Has Born This Way redeemed itself?

[Supersonic 49,376]

When Born This Way came out it was object to MASSIVE scrutiny and criticism, from the song being constantly compared to Express Yourself and the video being torn apart for looking low-budget and weird. You could even argue that the song alone drove away a major part of those who watched Gaga's every move, with a lot of people finding it too "preachy" in our seemingly perfect post modern "nobody faces discrimination anymore!" world. You could say, Gaga is our generations most famous SJW.

5 years later, I noticed a change. We currently live in an environment where talking about social injustice is more common and more accepted, and I think it affected a lot of people's stances on Born This Way as well. All of my run of the mill white straight, non Gaga fan, friends consider Born This Way to be one of Gaga's best, most memorable and biggest songs.

You can see that also reflecting on Born This Way's social media stats. When the music video came out, it was one of the most disliked music videos I had ever seen (next to Justin Bieber's Baby and Stupid Hoe by Nicki Minaj) with more than 35% dislikes, but taking a look at the like-dislike ratio NOW shows a very different picture with only about 17% dislikes (which is still a lot tbh).

If you look up the statistics for the Born This Way video, you can see that 2015 has been the year where the video has viewed the MOST (except for its initial release year):

2011 86,606,638

2012 16,745,866

2013 18,545,238

2014 20,212,789

2015 24,675,057

I know Gaga said that Born This Way is gonna be her carreer-defining and most important record, but nobody believed her and ridiculed her for turning so many people off with it. But now it seems like the last laugh is actually on Gaga's side.

What do you think?

[Robo Ga 15,297]

I agree totally. A lot of Gaga's work is very forward-thinking, and that's why she often faces immediate backlash just to be appreciated a few years later. I feel like this still might happen for ARTPOP too. People will rediscover the record in the future and it will be viewed in a different light

[Phoenix 17,395]

Well I can't speak for others.

But I loved both the song and video and message from the beginning, and found it weird how even some of her fans were hating much on it. 

[gag 22,449]

Queen of releasing music that's ahead of its time!

[The Child 18,997]

I don't remember the video being that criticized, yeah people did find it weird but they liked the video. Judas mv and even the song itself were much more controversial and disliked.

[Lextyr97 19,872]

Well, I think the whole bashing part just goes with everyone trying to take Gaga down. But I do completely agree with everything you said, regardless.Gaga did say that they may not appreciate Born This Way (album) upon its release, but in the future, it will be viewed as an absolute masterpiece, and after you mentioning this, she may have perhaps been completely correct. 

Born This Way is an amazing song and I'm so glad to see people finally appreciating it.

[Prismatic 4,789]

Still don't like the song :sorry: But I do use the album. 

[London GUY 5,628]

 

[Pacify Him 9,073]

Thought you was talking about the BTW Foundation 

[AIex 3,102]

everyone hated the Born This Way album

 

then ARTPOP made it look like a masterpiece by comparison

[FRANK1991 3,329]

8 minutes ago, Highway GUY said:

 

omg I love this placement! genius! lol

[SamJ 8,008]

I think when Born This Way came out (the song) it was the first single from gaga that didnt sound cool and pop. It was unlike the gaga sound that cool dance pop sound that had made gaga a superstar in her first two eras. The great message of born this way saved it this was the lead single from the biggest star in the world at the time she had just produced a new bop which had a forward thinking message but the quality of the audio is quite poor it sounds worse year after year Imo I don't think its redeemed itself it didn't need to in the first place because it was the song that made gaga a legend it had such a cultural impact which helped gaga loads. But I think as the years have gone by this is the song which has aged the most so to answer your question no its not redeemed itself

[Tyler 109]

It never needed to redeem itself. Born This Way was Gaga's prime. She said herself that the record would be her opus; her career-defining moment. It was true. I enjoyed everything about the whole era. ARTPOP's colossal disappointment was perhaps due in part to the success of Born This Way before it; creatively, critically and commercially, it was a triumph. ARTPOP was none of those things and that is the album that needs to redeem itself.

I will never understand people who drag Born This Way. That era was the highlight of my adolescent years.

[AlexanderLevi2 5,849]

37 minutes ago, CrazyMonster said:

I don't remember the video being that criticized, yeah people did find it weird but they liked the video. Judas mv and even the song itself were much more controversial and disliked.

Yes, I agree. However, most of my friends ask me to play Judas, now. Wish it was appreciated as much back then, it could have been a smash like Bad Romance 

[The Child 18,997]

4 minutes ago, AlexanderLevi2 said:

Yes, I agree. However, most of my friends ask me to play Judas, now. Wish it was appreciated as much back then, it could have been a smash like Bad Romance 

Around me the BTW era was really liked (at least the first 3 singles) so whenever BTW or Judas comes on shuffle my friends love it!