Born This Way Introduction

In a Nutshell

Word is that Elton John said "Born This Way" is the "gayest song" ever. He called it "the [gay] anthem that's going to obliterate 'I Will Survive'" (source).

Yes, people who talk about Lady Gaga are prone to hyperbole. 

But Elton John may have gotten a basic fact wrong. Is it actually accurate to call "Born This Way" a "gay song"? The polarizing figure that is Lady Gaga loves to play with identity and advocate for gay rights, but "gay" hardly sums up what the absurdist diva is up to. The wacky sci-fi music video for "Born This Way" features a roller-coaster of creations ranging from slimy monster-babies to androgynous zombies, with across-the-spectrum expressions of sexual orientation taking a backseat to Gaga's own alien ambitions.

In other words, the idea that she was "born this way" does not exactly seem to be referring to her bisexuality alone. Instead, Lady Gaga presents a futuristic vision of a post-gender utopia in which everyone is free to be...well, basically anything. Whatever the critics may say (and there are many), people are so infectiously drawn to that vision that the Gaga video has had hundreds of millions of views.

Is Lady Gaga the future, or just a blip on the 21st century's ever-changing screen? Spoiler alert: we're definitely simplifying the question.

As Lady Gaga herself said in 2011, "What I do for a living is not a cheese sandwich. It's not like, either good or bad. It's much more complicated than that." (Source)

What words of wisdom, Gaga.

Read on if you're ready to dip your toes into the churning cauldron of glitter, goop, and gore that is Lady Gaga's "Born This Way." Whether it makes you retch, tear off your clothes to reveal tight, gender-neutral underclothes the color of your own skin, or give birth to a new race of monsterly beings, we think you will find that the whole picture is not much like a cheese sandwich at all.

About the Song

Music Video

Shmoop Connections

You thought Kanye was having fun with the idea of being a monster? Well, the unbelievably performance-savvy diva certainly one-upped Mr. West in 2011, at least in terms of attention-grabbing stunts.

Oh, and #1 hits, too.

Plus, Gaga was already neck-deep in controversial involvement that went beyond stage stunts and outfits, weighing in on everything from gay marriage to immigrant rights, and calling on fans to take political action.

Released in 2011, still a few years before the 2015 legalization of gay marriage across the United States, "Born This Way" was absolutely a controversial single.

For some, "Born This Way" went too far. While it was a #1 hit in no less than 25 countries, it was also banned in several countries for its explicit pro-gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender content. On the flip side, Gaga has been criticized for co-opting gay rights by gay rights activists themselves. She's also been called a racist, accused of copying Madonna, and squarely bashed by some feminists.

Some days, a Mother Monster just can't win. But other days, like the day she wore the meat dress, Lady Gaga was certainly on top of the world.

On the Charts

"Born This Way" topped the charts in the U.S., Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Holland, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, Scotland, Slovakia, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, and Switzerland.

And that's just the #1 ratings. The blockbusting single also charted in the top ten in the UK, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, and Norway. Whew.

On the Billboard Hot 100, "Born This Way" also happened into the honor of being the 1000th #1 hit in the history of the chart.

The album of the same name peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart in 2011. It was also a #1 album in 25 other countries, including Taiwan, Portugal, and Slovenia.

"Born This Way" was the fastest-selling iTunes track in history, selling more than 1 million downloads in just 5 days and hitting #1 in all of the 23 countries where the iTunes download was available. Lady Gaga is already in the Guinness Book of World Records for several of her many record-breaking sales and awards numbers.