Lady Gaga Reveals 'Born This Way' Was Inspired by Black Gay Activist

Contents:

• BORN THIS WAYLADY GAGATRACK 2 ON BORN THIS WAY PRODUCED BYLADY GAGA, JEPPE LRSEN & 2 MORE“BORN THIS WAY” IS ABOUT SELF-LIBERATN, AND LOVG EVERY PART OF YOURSELF, NO MATTER YOUR RACE, GENR, OR SEXUALY; THE SONG WAS RELEASED AS THE LEAD SGLE OM THE… READ MORE FEB. 11, 20111 VIEWER638.7K VIEWS152 CONTRIBUTORSTRANSLATNSESPAñOLPORTUGUêSHRVATSKIFRANçAISBORN THIS WAY LYRICS[INTRO]IT DON'T MATTER IF YOU LOVE HIMOR PAL "H-I-M" (M, M, M, M)JT PUT YOUR PAWS UP'CSE YOU WERE BORN THIS WAY, BABY[VERSE 1]MY MAMA TOLD ME WHEN I WAS YOUNG"WE ARE ALL BORN SUPERSTARS"SHE ROLLED MY HAIR AND PUT MY LIPSTICK ONIN THE GLASS OF HER BOUDOIR[PRE-CHOS]THERE'S NOTHG WRONG WH LOVG WHO YOU ARESHE SAID, "'CSE HE MA YOU PERFECT, BABE"SO HOLD YOUR HEAD UP, GIRL, AND YOU'LL GO FARLISTEN TO ME WHEN I SAY[CHOS]I'M BETIFUL MY WAY'CSE GOD MAK NO MISTAKI'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABYI WAS BORN THIS WAYDON'T HI YOURSELF REGRETJT LOVE YOURSELF, AND YOU'RE SETI'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABYI WAS BORN THIS WAY (BORN THIS WAY)OOH, THERE A'T NO OTHER WAYBABY, I WAS BORN THIS WAYBABY, I WAS BORN THIS WAY (BORN THIS WAY)OOH, THERE A'T NO OTHER WAYBABY, I WAS BORN THIS WAYRIGHT TRACK, BABYI WAS BORN THIS WAYYOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE[POST-CHOS]DON'T BE A DRAG, JT BE A QUEENDON'T BE A DRAG, JT BE A QUEENDON'T BE A DRAG, JT BE A QUEENDON'T BE (DON'T BE, DON'T BE)[VERSE 2]GIVE YOURSELF PNCE AND LOVE YOUR IENDSSUBWAY KID, REJOICE YOUR TTHIN THE RELIGN OF THE SECUREI MT BE MYSELF, RPECT MY YOUTH[PRE-CHOS]A DIFFERENT LOVER IS NOT A SBELIEVE PAL H-I-M, HEY-HEY-HEYI LOVE MY LIFE, I LOVE THIS RERD ANDMI AMORE VOLE FE YAH (SAME DNA)[CHOS]I'M BETIFUL MY WAY'CSE GOD MAK NO MISTAKI'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABYI WAS BORN THIS WAYDON'T HI YOURSELF REGRETJT LOVE YOURSELF, AND YOU'RE SETI'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABYI WAS BORN THIS WAY (BORN THIS WAY)OOH, THERE A'T NO OTHER WAYBABY, I WAS BORN THIS WAYBABY, I WAS BORN THIS WAY (BORN THIS WAY)OOH, THERE A'T NO OTHER WAYBABY, I WAS BORN THIS WAYRIGHT TRACK, BABYI WAS BORN THIS WAY[INTERLU](WAY)DON'T BE, DON'T BE, DON'T BE, D—(WAY)CHURCH[BREAKDOWN]DON'T BE A DRAG, JT BE A QUEENWHETHER YOU'RE BROKE OR EVERGREENYOU'RE BLACK, WHE, BEIGE, CHOLA SCENTYOU'RE LEBANE, YOU'RE ORIENTWHETHER LIFE'S DISABILILEFT YOU OUTST, BULLIED, OR TEASEDREJOICE AND LOVE YOURSELF TODAY'CSE BABY, YOU WERE BORN THIS WAY[CHOS]NO MATTER GAY, STRAIGHT, OR BILBIAN, TRANSGENR LIFEI'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABYI WAS BORN TO SURVIVENO MATTER BLACK, WHE, OR BEIGECHOLA OR ORIENT MAI'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABYI WAS BORN TO BE BRAVE!I'M BETIFUL MY WAY'CSE GOD MAK NO MISTAK ('CSE GOD MAK NO MISTAK)I'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABY (RIGHT TRACK, BABY)I WAS BORN THIS WAY (BORN THIS WAY)DON'T HI YOURSELF REGRETJT LOVE YOURSELF, AND YOU'RE SET (LOVE YOURSELF, AND YOU'RE SET)I'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABY (RIGHT TRACK, BABY)I WAS BORN THIS WAY, YEAHOOH, THERE A'T NO OTHER WAYBABY, I WAS BORN THIS WAYBABY, I WAS BORN THIS WAY (BORN THIS WAY)OOH, THERE A'T NO OTHER WAYBABY, I WAS BORN THIS WAYI'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABYI WAS BORN THIS WAY[POST-CHOS]I WAS BORN THIS WAY, HEY (HEY)I WAS BORN THIS WAY, HEY (I WAS BORN THIS WAY, HEY)I'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABYI WAS BORN THIS WAY, HEY (BORN THIS WAY, HEY)I WAS BORN THIS WAY, HEY (HEY)I WAS BORN THIS WAY, HEY (I WAS BORN THIS WAY, HEY)I'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABY (RIGHT TRACK, BABY)I WAS BORN THIS WAY, HEY[OUTRO]SAME DNA (HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY)BUT BORN THIS WAY (HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY)SAME DNA (HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY)BUT BORN THIS WAY (HEY, HEY, HEY)77EMBEDCANCELHOW TO FORMAT LYRICS:TYPE OUT ALL LYRICS, EVEN REPEATG SONG PARTS LIKE THE CHOSLYRICS SHOULD BE BROKEN DOWN TO DIVIDUAL LUSE SECTN HEARS ABOVE DIFFERENT SONG PARTS LIKE [VERSE], [CHOS], ETC.USE ALICS (<I>LYRIC</I>) AND BOLD (<B>LYRIC</B>) TO DISTGUISH BETWEEN DIFFERENT VOLISTS THE SAME SONG PARTIF YOU DON’T UNRSTAND A LYRIC, E [?]TO LEARN MORE, CHECK OUT OUR TRANSCRIPTN GUI OR VIS OUR TRANSCRIBERS FOMABOUT
• LADY GAGA CELEBRAT 10 YEARS OF 'BORN THIS WAY' AND THE GAY BLACK PREACHER WHO SPIRED
• LADY GAGA REVEALS BORN THIS WAY WAS INSPIRED BY BLACK GAY ACTIVIST
• LADY GAGA'S BORN THIS WAY: GAY ANTHEMS AND GIRL POWER
• LADY GAGA REVEALS BORN THIS WAY WAS INSPIRED BY BLACK GAY ACTIVIST
• LADY GAGA 'GAY ANTHEM' CENSORED MALAYSIA
• PEOPLE AREN’T BORN GAY OR STRAIGHT: NSTCTG THE “BORN THIS WAY” MOVEMENT A  AFTER LADY GAGA’S SONG
• MEET THE 72-YEAR-OLD PREACHER BEHD ONE OF THE GREATT GAY CLUB ANTHEMS OF ALL TIME

BORN THIS WAYLADY GAGATRACK 2 ON BORN THIS WAY PRODUCED BYLADY GAGA, JEPPE LRSEN & 2 MORE“BORN THIS WAY” IS ABOUT SELF-LIBERATN, AND LOVG EVERY PART OF YOURSELF, NO MATTER YOUR RACE, GENR, OR SEXUALY; THE SONG WAS RELEASED AS THE LEAD SGLE OM THE… READ MORE FEB. 11, 20111 VIEWER638.7K VIEWS152 CONTRIBUTORSTRANSLATNSESPAñOLPORTUGUêSHRVATSKIFRANçAISBORN THIS WAY LYRICS[INTRO]IT DON'T MATTER IF YOU LOVE HIMOR PAL "H-I-M" (M, M, M, M)JT PUT YOUR PAWS UP'CSE YOU WERE BORN THIS WAY, BABY[VERSE 1]MY MAMA TOLD ME WHEN I WAS YOUNG"WE ARE ALL BORN SUPERSTARS"SHE ROLLED MY HAIR AND PUT MY LIPSTICK ONIN THE GLASS OF HER BOUDOIR[PRE-CHOS]THERE'S NOTHG WRONG WH LOVG WHO YOU ARESHE SAID, "'CSE HE MA YOU PERFECT, BABE"SO HOLD YOUR HEAD UP, GIRL, AND YOU'LL GO FARLISTEN TO ME WHEN I SAY[CHOS]I'M BETIFUL MY WAY'CSE GOD MAK NO MISTAKI'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABYI WAS BORN THIS WAYDON'T HI YOURSELF REGRETJT LOVE YOURSELF, AND YOU'RE SETI'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABYI WAS BORN THIS WAY (BORN THIS WAY)OOH, THERE A'T NO OTHER WAYBABY, I WAS BORN THIS WAYBABY, I WAS BORN THIS WAY (BORN THIS WAY)OOH, THERE A'T NO OTHER WAYBABY, I WAS BORN THIS WAYRIGHT TRACK, BABYI WAS BORN THIS WAYYOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE[POST-CHOS]DON'T BE A DRAG, JT BE A QUEENDON'T BE A DRAG, JT BE A QUEENDON'T BE A DRAG, JT BE A QUEENDON'T BE (DON'T BE, DON'T BE)[VERSE 2]GIVE YOURSELF PNCE AND LOVE YOUR IENDSSUBWAY KID, REJOICE YOUR TTHIN THE RELIGN OF THE SECUREI MT BE MYSELF, RPECT MY YOUTH[PRE-CHOS]A DIFFERENT LOVER IS NOT A SBELIEVE PAL H-I-M, HEY-HEY-HEYI LOVE MY LIFE, I LOVE THIS RERD ANDMI AMORE VOLE FE YAH (SAME DNA)[CHOS]I'M BETIFUL MY WAY'CSE GOD MAK NO MISTAKI'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABYI WAS BORN THIS WAYDON'T HI YOURSELF REGRETJT LOVE YOURSELF, AND YOU'RE SETI'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABYI WAS BORN THIS WAY (BORN THIS WAY)OOH, THERE A'T NO OTHER WAYBABY, I WAS BORN THIS WAYBABY, I WAS BORN THIS WAY (BORN THIS WAY)OOH, THERE A'T NO OTHER WAYBABY, I WAS BORN THIS WAYRIGHT TRACK, BABYI WAS BORN THIS WAY[INTERLU](WAY)DON'T BE, DON'T BE, DON'T BE, D—(WAY)CHURCH[BREAKDOWN]DON'T BE A DRAG, JT BE A QUEENWHETHER YOU'RE BROKE OR EVERGREENYOU'RE BLACK, WHE, BEIGE, CHOLA SCENTYOU'RE LEBANE, YOU'RE ORIENTWHETHER LIFE'S DISABILILEFT YOU OUTST, BULLIED, OR TEASEDREJOICE AND LOVE YOURSELF TODAY'CSE BABY, YOU WERE BORN THIS WAY[CHOS]NO MATTER GAY, STRAIGHT, OR BILBIAN, TRANSGENR LIFEI'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABYI WAS BORN TO SURVIVENO MATTER BLACK, WHE, OR BEIGECHOLA OR ORIENT MAI'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABYI WAS BORN TO BE BRAVE!I'M BETIFUL MY WAY'CSE GOD MAK NO MISTAK ('CSE GOD MAK NO MISTAK)I'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABY (RIGHT TRACK, BABY)I WAS BORN THIS WAY (BORN THIS WAY)DON'T HI YOURSELF REGRETJT LOVE YOURSELF, AND YOU'RE SET (LOVE YOURSELF, AND YOU'RE SET)I'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABY (RIGHT TRACK, BABY)I WAS BORN THIS WAY, YEAHOOH, THERE A'T NO OTHER WAYBABY, I WAS BORN THIS WAYBABY, I WAS BORN THIS WAY (BORN THIS WAY)OOH, THERE A'T NO OTHER WAYBABY, I WAS BORN THIS WAYI'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABYI WAS BORN THIS WAY[POST-CHOS]I WAS BORN THIS WAY, HEY (HEY)I WAS BORN THIS WAY, HEY (I WAS BORN THIS WAY, HEY)I'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABYI WAS BORN THIS WAY, HEY (BORN THIS WAY, HEY)I WAS BORN THIS WAY, HEY (HEY)I WAS BORN THIS WAY, HEY (I WAS BORN THIS WAY, HEY)I'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BABY (RIGHT TRACK, BABY)I WAS BORN THIS WAY, HEY[OUTRO]SAME DNA (HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY)BUT BORN THIS WAY (HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY)SAME DNA (HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY)BUT BORN THIS WAY (HEY, HEY, HEY)77EMBEDCANCELHOW TO FORMAT LYRICS:TYPE OUT ALL LYRICS, EVEN REPEATG SONG PARTS LIKE THE CHOSLYRICS SHOULD BE BROKEN DOWN TO DIVIDUAL LUSE SECTN HEARS ABOVE DIFFERENT SONG PARTS LIKE [VERSE], [CHOS], ETC.USE ALICS (<I>LYRIC</I>) AND BOLD (<B>LYRIC</B>) TO DISTGUISH BETWEEN DIFFERENT VOLISTS THE SAME SONG PARTIF YOU DON’T UNRSTAND A LYRIC, E [?]TO LEARN MORE, CHECK OUT OUR TRANSCRIPTN GUI OR VIS OUR TRANSCRIBERS FOMABOUT

(SOUNDBITE OF SUPER BOWL LI TELECAST)LADY GAGA: (Sgg) No matter gay, straight or bi, lbian, transgenr life - I'm on the right track, baby. He was bullied for beg gay before he really unrstood what that meant.

But Tracy Young, a celebry DJ who plays at gay parti and Pri events around the untry, says that's not the only reason people still love the YOUNG: I thk she h Young, a lbian, says anyone who has stggled to e to terms wh their sexual inty rponds to those lyrics - born this way.

LADY GAGA CELEBRAT 10 YEARS OF 'BORN THIS WAY' AND THE GAY BLACK PREACHER WHO SPIRED

I was born this Even though Elton John hailed "Born This Way" as the new gay anthem when first me out, there was also a backlash agast . " She was even acced of explog her gay fan base, a charge mic wrer John Savage SAVAGE: Obvly, Lady Gaga wanted to say somethg about her gay dience and what she thought about the posn of gay people. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I WAS BORN THIS WAY")VALENTINO: (Sgg) Jt bee I'm happy - happy - I'm reee - reee - and I'm gay - gay - y, I'm gay, a't a flt.

(SOUNDBITE OF RADIO SHOW, "THE HOWARD STERN SHOW")LADY GAGA: There's a preacher, Carl Bean, Los Angel, and I believe he's gay. He says he had always known that he was gay, so felt like a perfect I always say the lyric found me, and was very Bean, now a retired pastor, was the founr of Uny Fellowship Church.

He mistered to gays and lbians and was an activist durg the AIDS crisis.

LADY GAGA REVEALS BORN THIS WAY WAS INSPIRED BY BLACK GAY ACTIVIST

No As much as "Born This Way" has been embraced as a gay anthem, Tim Cox says 's also an anthem for anyone who feels outsi the mastream.

He was bullied for beg gay before he really unrstood what the word meant, and grew up feelg like somethg was terribly wrong wh him. Tracy Young, a celebry DJ and a gay woman, plays pri events and gay parti all over the untry. " Even Elton John hailed "Born this Way" as "the new gay anthem" when first me out.

" Others said she was explog her gay fanbase.

LADY GAGA'S BORN THIS WAY: GAY ANTHEMS AND GIRL POWER

"Obvly Lady Gaga wanted to say somethg about her gay dience, and what she thought about the posn of gay people, " he says. Now his 70s, he says he had always known he was gay, so felt like a perfect f. Though he's retired today, Bean also spent many years as a sort of activist pastor: He found the Uny Fellowship Church, mistered to gays and lbians and was vol durg the AIDS crisis.

LADY GAGA REVEALS BORN THIS WAY WAS INSPIRED BY BLACK GAY ACTIVIST

" As much as "Born this Way" has been embraced as a gay anthem, Tim Cox says is also for anyone who feels outsi the mastream — and that giv stayg power. But was 2011 that Lady Gaga transned om showstoppg pop star to burgeong pop culture in – thanks to her sophomore album Born This Way.

LADY GAGA 'GAY ANTHEM' CENSORED MALAYSIA

“Harkeng back to the early 90s, when Madonna, En Vogue, Whney Hoton, and TLC were makg very empowerg mic for women and the gay muny and all kd of disenanchised muni, the lyrics and the melodi were very poignant and very gospel and very spirual and I said, ‘That’s the kd of rerd I need to make. “Born This Way, my song and album, were spired by Carl Bean, a gay black relig activist who preached, sung, and wrote about beg ‘Born This Way.

"Born This Way, my song and album, were spired by Carl Bean, a gay black relig activist who preached, sung and wrote about beg 'Born This Way, '" Gaga wrote alongsi photos of herself om Sunday's ceremony. "Bean — an openly gay Motown and dis sger who later tablished the Uny Fellowship Church Movement Los Angel, which wel and supports gay, lbian and transgenr Ain Amerins — sang the song "I Was Born This Way" song was quickly embraced as a gay liberatn anthem, wh lyrics like "Y, I'm gay/ It a't a flt, 's a fact/ I was born this way" and "I'm happy/ I'm reee/ and I'm gay/ I was born this way.

PEOPLE AREN’T BORN GAY OR STRAIGHT: NSTCTG THE “BORN THIS WAY” MOVEMENT A  AFTER LADY GAGA’S SONG

" In a vio promotg his book, Bean said that he had "always been out of the closet" and never hidn his inty as a gay man. “No matter gay, straight, or bi, lbian, transgenred life, I’m on the right track, baby, ” Gaga sgs—and Siwa, her later posts nfirmed, was announcg herself as beg somewhere on that list outsi of “straight. Gaga’s lyrics about gay acceptance of urse ved homophobic outrage, but outsi of the notor Wtboro Baptist Church and censors Malaysia, the loust knocks on the song didn’t e om nservativ.

But the aln she sang about proved to be agile—if ever really existed at the 20-year-old NYU dropout Stefani Germanotta took on the name Lady Gaga around 2007, some of the early, pivotal gigs she booked were at gay clubs. ” But she still need to tackle the much-feared tt of longevy facg new stars: the sophomore full-length album.

The track drew om the 1970s Motown song “I Was Born This Way, ” which was popularized by the openly gay sger Carl Bean. Its first l go: “I’m walkg through life nature’s disguise / You lgh at me and you cricize ’e I’m happy, reee and gay / Y, I’m gay.

MEET THE 72-YEAR-OLD PREACHER BEHD ONE OF THE GREATT GAY CLUB ANTHEMS OF ALL TIME

In a 2016 Vice terview, Bean explaed how his openns was—maybe untertuively, given how much gay rights have progrsed sce then—of s era:At the time, what the disc jockeys ed as “msage mic” was pretty big, and that’s what I wanted to do. Taylor Swift’s 2019 queer-pri anthem, “You Need to Calm Down, ” still feels tged wh awkwardns for the way equat vilent homophob wh the mere haters of Swift’s mic. Madonna’s 2019 track “Killers Who Are Partyg” prents the Queen of Pop as relevant to the plights of gay people, Ains, Mlims, Israelis, Native Amerins, and rape victims.