage," referring to Smith's similar named song
. Gaga continued that the incubating vessel was meant to signify an artistic statement of birthing a new race with no prejudice. The idea occurred to her when she was in Amsterdam on her tour bus, and was thinking about birth and embryos. She had thought to herself, "Gosh, the thing I hate most about doing award shows is, it can be distracting... I want to exist only for my fans and for the stage. I don't want to exist in this machine or this circus that is the industry. I wish I could be encapsulated for three days and just think only about my performance, think only about the album, think only about the future of my fans. So that's what I did." Jocelyn Vena from MTV
felt that the performance was "surprisingly" sparse compared to Gaga's previous "over-the-top" endeavors. Soraya Roberts from New York Daily News was disappointed with the "highly expected" performance, feeling that it had copied Madonna and her Blond Ambition World Tour
choreography. Jason Lipscultz from Billboard
described the performance as "spirited", and felt that Gaga's appearance inside the egg was one of the memorable moments of the Grammy Awards. Jennifer Armstrong from Entertainment Weekly
praised the performance saying that although there were definite influences of Madonna in it, the performance was one of the highlights of the show. Matthew Perpetua from Rolling Stone
concurred that "It should come as no surprise that Lady Gaga's performance of her new single 'Born This Way' was the evening's most visually stunning and bizarre spectacle."
At the February 19, 2011, date of The Monster Ball Tour
, Gaga performed "Born This Way" as a second encore, using the same general attire and choreography as the Grammy performance, however the incubation vessel was not present and slight alterations were made in the outfits of her dancers. The track was then added to the set-list of the concert tour. Tris McCall from The Star-Ledger
was most impressed with the performance, calling it one of the highlights of the concert. He added that "reinterpretation of the single, which was far more Laura Nyro
than Madonna, was such an improvement over the mechanized, tricked-out hit version that it was hard not to wish she could get back to the studio and re-cut it before the album comes out." Gaga performed an acoustic version on The Oprah Winfrey Show
, in May 2011, along with another song from Born This Way, "You and I". Sitting atop a high stool, Gaga—in a red leather blazer, a floppy mask-like hat and see-through leopard bodysuit—played a piano made out of a wire high-heel structure. She began with an acoustic, piano-driven version of "Born This Way", and then removed the hat as a synth kicked in for "You and I". The high-heel structure was designed by Gaga's sister Natalie Germanotta.
At The Graham Norton Show
in May 2011, Gaga performed "Born This Way" as the closing song of the show, while on Radio 1's Big Weekend in Carlisle, Cumbria it was the opening song of the set list
. Gaga started the show by emerging from a coffin, with a pregnant belly and dressed in leather. She started singing the song, and her biker-punk theme dressed dancers removed her pregnant belly to display her spiky shoulder outfit. Another performance took place at the season finale
of Saturday Night Live
, where the singer wore a metallic dress and a side ponytail. Midway through her performance, she displayed a pregnant belly as she emerged from within her dancers. Few days later, Gaga performed the song on Good Morning America
as a part of their "Summer Concert Series". She wore gold horns and a gold sequined jacket, and near the end of the performance she joined her dancers in a tank filled with 1,800 pounds
of dyed gel. During a promotional visit in Europe in June 2011, piano versions of the song was performed on the final show of the sixth season
of Germany's Next Topmodel, and at the EuroPride 2011
in Rome. A medley of "Judas" and "Born This Way" was the closing performance on the Paul O'Grady Live
show in London. Ryan Love of Digital Spy
had a preview of the show's recording, and felt that this was the best performance of the two songs by the singer. Gaga closed the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards
with "Born This Way", appearing on stage inside a hanging cocoon, and emerging from it wearing a high-waistline trouser and a ruffled feathered top. Near the end of the song, she removed the feathered top and the yellow jacket underneath it. While on tour in Japan, "Born This Way" was performed along with "The Edge of Glory" on the 2011 MTV Video Music Aid Japan
. Gaga was dressed in a sparkly sequined bra and long skirt with a split up each thigh. After finishing performing "The Edge of Glory", she sneaked around the stage, and climbed some stairs to reach her piano—which was decked up to look like a giant spider—before launching into an acoustic version of "Born This Way". After the first verse, she came down from the piano and joined her dancers for the album version of the song.
(Canada), Gaga performed an a capella version of the song with ten-year old Maria Aragon. Gaga had been impressed by Aragon's singing abilities when the ten-year old uploaded her own version of "Born This Way" to YouTube
. Aragon was subsequently invited on stage to sing with Gaga. She appeared wearing a fedora hat and carrying a stuffed monkey. Gaga sat at the piano, pulled Aragon onto her lap, before proceeding to sing a soul
-inspired rendition of "Born This Way", trading off verses. "Maria represents what this song is all about," Gaga told the Canadian crowd after the performance. "It's all about the next generation and the future." Later, Aragon was invited at Radio Hot 103
, where she sang the chorus of "Born This Way" through the phone. She also performed the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on February 23, 2011.
Fellow American singer Katy Perry
performed a stripped down version of "Born This Way", on the March 7, 2011, date of her California Dreams Tour
, in Paris. The performance was accompanied by two guitarists playing acoustic guitars. The Glee cast
covered the song during a thematic episode of their second season
. The episode was named "Born This Way
", and aired in the United States in April 2011, on Fox
. Their version of the song was released for digital download, and sold 73,000 copies to enter the Billboard Hot 100 at number 44, and on the Canadian Hot 100 at number 31.
American singer-songwriter and parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic
had sought permission from Gaga to parody "Born This Way", providing a brief description of the concept for his song. Her management responded that she must hear the song before providing approval. Yankovic obliged with the lyrics of "Perform This Way
", which was released on April 25, 2011, as the first single from his thirteenth studio album, Alpocalypse
, on iTunes Store
. After what Yankovic described as "considerable expense" in writing, recording, and mastering the song in the studio, he contacted Gaga's management again with a completed recording of the song. He was subsequently refused permission, without Gaga listening to the track and Yankovic getting the impression that the refusal came from the singer herself. Left with a completed song and abandoned plans for an outlandish music video to promote the song and album, Yankovic released it on YouTube. It was then that Gaga actually heard the song, and personally contacted Yankovic, giving him green light to include the song on Alpocalypse. BBC Radio 1
's Alex Full aka the Cornish Fairy and singer Kirsten Joy Gill recorded a cover of the song called "Cornish This Way" in August 2011 as a modern Cornish
anthem. The song was recorded at the Maida Vale Studios
in London, and the music video was shot in Newquay
, Cornwall
at the Boardmasters Festival
.
Credits adapted from Born This Way album liner notes.
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
, from her second studio album, Born This Way
Born This Way
Born This Way is the second studio album by American recording artist Lady Gaga that was released on May 23, 2011, by Interscope Records. The album is a follow-up to her internationally-successful albums The Fame and The Fame Monster...
. Written and produced by Gaga, Fernando Garibay
Fernando Garibay
Fernando Garibay is a Mexican music producer, DJ, and songwriter. He was the official musical director for musician Lady Gaga during the making of her third album Born This Way.Garibay has been making records since the age of sixteen...
, Jeppe Laursen
Jeppe Laursen
Jeppe Breum Laursen is a Danish singer-songwriter and producer. Performing under the name "Senior," Jeppe was the lead vocalist for the dance-rock band Junior Senior. Dazed and Confused praised Jeppe's music for its "urgency and club appeal" and described it as "industrial synth-pop and...
and DJ White Shadow, "Born This Way" was developed while Gaga was on the road with The Monster Ball Tour
The Monster Ball Tour
The Monster Ball Tour was the second worldwide concert tour by American recording artist Lady Gaga. Staged in support of her album The Fame Monster and comprising a set list of songs from that and her debut album The Fame , the tour visited arenas and stadiums from 2009 through 2011...
. Inspired by the 1990s empowering music for women and the gay community
Gay community
The gay community, or LGBT community, is a loosely defined grouping of LGBT and LGBT-supportive people, organizations and subcultures, united by a common culture and civil rights movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individuality, and sexuality...
, Gaga explained that "Born This Way" was her freedom song. Previously, she had sung part of the chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
2010 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 12, 2010 at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year...
in 2010. The song was announced as the lead single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from the album, and was released on February 11, 2011, alongside the lyrics and artwork.
"Born This Way" is an electropop song, backed by rumbling synth sounds and a humming bass, with a percussion added in the chorus. It also includes Gaga singing a capella near the end with an organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
added. The lyrics of the song talk about self-empowerment and feature the names of LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
communities. The usage of the terms "chola
Cholo
Cholo is an ethnic slur created by Hispanic criollos in the 16th century, and it has been applied to individuals of mixed or pure American Indian ancestry, or other racially mixed origin. The precise usage of "cholo" has varied widely in different times and places...
" and "orient
Orient
The Orient means "the East." It is a traditional designation for anything that belongs to the Eastern world or the Far East, in relation to Europe. In English it is a metonym that means various parts of Asia.- Derivation :...
" in the song drew criticism from some Asian and Hispanic communities, who claimed that the terms had been used in an offensive and derogatory manner. The song was treated with different remixes, including a Country Road version recorded by Gaga herself, and another by Indian music producer duo Salim and Sulaiman Merchant
Salim-Sulaiman
Salim Merchant And Sulaiman Merchant are a musical duo of brothers, born and brought up in Bhuj, Kutch, India. They belong to Ismaili Muslim family and are inspired by their father Sadruddin Merchant, who used to lead Ismaili Scouts Orchestra in India..Steeped in a family tradition of music as the...
.
"Born This Way" received mixed to positive reception from critics; it was complimented for being a "club-ready anthem", while facing criticism for having similarities with Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
's 1989 single "Express Yourself". The song reached number one in 19 countries, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland and Sweden. In the United States, it became her third single to top the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart. Additionally, "Born This Way" became the 1000th number-one song on the Hot 100, spending a total of six weeks atop the chart. It became the fastest-selling song in iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
history, selling one million copies in five days.
The accompanying music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song was directed by Nick Knight
Nick Knight (photographer)
Nick Knight OBE is a British fashion photographer, documentary photographer, and web publisher—as director of SHOWstudio.com.-Life and career:Knight studied at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design....
and Gaga herself. It was inspired by painters like Salvador Dalí
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....
and Francis Bacon, and their surrealistic
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
images. In it, Gaga gives birth to a new race, which is shown with the help of a prologue. A series of dance sequences later, the video concludes with the view of a city populated by this race. Critics noted the video for its cultural references and artistic similarities to the work of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, Madonna and late fashion designer Alexander McQueen
Alexander McQueen
Lee Alexander McQueen, CBE was a British fashion designer and couturier best known for his in-depth knowledge of bespoke British tailoring, his tendency to juxtapose strength with fragility in his collections, as well as the emotional power and raw energy of his provocative fashion shows...
, as well as to Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
and surrealism. The song along with its music video won two awards at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
2011 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards took place on August 28, at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. On July 20, the nominees were announced...
and two awards at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards
2011 MTV Europe Music Awards
The 2011 MTV EMAs were held in Northern Ireland's capital Belfast, on Sunday, November 6, 2011, at the Odyssey Arena in the Titanic Quarter area of the city and were hosted by Selena Gomez...
. Gaga first performed the song at the 53rd Grammy Awards
53rd Grammy Awards
The 53rd annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prior to the telecast on February 11. Nominations were...
, after coming out of an incubating vessel. It was also performed during the last leg of The Monster Ball Tour and in television shows like Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
and Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
. Singers Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
and Maria Aragon
Maria Aragon
Maria Lourdes Aragon is a singer from Manitoba, Canada, of Filipino descent. Aragon gained fame after a YouTube video of her performing Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" went viral.-As a YouTube sensation:...
have covered the song.
Background
In 2010, Lady GagaLady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
was touring for her second world tour, The Monster Ball
The Monster Ball Tour
The Monster Ball Tour was the second worldwide concert tour by American recording artist Lady Gaga. Staged in support of her album The Fame Monster and comprising a set list of songs from that and her debut album The Fame , the tour visited arenas and stadiums from 2009 through 2011...
. At that time she started developing ideas for her second studio album, Born This Way
Born This Way
Born This Way is the second studio album by American recording artist Lady Gaga that was released on May 23, 2011, by Interscope Records. The album is a follow-up to her internationally-successful albums The Fame and The Fame Monster...
. The first song written and recorded for the album was the title track itself, described by Gaga as a "magical message" song. She wrote it in ten minutes and compared the process to an Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology...
. One of the first people to listen to the track was Gaga's friend Perez Hilton
Perez Hilton
Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. , better known as Perez Hilton , is an American blogger and television personality. His blog, Perezhilton.com , is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities...
, who considered it to be a staple song for the gay community and felt it would be successful. White Shadow, one of the producers of the track, credited Gaga for coming up with the idea and the theme behind the song. "We recorded it around the world, on the road, in whatever was available. It sounds like it reads, but not like you think until you hear it," he added. Gaga wanted to record her own freedom song, and explained with Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
her inspiration behind the song:
"I want to write my this-is-who-the-fuck-I-am anthem, but I don't want it to be hidden in poetic wizardry and metaphors. I want it to be an attack, an assault on the issue because I think, especially in today's music, everything gets kind of washy sometimes and the message gets hidden in the lyrical play. Harkening back to the early '90s, when MadonnaMadonna (entertainer)Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, En VogueEn VogueEn Vogue is an American female R&B vocal group from Oakland, California assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy.The group has won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven, along with four Soul Train Awards, six American Music...
, Whitney HoustonWhitney HoustonWhitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
and TLCTLC (band)TLC is an American musical trio whose repertoire spanned R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk, and new jack swing. Originally consisting of singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, rapper-singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas it found success in the 1990s while also enduring a series of spats...
were making very empowering music for women and the gay community and all kind of disenfranchised communities, the lyrics and the melodies were very poignant and very gospel and very spiritual and I said, 'That's the kind of record I need to make. That's the record that's going to shake up the industry.' It's not about the track. It's not about the production. It's about the song. Anyone could sing 'Born This Way'. It could've been anyone."
On the 43rd episode of her web video series, Transmission Gagavision, Gaga told the interviewer that the greatest challenge she faced while writing "Born This Way" was how she could leave her insecurities behind her, and become confident. "'Born This Way' is who I am. An artist in a constant state of half-fantasy/half-reality at all times," she added.
Artwork and release
On February 8, 2011, Gaga tweetedTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
the words "Trois Jours" ("Three Days"), along with a picture of the official single artwork, via TwitPic
Twitpic
TwitPic is a website that allows users to easily post pictures to the Twitter microblogging and social media service. TwitPic is often used by citizen journalists to upload and distribute pictures in near real-time as an event is taking place.-History:...
. Gaga is shown naked in the black-and-white cover art and displays the tattoos on her back. Her hair is air-blown and she wears heavy make-up while sharp edges protrude from her face and shoulder. The artwork was described by Charlie Amter from The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
as harkening back to the classic record covers from the 1980s. He compared it to the artworks by bands like Missing Persons, Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
and Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
. Gordon Smart from The Sun also felt that the "stark black and white image" had a glossy eighties air about it. Tanner Stransky from Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave a positive review of the cover art, feeling that Gaga looked almost "animalistic" in the picture, and her flowing hair made her look like a creature from the African jungle. She also added that the artwork was "totally and completely fierce". Archana Ram from the same publication found similarities between the "Born This Way" cover art and Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
's cover art for her 2007 single "2 Hearts
2 Hearts
"2 Hearts" is a song by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue from her tenth studio album, X . The song is a cover version of a track originally recorded by Kish Mauve, who also produced Minogue's version. "2 Hearts" was Minogue's first commercial single release since she was diagnosed with...
". Nicole Eggenberger from OK!
OK!
OK! is a British weekly magazine specializing in celebrity news. Originally launched as a monthly, its first issue was published in April 1993. In September 2004, OK! publishers Northern and Shell launched in Australia as a monthly title – the magazine went weekly in October 2006...
described the artwork as a perfect balance between the singer's "wild side" and her glamorous looks. Leah Collins from Dose
Dose (magazine)
Dose is a daily Canadian news website and former daily print magazine.Dose was a mixture of standalone features and coverage of daily news, sometimes from an irreverent perspective...
believed that the extreme make-up and tattoos were an ironic play on the title of the song.
Gaga had sang a few lines from the song while accepting the 2010 MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year
MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year
The MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year is the main award handed out at the yearly MTV Video Music Awards. It was first awarded in , when The Cars won it, and has been given out since. Eminem has been the most nominated solo artist, male solo artist, and act in this category, having been...
, for "Bad Romance
Bad Romance
"Bad Romance" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga. It was released as the lead single from her third extended play , and second major release The Fame Monster . Written by Lady Gaga and produced by RedOne, the track was inspired by Gaga's fear of negative love relationships and the...
". Given as a Christmas gift to her fans, Gaga announced, via Twitter, the release dates of the album and the lead single at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Day, 2011. The single was dated to be released on February 13, 2011, while the album on May 23, 2011. Supplementing this announcement came a black-and-white photograph in which Gaga, according to Jocelyn Vena from MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, is "nude from the waist down, with her hair blowing about, and sporting a jacket with 'Born This Way' emblazoned in what looks like bedazzled jewels." In late January 2011, Gaga released the lyrics of the song, before announcing that she planned to release the single two days prior to its stipulated date. Hence the song was premiered on radio stations worldwide at 6 a.m. EST
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
on February 11, 2011, and was released for digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
from online retailers at 9 a.m. EST the same day.
Composition
"Born This Way" was written and produced by Gaga, Jeppe LaursenJeppe Laursen
Jeppe Breum Laursen is a Danish singer-songwriter and producer. Performing under the name "Senior," Jeppe was the lead vocalist for the dance-rock band Junior Senior. Dazed and Confused praised Jeppe's music for its "urgency and club appeal" and described it as "industrial synth-pop and...
, Paul Blair (aka DJ White Shadow) and Fernando Garibay
Fernando Garibay
Fernando Garibay is a Mexican music producer, DJ, and songwriter. He was the official musical director for musician Lady Gaga during the making of her third album Born This Way.Garibay has been making records since the age of sixteen...
, while it was mixed
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
at Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
in London and Germano Studios in New York. The club-beat influenced song begins with Gaga's voice uttering the line "It doesn't matter if you love him or capital H-I-M" on a loop
Music loop
In electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...
, backed by a rumbling synth sound and a humming bass. As the synths change into a beat, Gaga belts out the song's first verse, followed by the bass dropping off and the percussion-backed chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
, "I'm beautiful in my way, 'cause God makes no mistakes; I'm on the right track, baby, I was born this way", which Jocelyn Vena from MTV likened as being "meant to be heard in a big space. It's fast and hard-hitting." After the chorus she chants the line "Don't be a drag, Just be a queen" a number of times on top of handclaps
Clapping
A clap is the sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. Humans clap with the palms of their hands, often in a constant drone to express appreciation or approval , but also in rhythm to match sounds in music and dance...
, before moving to the second verse. After the second chorus an interlude
Break (music)
In popular music, a break is an instrumental or percussion section or interlude during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a "break" from the main parts of the song or piece....
follows, where Gaga chants the names of various communities. Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
felt that the interlude is a mixture of the music from American television show, Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
, and the song "There But For the Grace of God Go I" by Machine. The music fades out
Fade (audio engineering)
In audio engineering, a fade is a gradual increase or decrease in the level of an audio signal. The term can also be used for film cinematography or theater lighting, in much the same way ....
for a moment as Gaga sings a capella, before the addition of an organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
and Gaga closes the song. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Sony/ATV Music Publishing is a music publishing company co-owned by The Michael Jackson Family Trust and Sony. The organisation was originally founded as Associated TeleVision in 1955 by Lew Grade. In 1957, ATV acquired Pye Records as a wholly owned subsidiary...
, "Born This Way" is written in the time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
of common time, with a moderate dance beat tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
of 124 beats per minute. It is composed in the key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
of B major
B major
In music theory, B major is a major scale based on B. The pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A are all part of the B major scale. Its key signature has five sharps....
as Gaga's voice spans the tonal nodes of F3 to C5. "Born This Way" follows a chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
of C5–F5–E5–B5 in the verses, and F5–F–E–B–Bm7–C in the chorus.
The lyrics during the verses talk about empowerment, while the chorus talks about making no apologies and accept one as themselves. It features the names of LGBT
Gay community
The gay community, or LGBT community, is a loosely defined grouping of LGBT and LGBT-supportive people, organizations and subcultures, united by a common culture and civil rights movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individuality, and sexuality...
and other minor communities, which was due to the support that Gaga had received from the community over the years. She also explained that since The Fame
The Fame
The Fame is the debut studio album by American recording artist Lady Gaga. It was released on August 19, 2008 through Interscope Records. After joining Kon Live Distribution and Cherrytree Records in 2008, Gaga began working on the album with different producers, primarily RedOne, Martin...
and The Fame Monster
The Fame Monster
The Fame Monster is the third EP by American recording artist Lady Gaga. It was released on November 18, 2009 through Interscope Records. Initially planned to be included on a re-release of Gaga's debut studio album, The Fame, she announced that the eight tracks would be included on a standalone...
did not directly address those communities, "Born This Way" was her chance to create something that not only supported her political and social beliefs, but also empowered her to artistically say, "'I'm not being safe with this record.' I'm not trying to gain new fans. I love the fans I already have, and this is for them."
After the early release of the lyrics, it had garnered criticism from some Asian and Hispanic communities, including Latino groups MECha and Chicanos Unidos Arizona, claiming that the usage of the terms "chola
Cholo
Cholo is an ethnic slur created by Hispanic criollos in the 16th century, and it has been applied to individuals of mixed or pure American Indian ancestry, or other racially mixed origin. The precise usage of "cholo" has varied widely in different times and places...
" and "orient" was offensive and derogatory. In response to the lyrics, Robert Paul Reyes of Newsblaze.com stated that while he agreed with its pro-gay stance, he questioned the use of the term "chola", asking, "Are Latinos supposed to be grateful that a white superstar, born of privilege, included a racist shout out to our community? Not all Latino ladies are 'cholas' in the barrio, some of them are teachers, writers, engineers and nurses and doctors." Radio stations in Malaysia chose to garble the part of the lyrics dealing with the acceptance of the LGBT community, due to concerns over censorship
Censorship in Malaysia
Censorship is a growing issue in Malaysia as it attempts to adapt to a modern knowledge-based economy. Malaysia has one of the world's strictest forms of media censorship, with nearly a hundred movies banned in this decade alone on the pretext of upholding morality...
in the country, on content deemed offensive. In response, Gaga urged her Malaysian fans, who wanted the uncensored version to be played, to take action by stating: "It is your job and it is your duty as young people to have your voices heard. You must do everything that you can if you want to be liberated by your society. You must call, you must not stop, you must protest peaceably."
Remixes
A number of remixes were commissioned by Interscope RecordsInterscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
, to accompany the song. The first set of remixes were done by LA Riots, Chew Fu and DJ White Shadow. Titled Born This Way – The Remixes Part 1, the remixes were released as CD single and digital download on March 15, 2011. Another set of remixes were done by Michael Woods
Michael Woods (producer)
Michael Woods is a UK producer and remixer of various dance music genres, including electronic, trance and jazz. He has worked under the monikers Warrior, Accadia, M1 and M3.-History:...
, Grum
Grum
Graeme Shepherd, better known by his stage name Grum, is an electronic musician from Scotland.-Career:Grum's debut album, Heartbeats, was released in May 2010. A confident debut record, inspired by 1980s disco, it has been compared to Daft Punk's Discovery and Mylo's Destroy Rock & Roll...
, Dada Life
Dada Life
Dada Life are a Swedish electro house duo, consisting of Olle Corneer and Stefan Engblom. In 2010, Dada Life was voted #89 in DJ Magazine's annual Top 100 list of the most popular DJ's. Dada Life's popularity soared over the next year and in October 2011, they were voted #38 in DJ Mag's Top 100...
, Zedd, Bimbo Jones
Bimbo Jones
Bimbo Jones is a UK dance music group comprising producers Lee Dagger and Marc JB and vocalist Katherine Ellis. Known for their remix work and white label releases, they produced a remix of Meck's 2006 UK number-one single "Thunder in My Heart Again"...
and Twin Shadow
Twin Shadow
Twin Shadow is the stage name of American musician George Lewis Jr. Lewis who was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Florida. Around 2000 Lewis moved to Boston where he started the band Mad Man Films alongside Joseph Ciampini of Hooray For Earth, and Zak Longo of Before Lazers. Mad Man...
. It was released on March 29, 2011, for digital download only, with the name Born This Way – The Remixes Part 2. Gaga released a "Country Road Version" of the song on March 15, 2011, via her Twitter account. The version opens with the sound of guitars and then introduces a fuzzed-out slide guitar
Slide (guitar technique)
A slide is a legato guitar technique where the player sounds one note, and then moves their finger up or down the fretboard to another fret. If done properly, the other note should also sound....
and harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
wheeze
Wheeze
A wheeze is a continuous, coarse, whistling sound produced in the respiratory airways during breathing. For wheezes to occur, some part of the respiratory tree must be narrowed or obstructed, or airflow velocity within the respiratory tree must be heightened...
, with the original disco beats replaced by restrained brush drumming
Drumming (snipe)
Drumming is a sound produced by snipe as part of their courtship display flights. The sound is produced mechanically by the vibration of the modified outer tail feathers, held out at a wide angle to the body, in the slipstream of a power dive. The display is usually crepuscular, or given...
and a more laid-back vibe. Once the first chorus starts, the song chugs alongside the harmonica sounds. Just before the three-minute mark, Gaga sings new lyrics, "If I wanna make it country, baby, then it's OK, cuz I was born, I was born, I was born this way," over a picked mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
. According to Gil Kaufman of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, the song breaks into full-on country-rock mode, reminiscent of late-period Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
music, in the final minute. A portion of the money earned from sales of "Country Road Version" went to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network is an organization in the United States that seeks to end discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in K-12 schools. GLSEN is headquartered in New York City and the District of Columbia...
(GLSEN).
A Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
version of the song was done by Indian music producer duo Salim and Sulaiman Merchant
Salim-Sulaiman
Salim Merchant And Sulaiman Merchant are a musical duo of brothers, born and brought up in Bhuj, Kutch, India. They belong to Ismaili Muslim family and are inspired by their father Sadruddin Merchant, who used to lead Ismaili Scouts Orchestra in India..Steeped in a family tradition of music as the...
. The remix was released on DesiHits.com, a website for South Asian music and entertainment news. The Merchants were discussing music projects with Anjula Acharia-Bath of DesiHits.com, when they came to learn that Gaga, who did not have much reach within the Indian diaspora
Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin
A Non-Resident Indian is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian...
, was interested in a Bollywood remix for "Born This Way". The Merchants were contacted by Gaga's manager, Troy Carter, and the remix was finalized. Sulaiman explained that they received Gaga's raw vocals from "Born This Way", and using it as a base, they designed the remix. "We sent her a rough cut of our composition for initial feedback on whether we were giving it the right groove. She loved it and that’s how we went about it," he added. The Merchants used a number of Indian musical instruments like the dugi, sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
by Sunil Das, and the dhol
Dhol
Dhol can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent and nearby regions. Its range of distribution in India and Pakistan primarily includes northern areas such as the Assam Valley, Bengal, Gujarat,...
and dholak
Dholak
The Dholak is a North Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese double-headed hand-drum Madal. The name dholki may also refer to a slightly different instrument that uses high-pitch tabla style syahi masala on its treble skin. This instrument is also known as Naal or Dholki....
in the chorus. Sulaiman told MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
' Jocelyn Vena:
"It's been such a big track, it's been very popular, and when you consider the style, it's very aggressive. It's got all the stuff that's required to make it a nice clubby track, so for us, the most important thing was: How do you get it into a zone where it's palpable to the Indian flavor? And the first thing we did was bring in a sitar, and that changed the flavor a little bit. We kept the aggression but changed the style and made it a little more four on the floor, a little more house."
Salim said that he sang a little bit of alaap
Indian classical music
The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music...
to give the remix a Sufi
Sufi music
Sufi music is the devotional music of the Sufis, inspired by the works of Sufi poets, like Rumi, Hafiz, Bulleh Shah and Khwaja Ghulam Farid.Qawwali is the most well known form of Sufi music, common in India and Pakistan...
touch, "as that's the kind of music we do and it was also about adding our signature." Gaga's management team were satisfied with their remix and wanted them to do another remix of her next song, "Judas
Judas (song)
"Judas" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga, taken from her second studio album Born This Way . The song was released worldwide on April 15, 2011, four days ahead of its scheduled release, by Interscope Records. Written and produced by Lady Gaga and RedOne, "Judas" is a dance song that...
". The Bollywood remixes were a part of the Indian tracklist of Born This Way.
Critical reception
Michael Cragg from The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
called the song a "disco anthem", and said the chorus "crashes in with the weight of a discarded meat dress
Meat dress of Lady Gaga
American pop singer Lady Gaga wore a dress made of raw beef, which was commonly referred to by the media as the meat dress, to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. Designed by Franc Fernandez and styled by Nicola Formichetti, the dress was condemned by animal rights groups and named by Time as the top...
". He also felt that the "campness" of the music made the lyrics sound less serious than it is. Rick Florino of Artistdirect
ARTISTdirect
Founded in 1994, Artistdirect, Inc. is an online digital media entertainment company. It owns several websites including Artistdirect.com, UBL.com and the Artistdirect Network...
gave the song five out of five stars and labeled it as "an immediate pop classic", complimenting the hook and the chorus. Alison Schwartz from People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
added that "the club-ready anthem, complete with a few A Capella chants and Italian lyrics, shows off Gaga's powerhouse vocal chords—and knack for powerful songwriting." Jem Aswad from Billboard responded positively to the anthemic nature of the song, and felt that it would become a staple song to be played on the radio and dancefloors in the following months. Nick Levine of Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
gave the song five out of five stars, describing it as a "life-affirming equality anthem, a straight-up club pumper and a flat-out fantastic pop song." Writing for Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
, Sal Cinquemani understood that Gaga "has tapped into something truly special, maybe even important." He also complimented the song's underlying message of equality. Meghan Casserly of Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
expected "Born This Way" to be the biggest gay anthem
Gay anthem
A gay anthem is a song that has become widely popular among, or has become identified with, the LGBT community; usually with gay men. The lyrics of gay anthems are often marked with hope against the odds, pride, unity, or defiance...
ever, since, according to her, it was written with that purpose in mind. Annie Yuan of The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
labeled the song "a hodge-podge of other pop tunes." Kevin O'Donnell of Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
gave a mixed review, pointing out lyrical similarities to Michael Jackson's "Black or White" (1991). He added that seeing the hype surrounding the project, he expected Gaga to release a song "as epic and instantly classic as The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' 'A Day in the Life
A Day in the Life
"A Day in the Life" is a song by The Beatles, the final track on the group's 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, the song comprises distinct segments written independently by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, with orchestral additions...
' or Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
's 'Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera...
'. Imagine what she'd come up with if she'd spent more than ten minutes writing [the song]."
Many critics noted similarities between "Born This Way" and Madonna's 1989 song, "Express Yourself". Popjustice
Popjustice
Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 and is the work of UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for NME, The Guardian, Attitude and many others....
website pointed out the influence of other Madonna songs like "Deeper and Deeper
Deeper and Deeper
"Deeper and Deeper" is a song by Madonna, released as the second single from her 1992 studio album Erotica. It was released in December 1992 by Maverick Records....
" (1993) and "Vogue" (1990). Rob Sheffield
Rob Sheffield
Rob Sheffield is an American music journalist and author. He is currently a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, writing music reviews and essays on pop culture. Prior to that, he was a contributing editor at Blender before the print version of the magazine folded in 2009, and at Spin...
of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
acknowledged the influences of Madonna but pointed out that they would not overshadow the song, as it "[summed] up all the complex Gaga mythos, all her politics and Catholic angst and smeared lipstick, in one brilliant pop blast." Caryn Ganz, while writing for Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
, criticized "Born This Way", stating that the song was "overworked, overwrought, noisy, cheesy, and very, very derivative." She specifically noted the similarities to songs like "When Love Takes Over
When Love Takes Over
"When Love Takes Over" is a song by French disc jockey -music producer David Guetta from his fourth studio album, One Love. It was released as the lead single from the album on 21 April 2009 by Virgin Records...
" (2010), "Waterfalls" (1993), and three of Madonna's songs: "Express Yourself", "Ray of Light
Ray of Light (song)
A high-speed electronic dance song, "Ray of Light" has received stylistic comparisons to rave, psychedelic and acid music. The track contains strong techno elements, as well as disco, trance and Eurodance influences, and it sees Madonna deepen her dance roots and go for a more electronic sound...
" (1998), and "Vogue". Megan Friedman from Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
and Marissa Moss from The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
summarized their reaction as "mixed", due to the similarities they found with "Express Yourself". Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
noted that the imitative nature of the song would affect perceptions of Gaga's artistry, since "Born This Way" was "[basically] a reworking of Madonna's 'Express Yourself' with a touch of 'Vogue', which is a bit too much Madonna for someone who is trying to establish her own identity as the, er, new Madonna."
Ann Powers
Ann Powers
Ann Powers is an American writer and pop music critic.Powers has been writing about popular music and society since the early 1980s...
of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
concluded that "Born This Way" had an entirely different message from the Madonna songs it was being compared to and further defended it by saying, "Whether its sound comes too close to one or another Madonna song seems beside the point; what current pop hit doesn't go green by recycling something familiar?" Sheffield defended Gaga by pointing out that "Express Yourself" was also copied by Madonna from the Staple Singers
The Staple Singers
The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples , the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha , Pervis , Yvonne , and Mavis...
' song, "Respect Yourself
Respect Yourself
"Respect Yourself" is the name of a classic soul song by American R&B/gospel group The Staple Singers. Released in late 1971 from their album Be Altitude: Respect Yourself, the song became a crossover hit. It peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and reached #2 on the Hot Soul...
". Gaga herself addressed the comparisons on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
, explaining that she had received an e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
from Madonna's representatives, who had mentioned their support for "Born This Way". If the Queen says it shall be, then it shall be," she added. CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
later reported that Madonna's representatives were not aware that the singer, or her team, had sent Gaga an e-mail regarding the situation. Two months later, while getting interviewed by NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
magazine, Gaga further addressed the comparisons to "Express Yourself":
"Why would I try to put out a song and think I'm getting one over everybody? That's retarded. I will look in your eyes and tell you that I'm not dumb enough or moronic enough to think that you are dumb or moronic enough not to see that I would have stolen a melody. If you put the songs next to each other, side by side, the only similarities are the chord progressionChord progressionA chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
. It's the same one that has been in disco music for the last 50 years. Just because I'm the first fucking artist in 25 years to think of putting it on Top 40 radio, it doesn't mean I'm a plagiarist, it means I'm fucking smart. Sorry."
Chart performance
In the United States, "Born This Way" debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart, for the issue dated February 26, 2011, as well as becoming Gaga's third number one single. "Born This Way" became the nineteenth song to debut at number one on the Hot 100, and the 1000th number one single in the chart's history. The song sold 448,000 digital downloads in three days, the most downloads in a first week by a female artist, beating the previous record held by Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
' "Hold It Against Me
Hold It Against Me
"Hold It Against Me" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, released as the first single from her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale. It was written and produced by Max Martin, Dr. Luke and Billboard, with additional writing by Bonnie McKee. Luke explained that he wanted "Hold It...
". "Born This Way" remained at the top the following week, selling another 509,000 copies in its first full week of release, and becoming the first song to enter the Hot 100 at number one and hold that position for a second week since Clay Aiken
Clay Aiken
Clayton Holmes "Clay" Aiken is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and author who began his rise to fame on the second season of the television program American Idol in 2003. RCA Records offered him a recording contract, and his multi-platinum debut album Measure of a Man was released...
's "This Is The Night" in 2003. Subsequently, the song held the number one spot for six weeks making it the only song to debut at number one and stay there for over a month since Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
’s "Candle in the Wind 1997
Candle in the Wind 1997
"Candle in the Wind 1997" is a rewritten and rerecorded version of Elton John's own 1973 hit "Candle in the Wind" that was released as a tribute single to the late Diana, Princess of Wales....
" in 1997. "Born This Way" went onto break the record for the fastest selling song in iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
history, selling a million copies worldwide in five days. The song's CD single sold 24,000 copies in its first week of release and a total of 40,000 copies till March 2011. As of October 8, 2011, "Born This Way" has sold 3,285,000 digital copies in the United States. It is her eighth consecutive song to top the two million mark, and her sixth song to reach three million downloads.
"Born This Way" debuted at number 14 on Billboards Pop Songs
Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs)
The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart...
chart with 4,602 plays after three days of availability, the highest detections total by a debuting song in the chart's history. It was the second-highest debut on that chart, behind Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
's "Dreamlover" (1993) which debuted at number 12. In its seventh week on the chart, "Born This Way" reached the top, becoming Gaga's seventh number-one song there, thus tying her with Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
and Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
as the artist's with the most number one songs on the chart. In addition, the song broke the overall airplay debut record with a first week audience of 78.5 million, entering at number six on the Radio Songs chart; this feat surpassed Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
's "All for You" (2001) which had debuted at number nine with an audience of 70 million. "Born This Way" topped the chart after seven weeks, becoming her second number-one radio song after "Paparazzi"
Paparazzi (Lady Gaga song)
"Paparazzi" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga. It was released as the final single from her debut album The Fame . Written by Rob Fusari and Gaga, the song portrays Gaga's struggles in her quest for fame, as well as balancing success and love...
. "Born This Way" topped the Japan Hot 100
Japan Hot 100
The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com ....
and Hot Dance Club Songs charts, reached top-ten on Latin Pop Airplay and Adult Contemporary, and number 11 on Adult Top 40 charts. "Born This Way" took the number one position in its debut week in Canada, remaining atop the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
for seven weeks.
On February 20, 2011, the single debuted at number one in Australia on the official ARIA Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
, becoming Gaga's third number-one single there, and the highest selling song to debut at the top. "Born This Way" was certified four-times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA) for shipment of 280,000 copies of the single. The single debuted at number one on the New Zealand RIANZ
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
charts, becoming Gaga's second number-one single there after "Poker Face
Poker Face (Lady Gaga song)
"Poker Face" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga from her debut album, The Fame. Produced by RedOne, it was released as the album's second single in late 2008 for some markets and in early 2009 for the rest of the world...
" (2008). It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
(RIANZ) for shipment of 15,000 copies of the single. In the United Kingdom, "Born This Way" logged first week sales of 60,000 digital copies, landing it at number three on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, which became its peak position. Elsewhere, the song debuted atop the charts in Spain, Finland, Ireland and the Netherlands. "Born This Way" debuted at number two in Italy, France, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Germany and Belgium (Flanders). In addition, it debuted at number-four in Denmark and then moved to the second spot. It also entered the top ten of the charts in Czech Republic and Hungary and reached the top of the charts in South Korea.
Development
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was shot the weekend of January 22–24, 2011 in New York City, and was described by Gaga's team as a "profound, so inspiring and so incredibly beautiful" video. The video was directed by Nick Knight
Nick Knight (photographer)
Nick Knight OBE is a British fashion photographer, documentary photographer, and web publisher—as director of SHOWstudio.com.-Life and career:Knight studied at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design....
. Choreographer Laurieann Gibson told MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
that the video would be "shocking" and one can expect the execution of the highest level of vocal music art and dance. Hollywoodlife.com reported that Gaga spent the first week of February editing the video in Greenwich Hotel, New York, working during the night as she had to spend the morning rehearsing for her upcoming Grammy Awards performance. Media reports suggested that the singer might play the character of Jo Calderone, the male model she had portrayed in the September issue of Vogue Hommes, Japan. Fernando Garibay
Fernando Garibay
Fernando Garibay is a Mexican music producer, DJ, and songwriter. He was the official musical director for musician Lady Gaga during the making of her third album Born This Way.Garibay has been making records since the age of sixteen...
explained that the video "is of cultural relevance, and hopefully helps people that are an outcast, bullied. Hopefully makes people aware that it's OK to be yourself." According to Gaga, she was inspired by the paintings of Salvador Dalí
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....
and Francis Bacon, and their surrealistic
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
images. Gibson explained the inspiration behind the video to MTV News:
"When she played it for me, it took me a while to find out the visual interpretation that I could give back to her. And so I woke up one night and I got it, and I said, 'I got it: We have to birth a new race.' From the gate, Gaga was like, 'I want Nick Knight for this video. I want a visual.' She was always birthing something visual in her head, and Nick Knight is just, well, he's prolific but he's so genius. It was about pushing the bar of what a music video should be and can be. [...] It's a different time; it's a different era; there are no limits. It is a viral message. I think that there's something in there for everyone, and that's what's so amazing about the video and so specific about the message."
Gibson recalled having to work with Gaga on her dancing in the video, and to make her a better dancer she wanted Gaga to be confident. Gaga chose New York to shoot the video because the city is her birth place. Before shooting started, Gibson and Gaga decided there was only one place to work on the avant-garde, modern dance routine for the video, Alvin Alley, where Gibson had studied dance. "We rehearsed there because the choreography is really modern-based. It's, like, more technical than anything she's ever done," she recalled. Shooting also took place in Brooklyn for two days. Since Gaga did not want set pictures to be taken before the video was ready, her team had to hide the location and were successful, except at the last day when paparazzi
Paparazzi
Paparazzi is an Italian term used to refer to photojournalists who specialize in candid photography of celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people...
started sneaking around.
The video featured full-bodied tattooed model Rick Genest
Rick Genest
Rick Genest is a Canadian artist and fashion model born in Montreal. He is also known as Zombie Boy for being tattooed like a corpse across the majority of his body. From October 2011, Rick is in a relationship with Kasiia Fik....
(Rico), better known by his stage name Zombie Boy. Gaga painted her face in a similar way to Genest, in one of the sequences. She said that the scene displayed the fact that she would not allow society or critics to dictate her beauty. "I tell you what I think is beauty, and hence the scene was of me and Rico defining ourselves in artistic way and not relying on society to dictate it," she added. The costumes for the video were designed by Nicola Formichetti
Nicola Formichetti
Nicola Formichetti is an internationally prolific fashion director and fashion editor of mixed Italian and Japanese heritage. He is most widely known as the new creative director for the French fashion house MUGLER, and for being a frequent collaborator with singer-songwriter and performance...
, who blogged about the various designer pieces shown in it. In the opening sequence of the video, Gaga wore a head accessory by Alexis Bittar
Alexis Bittar
Alexis Bittar is an American jewelry designer and recipient of the 2010 CFDA Accessory Designer of the Year award.-Personal life:...
, a diamond neckpiece by Erickson Beamon with earrings by Pamela Love, and a stained-glass dress by Petra Storrs. Finger rings were provided by Erickson Beamon and chiffon clothes by Thierry Mugler
Thierry Mugler
Thierry Mugler is a French fashion designer and creator of several perfumes.-Childhood:Mugler was born in Strasbourg, France on 21 December 1948. His passion led him to focus more on drawing than on school and at the age of 9, he began to study classical dance...
. For the "Born This Way" skeleton scene, both she and Rico wore tuxedos by Mugler while the slime during the orgy scenes were courtesy of Bart Hess. For her Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
impression in the alley, Gaga wore shirt and pants by Haus of Gaga
Haus of Gaga
The Haus of Gaga is pop singer Lady Gaga's personal creative team and is responsible for much of her distinctive style. The Haus creates most of the clothing, props, stage sets, and makeup for Gaga's live performances and other visual representations of her work, as well as individual pieces that...
, shoes by Natacha Marro, a Billykirk belt and LaCrasia gloves.
Synopsis
The music video was released on Monday, February 28, 2011, and begins with a brief shot of a UnicornUnicorn
The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
's silhouette in a steam-filled alley, inside a pink triangle
Pink triangle
The pink triangle was one of the Nazi concentration camp badges, used to identify male prisoners who were sent there because of their homosexuality. Every prisoner had to wear a downward-pointing triangle on his or her jacket, the colour of which was to categorise him or her by "kind"...
frame. The triangle transitions to a shot of Gaga, with two opposite facing heads, sitting in an ornate glass throne amidst a star-filled space. Bernard Herrmann
Bernard Herrmann
Bernard Herrmann was an American composer noted for his work in motion pictures.An Academy Award-winner , Herrmann is particularly known for his collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock, most famously Psycho, North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo...
’s prelude to the movie Vertigo
Vertigo (film)
Vertigo is a 1958 psychological thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring James Stewart, Kim Novak, and Barbara Bel Geddes. The screenplay was written by Alec Coppel and Samuel A...
plays while Gaga declares, "This is the manifesto of Mother Monster," and begins telling the prologue of the video—a story of the creation of an extraterrestrial race which "bears no prejudice, no judgment, but boundless freedom." Gaga is shown sitting in the throne above a planet, with her legs spread apart
Lithotomy position
The lithotomy position is a medical term referring to a common position for surgical procedures and medical examinations involving the pelvis and lower abdomen, as well as a common position for childbirth in Western nations...
, giving birth to a "new race within the race of humanity." As she continues, Gaga explains that the birth of the new race was followed by the birth of evil, due to which Gaga is split in half while being pulled between the two opposing forces of good and evil. Her new half gives birth to an assault rifle and begins to fire it. The prologue concludes with Gaga questioning, "How can I protect something so perfect, without evil?"
As the song begins, numerous people are shown on their hands and knees in a motionless, organized pattern, in a seemingly endless black space. Gaga appears in a black bra and underwear, with shoulder and facial protrusions. She begins walking in an eccentric manner among them with raised hand, before contently nodding her head and crouching on her hands and knees to join them. When the first verse begins, everyone raises their head and begins dancing to elaborate choreography. The scenes alternate between the dance, and Gaga singing on her throne in space. As the second verse begins, Gaga and Rico are both shown wearing tuxedos, with her face painted to mirror his full-body zombie tattoos. Alternating clips show Gaga caressing and attempting to dance with him while he stays expressionless and motionless for the most part. When the chorus plays for the second time, Gaga sings in a room of mirrors, with her head displayed in a glass box among several oddly distorted mannequin heads. In the succeeding shots, she is once again shown on her throne giving birth to more members of the new race. Several more choreographed routines are performed by Gaga and her dancers, and when the song ends, they all gather in a circle and embrace in a hug.
In the video's conclusion, a person's silhouette dances and struts in an alley, a tribute to Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel
The Way You Make Me Feel
"The Way You Make Me Feel" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. Released by Epic Records in November 1987, it was the third single from Jackson's seventh studio album Bad. Written and composed by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones , the song is credited as being a pop and R&B...
" video. The silhouette is revealed to be Gaga; her face drastically misconstrued, with sharp horns protruding from her face, glowing eyes, uneven hair, and a distinct Madonna-esque gap between her front teeth. The gap in her teeth is said to be inspired by the gap she had when she was young. Lady Gaga has commented how she was often teased for it and kids would call her "rabbit teeth". She sheds a single tear as the pink triangle frame appears again, and inside it, a silhouette of Gaga sitting atop the unicorn. A city is seen in the background and a rainbow appears above her, and the final shot is a closeup of Gaga in her zombie makeup, chewing bubble gum and blowing it, as the pink triangle zooms away.
Reception
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
praised the overall creationism
Creationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
concept of the music video, adding that it "sort of makes sense, it sort of doesn't, but that 100 percent doesn't really matter much. This is Gaga at her most fabulous, her most out-there, her most, well, Gaga." In conclusion of his review, he wrote that the fantasy aspects of the video is overshadowed by the overall spectacle, which he believed was analogous to Gaga, "after thoroughly dominating this world with 'Born This Way,' [she] seems content to create brand-new worlds to tower over." Myrddin Gwynedd of The New Zealand Herald
The New Zealand Herald
- External links :* * *...
felt that Gaga's penchant for eccentric and provocative imagery, was extreme in the video. Raphael Chestang from Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
praised the performance of Gaga and her dancers in the video, also complimenting the fashion. Monica Herrera from Billboard noticed that the video bore similarities to the music video of Madonna's "Vogue" and "Borderline
Borderline (song)
"Borderline" is a song by American pop singer Madonna from her self-titled debut album. It was released on February 15, 1984 as the fifth single from the album, by Sire Records. Written and composed by producer Reggie Lucas, the song received remix treatment from Madonna's then boyfriend John...
" (1984), while believing it to be "more of a high-fashion short film than a conventional music video". Jim Farber from New York Daily News wanted Gaga to add more humor in her videos, adding that although the video had "joyous" shock value, it definitely lacked creativity.
Oscar Moralde from Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
noted that in the video, "Gaga fully embraces the monstrous as a part of her." Moralde further explained that previously the singer had acknowledged her role as "Mother Monster", but never to the visceral, fully embodied extent that she does in the video. "The things that are monstrous, the things that are different—for Gaga, those are the things that are beautiful," he concluded. Gina Serpe from E! Online criticized it for being a "Madonna rip-off", while Matthew Perpetua of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
noted similarities to some of Madonna's work and the imagery from in the 1927 German expressionist
German Expressionism
German Expressionism refers to a number of related creative movements beginning in Germany before the First World War that reached a peak in Berlin, during the 1920s...
film, Metropolis
Metropolis (film)
Metropolis is a 1927 German expressionist film in the science-fiction genre directed by Fritz Lang. Produced in Germany during a stable period of the Weimar Republic, Metropolis is set in a futuristic urban dystopia and makes use of this context to explore the social crisis between workers and...
. Ann Powers
Ann Powers
Ann Powers is an American writer and pop music critic.Powers has been writing about popular music and society since the early 1980s...
from Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
noted that the video paid tribute to the Goddess movement
Goddess movement
The Goddess movement is an overall trend in religious or spiritual beliefs or practices which emerged out of second-wave feminism, predominantly in North America, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand in the 1970s...
and feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
. According to her, with the video Gaga made goddess culture accessible to the mass, by portraying images borrowed from fine art, cinema and cool subcultures. Examples given by her included the portrayal of Rico as her partner, instead of a conventional-looking male or female consort. Powers further added that "Gaga has found a way to place female empowerment at the center of her vision without sacrificing the gains she makes by being a daddy’s girl or a 'boy toy'." Megan Powers from Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
criticized the video and Gaga's usage of shock-imagery, which she still found "strange". The video has been noted for its cultural references and artistic similarities, not only to other recording artists such as Jackson and Madonna, but to Greek
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
and Roman mythology
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans...
, surrealism and the work of Swiss painter H. R. Giger
H. R. Giger
Hans Rudolf "Ruedi" Giger is a Swiss surrealist painter, sculptor, and set designer. He won an Academy Award for Best Achievement for Visual Effects for his design work on the film Alien.-Early life:...
and late fashion designer Alexander McQueen
Alexander McQueen
Lee Alexander McQueen, CBE was a British fashion designer and couturier best known for his in-depth knowledge of bespoke British tailoring, his tendency to juxtapose strength with fragility in his collections, as well as the emotional power and raw energy of his provocative fashion shows...
. The video won two awards at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
2011 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards took place on August 28, at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. On July 20, the nominees were announced...
, in the categories of Best Female Video
MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video
The MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video is one of the original general awards that has been handed out every year since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, however, the award was briefly renamed Female Artist of the Year, and it awarded the artist's whole body of work...
and Best Video With a Message. Along with the song winning the 2011 MTV Europe Music Award
2011 MTV Europe Music Awards
The 2011 MTV EMAs were held in Northern Ireland's capital Belfast, on Sunday, November 6, 2011, at the Odyssey Arena in the Titanic Quarter area of the city and were hosted by Selena Gomez...
for Best Song
MTV Europe Music Award for Best Song
The MTV Europe Music Award for Best Song is the main award of the EMA's. It was first awarded in 1994, when "7 Seconds" won it, and has been given out since. Lady Gaga,Pink and Beyoncé have been the big winners with two awards. In 2007 and 2008 the category was named Most Addictive Track, but in...
, Gaga won also the award for Best Video
MTV Europe Music Award for Best Video
The MTV Europe Music Award for Best Video initially awarded to Best Director, but in 1997 the category was renamed to Best Video. The winner of this category is chosen by MTV.-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:...
with "Born This Way" at the same event.
Live performances
On the February 9, 2011, episode of The Ellen DeGeneres ShowThe Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
, singers Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
and James Blunt
James Blunt
James Hillier Blount , better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", brought him to fame in 2005...
performed their own rendition of the song along with DeGeneres, improvising
Musical improvisation
Musical improvisation is the creative activity of immediate musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental technique as well as spontaneous response to other musicians...
the music, while singing the chorus. During the show, Gaga confirmed via telephone, that she will perform "Born This Way" on February 13, 2011, at the 53rd Grammy Awards
53rd Grammy Awards
The 53rd annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prior to the telecast on February 11. Nominations were...
. Gaga arrived at the ceremony in a giant incubating vessel that was carried onto the red carpet by numerous fashion models. She later emerged from another bigger egg on stage, dressed in a high ponytail, gold bra top and long skirt, with black and gold makeup and pointed shoulders and horns protruding from her face. The "Born This Way" performance was introduced by Ricky Martin
Ricky Martin
Enrique "Ricky" Martín Morales , better known as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican and Spanish pop singer and actor who achieved prominence, first as a member of the Latin boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist since 1991.During his career he has sold more than 60 million album copies worldwide...
. In the first few seconds after performing the intro of the song, Gaga emerged from the egg, and after the first chorus, she whipped her hair in a manner similar to singer Willow Smith
Willow Smith
Willow Camille Reign Smith , often known simply as Willow, is an American child actress and singer. She is the daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, and the younger sister of Jaden Smith. Smith made her acting debut in 2007 in the film I Am Legend and later appeared in Kit Kittredge: An...
. Before the "No matter gay, straight or bi" line of the song, an organ emerged from the stage floor. Gaga played the music on the organ, which was surrounded by mannequin heads submerged in gel, before belting out the rest of the bridge as her dancers surrounded her. Before leaving the stage, Gaga put on her trench and hat as the song faded out and Gaga and her dancers ended the performance with their hands put up in paws.
According to Gaga the Grammy performance was inspired by many things, including Gregorian music
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
, Alvin Ailey dance moves and Martha Graham
Martha Graham
Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...
's dance energy. On The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
she explained that Smith inspired her to "whip my hair back and forth on stage," referring to Smith's similar named song
Whip My Hair
"Whip My Hair" is a song sung by American recording artist Willow Smith. The song is the debut single from her eponymous debut album, Willow. The song was written by Janae Rockwell and Ronald "Jukebox" Jackson, with the latter producing the track...
. Gaga continued that the incubating vessel was meant to signify an artistic statement of birthing a new race with no prejudice. The idea occurred to her when she was in Amsterdam on her tour bus, and was thinking about birth and embryos. She had thought to herself, "Gosh, the thing I hate most about doing award shows is, it can be distracting... I want to exist only for my fans and for the stage. I don't want to exist in this machine or this circus that is the industry. I wish I could be encapsulated for three days and just think only about my performance, think only about the album, think only about the future of my fans. So that's what I did." Jocelyn Vena from MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
felt that the performance was "surprisingly" sparse compared to Gaga's previous "over-the-top" endeavors. Soraya Roberts from New York Daily News was disappointed with the "highly expected" performance, feeling that it had copied Madonna and her Blond Ambition World Tour
Blond Ambition World Tour
The Blond Ambition World Tour was the third concert tour by American singer-songwriter, Madonna. The tour was launched in support of her fourth studio album, Like a Prayer, and the soundtrack, I'm Breathless. The tour reached North America, Europe and Asia. It was a highly controversial tour,...
choreography. Jason Lipscultz from Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
described the performance as "spirited", and felt that Gaga's appearance inside the egg was one of the memorable moments of the Grammy Awards. Jennifer Armstrong from Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
praised the performance saying that although there were definite influences of Madonna in it, the performance was one of the highlights of the show. Matthew Perpetua from Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
concurred that "It should come as no surprise that Lady Gaga's performance of her new single 'Born This Way' was the evening's most visually stunning and bizarre spectacle."
At the February 19, 2011, date of The Monster Ball Tour
The Monster Ball Tour
The Monster Ball Tour was the second worldwide concert tour by American recording artist Lady Gaga. Staged in support of her album The Fame Monster and comprising a set list of songs from that and her debut album The Fame , the tour visited arenas and stadiums from 2009 through 2011...
, Gaga performed "Born This Way" as a second encore, using the same general attire and choreography as the Grammy performance, however the incubation vessel was not present and slight alterations were made in the outfits of her dancers. The track was then added to the set-list of the concert tour. Tris McCall from The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
was most impressed with the performance, calling it one of the highlights of the concert. He added that "reinterpretation of the single, which was far more Laura Nyro
Laura Nyro
Laura Nyro was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved considerable critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and New York Tendaberry, and had commercial success with artists such as Barbra Streisand and The 5th...
than Madonna, was such an improvement over the mechanized, tricked-out hit version that it was hard not to wish she could get back to the studio and re-cut it before the album comes out." Gaga performed an acoustic version on The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, in May 2011, along with another song from Born This Way, "You and I". Sitting atop a high stool, Gaga—in a red leather blazer, a floppy mask-like hat and see-through leopard bodysuit—played a piano made out of a wire high-heel structure. She began with an acoustic, piano-driven version of "Born This Way", and then removed the hat as a synth kicked in for "You and I". The high-heel structure was designed by Gaga's sister Natalie Germanotta.
At The Graham Norton Show
The Graham Norton Show
The Graham Norton Show is a British comedy chat show that is broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom. It was originally shown on BBC Two from February 2007 to May 2009 until it moved to BBC One from October 2009...
in May 2011, Gaga performed "Born This Way" as the closing song of the show, while on Radio 1's Big Weekend in Carlisle, Cumbria it was the opening song of the set list
Set list
A set list, or setlist, is a document that lists the songs that a band or musical artist intends to play, or has played, during a specific concert performance...
. Gaga started the show by emerging from a coffin, with a pregnant belly and dressed in leather. She started singing the song, and her biker-punk theme dressed dancers removed her pregnant belly to display her spiky shoulder outfit. Another performance took place at the season finale
Saturday Night Live (season 36)
Saturday Night Live aired its thirty-sixth season during the 2010–2011 television season on NBC. This season began on September 25, 2010 with former cast member Amy Poehler serving as host and Katy Perry as the musical guest, and ended on May 21, 2011 with Justin Timberlake serving as host and Lady...
of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, where the singer wore a metallic dress and a side ponytail. Midway through her performance, she displayed a pregnant belly as she emerged from within her dancers. Few days later, Gaga performed the song on Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
as a part of their "Summer Concert Series". She wore gold horns and a gold sequined jacket, and near the end of the performance she joined her dancers in a tank filled with 1,800 pounds
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
of dyed gel. During a promotional visit in Europe in June 2011, piano versions of the song was performed on the final show of the sixth season
Germany's Next Topmodel, Cycle 6
Germany's Next Topmodel, Cycle 6 is the sixth season of the show that was aired on the German television network ProSieben. The show started airing on March 3, 2011. In difference to the last two years, a preselection was done and open castings were not part of the show anymore. The first episode...
of Germany's Next Topmodel, and at the EuroPride 2011
Europride
Europride is a pan-European international event dedicated to LGBT pride, hosted by a different European city each year. The host city is usually one with an established gay pride event or a significant LGBT community....
in Rome. A medley of "Judas" and "Born This Way" was the closing performance on the Paul O'Grady Live
Paul O'Grady Live
Paul O'Grady Live was a British comedy chat show hosted by Paul O'Grady, that began airing on 10 September 2010 on ITV1 and ITV1 HD/STV HD/UTV HD in the United Kingdom. The show is a Friday night chat show that features a mixture of celebrity guests, airing at 21:00. The show culminates with...
show in London. Ryan Love of Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
had a preview of the show's recording, and felt that this was the best performance of the two songs by the singer. Gaga closed the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards
2011 MuchMusic Video Awards
The 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at MuchMusic's headquarters on June 19, 2011. The awards were aired on MuchMusic, CP24, E!, MuchHD and Fuse. Along with the MuchMusic VJ's, it was confirmed on the MuchMusic website that Selena Gomez will host the show...
with "Born This Way", appearing on stage inside a hanging cocoon, and emerging from it wearing a high-waistline trouser and a ruffled feathered top. Near the end of the song, she removed the feathered top and the yellow jacket underneath it. While on tour in Japan, "Born This Way" was performed along with "The Edge of Glory" on the 2011 MTV Video Music Aid Japan
2011 MTV Video Music Aid Japan
The 2011 MTV Video Music Aid Japan were held in Chiba on June 25, 2011 at the Makuhari Messe. The VMAJ were the culmination of MTV Japan's Music of Hope campaign, the channel's multiplatform response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami...
. Gaga was dressed in a sparkly sequined bra and long skirt with a split up each thigh. After finishing performing "The Edge of Glory", she sneaked around the stage, and climbed some stairs to reach her piano—which was decked up to look like a giant spider—before launching into an acoustic version of "Born This Way". After the first verse, she came down from the piano and joined her dancers for the album version of the song.
Other versions
On March 3, 2011, during her concert in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
(Canada), Gaga performed an a capella version of the song with ten-year old Maria Aragon. Gaga had been impressed by Aragon's singing abilities when the ten-year old uploaded her own version of "Born This Way" to YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. Aragon was subsequently invited on stage to sing with Gaga. She appeared wearing a fedora hat and carrying a stuffed monkey. Gaga sat at the piano, pulled Aragon onto her lap, before proceeding to sing a soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
-inspired rendition of "Born This Way", trading off verses. "Maria represents what this song is all about," Gaga told the Canadian crowd after the performance. "It's all about the next generation and the future." Later, Aragon was invited at Radio Hot 103
CKMM-FM
CKMM-FM is a Canadian radio station broadcasting a top 40 format in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is known as Hot 103. Hot 103 is owned and operated by Astral Media...
, where she sang the chorus of "Born This Way" through the phone. She also performed the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on February 23, 2011.
Fellow American singer Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
performed a stripped down version of "Born This Way", on the March 7, 2011, date of her California Dreams Tour
California Dreams Tour
California Dreams Tour is the second concert tour by American pop singer Katy Perry, in support of her third studio album Teenage Dream. Beginning February 2011, the tour will visit Europe, Australasia, Asia and the Americas...
, in Paris. The performance was accompanied by two guitarists playing acoustic guitars. The Glee cast
Characters of Glee
Glee is a musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
covered the song during a thematic episode of their second season
Glee (season 2)
The second season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee originally aired between September 21, 2010 and May 24, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
. The episode was named "Born This Way
Born This Way (Glee)
"Born This Way" is the eighteenth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 40th episode overall. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on April 26, 2011. The episode was written by Brad Falchuk and directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and is a tribute to...
", and aired in the United States in April 2011, on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
. Their version of the song was released for digital download, and sold 73,000 copies to enter the Billboard Hot 100 at number 44, and on the Canadian Hot 100 at number 31.
American singer-songwriter and parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
had sought permission from Gaga to parody "Born This Way", providing a brief description of the concept for his song. Her management responded that she must hear the song before providing approval. Yankovic obliged with the lyrics of "Perform This Way
Perform This Way
"Perform This Way" is a song parody by American musician "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga. The lyrics are told from the point of view of Gaga and describe her performance style and fashion sense...
", which was released on April 25, 2011, as the first single from his thirteenth studio album, Alpocalypse
Alpocalypse
Alpocalypse is the thirteenth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on June 21, 2011. It is his first studio release in almost five years, following the release of Straight Outta Lynwood in 2006. It is also his first studio album since 1989's UHF – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and...
, on iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
. After what Yankovic described as "considerable expense" in writing, recording, and mastering the song in the studio, he contacted Gaga's management again with a completed recording of the song. He was subsequently refused permission, without Gaga listening to the track and Yankovic getting the impression that the refusal came from the singer herself. Left with a completed song and abandoned plans for an outlandish music video to promote the song and album, Yankovic released it on YouTube. It was then that Gaga actually heard the song, and personally contacted Yankovic, giving him green light to include the song on Alpocalypse. BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's Alex Full aka the Cornish Fairy and singer Kirsten Joy Gill recorded a cover of the song called "Cornish This Way" in August 2011 as a modern Cornish
Cornish people
The Cornish are a people associated with Cornwall, a county and Duchy in the south-west of the United Kingdom that is seen in some respects as distinct from England, having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom such as Wales, as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe...
anthem. The song was recorded at the Maida Vale Studios
Maida Vale Studios
Maida Vale Studios is a complex of seven BBC studios on Delaware Road, Maida Vale, London.It has been used to record thousands of classical music, popular music and drama sessions for BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4 from 1946 to the present...
in London, and the music video was shot in Newquay
Newquay
Newquay is a town, civil parish, seaside resort and fishing port in Cornwall, England. It is situated on the North Atlantic coast of Cornwall approximately west of Bodmin and north of Truro....
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
at the Boardmasters Festival
Boardmasters Festival
The Boardmasters Festival is an annual event held in Newquay. The event is a combination of live music and a surf & skate contest.The majority of the music performances take place to the north of Newquay near Watergate Bay...
.
Track listing and formats
- Digital download
- "Born This Way" – 4:20
- Born This Way – The Remixes Part 1
- "Born This Way" (LA Riots Remix) – 6:32
- "Born This Way" (Chew Fu Born to Fix Remix) – 5:52
- "Born This Way" (DJ White Shadow Remix) – 4:24
- Born This Way – The Remixes Part 2
- "Born This Way" (Michael WoodsMichael Woods (producer)Michael Woods is a UK producer and remixer of various dance music genres, including electronic, trance and jazz. He has worked under the monikers Warrior, Accadia, M1 and M3.-History:...
Remix) – 6:24 - "Born This Way" (Dada LifeDada LifeDada Life are a Swedish electro house duo, consisting of Olle Corneer and Stefan Engblom. In 2010, Dada Life was voted #89 in DJ Magazine's annual Top 100 list of the most popular DJ's. Dada Life's popularity soared over the next year and in October 2011, they were voted #38 in DJ Mag's Top 100...
Remix) – 5:16 - "Born This Way" (ZeddZedd (producer)Anton Zaslavski known primarily by his stage name Zedd is a German electronic dance music producer and DJ from Kaiserslautern, Germany...
Remix) – 6:30 - "Born This Way" (GrumGrumGraeme Shepherd, better known by his stage name Grum, is an electronic musician from Scotland.-Career:Grum's debut album, Heartbeats, was released in May 2010. A confident debut record, inspired by 1980s disco, it has been compared to Daft Punk's Discovery and Mylo's Destroy Rock & Roll...
Remix) – 5:48 - "Born This Way" (Bimbo JonesBimbo JonesBimbo Jones is a UK dance music group comprising producers Lee Dagger and Marc JB and vocalist Katherine Ellis. Known for their remix work and white label releases, they produced a remix of Meck's 2006 UK number-one single "Thunder in My Heart Again"...
Club Remix) – 6:46 - "Born This Way" (Twin ShadowTwin ShadowTwin Shadow is the stage name of American musician George Lewis Jr. Lewis who was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Florida. Around 2000 Lewis moved to Boston where he started the band Mad Man Films alongside Joseph Ciampini of Hooray For Earth, and Zak Longo of Before Lazers. Mad Man...
Remix) – 4:06
- Limited Edition CD Single
- "Born This Way" – 4:21
- "Born This Way" (LA Riots Remix) – 6:33
- "Born This Way" (Chew Fu Born to Fix Remix) – 5:53
- "Born This Way" (DJ White Shadow Remix) – 4:24
- Limited 12" picture disc.
- "Born This Way" – 4:21
- "Born This Way" (LA Riots Remix) – 6:33
- "Born This Way" (Chew Fu Born to Fix Remix) – 5:53
- "Born This Way" (DJ White Shadow Remix) – 4:24
- Born This Way (The Country Road Version) – Single
- "Born This Way (The Country Road Version)" – 4:21
Credits and personnel
- Lady GagaLady GaGaStefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
– vocals, songwriter, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, keyboards, instrumentationInstrumentation (music)In music, instrumentation refers to the particular combination of musical instruments employed in a composition, and to the properties of those instruments individually...
and arrangementArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents... - Jeppe LaursenJeppe LaursenJeppe Breum Laursen is a Danish singer-songwriter and producer. Performing under the name "Senior," Jeppe was the lead vocalist for the dance-rock band Junior Senior. Dazed and Confused praised Jeppe's music for its "urgency and club appeal" and described it as "industrial synth-pop and...
– songwriter and producer - Fernando GaribayFernando GaribayFernando Garibay is a Mexican music producer, DJ, and songwriter. He was the official musical director for musician Lady Gaga during the making of her third album Born This Way.Garibay has been making records since the age of sixteen...
– songwriter, producer, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
, keyboards, instrumentation and arrangement - DJ White Shadow – songwriter, producer, programming
- David Russell – recordingSound recording and reproductionSound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
at Abbey Road StudiosAbbey Road StudiosAbbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
, London, EnglandLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Germano Studios, New York, New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
; audio mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
at Germano Studios, New York, New York - Gene Grimaldi – audio masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
at Oasis Mastering, Burbank, CaliforniaBurbank, CaliforniaBurbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340.... - Pete Hutchings – assistant
- Kenta Yonesaka – assistant
- Kevin Porter – assistant
- Al Carlson – assistant
Credits adapted from Born This Way album liner notes.
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
1 |
| Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
1 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
1 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 40 Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization... (Wallonia) |
3 |
| Brazil Billboard Hot 100 Airplay Brasil Hot 100 Airplay Brasil Hot 100 Airplay is the official music singles charts in Brazil. It has been compiled by Crowley Broadcast Analysis and published monthly by Billboard Brasil since the release of the magazine, in October 2009.... |
23 |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
1 |
| Czech Airplay Chart Rádio Top 100 Oficiální Rádio Top 100 Oficiální is the name of the Czech national airplay chart published by the IFPI Czech Republic on a weekly basis.Besides the main Top 100 record chart, also two component charts are effective. While the Rádio CZ 50 Oficiální features songs released exclusively by Czech and/or Slovak... |
8 |
| Danish Singles Chart Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
2 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
1 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 1 |
| French Singles Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
2 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
1 |
| Greek Airplay Chart IFPI Greece International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of... |
4 |
| Hungarian Singles Chart Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
2 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
1 |
| Italian Singles Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
2 |
| Japan Hot 100 Japan Hot 100 The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com .... |
1 |
| Mexican Singles Chart Top 100 Mexico Top 100 México is a record chart which accounts for sixty percent of the albums sold in Mexico. The chart has the support of major record distributors in Mexico and is issued by the Mexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms, A.C. since 2005 on a weekly basis... |
1 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
2 |
| Polish Airplay Charts | 1 |
| Scottish Singles Chart Scottish Singles and Albums Chart The Scottish Singles Chart and Scottish Albums Chart are charts compiled by The Official Charts Company, based on physical and digital sales in the STV North, STV Central and ITV Border regions.... |
1 |
| Slovak Airplay Chart Rádio Top 100 Oficiálna Rádio Top 100 Oficiálna is the name of the Slovakian national airplay chart published by the IFPI Czech Republic on a weekly basis since the cancellation of the Slovakian national section on December 31, 2009.... |
1 |
| Spanish Singles Chart | 1 |
| South Korean Gaon Chart Gaon Chart The Gaon Chart is a national record chart of South Korea. It is complied by the Korea Music Content Industry Association and sponsored by South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism; with an aim to create a national chart for Korea similar to the Billboard charts and Oricon charts... |
1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
1 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
3 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
1 |
| US Adult Contemporary | 22 |
| US Adult Pop Songs | 7 |
| US Hot Dance Club Songs | 1 |
| US Pop Songs Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart... |
1 |
Certifications
| Country | Certifications |
|---|---|
| Australia Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
4× Platinum |
| Belgium Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
Gold |
| Denmark | Gold |
| Germany Bundesverband Musikindustrie The Bundesverband Musikindustrie or simply BVMI represents the music industry in Germany. The association represents the interests of nearly 350 labels and music industry related enterprises.... |
Gold |
| Italy Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
Platinum |
| Japan Recording Industry Association of Japan The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry... |
Gold |
| Gold | |
| New Zealand Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
Platinum |
| Spain | Gold |
| Sweden Swedish Recording Industry Association Grammofonleverantörernas förening , or the Swedish Recording Industry Association in English, is an organization representing the music recording industry of Sweden... |
Gold |
| Switzerland | Platinum |
Radio adds and release history
| Country | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | February 11, 2011 | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
| Australia | Mainstream Contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts... airplay |
|
| United States | February 15, 2011 | Mainstream, rhythmic Rhythmic Contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may... airplay |
| Japan | March 4, 2011 | Cellphone digital download |
| Australia | CD single | |
| Germany | March 11, 2011 | |
| United Kingdom | March 14, 2011 | |
| Greece | ||
| United States | March 15, 2011 | |
| New Zealand | ||
| Taiwan | ||
| Japan | March 16, 2011 | CD single, PC digital download |
| Poland | March 18, 2011 | CD single |
| Taiwan | April 29, 2011 | 12" 12-inch single The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality... |
See also
- List of number-one singles of 2011 (Australia)
- List of number-one hits of 2011 (Austria)
- List of Ultratop 50 number-one singles of 2011
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2011 (Canada)
- List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 2011
- List of number-one singles of 2011 (Finland)
- List of number-one hits of 2011 (Germany)
- List of number-one singles of 2011 (Hungary)
- List of number-one singles of 2011 (Ireland)
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2011 (Japan)
- List of number-one singles from the 2010s (New Zealand)
- List of number-one singles of 2011 (Poland)
- List of number-one singles in Scotland in 2011
- List of number-one singles of 2011 (Spain)
- List of number-one singles of 2011 (Sweden)
- List of number-one hits of 2011 (Switzerland)
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2011 (U.S.)
- List of Mainstream Top 40 number-one hits of 2011 (U.S.)
- List of number-one dance singles of 2011 (U.S.)
- List of number-one dance airplay hits of 2011 (U.S.)
External links
- Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' Video: Pop-Culture Cheat SheetMTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....