Northtown (EP)
Northtown is the first EP by the American singer-songwriter Shamir Bailey, better known by his stage name, Shamir. The EP has elements of R&B, house and dance music. It was produced by Nick Sylvester, the founder of New York's Godmode label, and was released on June 6, 2014. It was rated as one of the best releases by a new artist in 2014.
Production.
The "Northtown" EP was produced by Nick Sylvester, founder of the Godmode label. Shortly after graduating from high school, Shamir emailed a demo tape to Godmode, hoping to find a label to release the demo tape. Sylvester called the music "kind of like an R&B 'Yeezus'". He contacted Shamir the day after hearing the tape and invited Shamir to New York City to make some "real music" as opposed to just releasing the demo tape.
Critical reception.
"Northtown" has received generally positive reviews from music critics.
"NME", rated "Northtown" as "one of 2014's most essential new EP's." In a review of the EP for NME, Rhian Daly wrote, "The disco-worshipping, androgynous teen might hail from Las Vegas but on the strength of these five songs (three funky-house stompers, one stupendous ballad and a heart-rending cover of Lindi Ortega) it's fair to say his spiritual homeland is late-'80s Detroit and his god an ill-behaved hybrid of Grace Jones and Frankie Knuckles... If this is the house that Shamir built, I'm moving in."
In July 2014, Radio.com included "Northtown" in its "New Music To Know: Best of 2014, So Far" profile, noting that "Shamir combines the honest songwriting of Taylor Swift with the theatrics of Lana Del Rey to make something that sounds far wiser than his 19 years".
Foster Kamer of "Pigeons & Planes" rated "Northtown" as "2014's most exciting R&B Dance-Pop debut".
In July 2014, "Flavorwire named" "Northtown"'s opening track one of its "25 Best Songs of 2014 So Far".
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Shamir (musician)
American singer and songwriter (born 1994)
Shamir Bailey (born November 7, 1994) is an American singer and songwriter from Las Vegas, Nevada. His debut extended play (EP), "Northtown", was released in June 2014 to positive reviews. In October 2014, he signed to XL Recordings and released the single "On the Regular". His debut LP "Ratchet" was released on May 19, 2015 in the United States. Since then he has released seven independent studio albums, "Hope" (2017), "Revelations" (2017), "Resolution" (2018), "Be the Yee, Here Comes the Haw" (2019), "Cataclysm" (2019), "Shamir" (2020), and "Heterosexuality" (2022).
Early life.
Shamir grew up in North Las Vegas, an area that he has called "cookie-cutter suburban." He was raised as a Muslim but describes himself as "more spiritual than religious, I don't believe in god per se, I kind of feel like god is the universe." Shamir is non-binary, informing an interviewer in 2015 that "I don't identify as gay because I don't identify as male or female". Although he does not have a preferred pronoun, he is comfortable with male pronouns, and "never really got" singular they.
His aunt was in the music business and lived with Shamir and his mother. Bass players and producers were guests at the family's home, helping his aunt with her songs. His parents and aunt introduced him to a wide range of music, including hip-hop, R&B, Outkast, Groove Theory, and singers like Billie Holiday, Nina Simone and Janis Joplin. At age nine, Shamir received an Epiphone guitar, and began writing music.
At age 16, he formed a punk band with a friend, but the band ended quickly when his partner froze on stage at their first gig. During his high school years, he recorded tracks for his first EP. Shortly after graduating from high school, he sent a demo tape to the Godmode label in New York City. The label founder Nick Sylvester signed him to the label.
Music career.
Shamir's debut EP, "Northtown", was released by Godmode in June 2014 and is named for the Northtown neighborhood where he grew up. Jules Muir, writing for the music blog "Pigeons & Planes" noted that Shamir "continues to make a bigger name for himself with every new release and a unique new sound on each." Jamieson Cox of "Pitchfork" called the EP's opening track, "If It Wasn't True" "a stunning opening salvo, one that plays on the tension between Shamir's slender vocal and lyrical naiveté and grimy, threatening instrumental tones before devolving into a chaotic mess, swallowed by a haphazardly firing synth corroding in real-time." In July 2014, Flavorwire named Shamir's "If It Wasn't True" one of its "25 Best Songs of 2014 So Far". Radio.com also included Shamir in its "New Music To Know: Best of 2014, So Far" profile, noting that "Shamir combines the honest songwriting of Taylor Swift with the theatrics of Lana Del Rey to make something that sounds far wiser than his 19 years."
After signing to XL Recordings, he released the single "On the Regular" in October 2014 which went on to be used in a 2015 Android Wear commercial. In March 2015, he released "Call It Off" as a single in the debut album, "Ratchet", released on May 19, 2015. The accompanied music video was made and released as part of the 2015 YouTube Music Awards. "Darker" was the second single from "Ratchet"; the song was released in May 2015. In 2015, he toured with Years & Years, opening for their UK dates. In mid-March 2016, he served as the opening act for Troye Sivan's Blue Neighbourhood Tour. On April 17, 2017, Shamir released his second album, "Hope". He revealed he was dropped from XL Recordings and self-released the album.
After "Hope" was released, Shamir broke with his management team and again considered quitting his music career. After a psychotic episode, he spent time in a psychiatric hospital, where he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He returned to Las Vegas, where he wrote and recorded most of his third album, "Revelations", in two weeks. Noting that the style of the album differed significantly from his previous work, he told a journalist: "A lot of people think I'm crazy. I guess I kind of am. But I also know what's best for me, and that's more important than fame and money".
Shamir was featured on "Wussy Magazine"'s "Sex Issue" in 2018. On March 9, 2018, Shamir released his fourth album, "Resolution" without any prior announcement. "Resolution" marks a continuation of Shamir's indie rock style, similar to "Hope" and "Revelations".
In 2020, Shamir released the self-titled full length album, "Shamir." It was co-produced by Kyle Pulley, and many of the songs, including the single "On My Own" were recorded at Headroom Studios in Philadelphia. The album was met with critical acclaim and made year end lists for Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and NPR Music.
Shamir published his first book, "But I'm a Painter", with Bottlecap Press in 2021, a collection of essays about paintings he created over the previous six years.
Musical style.
Shamir is known for having an androgynous countertenor voice. Radio.com wrote that Shamir's singing voice, "like Joplin's, stops you in your tracks." He does not mind having his voice described as androgynous, but notes that "countertenor" is the correct term: "It's not feminine, it's not masculine. It's a happy medium ... I feel like if the world was more like that, our problems would be gone."
Critic Jamieson Cox, writing for Pitchfork Media, wrote: With a piercing countertenor somewhere between Prince masquerading as Camille and the cracking adolescent soul of the teenage Michael Jackson, the 19-year-old North Las Vegas native dismantles the expectations maintained for vocalists based on their gender, demanding instead that the focus be placed on their agile, fluttering performance.
Lizzie Plaugic of CMJ called Shamir's music "amazingly unclassifiable," like a "souped-up Vegas Strip disco with a self-conscious pop bent," and wrote that his voice "limbers and stretches like a wad of pink Silly Putty dipped in glitter." In a 2020 "Vulture" interview, Shamir cited Taylor Swift as an inspiration and influence on his songwriting.
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Way Down
"Way Down" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley. Recorded in October 1976, it was his last single released before his death on August 16, 1977. The song was written by Layng Martine Jr. and recorded by Presley at his home studio in Graceland on 29 October 1976.
Released as a single (with "Pledging My Love" on the B-side) on June 6, 1977, it was his latest single at the time of his death. It initially peaked at No. 31 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart dated August 6, 1977 and had fallen to No. 53 on the chart for the week ending August 27, 1977. Thereafter, it reversed direction and reached an even higher peak at No. 18 on 24 September – 1 October 1977. "Way Down" reached No. 1 on the American Country chart the week he died. The single was certified platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA in 1999.
On the UK Singles Chart, after having climbed only four places to number 42 the week before Presley's death, the track rose to number four the following week and then hit number one in the week ending 3 September and stayed there for five weeks, just over seven years after his previous 16th UK number one single, "The Wonder of You", in August 1970. His previous single, "Moody Blue", had been a number one hit on the US Country charts earlier in 1977. "Way Down" was reissued in April 2005 and reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart.
The recording also featured J.D. Sumner singing the words "way on down" at the end of each chorus down to the note low C (C2). At the end of the song, this phrase is octaved, reaching a double low C (C1, three octaves below middle C). This note was first accomplished by Sumner in a 1966 recording of the hymn "Blessed Assurance".
Chart performance.
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Live in Las Vegas (Elvis Presley album)
Live in Las Vegas is a four-disc box set by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released in July 2001 on RCA Records, catalogue 07863 69354-2. It comprises live recordings from shows given by Presley in Las Vegas through every decade of his career.
Content.
Disc one comprises a complete show from August 24, 1969, and disc two a complete show from August 11, 1970. Discs three and four present recordings from shows over a time span from 1956 through 1975, not in chronological order.
In his review of the album, music critic Lindsay Planer stated:
A vibrant and overwhelmingly energetic Presley is the focus of the first two discs - containing complete performances from August 24, 1969, and August 11, 1970, respectively. As one may well anticipate, the sets feature a healthy sampling of Presley's voluminous back catalogue. "Hound Dog", "Heartbreak Hotel", "Love Me Tender", and "I Got a Woman" are given a workout during each performance. As were the more current hits such as "Suspicious Minds", "In the Ghetto", and "Can't Help Falling in Love". Presley's knack for inimitable remakes is also displayed as he gains inspiration from concurrent chart-toppers such as "Hey Jude", "Bridge over Troubled Water", and "Polk Salad Annie". Unlike the first two discs, the final pair do not contain complete performances and likewise are not presented chronologically. For the sake of contrast, the four song mini-set documenting the final performance of Presley's first Vegas stand on May 6, 1956, begins disc four. What remains consistent - in both the brief 1956 set as well as on the remainder of the mid-'70s recordings - is Presley's impeccable taste in cover material.
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Gerard Way
American singer (born 1977)
Gerard Arthur Way (born April 9, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and comic book writer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and co-founder of the rock band My Chemical Romance. He released his debut solo album, "Hesitant Alien", in 2014.
Way co-created and wrote the comic series "The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys" and "The Umbrella Academy", the latter of which was later adapted into a popular Netflix series that ran for four seasons. He is also the founder of DC Comics' Young Animal imprint, and wrote the imprint's flagship series, "Doom Patrol".
Early life.
Way was born in Summit, New Jersey, on April 9, 1977, the son of Donna Lee ("née" Rush) and Donald Way. He is of Italian and Scottish ancestry. Raised in Belleville, New Jersey, alongside brother Mikey Way, he first began singing publicly in the fourth grade, when he played the role of Peter Pan in a school musical production. His maternal grandmother, Elena Lee Rush, was a great creative influence who taught him to sing, paint, and perform from a young age; he has said that "she has taught me everything I know". While in elementary school, the glam metal band Bon Jovi was instrumental in forming his love of music.
At the age of 15, Way was held at gunpoint. As he said in an April 2008 "Rolling Stone" interview, "I got held up with a .357 Magnum, had a gun pointed to my head and put on the floor, execution-style." He went on to say that "no matter how ugly the world gets or how stupid it shows me it is, I always have faith [in it]". At age 16, he appeared on an episode of "Sally Jesse Raphael" to discuss the controversy surrounding the publicizing of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer's crimes in comic books. Way attended Belleville High School, graduating in 1995. Deciding to pursue a career in the comic-book industry, he attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1999.
Music career.
2001–2013: My Chemical Romance.
As teenagers, Gerard and his brother Mikey Way, who later became the bassist of My Chemical Romance, were influenced by artists including Iron Maiden, The Misfits, Danzig, Black Flag, Queen, Pulp, Alkaline Trio, Blur, Morrissey, and The Smiths. Way originally wanted to be a guitarist. His grandmother bought him his first guitar at the age of eight, and he played in short-lived bands such as Ray Gun Jones and Nancy Drew with future bandmate Ray Toro. When he was not successful (one band kicked him out due to his lack of skill with the guitar), he chose to concentrate on his art career.
Way was working as an intern for Cartoon Network in New York City during the September 11, 2001 attacks. Seeing the effects of the attacks first-hand prompted Way to change his views on life in the following weeks. He told "Spin" magazine, "I literally said to myself, 'Fuck art. I've gotta get out of the basement. I've gotta see the world. I've gotta make a difference.'" To help deal with the emotional effects the attacks had on him, Way wrote the lyrics to the song "Skylines and Turnstiles", which became the first song by My Chemical Romance.
Way has also contributed vocally to other bands' songs such as Every Time I Die's "Kill the Music", Head Automatica's "Graduation Day", Say Anything's "In Defense of the Genre", and The Oval Portrait's "From My Cold Dead Hands" and "Barnabus Collins Has More Skeletons in His Closet Than Vincent Price".
In interviews, Way has stated that music and his artwork were effective outlets for his longtime battles against depression, alcoholism, and prescription drug abuse. Using music to resolve personal battles has also led Way to create deeply personal songs such as "Helena", which he wrote in memory of his late grandmother.
On March 22, 2013, My Chemical Romance announced their break up.
2014–2016: "Hesitant Alien".
In May 2014, Way launched his Tumblr-based website where he announced that he had signed to Warner Bros. Records as a solo artist and was nearing completion of his first solo album.
Further to this he announced a new song, "Action Cat", released later in June as a promotional single to his new album and his first solo shows at Reading and Leeds Festivals 2014. He later announced another solo performance that took place at Portsmouth's Wedgewood Rooms on August 20. On August 19, Way released a music video for the song "No Shows", released as the first single off the new album on August 19. The album, titled "Hesitant Alien", was released on September 30, 2014.
When Way was asked why he chose to implement the Britpop genre into his music he stated that he enjoyed the energy and style of the music and its scene, and was urged to revive aspects of the genre in America.
In February and March 2015, Way performed as a solo artist with The Hormones on the main stage of the Australian 2015 Soundwave music festivals, and headlined an additional sideshow in Melbourne.
In early 2015, it was announced that he would perform at the Boston Calling Music Festival in May 2015.
On Record Store Day 2016, Way released two exclusive, unreleased tracks from "Hesitant Alien" titled "Don't Try" and "Pinkish".
2018–present: Later solo singles and reunion.
On October 26, 2018, Way released his first major solo single in over two years, titled "Baby You're a Haunted House". The single features Way's brother and former bandmate, Mikey Way, on bass. The official lyric video, featuring four skeleton-masked musicians performing the song, was released on YouTube on the same day.
On November 15, Way released another single, "Getting Down the Germs", which was co-written with former bandmate Ray Toro. The single "gives a peek of where [Way] will be headed musically," according to a statement released by Way.
On December 14, Way released a third single, "Dasher", which features additional vocals from Lydia Night of The Regrettes. The single is a Christmas-themed story about a girl who falls in love with a reindeer as they await to be reunited after a long absence.
On January 24, 2019, Way released a cover of "Hazy Shade of Winter" by Simon & Garfunkel, once again in collaboration with Toro. The song was featured in the trailer for the Netflix television series adaptation of Way's "The Umbrella Academy", which was released the same day. On February 8, 2019, Way released a cover of "Happy Together" by The Turtles, again featuring Toro. The song also appears on "The Umbrella Academy".
On October 31, 2019, My Chemical Romance announced they would be reuniting with a date in Los Angeles on December 20 and a new merchandise line. They later announced a 2020 North American tour, as well as dates in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. The tour was postponed to 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On July 8, 2020, Way released an original song titled "Here Comes the End", which features singer Judith Hill and appears on the second season of "The Umbrella Academy".
On November 12, 2024, My Chemical Romance announced the Long Live The Black Parade Tour which would be touring North America in 2025. The tour is a celebration of their third album, "The Black Parade". It introduces new story lines that incorporate into the world-building of the original album.
Other musical collaborations.
In 2008, Way and musical project Julien-K remixed a version of the song "Sleep When I'm Dead" by The Cure for their EP "Hypnagogic States". All profits gained from the sales of the EP go to funding the International Red Cross.
In early 2009, Way and Japanese singer Kyosuke Himuro co-produced the new theme song for "", the Blu-ray director's cut of the movie sequel to the popular video game, "Final Fantasy VII". He is also credited with writing the lyrics, and singing alongside Himuro. The song, titled "Safe and Sound", was released on iTunes on April 29, 2009. "Safe and Sound" is only heard on the Japanese release of the film; the English release uses Himuro's "Calling" (the original ending theme for "Advent Children") in place of it. He also contributed vocals for the vocal mix of the deadmau5 song "Professional Griefers".
A longtime supporter of the British rock band LostAlone, Way is the executive producer of their second studio album "I'm a UFO in This City" (2012).
Way contributed guest vocals to "Falling in Love Will Kill You" from Wrongchilde's debut solo album "Gold Blooded", a pseudonym project from Kill Hannah frontman Mat Devine.
In 2015, Way co-wrote and contributed backing vocals to the song "Louder Than Your Love" on Black Veil Brides frontman Andy Black's debut solo album "The Shadow Side".
Way featured in "Rōnin" by "Ibaraki" in March 2022 alongside Trivium's lead vocalist and guitarist Matt Heafy.
Other ventures.
1993–present: Writing.
Way's first attempt at writing a comic was at the age of 16 in 1993, writing a comic book series called "On Raven's Wings", published by Hart D. Fisher's Boneyard Press. The series was cancelled after the second issue, however, due to the loss of its art team. Way was credited as Garry Way.
In 2007, Way began writing the comic-book miniseries "The Umbrella Academy". Its first volume, ', was first released by Dark Horse Comics in their Free Comic Book Day issue on May 5, 2007. Since then, an eight-page story has been published entitled "Safe & Sound", which appeared in a collection of stories entitled "MySpace Dark Horse Presents Volume One". The first official issue of "The Umbrella Academy" was released on September 19, 2007. The first issue sold out and consequently there was a second printing released on October 17, 2007. "Apocalypse Suite" also won the 2008 Eisner Award for Best Limited Series. The next installment of the series, ', was released on November 26, 2008, and, following speculation that Way had retired indefinitely from comics, a third installment entitled "Hotel Oblivion" was released in 2018–2019.
Way and fellow artists Shaun Simon and Becky Cloonan co-created another comic-book series entitled "The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys", which Way announced at 2009 San Diego Comic-Con. At the 2012 New York Comic Con, the team announced that the first look at the series would be released on 2013's Free Comic Book Day. The series continued the concepts introduced in the My Chemical Romance .
In 2011, My Chemical Romance stated that Mikey and Gerard were working on another comic book project which they had kept under wraps since mid-2009. As of 2015 nothing of this project has emerged.
On December 21, 2013, Gerard Way stated that he and Gabriel Bá will be working on parts three and four of his comic book series "Umbrella Academy" beginning in the new year.
In a podcast interview on December 31, 2013, with Chris Thompson from Pop Culture Hound, Way discussed his new "Umbrella Academy" series in more detail and confirmed he would do two volumes back-to-back, with a couple of flashback issues in-between. In addition, he discussed his new comic series "All Ages" which first appeared as a series of images on his Twitter feed. Although the project doesn't have a publisher or an artist at this stage, he is actively working on the story of cats in high school who are discovering their place in the world.
In 2014, it was announced that Way will be making his debut in the Marvel Universe by writing for the alternate universe Spider-Man series "Edge of Spider-Verse". His story introduced Peni Parker, a Japanese-American student who pilots a bio-mechanical suit named SP//dr.
On March 21, 2024, Way announced a new comic book series "Paranoid Gardens", with the first issue releasing in July.
2001–present: Television.
In 2001, Way co-created a cartoon with Joe Boyle called "The Breakfast Monkey". They pitched it to Cartoon Network, but the network declined to pick up the concept on the grounds that it was too similar to the existing property "Aqua Teen Hunger Force".
In 2013, Way made his television directorial debut on The Hub original series "The Aquabats! Super Show!", co-directing and co-writing the season two finale "The AntiBats!" with series co-creators Christian Jacobs and Jason deVilliers. Additionally, Way's brother Mikey appears in the episode, playing the lead singer of a fictional death metal band called Asthma. The following year, Way, as part of the show's writing team, was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series".
In 2018, the character Peni Parker who he co-created appeared in "".
Way served as co-executive producer on the television series adaptation of "The Umbrella Academy" for its entire run from 2019 to 2024.
Artistry.
Some have suggested Way's name to be synonymous with the emo genre. According to "Alternative Press Magazine", "When people think of emo, the My Chemical Romance frontman usually comes to the front of mind. [...] Way’s vocals ripple with emotional intensity and passion, leaning into darkness as much as hope." Vocally, Way was influenced by Queen and britpop music. Way's lyrics incorporate a narrative format. His live performances have been described as "theatrical [and] soul-baring."
Personal life.
Way struggled with alcoholism and prescription drug addiction for many years but as of 2007 was maintaining sobriety. In a November 2010 issue of "Spin" magazine, he said that having become a happier person and feeling more in control, he had been able to enjoy the occasional recreational drink.
On September 3, 2007, after a concert in Colorado, Way married Lyn-Z, bassist of Mindless Self Indulgence, backstage on the final date of the Projekt Revolution tour. A member of Live Nation's touring staff who was also an ordained minister performed the low-key ceremony. Their daughter was born on May 27, 2009. They live in Los Angeles.
Way was raised Catholic, stating in 2006 that he was "not Catholic anymore", and in 2013 that he was a theist who "had always acknowledged [he] received [...] artistic gifts from God".
In 2014, Way began openly discussing his gender identity struggles online and in interviews. In a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) hosted by Way in October 2014, he stated: "I have always been extremely sensitive to those that have gender identity issues as I feel like I have gone through it as well, if even on a smaller scale. I have always identified a fair amount with the female gender, and began at a certain point in MCR to express this through my look and performance style. So it's no surprise that all of my inspirations and style influences were pushing gender boundaries. Freddy ["sic"] Mercury, Bowie, Iggy, early glam, T-Rex. Masculinity to me has always made me feel like it wasn't right for me."
In January 2015, Way was featured in "The Boyzine", an independent zine published by SWMRS frontman Cole Becker. Way again discussed his gender identity, commenting:"I never really subscribed to the archetype masculinity growing up, I had no interest in sports or anything like that. There was a time where I was called a girl so often that when I discovered the idea of transgenderism I considered myself to be more of a girl. So I identify with trans people and women a lot because I was a girl to a lot of people growing up." In June 2015, Way said on Twitter that he uses "he" and "they" pronouns.
In 2015, Way revealed on Reddit that he is a first cousin once removed of comedian and podcaster Joe Rogan. In October 2019, Rogan confirmed it on his podcast. He also said that, despite this, the two have never met.
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Born This Way (song)
2011 single by Lady Gaga
"Born This Way" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga, and the lead single from her second studio album of the same name. Written by Gaga and Jeppe Laursen, who produced it along with Fernando Garibay and DJ White Shadow, the track was developed while Gaga was on the road with the Monster Ball Tour. Inspired by 1990s music which empowered women, minorities, and the LGBT community, Gaga explained that "Born This Way" was her freedom song. It was also inspired by Carl Bean and his song "I Was Born This Way", released in 1977. She sang part of the chorus at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards and announced it as the lead single from the album, released on February 11, 2011.
The song is backed by rumbling synth sounds, a humming bass and additional chorus percussion, with sole organ toward the end. The lyrics discuss the self-empowerment of the LGBT community and racial minorities. Critics positively reviewed the song, calling it a "club-ready anthem". In 2023, "Rolling Stone" named "Born This Way" the Most Inspirational LGBT Song of All Time. It reached number one in over 25 countries and was her third single to top the US "Billboard" Hot 100 chart and the 1,000th song in that chart's history (since 1958) to reach number one. "Born This Way" has sold 8.2 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.
Nick Knight directed the accompanying music video, which was inspired by surrealist painters like Salvador Dalí and Francis Bacon. Gaga is depicted as giving birth to a new race during a prologue. After a series of dance sequences, the video concludes with the view of a city populated by this race. Critics noted the video's references to the work of Madonna, Michael Jackson and fashion designer Alexander McQueen, as well as Greek mythology and surrealism.
Gaga performed the song at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards after coming out of an incubating vessel. Shortly after, she added it to the setlist of the last leg of the Monster Ball Tour. "Born This Way" was later performed on television shows, such as "Saturday Night Live", "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" and "Good Morning America", many of the singer's tours, and it was notably part of her Super Bowl LI halftime show set. The song was treated with different remixes, including a "Country Road" version recorded by Gaga herself and another by Indian production duo Salim–Sulaiman. It has been covered by artists such as Alice Cooper, Madonna, and Katy Perry.
Background.
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The nexus of 'Born This Way' and the soul of the record reside in this idea that you were not necessarily born in one moment. You have your entire life to birth yourself into becoming the ultimate potential vision that you see for you. Who you are when you come out of your mother's womb is not necessarily who you will become. 'Born This Way' says your birth is not finite, your birth is infinite.
—Gaga talking about the meaning of "Born This Way".
In 2010, Lady Gaga was touring for her second world tour, the Monster Ball. At that time she started developing ideas for her second studio album, "Born This Way" (2011). The first song written and recorded for the album was the title track itself which she wrote in Liverpool and Manchester, England, described by Gaga as a "magical message" song. She wrote it in ten minutes and compared the process to an Immaculate Conception. DJ White Shadow, one of the producers of the track, credited Gaga for coming up with the idea and the theme behind the song. "We recorded it around the world, on the road, in whatever was available. It sounds like it reads, but not like you think until you hear it," he added. Gaga wanted to record her own freedom song, and explained with "Billboard" her inspiration behind the song:
I want to write my this-is-who-the-fuck-I-am anthem, but I don't want it to be hidden in poetic wizardry and metaphors. I want it to be an attack, an assault on the issue because I think, especially in today's music, everything gets kind of washy sometimes and the message gets hidden in the lyrical play. Harkening back to the early '90s, when Madonna, En Vogue, Whitney Houston and TLC were making very empowering music for women and the gay community and all kind of disenfranchised communities, the lyrics and the melodies were very poignant and very gospel and very spiritual and I said, 'That's the kind of record I need to make. That's the record that's going to shake up the industry.' It's not about the track. It's not about the production. It's about the song. Anyone could sing 'Born This Way'. It could've been anyone.
In May 2021, during the 10th anniversary of the album, Gaga revealed that it was inspired by Carl Bean and his song "I Was Born This Way", released in 1977. On her social media, she wrote, "'Born This Way', my song and album, were inspired by Carl Bean, a gay black religious activist who preached, sung and wrote about being Born This Way."
Artwork and