REVIEW: 'Born This Way' - A Year On...

By: Joshua Lee

Before releasing an album, an artist generally spends an average of six to eight months doing press and building hype before the big reveal. However, in Lady Gaga’s case, she spent almost two years going through this process in preparation for Born This Way’s release.

Sadly, this over-hyping of what could have potentially been the best album of the past 10 years, did not pay off. It created a fan and media frenzy which resulted in overly high expectations for the record extending all the way from mid-2010 to February 2011, when the eponymous lead track was released. The expectation for this first single was that it would be a game-changing song about loving yourself for who you are, with a great blend of different musical influences.  It was also expected by many to be a ballad of sorts, however, it turned out to be an up-tempo Pop record with Madonna influences and two catchy hooks, “Don’t Be a Drag/Just Be a Queen/I’m on the right track, baby/I was Born This Way”. It was not majorly game-changing, but it was a good record nonetheless.

During the whole of the “Born This Way era” (as entitled by Gaga’s ‘Little Monsters’) there were both good + bad choices that were made. One major one was in the choice of the songs Judas and You & I as singles. Indeed, these proved not to be the best single selections, despite it being understandable that Gaga wanted to do something different from her usual work. It did not pay off; only the music videos for the songs helped with the single sales, but You & I not receiving a lot of airplay and Judas was subsequently banned from radio in certain countries due to its apparently “blasphemous” lyrics and message.

The ballad styling of ‘The Edge of Glory’ and its powerful vocals made for a very good single, with the right amount of airplay and critics and the general public alike crediting its music styling and vocals. Additionally, its message and inspiration coming from the passing of Gaga’s grandfather Giuseppe Germanotta made the record more passionate and relatable. However, it was greatly let down by the cancelation of its original music video.  Originally intended to be directed by Joseph Kahn (who was responsible for the visuals for Gaga’s ‘LoveGame’ and ‘Eh, Eh’), the video was to depict Gaga as her alter ego, Yuyi the Mermaid. The video was set to be military influenced, and feature Yuyi’s Human Lover and a hospital in which Gaga was to be transformed from a Mermaid to a human. With the release of its simplistic, much-maligned video, the views of and requests for the song, and its video, rapidly fell over the next month.

Standout Tracks from the album

(         1)   Marry The Night

-   A personal favorite of Gaga and fans alike, this track resembles peak-era Whitney Houston, with strong vocals and a famous “Gagafied” stutter hook “Ma-Ma-Ma-Marry/Ma-Ma-Ma-Marry the Night!” With multi-channel synths resembling the sound of moving motor vehicles and church bells, the instrumental of the song itself alone is a work of art and Gaga’s almost standalone vocals show off her finesse and talent without the need of major backing vocals and voice changing effects (i.e. auto tune).    

(        2) Government Hooker

-   A rather controversial track from the album, this song experiments with its fusion of hard-hitting, “window rattling” Electro/Synth-Pop beats mixed in with Metal influences. Based around “political mistresses” and how the government “f**ks its own country over”, whilst poking fun at plastic pop stars, the record is a shining star in the tracklist.  The perverted robotic voices (provided courtesy of Gaga’s Bodyguard Pete van der Veen) add to the inspiration behind the record.  With his (Pete’s) voice representing the government ordering the ‘Hooker’ to “Back up and turn around/Put your hands on the ground”, this enforces a message of how far a person is willing to go to fight for what they believe in. The most controversial line in the song “Put your hands on me/ John F Kennedy/I’ll make you squeal baby/As long as you pay me” is a big reveal at one of the major influences behind the track: Marilyn Monroe.

(          3)   Scheiße

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    Originally previewed during the Thierry Mugler fashion show as a remix by DJ White Shadow, Scheiße bares influences from industrial techno and house music from eastern Germany and features a chorus that similarly resembles “Eye of the Tiger”, it also contains computer altered backing vocals, which change the pitch and sound of Gaga’s voice. Featuring several hooks, Scheiße begins with the bold statement “I don’t speak German/But I can if you’d like” followed by a pitch corrected voice which squeals “Ow!”. Gaga then proceeds to sing a bridge consisting of faux German in acapella, before boldly singing about strength, independence and feminism throughout the song.

From the beginning of its instrumental (around 19 seconds in), what follows is 3 minutes and 18 seconds of pure ‘eargasmic’ music and the song as a whole is a work of art, a true testament to Gaga’s artistry.

(           4)   Bloody Mary

-   This dark Gregorian, Pop-chant record is an iconic song from the album; it was inspired by Mary Magdalene and what people expect of the modern-day pop star. It is also about constantly living half way between reality and fantasy at all times. The backing vocals from this record chanting the word “Gaga!” over and over again during the breakdown of the song adds to its mystifying and dark enchanting nature, plus the use of violins and saxophones in the chorus thrills the ear alongside Gaga’s amplified vocals. The song differs from Gaga’s regular style and is the most loved-hated song on the album as a whole. However, the song is missing a little something … a single release!

Album Artwork

The album art for Born This Way was shot in late 2010 and was edited and perfected in time for the album release in March 2011. At first, the album art was thought to be an April Fools/Judas Betrayal after Judas leaked 4 days ahead of schedule. However, it was revealed that the artwork was, in fact, the real artwork. The artwork depicts Gaga with a wild hairstyle, enhanced bones and red colored lips; her body fused into a motorcycle. Her reddened lips see the only color present, and the ‘expanded edition’ only features her face from the original artwork.

Despite the negative feedback from fans, the album cover was named one of the 10 Best Album Covers of 2011/All-Time. However, many fans later warmed to the idea of the album cover and many of them stated that it harkened back to the old covers of “famous heavy metal bands like Metallica” which famously featured surreal imagery. Overall, the album’s artwork was a good move on Gaga’s part. Not only did it emphasize Gaga’s message that everyone is born different and unique, but it also created a statement that the most amazing people are those who are different. The rest of the artwork depicts Gaga in denim clothing, a slime outfit, leather underwear, a ‘sphere-revolver’ and a mirrored dress that she turned into a hat, all with alien-esque prosthetics on her face and shoulders. 

 A YEAR ON....

I would say that now, one year on after its release, my opinions on songs and the album as a whole have not changed. I still firmly believe in all I mentioned in this review of the album and I still believe that Marry The Night, Government Hooker, Scheiße and Bloody Mary are the standout tracks on the album. The album cover itself is still iconic, although, as of late, the album has arguably become less so as the latest single Marry The Night has not done as well as expected.

Despite this I, like millions of other fans, eagerly await Gaga’s third record,  which will hopefully be released in the fourth quarter of 2012, with a new single in the summer (though whether it is off the new album or simply a new single from this album, nobody is sure of as of yet). Until then Lady Gaga will keep us guessing and waiting with baited breath for her next controversial move.

My thoughts on several other tracks and this era have however changed. Heavy Metal Lover is one of my personal favourites; the synths and autotune vocals add to the effect of this song, and it is a perfect summer track. However, I do not believe it is a standout track like the others, as it reflects Gaga’s regular styling and artistic visions. I also love the themes of love, equality and empowerment that run throughout the album, because it empowers many people young and old alike throughout the world. It also teaches people to differ from the norm with the utmost pride.

- J. Lee.

(@amenpenis)