Born This Way
by Lady Gaga
User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 2316 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,955 out of 2316
  2. Mixed: 109 out of 2316
  3. Negative: 252 out of 2316
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  1. marcmyworks
    Nov 11, 2013
    8
    I'm thoroughly surprised at the quality brought before me, as I was originally turned off by the Arcee inspired art and overproduced nature of the first two singles. This just proves that (and I know it's hard to except) that I can be wrong, but at the end of the day folks (dare I end it on such an obvious note, ah what the hell) I was born this way.
  2. Panchogul
    Sep 4, 2020
    10
    Es aquí donde Lady Gaga alcanza su mayor y mejor expresión artística de su carrera, ni The Fame, ni The Fame Monster, este fue el disco de Gaga que SI impactó y dejó huella en la cultura pop.
  3. owenrw89
    Dec 7, 2016
    9
    It is and will remain one of the best and most important pop records of the decade. Apart from the odd head scratcher ('Highway Unicorn', 'The Queen', and the title track), every track is incredible in it's own way. This is pop's answer to hard-rock - taking pop and pushing it to it's ultimate limits. It didn't only confirm Lady Gaga's talent, it enhanced it.
  4. Dsros96
    Oct 29, 2018
    10
    This album is still my favourite album ever. Experimental, full of amazing vocals and songs. You can feel Bruce Springsteen and Whitney Houston's influence. The song that outshines the rest is Scheiße, but still, every song shines their own unique way.
  5. BWETMatangi
    Aug 15, 2013
    10
    My favorite CD from Lady Gaga. "Born This Way" is creative and different, and an icon in pop music. The best songs are "Americano", "Bloody Mary", and "Highway Unicorn (Road To Love)".
  6. asjklasjklas
    Aug 10, 2014
    9
    Born This Way came out in 2011 and it's still one of the most polarizing pop records in the '10s, Lady Gaga channels her inner Bruce Springsteen on an arena rocking scale, Queen on a campy scale, and Madonna on a musical scale and, well, everywhere else -- "Born This Way" comes close to being hailed as one of the greatest remixes of "Express Yourself" to date. But although herBorn This Way came out in 2011 and it's still one of the most polarizing pop records in the '10s, Lady Gaga channels her inner Bruce Springsteen on an arena rocking scale, Queen on a campy scale, and Madonna on a musical scale and, well, everywhere else -- "Born This Way" comes close to being hailed as one of the greatest remixes of "Express Yourself" to date. But although her gender-f***ing emulation might be her trademark, Lady Gaga certainly is an icon in her own right and has her own emulating pop stars to increase her impact in terms of influence in the mainstream music industry.

    Notably, BTW is musically, vocally, and conceptually about whatever the hell it wants to be: Gaga sings in French, Italian, Spanish, and faux-German gibberish -- she "Doesn't speak German, but [she] can if you'd like" -- to dance-pop gloss covered in influences of EDM, country, rock 'n' roll, heavy metal, and in "Americano"'s case, mariachi, while turning sex, race, religion, immigracy, and LGBT rights into 16 of the catchiest pop songs of the early '10s, whether any of it feels natural or not. And although there are times when she takes herself way too seriously ("I'm gonna marry the night/I'm not gonna cry anymore"), Gaga is also a songwriter of epically goofy proportions, spouting some very, very memorable lines: ("Fame hooker, prostitue wrench, vomits her mind"), ("I don't speak German/But I wish I could"), and the most grandiose of them all ("I want your whiskey mouth all over my blonde south").

    The highlights on BTW come from the latter end of the disc: "Heavy Metal Lovers" sure ain't metal on any musical level, but it has leather-stutted-gay-haus-dancing-in-the-dark-dirty house music down to an art; "Electric Chapel" is an ethereal electronic rock song that's more ABBA than ABBA's cover group A-Teens (who were one of my guiltiest pleasures ever, by the way); "You & I" features former Queen guitarist Brian May on the electric guitar that'll be the first and last country rock ballad dedicated to the state of Nebraska; and at last, "The Edge of Glory" is an '80s wannabe arena pop stomper that was written about the death of her grandfather in 2010, which not only shows off Mother Monster's vocal pipes, but it's also a highlight in the '00s' era of electronic music, topped by an unnecessary yet nonetheless epic saxophone solo from the late legend Clarence Clemons.

    In retrospective, Born This Way very well could have worked as a successor to her most recent ARTPOP, because it's the Gaga we fell in love with during the 21st century. It's compositional pretentious never fails to rival of the heart that Gaga injects into it. It's not a masterpiece more than it is an admirably cohesive pop collection of songs that show just how inspirational top 40 music can be. It's not as if we all have to like it -- it's drained of innovation on a technical scale and we're still waiting to meet Stefani Germanotta when she's not in make-up or meat dresses. But whether it's for her commandment on the dancefloor, her wild, Bjork-esque fashion choices, or her support for the LGBT community, you got to respect on some sort of level.    … Expand
  7. Joel_Freecheck
    May 29, 2020
    7
    "Born This Way" might fall short of Gaga's previous projects but it brings forth a more mature, energetic, and fleshed out sound that fits well with her strong vocals.
  8. ihavevocaloid
    Apr 3, 2015
    7
    This album really lies between The Fame and The Fame Monster. It's a good album with a positive message and great production. The only concern I have about Born This Way is that the music gets repetitive after a while. This album earns a B from me. Highlights: "Born This Way", "The Edge of Glory", "Government Hooker". Worst song: "You and I"
  9. Akura-ou
    Feb 1, 2023
    9
    For many people this album may be controversial, not for me. Much better than Gaga's first album..
  10. GagaForGhibli
    May 28, 2012
    9
    A Powerful Album!
    Unforgetable This Album Has Gotten Slammed Alot! I Have No Clue Why.. Its Simply Amazing
    Hair Should Be A Single!
  11. LilScience
    Jan 6, 2018
    8
    Um belo álbum que nos trouxe tanta originalidade como nas faixas Fashion Of His Love, Bad Kids, Heavy Metal Lover, Highway Unicorn (Road To Love) entre outras.
    Gaga nunca desaponta ela é uma artista incrível, muito versátil até em seus estilos de vestir e músicas qualquer um que diz que ela não é original vai falhar ferozmente, Gaga é sim muito além de nosso tempo como foi Nina Hagen,    Um belo álbum que nos trouxe tanta originalidade como nas faixas Fashion Of His Love, Bad Kids, Heavy Metal Lover, Highway Unicorn (Road To Love) entre outras.
    Gaga nunca desaponta ela é uma artista incrível, muito versátil até em seus estilos de vestir e músicas qualquer um que diz que ela não é original vai falhar ferozmente, Gaga é sim muito além de nosso tempo como foi Nina Hagen, David Bowie, Queen!
    Os estilos dos clipes foram impecáveis desde Born This Way até Marry The NIght, muito bem produzidos como a Turnê também que foi maravilhosa como se fosse o castelo de terror da Gaga, muito criativo.
    Sem falar que este álbum teve uma pegada bem pros anos 80, algo que jamais vi em qualquer artista muito original, claro que teve críticas ao BTW o single ser um pouco parecido com a da Madonna Express Yourself, sim um pouco parece não serei hipócrita em mentir não é? Mas mesmo assim continua uma faixa totalmente expressiva que faz os LGBTs e as pessoas que não sentem inclusivas na sociedade se sentirem bem e vêem que eles não estão sozinhos nessa!
    Não há como dizer que este não é um álbum autêntico, a maquiagem que é usada em quase todos os clipes desse álbum é mais original do que tudo que vi nessa indústria nos últimos 10 anos nada mais superou nem nos 8 anos depois, maquiagem simplesmente perfeita.
    Para fechar quero dizer que é nota 8 sim pelo tom de destemida em Gaga de nunca ter medo de se expressar não importa o que os outros digam!!!    … Expand
  12. greedybadidea
    May 25, 2020
    7
    After hearing Lady Gaga's previous project 'The Fame Monster', I expected more from her sophomore album, but I can appreciate the art she's made with this project. This album succeeds mainly in its lyrical beauty. The songwriting for this record is superb and the issues mentioned on the album are so important to society and I enjoy seeing Gaga getting deep with pop music. I would've likedAfter hearing Lady Gaga's previous project 'The Fame Monster', I expected more from her sophomore album, but I can appreciate the art she's made with this project. This album succeeds mainly in its lyrical beauty. The songwriting for this record is superb and the issues mentioned on the album are so important to society and I enjoy seeing Gaga getting deep with pop music. I would've liked to see more variety when it came to the production of the album especially with one this long. I loved Gaga's raw vocal performance on this project as well. However, I just expected to score this project much higher, but I believe the score I have given it is well deserved and wouldn't be where it is without the spectacular songwriting.

    Album Track Ranking:
    1. Marry the Night
    2. The Edge of Glory
    3. Born This Way
    4. You and I
    5. Judas
    6. Bloody Mary
    7. Hair
    8. Black Jesus + Amen Fashion
    9. Bad Kids
    10. Electric Chapel
    11. Fashion of His Love
    12. ScheiBe
    13. The Queen
    14. Highway Unicorn (Road to Love)
    15. Heavy Metal Lover
    16. Government Hooker
    17. Americano    … Expand
  13. chidime
    Nov 21, 2015
    9
    Writing a review 4 years later. If there's one thing at least everyone can agree on regarding this album, it is that for a pop album, it sounds NOTHING like any other pop album, both in 2011, before that and up till now. Lady Gaga is simply one hell of a songwriter and artiste. This album made such a grand statement in it's artistry I can confidently say it is her best work. First time IWriting a review 4 years later. If there's one thing at least everyone can agree on regarding this album, it is that for a pop album, it sounds NOTHING like any other pop album, both in 2011, before that and up till now. Lady Gaga is simply one hell of a songwriter and artiste. This album made such a grand statement in it's artistry I can confidently say it is her best work. First time I heard it, I heard lots of fillers. however, over time, i came to see what gaga was envisioning when writing these songs and arranging this album. 9/10 without a doubt (Previously 7/10)… Expand
  14. ManuelContreras
    Apr 7, 2018
    10
    El mejor album de la cantante sin duda alguna, este album es de los mejores de su año
  15. raciocinio
    Oct 7, 2017
    9
    A Masterpiece album by Lady GaGa way Underrated from Critics 71%. Also have 2 Dumb idiots critics that gave negative reviews really? **** hard this masterpiece to okey 71%, Even if he's gave a mixed review we got maybe a 75% to 77% that really deserves more than 81% "Universal Acclaim"

    Full of Excellent singles 1-The Edge of Glory 2-Judas 3-Marry The Night 4-You And I & 5-Born This Way    A Masterpiece album by Lady GaGa way Underrated from Critics 71%. Also have 2 Dumb idiots critics that gave negative reviews really? **** hard this masterpiece to okey 71%, Even if he's gave a mixed review we got maybe a 75% to 77% that really deserves more than 81% "Universal Acclaim"

    Full of Excellent singles 1-The Edge of Glory 2-Judas 3-Marry The Night 4-You And I & 5-Born This Way

    And other pretty gems that could also be great singles>>>>
    Hair >Highway Unicorn (Road to Love)> Heavy Metal Lover> Bad Kids> Scheiße> Electric Chapel> Bloody Mary & Government Hooker    … Expand
  16. NathanCabello
    Dec 16, 2014
    10
    The best of her album, all the songs are good, literally all, an album with quality and great vocals, the pop world needs more albums like this, so good I have no words to say about it.
    Highlights: Scheibe and Government Hooker
    Lows: Bloody Mary and Black Jesus Amen Fashion
  17. ewhite
    May 23, 2019
    10
    Lady Gaga's "Magnum Opus". With the masterpiece that is ‘Born This Way’, Lady Gaga took her established formula and pushed it in new directions, proving that she was in it for the long haul. After the hypermassive success of the political yet empowering lead single, Gaga proved that 'Born This Way' was a turning point in her career. Exploring a variety of genres such as Electropop,Lady Gaga's "Magnum Opus". With the masterpiece that is ‘Born This Way’, Lady Gaga took her established formula and pushed it in new directions, proving that she was in it for the long haul. After the hypermassive success of the political yet empowering lead single, Gaga proved that 'Born This Way' was a turning point in her career. Exploring a variety of genres such as Electropop, Synth-pop, Rock, Euro-dance, Disco and Jazz and taking inspiration from politics, LGBT rights, music legends (Madonna, Whitney Houston, Queen ETC), Greek mythology, religion (biblical themes in 'Judas', 'Bloody Mary', "Black Jesus + Amen Fashion"), 80s and 90s club music and avante-garde dark fashion Gaga proved that this was indeed a turning point in her career, inspiring and changing lives of millions of fans around the world. This album is truly one of the best and most life changing albums of this century. Even in 2019, it's impact can still be seen on millions of fans, and even other artists albums. As I said earlier, this album pushed limits, exceeded expectations, and truly redefined pop. Thank you, Gaga.… Expand
  18. potasioxd
    Sep 2, 2020
    7
    born this way es un buen álbum con un buen concepto. la temática religiosa que tienen algunos videos lo hace bueno y fresco, sin duda lady gaga sabía los riesgos de hacer algo así, y le salió realmente bien. con respecto al álbum algunas canciones se sienten que sobran o no tienen nada que hacer allí. mis canciones favoritas son bloody mary, judas, government hooker y americano
  19. CharlieBetterIs
    Jan 6, 2016
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Born This Way é um bom álbum, mas não sei o porque desse endeusamento com ele. Com uma estrada longa (e, muitas vezes, cansativa) de 17 faixas, nem 10 conseguem ser realmente boas. Mas é uma boa pedida pra quem gosta de um pop com muitos sintetizadores.

    Pontos Altos: Judas, Hair, Born This Way
    Pontos Baixos: Bad Kids, Government Hooker, Heavy Metal Lover    … Expand
  20. Zanessa250QI
    May 26, 2017
    9
    The Best Pop Album Of The Year, The Best Lady GaGa Album, One of Best Pop Albums Of All Time. And Even Maybe One Of Best Albums Ever Made

    here Lady GaGa is on TOP OF THE GAME, in her best album yet, even if The Fame Monster were a studio album because who don't know is a EP!!! this album is even better for a while....

    Lady GaGa is one of best artist acting now in music industry
  21. iamtrent424
    May 24, 2011
    8
    This album is really good. I don't see how anybody could hate this album. How can anybody say this album was horrible. I know its different from her other two albums but it still keep the electro pop sound. This album gets more personal but still has dance tracks, Lady Gaga on this album shows that she can sing. I love Lady Gaga. The Fame and Fame Monster was amazing album. This isThis album is really good. I don't see how anybody could hate this album. How can anybody say this album was horrible. I know its different from her other two albums but it still keep the electro pop sound. This album gets more personal but still has dance tracks, Lady Gaga on this album shows that she can sing. I love Lady Gaga. The Fame and Fame Monster was amazing album. This is different from those two albums. I think this album is her best yet. At first i didn't like the direction she was going for this album. After listening to this album I became to love it. This is one of the best albums of the year so far. Gaga on this album show people that she can song. Her song writing for this album is really good. I do miss the old gaga but this gaga is cool also in my book. I like the style for this album. This album sounds like an 80s album and also 90's and today. This is an album that some gaga fans would love and some wouldn't. Some people didn't like the direction she went for this album, I understand. Like I stated before I didn't like the direction she was going for this album. This album has some dance tracks like The Edge of Glory. This song is Gaga best yet. Love that song. Some songs are dance songs but still have an electro pop sound to it like You And I. This might be Gaga best album. Right now this is her best album but all her albums gets the same same ratings for me which means all her album are tie to me. This is my favorite right now at the moment but all her albums are really good. I don't see how anybody could give this album a 4 and down.… Expand
  22. SumitSumbria
    May 7, 2016
    9
    Best album of Lady Gaga. Every tack is wonderful. Rangin from LGBT based "Born In This Way" and "Americano" to soulful perfomance of "You and I" and "The Edge of Glory", this is what Lady Gaga is - an artist. Gaga's vocal delivery is worth praise. Ofcourse the "Madonna" factor is all over the album, especially "Born In This Way" - modern version of Madonna's hit "Express Yourself". ButBest album of Lady Gaga. Every tack is wonderful. Rangin from LGBT based "Born In This Way" and "Americano" to soulful perfomance of "You and I" and "The Edge of Glory", this is what Lady Gaga is - an artist. Gaga's vocal delivery is worth praise. Ofcourse the "Madonna" factor is all over the album, especially "Born In This Way" - modern version of Madonna's hit "Express Yourself". But Gaga still creates her own current. Also, the sentiment of the song "The Edge of Glory" is beautiful. There could'nt have been a better closing track. Moreover, This is how a Pop album should sound like.… Expand
  23. JeremySpears
    Mar 19, 2021
    8
    Prior to its release, Lady Gaga said that "Born This Way" would be the best album of her career and the best album of the century. It didn’t turn out to be her best album OR the album of the century but it’s a damn good pop album. With this album, she wanted to explore the sound of her second studio album "The Fame Monster" a bit more and in a more extreme way. They both share the samePrior to its release, Lady Gaga said that "Born This Way" would be the best album of her career and the best album of the century. It didn’t turn out to be her best album OR the album of the century but it’s a damn good pop album. With this album, she wanted to explore the sound of her second studio album "The Fame Monster" a bit more and in a more extreme way. They both share the same dark dance pop sound but "Born This Way" is even more experimental than its predecessor. A lot of the songs have an 80s synthpop sound but the album also incorporates elements of opera, mariachi, heavy metal, rock music, house and disco music. The album discusses themes such as sexuality, feminism, individualism, equality and freedom. I‘m just gonna point out the highlights of the album. "Judas", the scandalous second single of the album, is a pop gem with a heavy dubstep dance break. "Bloody Mary" is a masterpiece. One of the best and most experimental albums of Gaga's entire career. It features multiple religious references (as many songs on this album) and includes a Gregorian choir. Epic. "Heavy Metal Lover" is a breezy mid-tempo electropop and techno song. Gaga's background vocals are incredible on this song. I always felt like it’s amazing for the summer. "Government Hooker" is also a very experimental track and one of the best album tracks of her career. Gaga sings part of the song like an opera singer, a male voice sings with her and just the entire production is so different. The album's title track "Born This Way" does sound A LOT like Madonna's "Express Yourself" but it’s still an epic pop bop.

    "Born This Way" is an exciting, experimental pop album. The reason why I "only" give 8 stars is because some of the songs didn’t age well ("Scheiße", "Bad Kids"), it has quite a few fillers ("The Queen", "Americano") and it feels very overproduced at times. It’s not the album of the century but it’s a good one.

    Favorites: Heavy Metal Lover, Bloody Mary, Judas, Born This Way & Government Hooker    … Expand
  24. LanaDelRey
    Mar 24, 2013
    10
    Every Song Is Amazing And Unique In It's Own Way! Almost Every Song Off The Album Could Be A Single! This Album Does Not Suck As Many Reviewers Stated... Possibly The Best Of 2011!
  25. 0987
    Feb 28, 2017
    10
    The bestest album by Gaga. Almost every song is perfect. My favourites are: Marry The Night, Hair, Heavy Metal Lover, You and I and The Edge of GLory. Easily the best album of 2011 and Gaga's best album!
  26. Lopesito27
    Jan 23, 2021
    8
    This is easily a style-over-substance kind of project, but it has enough campy stylish fun to offer to be, not only a good album, but an iconic one for gay culture.
  27. joaofelin
    Jun 20, 2017
    9
    Marry the Night - 9
    Born This Way - 10
    Government Hooker - 9
    Judas - 10
    Americano - 8
    Hair - 10
    Scheiße - 9
    Bloody Mary - 9
    Bad Kids - 7
    Highway Unicorn (Road to Love) - 9
    Heavy Metal Lover - 10
    Electric Chapel - 9
    Yoü and I - 10
    The Edge of Glory - 9

    score: 9,1
  28. sil3nt_nick
    Mar 24, 2013
    9
    I don't think anybody saw it coming when Lady Gaga changed her genre slightly to show of the amazing vocals that most people never thought she had in the first place. Her songwriting talent shone on this album as well. My one comment would be the use of auto tune that can be found on a few tracks. Other than that, the Grammy-nominated album was one of the best of 2011.
  29. AngelAntonio96
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    Amo demasiado este álbum!!! ❤ Hair y Heavy Metal Lover merecían ser single
  30. evermore13
    Nov 15, 2021
    7
    Gaga has always been able to anchor her haughty conceptual undertakings with simple, catchy tunes, but with «Born This Way», the persona and the message are starting to bleed into the songs. It's not a good look. It lacks the overall quality of Robyn's «Body Talk» or the stand-out singles of Rihanna's «Loud», yet it's still packed with hooks, killer choruses and unexpected twists.
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Most Discussed Album of 2011
2
#2 Most Shared Album of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 34
  3. Negative: 1 out of 34
  1. Billboard.com
    Sep 25, 2014
    86
    Lady Gaga promised her fans (perhaps a tad prematurely) that her new album would be the greatest of the decade. But even if the next nine years bring something better, we're unlikely to hear anything bigger than Born This Way.
    Read full review
  2. Q Magazine
    Aug 8, 2011
    60
    Born This Way feels like the first proper Lady Gaga album. [Aug. 2011, p. 114]
  3. Prefix Magazine
    Jul 6, 2011
    60
    Gaga has always been able to anchor her haughty conceptual undertakings with simple, catchy tunes, but with Born This Way, the persona and the message are starting to bleed into the songs. It's not a good look.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »