Born This Way

by Lady Gaga

Overview

Not long into the ceaseless promotional parade for Born This Way, Lady Gaga's second full-length record and easily the most anticipated record of the 2010s, a certain sense of inevitability crept into play. It was inevitable that Born This Way would be an escalation of The Fame, it was inevitable that Gaga would go where others feared to tread, it was inevitable that it would be bigger than any other record thrown down in 2011, both in its scale and success. Gaga has taken it upon herself to filter out whatever personal details remain in her songs so she can write anthems for her Little Monsters, that ragtag group of queers, misfits, outcasts, and rough kids who she calls her own. Whatever performance art shock Gaga had on The Fame/The Fame Monster has turned into pure theater. Her drama club ambition to marry rock & roll rebellion with her disco beats turns Born This Way into Like a Prayer by way of Bat Out of Hell. Gaga has chosen not to dig under the skin. She's quite content to state her themes then let them be, using them as the connecting thread on an '80s pastiche set to a relentless Eurotrash throb. Echoes of Whitney Houston, Pat Benatar, and Bruce Springsteen -- whose longtime running partner Clarence Clemons blows sax on two songs --- can be heard throughout, but it is naturally Madonna who is the cornerstone, giving Gaga the "Express Yourself" melody and a pop precedent for Catholic guilt. Lady Gaga knowingly recontextualizes the Material Girl for a post-modern collage, the sly similarities offering tangible reminders that Gaga is the heir to the diva throne. And Born This Way does solidify her standing as something of a pop visionary. Gaga's true gift is her considerable dexterity at delivering the basics. Unlike so many of her peers, she does not cut and paste her tracks digitally, she constructs from the chords up, then accessorizes at will. She doesn't abandon this sensibility on Born This Way, but she does take it for granted, never pushing her compositions or productions into unpredictable territory. She serves up the expected, which can be quite satisfying: "Marry the Night" glistens with a neon pulse, "Born This Way" has a giddiness to its self-importance, "Judas" turns "Alejandro" into towering gothic disco, she achieves her metal-disco fusion on "Bad Kids," and she even shows vulnerability on "Youe and I." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	05/23/2011
Label:	Interscope / Kon Live / Streamline
UPC:	0602527641249

Tracks

1. Marry the Night
2. Born This Way
3. Government Hooker
4. Judas
5. Americano
6. Hair
7. Schei¿¿e
8. Bloody Mary
9. Bad Kids
10. Highway Unicorn (Road to Love)
11. Heavy Metal Lover
12. Electric Chapel
13. Yo¿¿ and I
14. The Edge of Glory

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Lady Gaga   Primary Artist,Piano,Vocals,Ensemble,Keyboards,Musical Director,Vocals (Background)
Big Freedia   Primary Artist
Orville Peck   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Castanets,Harmonica,Vocals (Background)
Years & Years   Primary Artist,Vocals
Madeline Edwards   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Ben Platt   Primary Artist
Brittney Spencer   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Kylie Minogue   Primary Artist
The Highwomen   Primary Artist
Brian May   Guitar
Andy Abad   Requinto
Peter Levin   Keyboards
Carlos Murguia   Vocals (Background)
Robert John "Mutt" Lange   Vocals (Background)
Mario Hernandez   Guitar,Vihuela,Guitarron
Matt Perrine   Sousaphone
Tereza Stanislav   Violin
David Gomez   Vocals (Background)
Andrew Duckles   Viola
Fernando Garibay   Keyboards,Instrumental,Guitar,Musical Director,Vocals (Background)
Luke Schneider   Pedal Steel
Alyssa Park   Violin
Josefina Vergara   Violin
Paula Hochhalter   Cello
Clinton Sparks   Keyboards
Harry Kim   Trumpet
Suemy Gonzalez   Violin
Stephanie Amaro   Guitar
Clarence Clemons   Saxophone
Julio Hernandez   Violin
Charlie Bisharat   Violin
Aaron Sterling   Drums
Michael Wooten   Organ
Kane Ritchotte   Drums,Percussion
Gian Stone   Bass,Guitar
Raion Ramsey   Vocals
DJ Snake   Bass,Drums,Keyboards
Kareem Devlin   Guitar
RedOne   Vocals (Background)
Chris Stracey   Piano,Guitar
Brian Gaynor   Bass,Drums,Guitar,Keyboards,Percussion
Sara Parkins   Violin
Matthew Funes   Violin
Kerenza Peacock   Violin
Julian Dorio   Drums
Trevor Muzzy   Guitar
Steve Lands   Trumpet
Suzannah Powell   Vocals
Riley Keough   Vocals (Background)
Jasmine Buggage   Vocals
DJ White Shadow   Guitar,Keyboards
Paul Blair   Guitar,Keyboards
Jorge Alavrez   Vocals (Background)
Peter Van Der Veen   Vocals (Background)
Brian Lee   Vocals (Background),Vocals (Background)
Nick Ellman   Horn,Director,Saxophone
Jimbo Hart   Bass
Russell Ramirez   Trombone
Max Whipple   Bass
Jacob Braun   Cello
Bennett Lewis   Guitar
Anjelika Joseph   Vocals

Technical Credits

Kamau Georges   Programming
David Campbell   Leader,Strings Contractor
Josh Gudwin   Mixing
Troy Carter   Management
RedOne   Engineer,Producer,Programming,Vocal Editing,Instrumentation,Composer,Vocal Arrangement
Tony Maserati   Mixing
Chris Gehringer   Mastering
Robert John "Mutt" Lange   Mixing,Producer
Justin Shirley-Smith   Engineer,Guitar Engineer
Pete Min   Engineer
Rafa Sardina   Mixing,Engineer
Mark Ralph   Engineer,Producer
George Tandero   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Olle Romo   Engineer,Programming
Richard "Biff" Stannard   Producer,Programming
Fernando Garibay   Producer,Programming,Instrumentation,Arranger,Composer,Engineer
Trevor Muzzy   Engineer,Vocal Editing,Mixing
Kenta Yonesaka   Assistant,Mixing Assistant
Jon Castelli   Mixing,Mixing Assistant
Al Carlson   Assistant,Mixing Assistant
Gene Grimaldi   Mastering
Jason Lader   Engineer
Clinton Sparks   Composer,Producer
Dave Russell   Mixing,Engineer
Todd Tourso   Creation
Sam McKnight   Hair Stylist
Eric Morris   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Michael Pollack   Producer
Suzie Katayama   Orchestra Contractor
Steve Churchyard   Engineer
Bill Malina   Engineer
Kylie Minogue   Engineer
Vincent Herbert   A&R,Executive Producer
Aaron Sterling   Recording
Kevin Porter   Assistant,Mixing Assistant
Paul Pavao   Assistant,Mixing Assistant
Lady Gaga   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Programming,Instrumentation,Recording Arranger
Gian Stone   Producer,Recording
Orville Peck   Producer
Justin Hergett   Mixing Assistant
William Grigahcine   Composer
Nadir Khayat   Composer
DJ Snake   Producer
Gretchen Anderson   Producer
Christina Abaroa   Copyist,Librarian,Music Preparation
Val Garland   Make-Up
Lisa Einhorn-Gilder   Production Coordination
Phillip Knight   Assistant,Mixing Assistant
Jennifer Paola   A&R
Wendi Morris   Management
Chris Stracey   Producer
Brian Gaynor   Programming
Tom Ware   Engineer
Dyana Kass   Marketing
Cheche Alara   Arranger,Composer,Instrumentation
Peter Hutchings   Assistant
Nick Knight   Creation,Photography
Horace Ward   Engineer
Randy Merrill   Mastering Engineer
Anna Trevelyan   Stylist
Nicola Formichetti   Creation
Jake Davis   Engineer
Stefani Germanotta   Composer
Jordan Power   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Amanda Silverman   Publicity
Bobby Campbell   Marketing
Louis Remenapp   Engineer
Skyler Chuckry   Assistant Engineer
Miles Comasky   Mixing
Gold Glove   Producer
Dan Gretch   Mixing
DJ White Shadow   Composer,Producer,Programming,Drum Programming
Jeppe Laursen   Composer,Producer
Paul Blair   Composer,Producer,Programming,Drum Programming
Brandon Maxwell   Stylist
Ken Knapstad   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Laurieann Gibson   Creation
Edward Blair   Composer
Anna Laverty   Assistant
Duck Blackwell   Producer,Programming
Mitch McCarthy   Mixing
Pete Hutchings   Assistant Engineer
Brian Lee   Composer
Christopher Stracey   Producer
Boyfriend   Producer
Lawrence Rothman   Mixing,Producer