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| Image from gagadaily.com |
Rachel Altizio
Review: Born This Way by Lady GaGa
Pop music often gets a bad rep, often dismissed as too sweet sounding; superficial ear candy for the masses. True Rock music, Blues, Punk, those are the outlets you use if you want to speak to your audience. Yet Lady GaGa is not preaching the intense messages of Lennon or Gilmore, she has the world’s attention, and we’re all ears.
BORN THIS WAY, GaGa’s sophomore album, features seventeen new full-length songs, plus five remixes if you opt for the bonus track version. She starts the work with Marry the Night, a song she seems particularly proud of, which features sugary lyrics of empowerment over a dance-inducing beat. It’s completely fun to listen to, but it MUST be played at a very high volume (actually, this is true for all the songs on the album.) She keeps the same eighties-inspired dance theme in her mind for many tracks on the record, mixing different tempos and instruments while also manipulating her voice tone perfectly to complement.
GaGa connects the songs together through interlocking, reoccurring themes; nothing too heavy or complex, but repeated words and phrases, images and names. Whiskey, America, 'the edge' and Jesus pop up throughout her lyrics, not to mention the obvious proclamation of 'Born This Way'. The presence of all these parts gives the album a sense of unity, even if some of the lyrics contradict each other (particularly regarding her parents and personal life.) Some of the songs are very biographical, like BLACK JESUS, in which GaGa tells us about her upbringing in NYC. Others are clearly written in a more neutral voice, like BAD KIDS, where she directs non-GaGa based lyrics to her ‘Little Monsters’ from the standpoint of a token 'bad kid'. GaGa proves that her song structures can vary throughout the album while they continue to be closely linked and held together.
Here are my magic three—the three songs that popped out to me as the most interesting, repeat-worthy tracks. Number Three on the album, GOVERNMENT HOOKER, is raunchy and stylized, with other-worldly howls popping over well-timed synthesizers. BLOODY MARY holds its ground as the black religious standout, playing with vocal tones and choir chants while showcasing the best 'dum-dum, da-de-da's on the entire record. And lastly, YOÜ & I, the only power-ballad featured on BORN THIS WAY. There's nothing like a country-rock-pop song set in a Nebraska bar, and her vocal's soar throughout. (I also must mention the remix of BORN THIS WAY, where the track is slowed down and countrified. In my opinion, the song shines in this version, where the lyrics don't drown in the dance drama. But it also might be because I’m a sucker for the harmonica.)
GaGa is an icon, a beautifully unusual, empowered woman who not only preaches the importance of equality and self-respect on BORN THIS WAY, but does so in a fun, fast-paced way that allows the audience to move and smile and sing. She is a respectable artist, not just a killer performer, but the writer of her own music. Her lyrics may be straight-forward and simple, her instrument combinations a bit familiar, but that’s the beauty of this album; it’s not overly complicated, it gives you permission to stop criticizing and analyzing and opens you up to experience and simply enjoy. GaGa is a generational figure, and honest, inspiring entertainer, and if you just clear your criticisms and go along with her music, you’ll love her too.
Review: Born This Way by Lady GaGa
Pop music often gets a bad rep, often dismissed as too sweet sounding; superficial ear candy for the masses. True Rock music, Blues, Punk, those are the outlets you use if you want to speak to your audience. Yet Lady GaGa is not preaching the intense messages of Lennon or Gilmore, she has the world’s attention, and we’re all ears.
BORN THIS WAY, GaGa’s sophomore album, features seventeen new full-length songs, plus five remixes if you opt for the bonus track version. She starts the work with Marry the Night, a song she seems particularly proud of, which features sugary lyrics of empowerment over a dance-inducing beat. It’s completely fun to listen to, but it MUST be played at a very high volume (actually, this is true for all the songs on the album.) She keeps the same eighties-inspired dance theme in her mind for many tracks on the record, mixing different tempos and instruments while also manipulating her voice tone perfectly to complement.
GaGa connects the songs together through interlocking, reoccurring themes; nothing too heavy or complex, but repeated words and phrases, images and names. Whiskey, America, 'the edge' and Jesus pop up throughout her lyrics, not to mention the obvious proclamation of 'Born This Way'. The presence of all these parts gives the album a sense of unity, even if some of the lyrics contradict each other (particularly regarding her parents and personal life.) Some of the songs are very biographical, like BLACK JESUS, in which GaGa tells us about her upbringing in NYC. Others are clearly written in a more neutral voice, like BAD KIDS, where she directs non-GaGa based lyrics to her ‘Little Monsters’ from the standpoint of a token 'bad kid'. GaGa proves that her song structures can vary throughout the album while they continue to be closely linked and held together.
Here are my magic three—the three songs that popped out to me as the most interesting, repeat-worthy tracks. Number Three on the album, GOVERNMENT HOOKER, is raunchy and stylized, with other-worldly howls popping over well-timed synthesizers. BLOODY MARY holds its ground as the black religious standout, playing with vocal tones and choir chants while showcasing the best 'dum-dum, da-de-da's on the entire record. And lastly, YOÜ & I, the only power-ballad featured on BORN THIS WAY. There's nothing like a country-rock-pop song set in a Nebraska bar, and her vocal's soar throughout. (I also must mention the remix of BORN THIS WAY, where the track is slowed down and countrified. In my opinion, the song shines in this version, where the lyrics don't drown in the dance drama. But it also might be because I’m a sucker for the harmonica.)
GaGa is an icon, a beautifully unusual, empowered woman who not only preaches the importance of equality and self-respect on BORN THIS WAY, but does so in a fun, fast-paced way that allows the audience to move and smile and sing. She is a respectable artist, not just a killer performer, but the writer of her own music. Her lyrics may be straight-forward and simple, her instrument combinations a bit familiar, but that’s the beauty of this album; it’s not overly complicated, it gives you permission to stop criticizing and analyzing and opens you up to experience and simply enjoy. GaGa is a generational figure, and honest, inspiring entertainer, and if you just clear your criticisms and go along with her music, you’ll love her too.
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