Little “monsters” everywhere have been counting down the seconds until the release of Lady Gaga’s new single titled “Born This Way.” The long-awaited track is the first single off her upcoming studio album of the same name which will be released on May 23.
Gaga gifted the highly anticipated song to her fans on Friday, Feb. 11, and it has been in heavy rotation on airwaves since. With feel good, catchy lyrics and a blend of 90s-esque sounds, the song is being received positively.
“Born This Way” immediately shot to the top of the iTunes songs chart around the world. The song reached the number one spot on iTunes U.S. in less than three hours after its release, becoming the fastest song to ever do so.
Gaga confirmed to television personality Ellen DeGeneres on Jan. 27 via phone call that she was set to premiere her song during a performance at the Grammy Awards ceremony Sunday, Feb. 13. The suspense built as the singer took to her Twitter account to announce that she would shorten the wait. She tweeted: “Can’t wait any longer, single coming Friday,” causing a riot in the media and among her fans.
The track slowly began to leak when the artist debuted a few lines from the song after winning “Best Video of the Year” at the MTV Video Music Awards last September. “I’m beautiful in my way, because God makes no mistakes. I’m on the right track. Baby, I was born this way,” Gaga sang to her fans.
Throughout the last month, Gaga released small fractions of the lyrics, further accelerating her fans’ excitement. Several media outlets such as Perez Hilton’s blog, Rolling Stone, and Gaga Daily, released clips of the song at different times, while little monsters everywhere jumped from site to site attempting to piece it all together.
The extravagant singer promised her fans that she would post the official lyrics and credits of the song if they made #leakitgaga a trending topic on Twitter. It quickly became the number one trending topic and Gaga released the full lyrics via her Twitter account. It was not until Feb. 11 that she decided to leak the track just two days shy of the originally planned date.
In the midst of controversial issues such as gay marriage, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and youth suicides, the concept of the song is socially conscious and aware. The track is designed to make a significant impact on all of those affected by low self-esteem, bullying, and discrimination based on their race or sexuality.
Just a few days after the release, the song has already sparked some controversy. Many people have compared the song to Madonna’s hit “Express Yourself,” saying it sounds extremely similar and based on the same idea. These critics include Madonna’s brother, Christopher Ciccone, who lashed out against Gaga according to gossip blog PopEater.com.
“It sounds just like ‘Express Yourself’ – I can’t believe it to tell you the truth,” Ciccone said.
Gaga has often referred to Madonna as a great form of inspiration, and it comes as no surprise for their music to be somewhat alike. Only time will tell whether or not a feud between these two pop icons will ensue. After a shell-shocking Grammy performance involving an egg and with expectations to be the 1000th song to make Billboard’s number one spot, “Born This Way” is sure to make history in true Gaga fashion.
