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For the song, see Born This Way (song).

Born This Way is Lady Gaga's third studio album. It was released on May 23rd, 2011. The writing of the album took place in 2010 during The Monster Ball Tour. Preceding its release, the album's lead single and title track, "Born This Way", debuted on February 11th, 2011.

In Gaga's own words, the album is "much more vocally up to par with what I’ve always been capable of. It’s more electronic, but I have married a very theatrical vocal to it. It’s like a giant musical-opus theater piece."

As of June 1st, 2011, Born This Way had become the fastest-selling album worldwide in 2011. With 288,000 copies sold on its first day and 1,108,000 in its first week in the U.S., it has sold more than 1 million copies outside the U.S. The album has also debuted at the top spot in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, and Taiwan.

Background and development

Already during the first leg of The Monster Ball Tour in Fall of 2009, RedOne said to MTV News that they will be "making magic again", regarding Gaga's third album. He also said that during The Monster Ball Tour Gaga is scheduled to be back in the studio with all-new songs.

We're gonna start very, very soon … within weeks. You should wait for it. That's the mystery. That's what's going to make it more special when it comes out.

—RedOne

During the after-party for the 52nd Grammy Award Ceremony, Joe Germanotta met with American recording artist Britney Spears, with Lady Gaga joining the conversation. They were soon seen exchanging numbers, which hints at a possible collaboration, although there was never an announcement as to whether or not the two would write/sing a song together. Despite rumors, Gaga and Spears did not collaborate on any tracks for Born This Way. During the second week of March 2010, Gaga took a week off to work on some new music before resuming her tour. On March 26th, 2010, Lady Gaga confirmed on an Australian radio show, The Kyle and Jackie O. Show, that she had started working on her next album. She said that "I'm working on it now and I've already written the core of it so I'm just continuing to travel around the world and make something really great. It's certainly my best work to date." [1] This revelation hinted that some of her previous, still unreleased songs might be featured, rather than having an album composed entirely of all-new songs. When asked on Twitter about a future collaboration with Gaga, Fernando Garibay hinted that this was likely to happen again. On March 28th, 2010, Lady Gaga wrote on the chat box on GagaDaily, stating she already wrote the first single for the album. She also mentioned the title of the third album is coming soon, but didn't want to spoil it just yet.

Lady Gaga was seen heading to a recording studio in Sydney, Australia with Fernando Garibay on April 8th, 2010. Gaga also went into the studio a few times on her day off from the tour. On April 21st, 2010, the press released a statement by Akon about Gaga's third album, and that he will soon get with her to work on it.

"She records while she's on the road. I'm flying out to Europe to work on some new records with her. Gaga's just like me. She has a tour bus with a studio in it. Some of the songs I've heard are going to be crazy. She's getting bigger and better." "All I'm doing at the end of the day is listening to the tracks Gaga has written and approving them for her album. She has producers that she works with outside of myself and they are coming up with some incredible records. But the beauty of it is she knows exactly what she wants. So it just makes it easier for me."

On June 1st, Gaga revealed during her interview on Larry King Live that the album would not see release in time for Christmas (2010), and said it would have to be released in 2011.

In the double July issue of Rolling Stone magazine, Gaga said the album title will be announced on January 1st, 2011, 00:00:00, in the form of a new tattoo. She was also quoted saying this about the new single: "That chorus came to me, like, I swear, I didn't even write it. I think God dropped it in my lap."

According to Rolling Stone magazine, Gaga planned to announce the title of her new album at midnight on New Year's Eve. “I think I’m gonna get the album title tattooed on me and put out the photo,” she says. “I’ve been working on it for months now, and I feel very strongly that it’s finished right now. It came so quickly. Some artists take years; I don’t. I write music every day.” As for the subject matter of the music, Gaga said she moved on with writing songs about her quest for fame to crafting tunes with an angry, perhaps political bent. “Why are we still talking about 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell’?” she says. “It’s like, what fucking year is it? It makes me crazy! And I have been for three years baking cakes — and now I’m going to bake a cake that has a bitter jelly. The message of the new music is now more bitter than it was before. Because the sweeter the cake, the more bitter the jelly can be.

On July 15th, Fernando Garibay wrote on his twitter that he had been working with Gaga, "And it happened. @LadyGaga and I just finished a record of monstrous proportions."

On August 11th, while talking to Ryan Seacrest on KIIS-FM, Gaga stated that she has told fans the third album is done but in actuality it is "kind of done" because she can't stop writing music and may have to release two records. She stated that since Prop 8 was overturned she can't stop writing music and she doesn't know what she's going to do in records to the third album. She said she wanted to create an innovative album with an innovative message and has gotten friends of hers to help produce the album, she referred to the three friends she is producing with and herself as the "Banditos".

On August 18th, 2010, RedOne talked about the third album saying:

"It’s going to be shocking, shocking, shocking! You never want to go too far from your brand – people love you for a reason. But we sill want to give them something with a kick, something that makes them say, ‘Oh my God! We didn’t expect this!’ When you heard "Bad Romance" after "Poker Face", it was like the best thing you’ve ever heard. We want that type of reaction. I think that’s part of my job and her job – to keep her evolving."

On August 24th, 2010, at the Roger's Arena in Vancouver, Gaga stated her record label asked that she take a break after her tour, and not release another album until the summer. After hearing tracks off the album, they approved of the songs, and said it should be released at the top of 2011.

On September 12th, at the MTV Video Music Awards, Lady Gaga won the Video of the Year moonman for "Bad Romance". She stated that she promised that if she won, she would reveal the title. She did, and then sung a refrain from the title track.[2]

Before the performance of "Yoü and I" during The Monster Ball Tour show at Wachovia Center in Philadelphia on September 14th, 2010, Lady Gaga said that the album was finished and then revealed its title officially.

Finally! It was killing me. I want to tell you my new album title so bad. It was, it-- Listen, it was killing me. It was like, it was almost like a-- I was having trouble coming on stage, because the new album is finished! It's finished. And I'm so proud of it and you know who I am with everything, you know, whether it's a song, it's like-- I just get so wrapped up in ideas, and music, and imagery, and what I want to do, and the performances. So, I'm like living in my new album. And the least I could do is freaking tell you all the title, so I don't feel like I'm not-- it's like I feel dishonest. So, I was so relieved. I said him... My manager Troy [Carter] said, "Well, I'm not sure what we will win or if we will anything, but if we win Video Of The Year..." I said, "If we win Video Of The Year, can I tell them the title of my new record?" And he's like, "Yeah, I think that-- I think it's soon enough, I think that will be okay." So I was only-- I was keeping this enormous secret and was so emotional. And I got this tattoo, cause I was drinking and I really wanted to get my Born This Way tattoo, this one... [she points to the tattoo on her upper left thigh]. And I was, I was prepared to cover the tattoo until I was ready to tell you the title and all that stuff. So, I was very relieved when I told you, it's called Born This Way! And I have never worked so hard on anything my whole life. So hard. I mean, I wanna go to sleep just thinking about it [laughs]. And I just can't wait for you to hear it.

—Lady Gaga

On September 16th, Gaga further explained the album.

"The album is my absolute greatest work I’ve ever done and I’m so excited about it. The message, the melodies, the direction, the meaning, what it will mean to my fans and what it will mean in my own life - it’s utter liberation."
"I knew I had an ability to change the world when I started to receive letters from fans: ‘You saved my life…’ ‘I’m gay and my parents threw me out.’ My fans have related to me as a human being and as a non-human being - as a super-human person that I truly am."
"Everyone tells me I’m arrogant but my music’s the only thing I’ve got, so you’ll have to let me be confident about one thing. I suppose that’s what you can expect from the album: a lot of hit records that will piss people off."
"Beyoncé said: ‘Where the fuck do you get these ideas from?’ And I was like: ‘I don’t know Bee, it was just the way I was born'."

During an interview with RWD, Gaga mentioned that she hopes her new album will be a crossover record, that will "reach the masses" with a rock styled direction. Gaga said with the debut of the song, "Yoü and I", she hopes it will have widespread appeal.

"I wrote the song just to write a beautiful song and I intend to put it on the new album, yes, but it’s not totally indicative of the new album sound; it’s just a really big rock and roll hit. I do have these hopes that it could be a great crossover record, so I’m going to put my producer’s hat on and get it to a place where I feel like it could reach the masses." "It’s a beautiful, beautiful lyric and melody."

During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Elton John spoke about the album.

"I love her, and I love her ability to write. There’s a chance I might do one track with her, but she’s so busy and I’m so busy, we can never get together! But her record – it’s fucking amazing. "Born This Way", which is the title song, will completely get rid of Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive’. This is the new ‘I Will Survive’. That was the gay anthem. This is the new gay anthem. Actually, it’s not a gay anthem – it can apply to anybody."

Gaga's manager, Troy Carter spoke about the album during an interview with Billboard Touring Conference and Awards.

"We're just starting to play music for the label. We're very excited about it. We're starting to play a little for people and getting a feel for it, and she's done an incredible job, a really incredible job"
"Well, you know what, it's not where I go from a business standpoint, it's more about where she goes creatively because, truth be told, we built the business around her creative infrastructure and that business that was built is unique to Lady Gaga. We haven't announced a date … nope … it's coming soon."

RedOne also spoke about it, stating "[He] think it's more of her freedom album. It's like freedom, this album … it's her album!"

"To be honest with you, I think that this album that she's making is too precious to talk about. When it comes out you'll hear and you'll make your choice. I think you're gonna love it. But I think it's too precious for me to talk about it. It's crazy."

Akon spoke about the album in an interview with MTV News, stating that the album is definitely "a notch up" from Gaga's previous work, and that he feels it is "only an appetizer for what is to come."[3]

During an interview with MTV News, Gaga's friend Perez Hilton stated:

"This album is Gaga’s Like A Prayer, and that is huge praise coming from me, who is, like, the biggest Madonna fan ever. And I told Gaga that I think this album is her Like A Prayer, and she took that as a big compliment, and I’m so tempted to say more. What’s amazing about this body of work is that it really is that Born This Way is a body of work, where all of the songs make sense together. And it’s as if she created this world or co-created this world with her fans, and all of these songs inhabit that world. And it’s so special. The songs, the album, the videos are gonna change culture. It’s gonna save lives, and it’s gonna get people dancing."

Perez has heard the album in its entirety, and he notes that fans will be blown away:

"And it’s not gonna be what everybody expects, and it’s gonna be more than everybody expects,” he said. “And it’s gonna be so amazing. I can’t wait for everybody to hear the music, and it’s such a long time away. May is not around the corner."
Born This Way Promotional Poster

At midnight during New Year's Eve 2010, Gaga tweeted a photo promoting her new album. She also said that the album is set to be released on May 23th, 2011, and the first single, on February 13th.
On February 14th, 2011, a new poster emerged on the streets of San Francisco of Gaga wearing various prosthetics on her cheeks and forehead with the word "GAGA" displayed on the bottom along with the date of release - "5†23†11".
On April 9th, 2011, Gaga revealed that the album artwork was finished.[4]
In an interview with SHOWstudio Lady Gaga stated that if there was a film about her life the title would be "Born This Way".
On May 2nd, 2011, Gaga released the track listings to both the original and special edition album.

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Garibay discussed what it was like recording the album while Gaga was touring.

"Basically, she's constantly working, so we have to keep up. If she has an idea, we need to be there to capture those moments, so we had every setup possible — we had laptops where we could go backstage and record something on the spot and we had a bigger set up in the studio bus. When we needed to isolate vocals, we’d record in there, it felt more quiet. Then eventually when we actually made a stop somewhere for several days, we'd go into a real studio and flesh out these ideas. It reminded me of those documentaries with mega bands from the '70s like Pink Floyd, who would record in these big studio sessions. It felt like that. It felt like we were creating something really special."[5]
"Her voice is so powerful, you can pretty much capture it with anything, whether a laptop or a mic. It's funny, even vocals recorded off her laptop with the GarageBand mic we ended up using on the album. Sometimes we sacrifice quality for performance because there's a magic moment where the vocal sounds just right. We worked very hard at repairing anything that needed to be repaired sonically."[5]

Garibay also discussed how the team prevented material from being leaked.

"Extreme steps (were taken). We were on the road for a year and two months, so there were so many hack attempts to our email accounts, our Twitter accounts, our Facebook accounts, everything around us. We were targets. So what we did was make sure all our computers were offline all the time -- none of our work computers were online at any time. And we were very careful about where we left our hard drives and storage devices. They pretty much never left our sight."
"It's unfair for one of your sketches to be released when it's just a sketch. To do it justice is to release a complete piece of art. So under those guidelines, we were really cautious about how we created this album, like how we couldn't sacrifice creativity, and we wouldn't sacrifice security, either … It's funny because now being off the tour, I should feel lighter because I'm used to carrying all my stuff with me. It’s like carrying a wallet, it became such a part of us."

Garibay also discussed those deemed "co-writers" on the album:

"She doesn't need anyone to write a hit song. A lot of times, it’s 100% her. She's generous enough to give the producers who worked on this album a percentage of the songwriting for the production and whatever contributions we gave in arrangement or a few lyrical suggestions here and there."[5]

Garibay also explained the editing process of the album.

"For every song, we averaged about 50 versions on the high side, because she was that much of a perfectionist. She wanted to give the best product possible to her fans. I would compare it to working on five albums at once. It was so much work, I didn't sleep for a month, I would just take naps. And when she wasn't happy with any of the versions and she wanted to start over, I had to be the one to do it. It happened quite a few times -- it had to go through all those versions to evolve into the final product. Because in her head, it's like, "I want to hear the full rock version, I want to hear the full dance version, I want to hear the full techno version, I want to hear the full New Wave version." And once she hears and sees all the colors that she's working with, she can finally help paint that final picture. That's how it works. You can't get to the final point in her head without sketching each individual painting or trying each individual color. That way you know what the possibilities are."

Artwork

On April 17th, 2011, the cover art for the album was released and featured Gaga fused into a motorcycle. Gaga's name does not appear on the standard edition album cover, the only text is the chrome writing across the top reading the album's name in Akzidenz-Grotesk. The expanded edition features a closeup of Gaga's head with her name and the album name written on the top-left corner in Impact. The picture used for the cover was taken on December 14th, 2010, during the same photoshoot as the "Born This Way" single cover. In some countries and retailers, the album was given a Parental Advisory label which was placed on the bottom-right (most likely due to the song "Scheiße" meaning "Shit"), but "Goverment Hooker" and "Bad Kids" are still censored.

In Gagavision 42 during a Haus meeting, Gaga is shown explaining that she hates the word "deluxe" and doesn't want it to be on the cover. On Amazon.com, this edition of the album is listed as the "Expanded Edition". On the iTunes Store, it is titled as the "Bonus Track Version". On Wikipedia, it is called the "Special Edition".

The vision is of me in an endless journey. I am a vehicle. I am a vehicle for all of the ideas. And I'm not riding away or towards anything, I'm just in endless state of creativity.

—Lady Gaga to E! News

In "Lady Gaga: On The Record with Fuse" interview Lady Gaga revealed the meaning of the cover:

[...] Cover represents so much to me. [...] It's an easy rider [by Harley-Davidson]. I am half fantasy and half reality. And I am endless in my ability to transform. And I am also always in a constant state of journey and I am married to the process. I'm not riding anywhere. You don't see the bike going away from or towards anything. It's not on a road it's in space, it's in blackness, emptiness. For me the motorcycle represents the ride. Me as the bike represents me as a woman on the run, a woman on a ride. And a never ending rid in space, in time. That ultimately propels me further and further towards my artistry and in that way when you take a step back and you look at it it's sort of, I am the sculpture, I am the art piece I am an expression of my artistic ideas.

From May 23rd to June 21st, 2011, SHOWstudio released a part each day of a 30 piece poster of the album cover called the "Smoke & Mirrors" remix. Source

On May 22nd, 2021, To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the album Apple launched animated artworks for both standard and special editions on Apple Music.

Release and promotion

Born This Way was released worldwide on May 23rd, 2011. A special edition of the album was released on the same day with three additional songs and five remixes.

While accepting the Video of the Year award for "Bad Romance" at the MTV Video Music Awards, Gaga announced the album's title before declaring that she promised that she would reveal it if she won that award. This revelation was followed by Gaga singing a few lines from the title song: "I'm beautiful in my way, 'cause God makes no mistakes; I'm on the right track baby, I was Born This Way." Given as a Christmas "gift" to her fans, Gaga announced via Twitter the release dates of the album and its lead single at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Day 2011. Supplementing this announcement came a black-and-white photograph in which Gaga is "nude from the waist down, with her hair blowing about, and sporting a jacket with [Born This Way] emblazoned in what looks like bedazzled jewels."

Upon the performance of a ballad, "Yoü and I", on Today's Toyota Concert Series in July 2010, Gaga confirmed that it would be featured on the album yet the song bared "a different sound than the [rest of the] album." The track has since been added to her setlist at The Monster Ball. In a further atypical manner, she released the complete set of lyrics to "Born This Way" on her official Twitter page in late January 2011. The names of the five songs that appear on the album were revealed in the March 2011 issue of US Vogue.

To promote the album, Lady Gaga released songs on Farmville. Zynga made a farm for her and tasks had to be completed in order to unlock streamings for three unheard songs from the album. The feature ran from May 17th to May 19th.

On May 18th, UK fans were able to listen to previews of every song on the standard edition album via Metro.co.uk. It was the first and only place to get a sneak peek of all the songs before the album's release.

Controversy

Due to the religious themes and lyrics in such songs "Judas" and in the title track "Born This Way" stating "God makes no mistakes", the Lebanese government banned the album and seized thousands of copies of it upon entrance to Lebanon. The government deemed the album "offensive to Christianity".

Honesty Box

On May 12th, 2011, Gaga and some fan sites set up an agreement called the "Honesty Box". It's was e-mail account (monstermail@ladygaga.com) where people could send in anonymous tips about leaks from the album to ensure that any leaks wouldn't get widespread distribution. It was said that the owner of the material would not be called to justice, but would be stopped instead in a fair and respectful manner.

Singles

On August 3, 2012, Gaga revealed that her original choice of singles was "Born This Way", "Marry the Night", "Scheiße" and "The Edge of Glory". According to her, Interscope Records didn't allow her to make "Scheiße" a single (probably because "scheiße" means "shit") so she decided to feature the song on the short film created for "Fame".

Track list and release history

Two versions of the album were made available: the first being the "Standard Edition" (1 CD) which have 14 songs and a second version, "Special Edition" (2 CD) which have 3 additional tracks (a total of 17 songs) and a second CD with 5 remixes. Both tracklists were released by Gaga on May 2, 2011.

Depending on the location (region) and/or the choice of store, additional remixes were added on each versions. All the releases were made available on May 23, 2011.

A special edition of the album was released on vinyl in North America.

No. Title Length
1. "Marry the Night"   4:24
2. "Born This Way"   4:20
3. "Government Hooker" (Censored) 4:14
4. "Judas"   4:10
5. "Americano"   4:06
6. "Hair"   5:08
7. "Scheiße" (Uncensored) 3:45
8. "Bloody Mary"   4:04
9. "Bad Kids" (Censored) 3:50
10. "Highway Unicorn (Road to Love)"   4:15
11. "Heavy Metal Lover"   4:12
12. "Electric Chapel"   4:12
13. "Yoü and I"   5:07
14. "The Edge of Glory"   5:20

Disc 1
No. Title Length
1. "Marry the Night"   4:24
2. "Born This Way"   4:20
3. "Government Hooker" (Censored) 4:14
4. "Judas"   4:10
5. "Americano"   4:06
6. "Hair"   5:08
7. "Scheiße" (Uncensored) 3:45
8. "Bloody Mary"   4:04
9. "Black Jesus † Amen Fashion"   3:36
10. "Bad Kids" (Censored) 3:50
11. "Fashion of His Love"   3:39
12. "Highway Unicorn (Road to Love)"   4:15
13. "Heavy Metal Lover"   4:12
14. "Electric Chapel"   4:12
15. "The Queen" (Censored) 5:17
16. "Yoü and I"   5:07
17. "The Edge of Glory"   5:20
Disc 2
No. Title Length
1. "Born This Way" (The Country Road Version) 4:21
2. "Judas" (DJ White Shadow Remix) 4:08
3. "Marry the Night" (Zedd Remix) 4:21
4. "Scheiße" (DJ White Shadow Mugler Remix) 9:35
5. "Fashion of His Love" (Fernando Garibay Remix) 3:45

Standard Edition
  • "Born This Way" Jost & Naaf remix (5:58) is available as track 15 to non-North American and Indian as an international bonus track.
    • In Japan, "Born This Way" LLG vs. GLG Radio Remix (3:50) was added as track 16.
  • In North America, the Thomas Gold Remix of "Judas" (5:32) was available only to individuals who purchased the album through the iTunes Store before May 29, 2011, and was distributed via a code sent through e-mail by June 2nd.
  • In India, track 15 and 16 include "Born This Way" Salim-Sulaiman "Bollywood" Remix and the Shock Culture "U.K. Desi Hits!" Remix.
Special Edition (Featured on CD2)
  • "Born This Way" Jost & Naaf remix (5:58) is available as track 6 to non-North American and Indian as an international bonus track.
    • In Japan, "Born This Way" LLG vs. GLG Radio Remix (3:50) was added as track 7.
  • In North America, the Thomas Gold Remix of "Judas" (5:32) was available only to individuals who purchased the album through the iTunes Store before May 29, 2011, and was distributed via a code sent through e-mail by June 2nd.
  • In India, track 6 and 7 include "Born This Way" Salim-Sulaiman "Bollywood" Remix and the Shock Culture "U.K. Desi Hits!" Remix.
Digital download card bonus tracks
  • US Costco Edition
    • Valid until November 23, 2011
    • "Born This Way" Bimbo Jones Club Remix (6:45) and "Judas" Zedd Remix (6:30)
  • US Best Buy Farmville Edition
    • "Born This Way" Hector Fonseca Remix (8:32) and "Judas" Dave Audé Remix (8:20)

BornThisWay-DeluxeEdition Label: Streamline Records, Interscope Records, Kon Live Distribution
Format: Gatefold vinyl
Released: June 6, 2011
Barcode: 602527641263
Photography: Nick Knight
Design: N/A

2 LP set of 180g heavy 12" vinyl with a gatefold in cardboard. The vinyls were pressed by United Record Pressing and Ray Janos was the vinyl cutting engineer. Catalog number: B0015373-01

LP (Side A)
No. Title Length
1. "Marry the Night"   4:24
2. "Born This Way"   4:20
3. "Government Hooker"   4:14
4. "Judas"   4:10
5. "Americano"   4:06
LP (Side B)
No. Title Length
1. "Hair"   5:08
2. "Scheiße"   3:45
3. "Bloody Mary"   4:04
4. "Black Jesus † Amen Fashion"   3:36
LP (Side C)
No. Title Length
1. "Bad Kids"   3:50
2. "Fashion of His Love"   3:39
3. "Highway Unicorn (Road to Love)"   4:15
4. "Heavy Metal Lover"   4:12
LP (Side D)
No. Title Length
1. "Electric Chapel"   4:12
2. "The Queen"   5:17
3. "Yoü and I"   5:07
4. "The Edge of Glory"   5:20
Urban Outfitters Exclusive Limited Red 2XLP
BTW UO Limited Red 2XLP Label: Interscope Records
Format: 2XLP
Released: Dec 18, 2020
Catalog #: B0031681-01
Barcode: 602527641263
Photography: Nick Knight
Design: N/A
LP (Side A)
No. Title Length
1. "Marry the Night"   4:24
2. "Born This Way"   4:20
3. "Government Hooker"   4:14
4. "Judas"   4:10
5. "Americano"   4:06
LP (Side B)
No. Title Length
1. "Hair"   5:08
2. "Scheiße"   3:45
3. "Bloody Mary"   4:04
4. "Black Jesus † Amen Fashion"   3:36
LP (Side C)
No. Title Length
1. "Bad Kids"   3:50
2. "Fashion of His Love"   3:39
3. "Highway Unicorn (Road to Love)"   4:15
4. "Heavy Metal Lover"   4:12
LP (Side D)
No. Title Length
1. "Electric Chapel"   4:12
2. "The Queen"   5:17
3. "Yoü and I"   5:07
4. "The Edge of Glory"   5:20

Standard Edition
Region Catalog Barcode Variations
Us Ca B0015373-02 602527641249 Standard edition
De Mx 602527718385
Br 9999034531004 Standard + eco tote bag.
Jp UICS-9125 4988005659033 Standard ( +1 Japan Bonus Track)
In 2772601 060252772601 Standard (+2 Indian Bonus Tracks)
Special edition
Country Product number Barcode Variations
Us Ca B0015374-72 602527641256 Expanded edition
De Mx 602527718408
Br 9999034531035 Expanded + eco tote bag.
Jp UICS-1228 4988005659057 Expanded edition ( +1 Japan Bonus Track)
Us Ca B0015373-01 602527641263

2 LP (Vinyl) edition

Online store exclusive

For the second time, the Lady Gaga Web Store exclusively released package of "Born This Way. They also exclusively sold a limited edition USB drive and a limited collector's edition.

Collectoredition
  • Barcode: 602527744612
  • Picture Disc Vinyl Box Set: 17 tracks from Born This Way (Expanded, censored edition) in a 9 piece 12" vinyl picture disc set (a special message from Lady Gaga will be etched into the vinyl);
  • 24" X 24" commemorative fan wall mosaic poster;
  • Personalized Little Monsters photo I.D. card with a unique number that gives access to special offers;
  • Custom numbered box (3000 copies);
  • Born This Way special edition album download;
  • The store on Lady Gaga's official website sold an exclusive bundle including the Box Set with a Born This Way T-shirt.

The box set is black on the outside and lined with velvet on the inside. Inside the box, 9 12" vinyl are wraped in a red plastic. Each 12" vinyl picture disc has 1 song on each side (A, B) except the last one.

Scans by nothingmissing (Propagaga)

Lg offer vinyl
  • 22 track Special edition of Born This Way;
  • Born This Way double gatefold 180 grams vinyl LP;
  • Special edition 22 track album download;
  • Personalized Little Monsters photo I.D. card with a unique number that gives access to special offers;
  • Access to commemorative digital fan wall mosaic;
  • The store on Lady Gaga's official website sold an exclusive bundle including the Fan Package with a Born This Way T-shirt.

  • 22 track Special edition of Born This Way;
  • Donates US$1 to the MAC AIDS foundation;
  • The store on Lady Gaga's official website sold an exclusive bundle including the album download with a Born This Way T-shirt.

  • This is a special 2GB USB Drive with a bit under 1GB used for the content. The content includes 22 MP3 Tracks, 3 music videos (from "Born This Way" to "The Edge of Glory"), 4 Gagavision episodes (from 41 to 44), and a photogallery including photoshoots by Mariano Vivanco and Nick Knight and music video stills from "Judas".

    Special content are also available online for the owners of the USB drive at usb.ladygaga.com. Content include the Lady Gaga x SMAP, Gaga at Sydney Monster Hall and a bonus track.

    Born-This-Way-USB Label: Streamline Records, Interscope Records, Kon Live Distribution
    Format: USB
    Released: October 3, 2011
    Barcode: 602527800509
    Photography: N/A
    Design: N/A

    The Collection

    BornThisWay-TheCollection Label: Streamline Records, Interscope Records, Kon Live Distribution
    Format: Box Set
    Released: November 21, 2011
    Barcode: 602527877310
    Photography: Nick Knight (2010)
    Design: N/A
    Thecollection
    Born This Way – The Collection is a box set comprised of two cardboard digipaks (Born This Way and Lady Gaga Presents: The Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden) and one cardboard sleeve (Born This Way - The Remix). Each CD Case has its respective booklet inside with no text on the cover. The box set feature an exclusive photograph from the album photo shoot by Nick Knight. It has a Parental Advisory warning label due to some of the songs in Lady Gaga Presents: The Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden being explicit.

    • Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden with a 20 pages booklet with photos by Josh Olins.

    • Born This Way: The Expanded Edition of 17 tracks with no remixes, 1 CD with the booklet.
    • Born This Way - The Remix: 14 tracks, 1 CD with a track list on the back.

    The Tenth Anniversary

    Born This Way The Tenth Anniversary artwork

    Born This Way The Tenth Anniversary is a special edition of the album in a new 2CD packaging. The first disc includes the fourteen original songs from standard album. The second disc, Born This Way Reimagined, includes reimagined versions of six songs by artists who both represent and advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community. The Tenth Anniversary edition was digitally released on June 25, 2021 by Interscope and Streamline Records. Gaga originally announced that the edition would be released on June 18, however, it was delayed by a week due to unknown reasons. The physical edition was released on September 3, 2021.

    BTW10th CD front Label: Interscope, Streamline
    Format: Jewel case
    Released: September 3, 2021
    Catalog #: B0034330-02
    Barcode: 00602438418176
    Photography: Nick Knight

    Track listing:

    No. Title Length
    Disc 1 – Born This Way The Tenth Anniversary
    1. "Marry the Night" 4:24
    2. "Born This Way" 4:20
    3. "Government Hooker" 4:14
    4. "Judas †" 4:09
    5. "Americano" 4:06
    6. "Hair" 5:07
    7. "Scheiße" 3:45
    8. "Bloody Mary" 4:04
    9. "Bad Kids" 3:50
    10. "Highway Unicorn (Road to Love)" 4:15
    11. "Heavy Metal Lover" 4:12
    12. "Electric Chapel" 4:13
    13. "Yoü and I" 5:07
    14. "The Edge of Glory" 5:20
    Disc 2 – Born This Way Reimagined
    1. "Marry the Night" by Kylie Minogue 4:39
    2. "Judas" by Big Freedia 4:07
    3. "Highway Unicorn (Road to Love)" by The Highwomen feat. Brittney Spencer & Madeline Edwards 3:35
    4. "The Edge of Glory" by Years & Years 3:59
    5. "Yoü and I" by Ben Platt 4:42
    6. "Born This Way (The Country Road Version)" by Orville Peck 4:18

    BTW10th Vinyl Label: Interscope, Streamline
    Format: 3LP Vinyl (180 GRAM)
    Released: December 10, 2021
    Barcode: 00602438418190
    Photography: Nick Knight

    Track listing:

    No. Title Length
    Born This Way LP1
    Side A
    A1 "Marry the Night" 4:24
    A2 "Born This Way" 4:20
    A3 "Government Hooker" 4:14
    A4 "Judas †" 4:09
    A5 "Americano" 4:06
    Side B
    B1 "Hair" 5:07
    B2 "Scheiße" 3:45
    B3 "Bloody Mary" 4:04
    B4 "Black Jesus † Amen Fashion" 3:36
    Born This Way LP2
    Side A
    A1 "Bad Kids" 3:50
    A2 "Fashion of His Love" 3:39
    A3 "Highway Unicorn (Road to Love)" 4:15
    A4 "Heavy Metal Lover" 4:12
    Side B
    B1 "Electric Chapel" 4:13
    B2 "The Queen" 5:17
    B4 "Yoü and I" 5:07
    B5 "The Edge of Glory" 5:20
    Born This Way Reimagined LP3
    Side A
    A1 "Marry the Night" by Kylie Minogue 4:39
    A2 "Judas" by Big Freedia 4:07
    A3 "Highway Unicorn (Road to Love)" by The Highwomen feat. Brittney Spencer & Madeline Edwards 3:35
    Side B
    B1 "The Edge of Glory" by Years & Years 3:59
    B2 "Yoü and I" by Ben Platt 4:42
    B3 "Born This Way (The Country Road Version)" by Orville Peck 4:18

    BTW10th Cassette Label: Interscope, Streamline
    Format: Cassette
    Released: September 3, 2021
    Catalog #: B0034332-04
    Barcode: 00602438418183
    Photography: Nick Knight

    Born This Way Reimagined artwork

    On May 28th, 2021, five days after the tenth anniversary of the original album, Gaga announced this new edition. A rendition of "Judas" by American rapper Big Freedia was released as the first single on the same day. Exclusive merchandise celebrating the album's tenth anniversary was also announced. Three more singles were released prior the album's debut, "Born This Way" (The Country Road Version) by Orville Peck on June 4, and "Marry the Night" by Kylie Minogue on June 11, and "The Edge of Glory" by Years & Years on June 22. On June 8th, 2021, Haus Laboratories, launched the "Bad Kid Vault", a limited-edition makeup box set including 16 products.

    Merchandise

    Booklet and credits

    For song credits, music video and lyrics, see the each individual song page.
    For more information and to see the rest of the album photo shoot, see Nick Knight.

    The gallery below is a digital copy of the "Special Edition" booklet.
    1. Front cover
    2. This album is for ü
    3. Marry the Night No.001, Born This Way No.002
    4. Government Hooker No.003, Judas No.004
    5. Americano No.005, Hair No.006
    6. Scheiße No.007, Bloody Mary No.008, Black Jesus † Amen Fashion No.009
    7. Bad Kids No.010, Fashion of His Love No.011
    8. Highway Unicorn (Road to Love) No.012, Heavy Metal Lover No.013
    9. Electric Chapel No.015, The Queen No.014
    10. Yoü and I No.016, The Edge of Glory No.017
    11. Credits & thank you
    12. Back cover
    Note
    On some physical special editions released internationally, the song title for "Marry the Night" does not appear.

    I would like to thank The Road, The Highway, and the wind in my Hair as we surged down the freeway of life. I would like to thank little monsters, most of all, for their loyalty, commitment and bravery to my artistry. Fernando, Paul, and Dave Russell; the labor of love and blood fight you put into every moment and sound of this music is a true testament to your brilliance, and my gratitude to you is eternal. You are the brothers I never had, you are a breed of epic kindness and genius that I am blessed to witness and be a part of. The Banditos will live in the memory of gas station disco, and the late nights with whiskey and strange tequila music.

    Thank you to Vincent Herbert, for always believing in me and protecting my vision. Thank you to Troy Carter for being the warrior leading my darkness into the light. To Laurieann Gibson for nurturing me with her wisdom, and pushing me to believe in myself and become the words of this album. Thank you to RedOne for my first true experience with magic in this business. You and I share a chemistry that will live on. To Jimmy Iovine for being my New York partner in crime.

    To the Haus of Gaga: Nicola, you are my kindred, without you I cannot be free. Starlight, we made it through fire together, now let’s make some more flames, you are a real friend. Frederic and Tara, you harness and inspire me at a most critical time: when I’m looking in the mirror. Thank you for reminding me that I can do anything. Todd, thank you for your commitment to my art direction. Brandon and Anna, you are my fashion rainbows. Semi Precious Weapons thank you for letting me open for you years ago, and opening for me now. You inspire me. Wendi and Sonja, thank you for helping me through all the late nights and helping me surge through. Bo and Arianne thank you for always being true friends.

    To my family, the cast of The Monster Ball, and the crew who makes it happen. To Lucian Grainge, Doug Morris, Steve Berman, Brenda Romano, Chris Lopes, Nino Cuccinello, Gary Kelly, Dyana Kass, Jurgen Grebner, Tomoko Itoki, Brett Bracy, Dennis Dennehy, Jen Zeller, Nicole Ehrlich, Gretchen Anderson, Rand Hoffman, Erika Savage, Tony Seyler, Kerry Hickey and my entire Interscope & UMG family from around the world. Atom Factory, Streamline Records, William Morris Endeavor, and Sony/ATV. I truly believe this album is as important to all of you as it is to me. Thank you everyone for believing in me.

    To Mom, Dad, and Natali. You are my strength. Our love is unbreakable. "Tonight I will return, the fame and riches earned, with you I'd watch them all be burned."
    And to Grandpa Germanotta, who passed The Edge into his Glory.

    References

    Discography
    Studio albums
    Collaborative albums
    Soundtracks
    EPs
    Compilation
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