Born This Way
(May 23, 2011)
The Set-Up:
(May 23, 2011)
Lady GaGa has definitely gone above and beyond her mark on pop music today. From the crazy costumes, the stunning performances, and the creative music, GaGa has given us all a fever for more! After her stellar debut (The Fame) and the follow up EP (The Fame Monster), it was time for GaGa to bring back her creative juices and give us a knockout album. And Mother Monster didn’t let us down!
The Play-by-Play:
The album begins with “Marry the Night”, a strong song kicking off this inspirational album filled with one show stopping tribute to the city that gave birth to her. Following right after that is the first single “Born This Way”, the awe-inspiring anthem celebrating individuality and the way God made us. Yes, it has its moments dating back to a very similar “Express Yourself” by Madonna, but no one can deny the power behind the meaning and her fierceness. “Don’t be a drag, just be a queen!” “Government Hooker” is up next, starting with her operatic vocals to open the song. It’s very bold and very electronic at its best. The second single “Judas” follows, and it’s one of the more memorable moments on the album. With the religious tone, the electronic music, and the similarity of “Bad Romance”, it’s a jaw-dropping, intense moment. “Americano” comes right out of the gate, sounding like something from an Italian movie. But once the intro is out of the way, the haunting house music and the vowel-inspired hook steal my heart with its thump and all. What’s amazing is that it’s partly inspired by the SB1070 bill in AZ. Nice to hear she cares about us in such a creative way! “Hair” continues the inspirational anthem trend, explaining what it was like to grow up as GaGa. Supposedly it was inspired by how pissed she’d make her parents with her outfits and hairstyles growing up. For “Scheiße”, who would have thought that a German hook would sound so sexy and hot?! It’s another GaGa out-of-this-world experience, and she doesn’t fail to give us another different side. From here on out, the rest of the album seems to mesh into one super song, offering up a couple rare exceptions and offerings. “Bloody Mary” is the first of these rare exceptions, coming up with a dark slower song reminiscent of “LoveGame” from her first album. On the deluxe edition of the album, next comes “Black Jesus + Amen Fashion” blurs into another ode to her great city of New York City. It doesn’t bring a lot to the diversity of the album, but it is Justin Timberlake’s favorite from the album if that makes a difference. “Bad Kids” is a good mix of pop and heavy metal, which of course is something only GaGa can serve amazingly well. “Fashion of His Love” is a cute pop throwback to the 1980’s music scene, and the only highlight from the deluxe edition bonus tracks. “Highway Unicorn (Road To Love)” is one of the many songs that sounds like it came straight from a montage in Top Gun or something, but it’s catchy and memorable nonetheless. “Heavy Metal Lover” is another musical infusion that combines so many different things in just one song. From the heavy metal, to the pop, to the electronic music thumping, it’s all a great mixture. Up next is “Electric Chapel”, one of the more forgettable tracks GaGa has to offer. This is followed by the last bonus track from the deluxe edition “The Queen” which is amazing in its way of going from pop electronic to a slower-type song. Then we get to the last two tracks. First is her country meets electronic “Yoü And I”, a show stopper in and of itself, definitely offering up a different version from the version I saw her perform live at The Monster Ball Tour. The album closes with the third single “The Edge of Glory”, a true 80’s throwback complete with its very own memorable saxophone solo.
The Point:
GaGa is on the verge of becoming another one of those amazing artists who tops herself and reinvents herself with every release she has. She strays from the similar RedOne sound she first came out with and upgrades to a dark, electronic tone complete with its religious lyrics, anthems, and 80’s throwbacks. GaGa has done it again and long live Mother Monster!
The One Song:
Who can deny the power in the first single anthem “Born This Way”,
not to mention the infectious second single “Judas”.
But by far the most memorable songs are the most out there: Starting first with “Americano”, but not the version you'll hear on the album. This a clip from her Mexico show...
Now we get to “Scheiße”.
And lets close with her Top Gun montage, killer saxophone “The Edge of Glory”.
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