The Run That Back series is a deep dive into some of music’s most popular or underrated projects. Whether it's been 5 years or 50, there’s never a wrong time to "run that back."
On May 23, 2011, Lady Gaga told us “don’t be a drag, just be a queen,” and ever since then Mother Monster’s Born This Way decree has been a particularly anthemic Pop staple amidst her revolutionary discography.
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Well, technically, Gaga’s single, “Born This Way,” which contains the lyrics, “don’t be a drag, just be a queen,” debuted on February 13, 2011, but her entire sophomore album arrived on May 23.
The 17-track behemoth is a conglomeration of electro/synth-Pop dance music with power ballads like “Yoü and I” and “The Edge of Glory” bookending the project that also includes hints of heavy metal, rock, opera, and disco.
Born This Way is widely recognized as Gaga’s first body of work where the artist began utilizing her writing skills to synthesize topics of sexuality, religion, feminism, and individualism.
The record’s title track reigns as the modern-day LGBTQ+ anthem and demands acceptance across race, gender, sexuality, class, and religion while broaching the topic of self-love.
When Gaga first recited the lyrics, “No matter gay, straight, or bi, Lesbian, transgendered life, I'm on the right track baby, I was born to survive. No matter black, white, or beige Chola or orient made, I'm on the right track baby, I was born to be brave,” she helped cultivate the modern-day landscape of speaking unapologetically, further curating a group of fans, or Little Monsters, from all walks of life.
During an interview with Billboard, the artist explained, “I want to write my this-is-who-the-f***-I-am anthem, but I don't want it to be hidden in poetic wizardry and metaphors. I want it to be an attack, an assault on the issue because I think, especially in today's music, everything gets kind of washy sometimes and the message gets hidden in the lyrical play.”
Looking back at early 90s ballroom culture, where hits from Madonna, En Vogue, Whitney Houston, and TLC were mainstays for the LGBTQ+ community, Gaga strived to spin up a modern-day gospel that continues to speak to all intersecting communities that have faced marginalization.
During her Billboard interview the “Marry the Night” singer added, “…the lyrics and the melodies were very poignant and very gospel and very spiritual and I said, 'That's the kind of record I need to make. That's the record that's going to shake up the industry.' It's not about the track. It's not about the production. It's about the song. Anyone could sing 'Born This Way.' It could've been anyone.”
Tracks like “Judas” and “Scheiße” not only allowed the artist to fully command and transform the dancefloor but also ignited Gaga’s full submersion into the avant-garde to be represented lyrically and visually.
Subverting religion, love, and sexuality on “Judas,” Gaga told MSN Canada, “'Judas' is a metaphor and an analogy about forgiveness and betrayal and things that haunt you in your life and how I believe that it's the darkness in your life that ultimately shines and illuminates the greater light that you have upon you.”
“Judas,” which Gaga says is filled with “aggressive metaphors,” also allowed Germanotta to start distorting how Popstars ultimately used fashion to express “eras” in music. Gaga’s Born This Way era cemented the singer as a cultural, musical, and fashion icon. The epoch brought about outfits that represented her metaphorical musical phase, going beyond a gown on a red carpet.
On the same day that Gaga released the “Born This Way” single, the artist arrived at the 53rd annual GRAMMYs red carpet in a giant egg, hatching out to birth the era of BTW. The time period also saw the rise of Noritaka Tatehana’s heelless and massive shoe, which Gaga made virtually synonymous with her sound.
Born This Way, a record filled with hymn-like Pop psalms and chest-pounding dance tracks, was a burgeoning gem in 2011, where Gaga found a meeting of the waters in both visual interpretation and sonic authenticity. LG’s record opened the door for the artist to weave her way into other genres and demonstrate her mastery across the musical spectrum.
And remember, she doesn’t speak German, but she can if you like.
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