My Favourite Album: Born This Way by Lady Gaga

Well here it is. What I believe to be one of the most culturally impactful albums of the 21st century. The thing about impact though is that art doesn't actually need to be that good to shift culture. Messages conceptualized in art can ignite new trends, start new discussions, and literally change lives. And boy did this album not only change my life, but the lives of millions across the world. And the best part? This one actually happens to be THAT good.

On paper, Born This Way shouldn't work. At its core - in true Lady Gaga fashion - this is very much a pop album. But, this is a pop album with influences of dance, heavy metal, 80s stadium rock, techno, country, and yes, even mariachi. This thing is packed full of thumping basses, crazy pop synths, epic church bells, smooth sax solos, and so much more. And if that wasn't enough, the albums lyrics tackle both common themes and themes never before addressed in pop music - from love, fashion, and New York to religion, politics, and immigration laws. Not to mention, the album also contains phrases in English, Spanish, French, Latin, Italian, and German. It being only Gaga's second official release, an album as flamboyant and provocative as Born This Way was a huge risk in her career as a newly realized pop superstar. And even if it feels convoluted and a little too chaotic at times, it feels astoundingly genuine from an artist who clearly thought the risk was worth the reward.

How do I even begin breaking down this album? In order to fully appreciate its broad scope, I feel it is important to look at each track individually so each style and message can be properly addressed. So let's go with that.

On the album opener, Marry The Night, Gaga kicks things off by looking inwards. She writes about searching through herself to find the things that are the most frightening and most dark and vows to love those parts more than any other. It is about not giving up, understanding where you come from, facing your demons, and championing your own success. And the best part? It freaking SLAPS.

I feel like I need to say very little about the song Born This Way. It obviously created a movement for anyone who felt like an outcast and is one of the most culturally important pop songs to ever be released. Though some of the lyrics are a bit dated in hindsight, this was, and remains to this day, the only song in history to ever chart in the United States that contains the word "transgender". If Born This Way is about anything, it is about representation.

Alright, track #3 is where things get very interesting. Titled Government Hooker, this one is a techno banger with highly edited vocals and an ominous male voice (later addressed as John F. Kennedy) instructing Gaga and the listener to "back up and turn around" and to "put your hands on the ground". Though on the surface it might be hard to understand, this song is inspired by the romance between JFK and Marilyn Monroe and highlights the power women have over the men that desire them. Gaga knows women don't hold high positions in government offices, so she sings about the other kinds of positions she can put herself in to influence not just men, but also the laws and policies they control. She reminds the listener that no matter who we think is in charge, women everywhere hold the most power.

Full steam ahead, Gaga then pivots to sing about her love as complete devotion which always seems to lead to the ultimate betrayal on Judas. Aside from having one of the hardest hitting beats on the entire album, Judas also contains some of the best lyrics filled with biblical metaphors for a woman (Mary Magdalene) stuck in love with a man (Judas) she knows will be the end of her (spoiler: she gets stoned to death). In the spoken word bridge, Gaga writes: "In the most biblical sense, I am beyond repentance. Fame hooker, prostitute, wench vomits her mind". She knows she has gone too far by admitting her love for this person, but no matter how toxic her devotion is, she will never stop.

Track #5, Americano (this is the mariachi inspired one), is one I didn't fully understand until I was older. This one was written in response to Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California, as well as harsh immigration laws in Arizona that gave police the power to request the immigration status of anyone - particularly Mexican people - they suspected of being in the country illegally. As a bisexual woman, Gaga sings from the perspective of a woman unable to marry the girl of her dreams. She rejects American culture and refuses to stand for these prejudicial laws in her own country. She sings "Mis canciones son de la revolución. Mi corazón me duele por mi generación" or "My songs are the revolution. My heart aches for my generation." and vows to fight with everything she has to protect the freedom of her fans. In my opinion, Americano is one of the most ambitious and lyrically genius cuts from Born This Way.

Though lyrically quite simple, Hair is a song most near and dear to my heart, in part because I always think of singing it in the car with my mom. It is an anthemic club song in which Gaga uses her Hair as a metaphor for her whole identity. The song empowers kids around the world growing up in homes that may not understand who they are or what they want to be to live as openly and freely as they desire.

And now comes the feminist anthem to end all feminist anthems: Scheiße. The German word for "shit", the title of this song is Gaga calling BS on men who seem to think she isn't a powerful woman. Interestingly, the "German" Gaga claims to sing in is mostly complete Gibberish - but that's the point. The message here is that Gaga knows her detractors don't listen to what she is saying; they objectify her and write her off as spewing nonsense. It is easy to get caught up in the insane lyrics on this song, but at its heart it is just a hell of a lot of fun and so so so camp.

Bloody Mary is another song written in the perspective of Mary Magdalene (who Gaga refers to as the ultimate rockstar's girlfriend), but this time, about her love and devotion to Jesus. The song has an innate darkness to it - there are deep, malevolent-sounding chants throughout - yet SOMEHOW, Gaga retains the camp that makes for an exciting listening experience. Lyrically, it is Gaga confessing she will do and be anything for the man she loves while struggling as a woman in the spotlight who is supposed to be both divine and human. It makes listeners question which parts of themselves they push away for the sake of remaining strong for the ones they love.

Actually just a bonus track included on the deluxe album, Black Jesus/Amen Fashion, is a super fun nod to Gaga's love of fashion - on the surface. But when you look deeper, it is actually a tribute to the new-age thinking and lifestyles Gaga was introduced to when she moved to downtown Manhattan at age 19. The song celebrates the way religion is practiced in queer, underground spaces compared to the strict Roman Catholic way Gaga was taught growing up. Oh and also she said fashion became her religion. Obviously.

Alright listen. I don't LOVE Bad Kids. It is the track I go back to the least. It is a cute, fun pop song about your parents not understanding you etc etc. It just doesn't give what it is supposed to and even I can't forgive Gaga for calling herself a "degenerate, young rebel" when she grew up on the Upper East side of Manhattan. However, not to drag too much, you can still feel the intention that was there so I guess it's the thought that counts with this one.

Although almost exactly the same as Bad Kids in every way, Fashion of His Love does what it is supposed to do because it knows EXACTLY what it is supposed to be. It is a light-hearted, sing-it-in-your-bedroom bop about being so in love you feel like you were made for someone. It is a nice break from a lot of the heavier tracks that come before it. This bubblegum dance-pop track has no business being on the same album as songs like Government Hooker and Judas, BUT this one really does it for me.

Highway Unicorn (Road To Love) (what a title) also somewhat suffers from the same problem as Bad Kids, though this one has a nice switch up between the styles of the verses and the chorus. It is the driving beat and deep vocal delivery on the verses that really work here, while the melodic chorus about chasing your dreams gets a bit, dare I say.....boring.

Going into Heavy Metal Lover, we are searching for the dirty, grimy, industrial sounds found earlier on the album, and boy does this one deliver from the opening line (see: "I want your whiskey mouth all over my blonde south"). There is NOTHING like this track in Gaga's discography. It is a sort of slow-jam, robotic, electropop masterpiece about a woman on top of the world who fears her lover can't handle being overshadowed (see: "Would you love me if I ruled the world?"). There is a reason this one is a fan-favourite and is most certainly underrated in favour of the juggernaut singles from this album.

Fun Fact: the title for this next song was revealed on Farmville for some reason. Electric Chapel is pure glam-rock with a sprinkle of heavy metal in there for good measure. Lyrically, the song gives a name for the space Gaga wants to create for her fans - a musical church where everybody is welcomed and celebrated. Critics said it sounds like Madonna doing the theme song for Blade Runner, and who wouldn't want that?

Okay okay here is another one that reminds me of my mom. The Queen is yet another bonus track dedicated to Gaga's gay friends (only Gaga can call them queens and not have it be a hate crime). This one feels so triumphant coming from a person who said she never felt like a superstar, but could be one for the people who needed her. And on top of that, it randomly has one of the best song-outros Gaga has ever recorded.

Alright. Last 2 songs. And they are big, BIG ones. I'll call it the first of the album closers. Yoü & I. Let's be honest, this one is an absolute classic. A twangy, pop/rock, power ballad, that in no way needed to be as good as it is. Dedicated to her ex-boyfriend, Gaga would often perform this one in her drag persona Jo Calderone (iconic). She also wrote this one about an ex, then met her would-be ex-fiancé on set for the video (iconic). It is simply about making it big, but always returning back to your small town, bar-owning, boyfriend from Nebraska. I think we can all relate. I really don't know what else to say about this song other than that it most certainly is one of Gaga's all-time best.

Jesus this is a long album, but here we are. The album closer. What this album needed was a song that somehow wrapped up every theme (so everything from immigration laws to unicorns to gender inequality) while sending the listener off feeling good about the heavy content of the album. Admittedly, it is a daunting task. But fortunately, The Edge of Glory couldn't be more perfect. How does one even attempt to wrap up all the crazy topics on Born This Way? Well, you write a song simply about life. Written the day Gaga's grandfather passed away, the inspiration for this song came from him comforting his family, saying he was happy to be moving on and felt he had "won at life". The idea is that we have to create a life for ourselves so beautiful and unique that when it is time to move on, we are not afraid. God this song is just so good. It FEELS so good, it makes you HAPPY. She is the mother I never had, the sister everybody wants, the friend everybody deserves. It has her best lyrics, her best metaphors. It features a stunning sax solo that would be the final performance for iconic jazz musician Clarence Clemons. Just everything about it is flawless (yes I believe it to be one of the best pop songs of all time). I can't think of a better message to send listeners off with. It is with this final cut that Gaga message of empowerment become fully realized and she succeeds at making it resonate with each an every listener, regardless of gender, sexuality, religion, race, age, etc. And I truly feel no one could have done it but Gaga, nor was anyone else going to take the risk.

There you have it. A complete, absolutely 100% correct, and totally biased review of Born This Way. An album that has made me who I am. An album that taught me everything about love, acceptance, equality, and the importance of taking risks. It is hard to sum up why this album will always remain relevant to me and so many millions of people around the world. But I think it is said best when considering The Edge of Glory. When asked why she made a dance-pop track about such an emotional topic as her grandfathers death, Gaga shyly replied with the core sentiment of the album: "because life is glorious".

Favourite Lyric: "Starry night, come inside me like never before. Don't forget me when I come crying to Heaven's door. I will fly on the Challenger across the sky. Like a phoenix so you can remind them of the dream I bore." - The Queen