ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 9/14/2010
Posts: 78,921
|
Popjustice reviews 'Born This Way'
Quote:
So what's it like?
Well it's sort of amazing.
Actually it's not sort of amazing, it just is amazing. And yes we would say that because we do genuinely think Lady Gaga is the best thing to happen to pop in at least 18 years. But we are also saying it because the song is amazing, and if that's not complete objectivity we don't know what is. (Well it's not that for a start - Objectivity Ed)
You want to know what it sounds like, obviously. Well, it is very straightforward song and the production matches that - compared with the all-guns-blazing sound of something like 'Bad Romance' or 'Dance In The Dark' 'Born This Way' offers a relatively sparse, crisp, glacial sound. Also, and this will undoubtedly prompt an amusing rage from Madonna fans incapable of comprehending a world in which more than one female singer can be popular, so brace yourself: 'Born This Way' sounds a bit like a modern nod to 'Vogue' and 'Express Yourself', with a bit of 'Deeper & Deeper' thrown in for good measure. The production is far from boring (it sounds great and nothing like what Gaga's done before) but if you're expecting some sort of death metal/Belgian techno crossover hit you may wish to adjust your expectations ahead of Friday's first play. It's a fresh sound, but in the mentalness stakes it's not the sort of song you would fire across a field at a cow if you wanted to make it do an involuntary poo. We are sure the rest of the album will offer plenty of sonic ridiculousness but 'Born This Way' is all about giving the song itself room to breathe.
As for the song, you know the lyrics already, because Gaga posted them in full that night we did those lyric tweets. Reading the lyrics in isolation it might seem like a song with all the subtlety of George Michael collecting his holiday snaps but hearing the words in the context of the song itself the whole thing struck us as far less heavy handed, and as not so much a gay anthem as an equality song. It's a song about gays being alright, but it's also a song about straights being alright, and everyone else being alright too. It's a freedom anthem, and you can't go wrong with a bit of that. Having said this, 'Born This Way' will obviously be portrayed by many as a gay record. Is that a brave move?
-
What role will 'Born This Way' play in Lady Gaga's ever-expanding discography? While her fan interaction is (for better or worse) already legendary, Gaga has always done a good job of seeming to exist, creatively, in something of a bubble. What's interesting about 'Born This Way', however, is that it feels a bit like a response to two main criticisms people throw at Lady Gaga.
|
Read the full article here
|
|
|
|
