 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Born This Way
Common Sense Media says
Tamer tunes by pop diva still mention some sex, substances.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Born This Way is much tamer than Lady Gaga's first record, The Fame. It lacks explicit references to sex, substance use, and violence, opting instead for more positive themes related to self-confidence, tolerance, and acceptance. Though the record still contains some mature content (including biblical and religious metaphors), it's an OK choice for younger teens who love Lady Gaga.
What's the story?
BORN THIS WAY is the second album from one of the world's biggest pop phenomenons, Lady Gaga. The record is far less mature than her first, with significantly fewer allusions to hardcore sex, substance use, and violence and almost no overt profanity beyond a couple of bleeped-out and foreign swear words. It's so much cleaner, in fact, that it didn't even earn a Parental Advisory sticker. In addition, the record offers some especially positive messages for younger ears about valuing your uniqueness and accepting others for who they are. Though the album does include some mature religious references and a handful of steamy lyrics, it's an OK pick for younger teens.
Is it any good?
Cleaner lyrics aren't the only difference between this album and Lady Gaga's earlier releases: Born This Way also features a fresh sound on several tracks, like the guitar-based power-ballad "You and I." Though a few songs such as "Judas" still sound a little like the same old thing, Gaga breaks out of her overall musical box here with an appealing new approach that's already won over her army of fans.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about why Lady Gaga chose to create a cleaner album this time around. What are some of the factors that may have contributed to her decision to cut a super-racy debut record and then a tamer follow-up?
How can you emulate the positive behavior that Gaga mentions here -- like loving yourself no matter what and accepting others for who they are -- in your own life?
What do you think about Lady Gaga? Is she a role model? Why or why not?
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AGE
Excellent record
This is an excellent pop album with tons of positive messages for kids. Some of the sexual references ("I want your whiskey mouth all over my blonde south"), profanity (most of it is bleeped, though one s-word is heard unedited), and drinking references are a little more mature, but I wouldn't have any problem with kids over the age of 11 listening. If your kid is 9-11 I'd listen to the album before buying it for them. I don't think it's appropriate for children under the age of 9. (Note: There is not an edited version of this album available.)
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AGE
Born This Way is NOT for children
Lady Gaga is a fantastic entertainer. I am a huge fan of hers. On the other hand, this album is NOT for children. There are many religious references, complicated relationship references, and complicated/adult words that most children wouldn't understand. There is a bisexual theme on the album. This could lead to gender confusion. There are too many things on this CD that would lead to unwanted questions from your child. A child would be better off listening to The Wheels on the Bus.
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AGE
Gaga for people who don't like Gaga
I did not have high hopes for BTW - after the Fame, her music began to sound the same and I gave up on Gaga. But this is not the Gaga that we all knew: this is Gaga for people who don't like Gaga. Born This Way is utterly brilliant and I love every track.
On the topic of appropriatness, BTW is pretty clean. While there are a few swears on the track "Marry The Night", they are bleeped out and the track "Schiebe" (the German word for s**t) is clean in the sense that unless you know German (or someone told you what the title means) you won't have a clue what she's really saying. Sexual content is scarce: with one line on the track "Heavy Metal Lover" ("I want your whisky mouth all over my blonde south") being the only concern.
Recommended tracks: "Schiebe" "Black Jesus + Amen Fashion" "Highway Unicorn (Road to Love)" "The Queen" and "You and I." Give BTW a listen - it may be well worth your efforts!
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AGE
This is absolutely some of Gaga's best work yet.
Surprisingly positive messages in the title song. Gaga also took a daring aim at controversy by releasing her hit song from the album, "Judas", just a few days before Easter. (If you are a Christian, you would see how that could be a little uncomfortable, in other words.) Also, just as in her previous albums, Gaga uses lots of (censored, but recognizable) swearing as well as references to sexuality. I recommend, therefore, that only maturer ears listen to this album.
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AGE
Cleaned-up GaGa?
Lady GaGa is so well known for her...well, out-there-ness. She's not afraid to be the one who sticks out, and that's something to admire. Some sexual references, "I want your whiskeyed mouth all over my blonde south" (Heavy Metal Lover) "The couch where we made love the first time" (You and I) But in this case, I think the good outweighs the bad. Born this way is a song about loving who you are no matter what the consequences of your life are. Sheibe has the German s-word in it, but unless you speak German you're not going to get it. Hair is about keeping your identity and defining yourself. Bad kids is about rebellion, but there's a positive undertone. So overall, it's clean, but not for younger kids.
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AGE
Mostly good messages, some iffy lyrics
Lady Gaga delivers with catchy, upbeat, different, & addicting songs. Better overall message than The Fame and The Fame Monster, but still some inappropriate-ness. There are references to drinking & sex, but these can be easily overlooked if you don't pay close attention to the lyrics (I can't even tell what she's saying a lot of the time). Anyway, this album is mostly about self-accepence and love which I think is awesome. Go Gaga!!
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AGE
Greatness as usal!
I think this is one of her best works yet.
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Kid, 12 years old
May 28, 2011
AGE
Iffy
Well, my parents recently bought this album and we were listening to it in the car. My mom thinks that Lady G is crazy and other stuff. We were listening to some of the songs like "Born This Way," "Americano," and "Edge of Glory." I am a Catholic raised Christian and I didn't approve of the title of the song "Black Jesus + Amen Fashion." Lady Gaga was raised Catholic and she is being rebellious , but I understand that "Judas" and "Black Jesus + Amen Fashion" are metaphores. I still like Lady G but I don't like her revealing outfits and the swearing in her songs.
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AGE
Okay album
most of the swearing is beeped, which bothers me. But, there may be 2 unbeeped f-words said quickly in a song. and myb an s-word. there are some refrences to sex, as you can imagine "Government Hooker" is one of them. The album is darker.
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| Artist: | Lady Gaga |
| Type: | Album |
| Release date: | May 23, 2011 |
| Label: | Interscope Records |
| Genre: | Pop |
| Parental advisory: | No |
| Edited version available: | No |
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