PAPER's Top 10 Albums of the '10s - Born This Way

[KatieJudasGaga4 67,907]

 

"Born This Way is bigger than Lady Gaga. Its first single and title track became a mission statement for the pop icon's entire career, normalizing the LGBTQ experience on a world stage and, most importantly, putting the word "transgender" on Top 40 radio.

This celebration introduced her 2011 epic, which packed together themes of youth, rebellion and freedom inside production that bridged the distant gap between Bruce Springsteen Americana and seedy Berlin electronic. With allusions to Christianity throughout and cover art suggesting Gaga was the vehicle for a new generation, Born This Way was decidedly ambitious — and entirely singular.

This era delivered some of Gaga's best-known anthems to date, from her pre-Joannecountry bop "Yoü and I" to the massive '80s crescendo of "The Edge of Glory." But it's Born This Way's deep cuts where Gaga unleashed her strangest, most intricately coiled concepts. "Heavy Metal Lover" and "Government Hooker," two standouts, saw shiny metallic synths and grinding, machine-like bass get layered beneath twisted lyrics only Gaga could conceive: "I want your whiskey mouth all over my blonde south," she demands on one. "I'm gonna drink my tears tonight," she confesses on the other.

Then there's a hair metal-broadway baby hybrid ("Hair"), an ominous guitar-led hook-up song with church bells ("Electric Chapel"), a ferocious dance cut where Gaga purposefully butchers the German language on beat ("Scheibe"), and an eerie, melodic pop-opera with cultish chants and Gaga's piercing shrill ("Bloody Mary"). 

While music trends are typically ripped from the biggest stars and repeated ad nauseam, nothing has come close to sounding like Born This Way since its release nearly 10 years ago. And that's because nobody could possibly replicate the oddities that boil inside Gaga's brain, especially from a time when she was consistently unleashing some of the most provocative visuals, songs and ideas into mainstream pop culture."

 

https://www.papermag.com/paper-top-10-albums-decade-2641630072.html?rebelltitem=58#rebelltitem58

 

[Guest]

"While music trends are typically ripped from the biggest stars and repeated ad nauseam, nothing has come close to sounding like Born This Way since its release nearly 10 years ago. And that's because nobody could possibly replicate the oddities that boil inside Gaga's brain" wow I felt that

[KatieJudasGaga4 67,907]

No praise for Judas anywhere.

Trash article 

[Edonis 28,950]

Omg they spoke to my soul with this piece 

Born this Way is a gloriously important record that was the musical embodiment of being ahead of its time — so much so that nobody could even try to replicate its aesthetic and sound 

Maybe her magnum opus after all 

[LaLa 19,634]

2 minutes ago, nenhures said:

"While music trends are typically ripped from the biggest stars and repeated ad nauseam, nothing has come close to sounding like Born This Way since its release nearly 10 years ago. And that's because nobody could possibly replicate the oddities that boil inside Gaga's brain" wow I felt that

Gah, that part got me too, I kinda teared up!! 

Gosh I love BTW so much... what a moment 

[HoneyB 27,682]

BTW aged the best out of all her albums imo I love the production for this album 10/10

[Gypsy 3,826]

Lana is literally on so many end of year charts I couldn't be more happy 

BTW aged so well.

[Ziggy 11,670]

14 minutes ago, nenhures said:

"While music trends are typically ripped from the biggest stars and repeated ad nauseam, nothing has come close to sounding like Born This Way since its release nearly 10 years ago. And that's because nobody could possibly replicate the oddities that boil inside Gaga's brain" wow I felt that

Same. I was just thinking about this the other day. It's great that ARTPOP is getting more praise, but tbh I find BTW to be a more unique and "Gaga" record. Not better or worse, but there was a lot of EDM around and after ARTPOP. But BTW?...nothing is like it, really. Sonically, it feels like her most personal work and the way she talked about the music itself. I can tell it holds a special place in her heart. Even with Joanne, she talked more about everything *around* the music than the music itself. But with BTW she couldn't stfu about the music and for good reason; it is just *that* unique. Everything else may not be derivative, it's all great music, but with BTW you can hear that Gaga had total control over the sound at every turn for better or worse and I love that about it. The rest all have their compromises but BTW is uncompromisingly Gaga.

 

Also, it's Paper Magazine hahaha it's a bunch of NYC club kids that grew up on Gaga. If she hadn't been on the list i'd have been more surprised haha

[Bling 31,295]

Omg this makes me wanna listen to it right now! I need new headphones, my old ones have a short in them 😭

[Kimmo 80,440]

She just keeps on winning... I can’t stand it !!!

[Jose P 23,341]

Her magnum opus, no doubt about it. The amount of power, intensity, and energy in this album is insane. It’s extravagant, weird, ambitious, and over-the-top in the best way possible.

I recently re-listened to it and I was amazed with how overwhelming of a listen it is due to how absolutely amazing the large majority of the tracks are. Maybe it has some weak spots whilst TFM (another album many consider her best) has none, but the high points are the highest Gaga has ever reached in her entire career.

A MASTERPIECE in every sense of the word 

[Bio 23,538]

It would be great if HEIDI MONTAG's album wasn't on the same list 

[DC 25,164]

I wish some videos from this era were still up 

But that's ok, Born This Way was an AMAZING era! I wish I could've fully invested my time into it, all I knew was Born This Way and I heard my friends and cousins singing The Edge Of Glory but never knew it was by Gaga 

Well, I was in Second Grade, I can get a pass 

[YourWhiskyMouth 4,014]

“Heavy Metal Lover" saw shiny metallic synths and grinding, machine-like bass get layered beneath twisted lyrics only Gaga could conceive: "I want your whiskey mouth all over my blonde south”

[Ziggy 11,670]

52 minutes ago, Bio said:

It would be great if HEIDI MONTAG's album wasn't on the same list 

I’m so over hipsters going “it’s trash pop” no it’s nostalgia for bad music y’all can laugh at. Like, you can only have ‘trash pop’ retroactively. If it’s done on purpose then it isn’t the same. It’s just ridiculous. The pretentious hoops.