Similar to The Edge of Glory, I figured I would compile a list of Born This Way reviews since there are quite a lot and I haven't seem them properly collected. I'll be adding to this as well.
Rolling Stone --- 4/5 stars
Excerpt:
Despite the obvious tip of the cap to Madonna's "Express Yourself" (which was just Madge's knock-off of the Staple Singers' "Respect Yourself"), it's steeped in decades of gay disco tradition — it sounds a lot like Patrick Hernandez's 1978 classic "Born To Be Alive." "Born This Way" sums up all the complex Gaga mythos, all her politics and Catholic angst and smeared lipstick, in one brilliant pop blast.
Artist Direct --- 5/5 stars
Excerpt:
No one can carry a hook like Lady Gaga, and the chorus on "Born This Way" is nothing short of a monster. With a percussive bounce and a timeless refrain "I'm on the right track, I was born this way," Gaga sounds like she's bridging the gap between the ultimate dance party and the biggest rock concert the world's ever seen. In fact, there's a rock 'n' roll edge to the track that borders AC/DC-style infectiousness. Then it all culminates on an entrancingly hypnotic bridge and hand claps to send it all home like some kind of space gospel jam.
Source:
http://www.artistdirect.com/entertai...-stars/8692753
Digital Spy --- 5/5 stars
Excerpt:
And, for that matter, channels 'Express Yourself', one of the very best songs from Madonna's very best album. Tellingly, however, when Gaga goes all spoken wordy on the middle 8 here, you don't think 'Vogue', but rather the dead female icon rappy bit from 'Dance In The Dark', with whom 'Born This Way' shares a producer - Fernando Garibay - and the odd sonic embellishment. Of course, it's a much less macabre offering than their Monster hook-up, being a life-affirming equality anthem, a straight-up club pumper and a flat-out fantastic pop song that proves, however big Gaga's balls may be, they're never quite as big as her choruses.
Popjustice --- (very positive)
Excerpt:
'Born This Way' will seem like less of an 'ooh look at me sorting out equality for a generation' statement song and will instead just start to seem like a completely normal pop song. Which, 'message-wise', we suppose is sort of the whole point - you get in people's faces so you don't need to get in people's faces any more. Perhaps the moment when 'Born This Way' clicks as a completely normal pop song is the moment when 'Born This Way' has changed pop.
Source:
http://www.gaganews.com/2011/02/07/p...born-this-way/
Slant Magazine --- (very positive)
Excerpt:
Which begs the question: When the adoration fades, which it inevitably will, what's going to fuel her? Gaga has set up a creative apparatus that's inherently designed to break down. Until then, though, there's a sense, listening to the song, that Gaga has tapped into something truly special, maybe even important. The song's message is certainly one that the world's youth needs to hear now more than ever. And I can't think of a better messenger.
Source:
http://www.digitalspy.com/music/sing...-this-way.html
Spin --- (mixed)
Excerpt:
At first, "Born This Way" sounds like trademark Gaga: all icy synths, thumping house beats, and a massive, theatrical chorus that splits the difference between Madonna's 1989 classic "Express Yourself" and David Guetta and Kelly Rowland's 2009 anthem "When Love Takes Over." But the song is also one of Gaga's most overtly political ones, with an inspirational (if heavy-handed) message about embracing and celebrating diversity. Consider "Born This Way" to be Gaga's rejiggering of Michael Jackson's 1991 single "Black or White."
Source:
http://www.spin.com/articles/hear-it...ingle-born-way