Lady Gaga’s second full-length studio album, “Born This Way,” dropped on May 23, and in the words of blogger Perez Hilton, “It’s the record that is going to break all the records in music history.”
Sure enough, “Born This Way” reached No. 1 on the iTunes Top Album Chart in America less than one hour after its midnight EST release. Here are highlights from the highly anticipated album:
“Marry the Night,” the lead-off track, starts slow but quickly turns uptempo, similar in form to “Dance in the Dark,” from Gaga’s 2009 “The Fame Monster.”
“Born This Way” is an anthem we all know by now, and so what if the title track sounds Madonna-esque? It had the acclaim of becoming the 1,000th No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, and garnered more digital downloads in its first week than any other song by a female artist. The “manifesto” conveys a message that we could all use a reminder of: “Don’t hide yourself in regret/Just love yourself and you’re set/I’m on the right track, baby, I was born this way.”
“Government Hooker,” with its overtly sexual lyrics (“Put your hands on me/John F. Kennedy/I’ll make you squeal, baby”) and techno-pop production by DJ White Shadow, is irresistibly toe-tapping.
“Judas” has sparked controversy since its release as a single, with some perceiving it as an attack on Christianity. I see it as a metaphor. Gaga sings, “Jesus is my virtue/And Judas is the demon I cling to,” revealing her inability to free herself from lovers who hurt her, a situation many face.
“Bloody Mary” is among Gaga’s best songs ever. In an interview with MTV.com, one of the album’s musical producers, Fernando Garibay, called the track “bold” and “beautiful.” I cannot get its synthy tune out of my head. And I’m not complaining.
“Yoü and I” is one of my favorite songs of all time. I had the privilege of seeing Gaga’s live performance of it twice last July and it’s been echoing in my head ever since. The song is not only a signature power ballad, but its lyrics provide raw emotion: “I’d give anything again to be your baby doll/This time I’m not leaving without you.” Incredibly, Gaga admitted to writing “Yoü and I” in less than ten minutes. It’s nothing short of brilliant.
“The Edge of Glory” closes the album, and Gaga says the powerful track is about one’s very last moment on Earth. From the triumphant chorus to the thumping beat to the spirited saxophone solo by Clarence Clemons of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, it ends the album on a perfect note.
Mind you, “Born This Way” is not without flaws. A few songs are expendable, including “Hair” and “Schieße.” And Gaga takes palpable inspiration from pop songs of the late ’70s and early ’80s, as well as from some of her own previous hits, leading to criticisms of unoriginality. But the power, passion, and unabashed pop quality of Gaga’s music far outweigh the album’s drawbacks.
If not obvious enough with “The Fame Monster,” “Born This Way” makes it clear that Lady Gaga is no flash-in-the-pan pop star, but rather a genuine musical artist with the talent to provide compelling meaning through music. My hope is that listeners embrace the album’s overarching message: live life to the fullest, don’t be afraid of being who you are, and push everything to its limit.
RATING: 4.5/5 stars
