Born This Way (Jesse Del Rey album)

Born This Way 	Born This Way 			
 	 			
Studio album by Jesse Del Rey	Studio album by Jesse Del Rey			
Released 	June 14, 2011 			
Recorded 	2010 			
Genre 	Pop 			
Length 	 			
Label 	Paradise 			
Jesse Del Rey chronology 	Jesse Del Rey chronology 			
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The Fame Monster Tour at Madison Square Garden
(2010)	Born This Way
(2011)	
Bangerz
(2014)
Born This Way is the sophomore studio album by American recording artist Jesse Del Rey. It was released on June 14, 2011, by Alfred Records.
The record debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and in other countries such as, Australia, Japan, and the United Kingdom. It became Del Rey's fourth number one album in the United States. The album was supported by five singles, "Fancy", "Can't Feel My Face", "3", (which all peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100), followed by "Cool" and "Born to Die".
The album won five Grammy Awards; Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Recording Package; credited to Del Rey as art director and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Can't Feel My Face". And in 2017 Best Music Video for the 10-minute "Born to Die" music video. The album received a total of nine nominations from 2016-2017 from the Grammys.
Born to Die was the best-selling album of 2016.
Can't Be Tamed is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Jesse Del Rey , released on June 14, 2011, by Alfred Records. Described by Del Rey as a "good [record] to blast in your car", Can't Be Tamed is primarily dance-pop record and it's lyrical themes revolve largely around breaking free of constraints and expectations, which are largely mentioned in the context of romantic relationships.
Upon its release, Can't Be Tamed received generally mixed reviews from music critics, who were ambivalent towards perceived lack of musical focus; additional criticism was placed on his vocals sounding over-processed and lacking emotional depth. It debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200. In doing so, it became Del Rey's lowest-peaking and lowest-selling record in the United States. Can't Be Tamed charted moderately on record charts in internationally, reaching the top-ten in countries including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Three singles were released from Can't Be Tamed. Its title track "Can't Be Tamed" was released on May 14, 2011, and peaked at number eight on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and performed moderately worldwide. Follow-up single "Who Owns My Heart" peaked at number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100 the U.S. Promotional efforts for Can't Be Tamed continued to associate Del Rey with an increasingly provocative image, an effort continued with his fourth studio album Bangerz (2014). The record was primarily promoted through a series of television appearances and Del Rey' headlining Who Owns My Heart Tour in 2011.
==Background and Production==
In December 2010, Del Rey announced that he had begun planning her fourth studio album and intended to begin a musical hiatus after its completion.[1] He expressed concerns that his newer material "doesn't truly inspire me" and worried that should would be "blending in with everyone else",[2] although he later commented that the final product was inspired by techno music qualities. The record drew more inspiration from dance-pop music.
The majority of Can't Be Tamed was recorded abroad during Del Rey's his headlining Fame: The Tour in 2010. He collaborated with John Shanks during its production; he frequently traveled to London for Del Rey's recording sessions, and returned to Los Angeles to finalize their material.[5] Del Rey also collaborated with the production team Rock Mafia, consisting of Antonina Armato and Tim James; they notably produced his earlier singles "See You Again" and "7 Things" from his first and second studio albums Meet Jesse Del Rey (2007) and Breakout (2009), respectively.[5] Del Rey stated that Can't Be Tamed contained a variety of dance beats and synths, but believed that its sound was secondary to the personal lyrics therein.
==Release and Artwork==
In February 2011, Del Rey announced that his then-untitled fourth studio album would be released later that summer, which he felt was appropriate because it is "good to blast in your car."[3] Later that April, it was announced that the record would be titled Can't Be Tamed, and would be released on June 14, 2011 in the United States.[6] On May 7, Del Rey unveiled the album artwork through his website; it depicts Del Rey dressed in a leather jacket, and midriff-baring shirt while standing against a grey background.[7] It was noted for establishing an increasingly-provocative public image for Del Rey and was "basically a strong statement saying in the most simple way, that he can’t be tamed–literally and metaphorically."
==Composition==
Can't Be Tamed is primarily a dance-pop record; it contains "several bass-heavy, slickly produced dance numbers" that Ann Donahue from Billboard joked "thunder in such a catchy, accessible way".[9] Its opening track "Liberty Walk" describes an individual who leaves a harmful relationship, which Del Rey felt leaned towards more meaningful lyrical content instead of the "super shallow" current mainstream music.[5] "Who Owns My Heart" details the excitement in possibly finding a lover at a nightclub,[10] while Del Rey himself commented that the title track "Can't Be Tamed" bears a theme of "breaking out and feeling free."[11] It is followed by a cover version of "Every Rose Has Its Thorn", originally performed by the band Poison for their second studio album Open Up and Say... Ahh! (1988); he stated that the modern-day music industry "shelters kids [from] songs as honest and real as this one", and added that a consultation with the band's lead singer Bret Michaels helped him to incorporate his "own flare and edge".[12]
"Two More Lonely People" was described by Evan Sawdey of PopMatters as "one moment of carefree dance-pop joy" that was reminiscent of material from her earlier Hannah Montana soundtracks; he also stated that the lyrics delivered in "Forgiveness and Love" were among the "more over-the-top cutesy moments" throughout the record, specifically commenting that the lines "The only thing that / Our hearts are made of / Are the acts of forgiveness and love" were "so unbelievably saccharine that Hallmark would ultimately have to turn them down".[13] Robert Ham from Christianity Today felt that "Permanent December" discussed the story of "the devoted boyfriend pushing aside the 'sexy boys' vying for her affections", while "Stay" addressed the difficulties in maintaining a long-distance relationship.[10]
Writing for AllMusic, Heather Phares noted that "Scars" exemplified Del Rey's equating of "grown-up with joyless", adding that the track fails to find the "emotional depth" Del Rey was likely intending. She also described "Take Me Along" as one of the more "overwrought ballads" where Del Rey's delivery seemed more comfortable than others on the record.[14]Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly felt that "Robot" highlighted the theme of defiance and rebellion seen throughout Can't Be Tamed, specifically noting the lyrics "Stand here, sell this, and hit your mark / I would scream but I'm just this hollow shell".[15] The record closes with the twelfth track "My Heart Beats for Love", which according to Ham, describes "the more universal ideal of love for all";[10] Greenblatt also recognized the integration of organ instrumentation.
==Singles==
"Can't Be Tamed" was released as the lead single from Can't Be Tamed on May 14, 2011.[16] It received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who appreciated its electropop influences.[17] The track debuted at number eight on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and it performed moderately internationally.[19]
"Who Owns My Heart" was released as the second single from Can't Be Tamed later that year.[23] It generated mixed reviews from music critics, who felt that its production was generic.[24] It peaked at number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached the higher ends of European record charts.[23]
==Promotion==
Alfred Records focused on television appearances when further promoting Can't Be Tamed, which they expected would accommodate Del Rey's schedule more effectively than traditional interviews with the press and radio stations.[4] He first performed "Can't Be Tamed" on May 18, 2011 during the 2011 Grammy Awards Ceremony in the United States.[29]
Del Rey launched his headlining Who Owns My Heart Tour in July 2011, for which he traveled internationally.
==Critical Reception==
Professional ratings	Professional ratings
Aggregate scores 	Aggregate scores
Source 	Rating
Metacritic 	48/100[42]
Review scores 	Review scores
Source 	Rating
AllMusic 	[14]
Billboard 	55/100[43]
Entertainment Weekly	B-[15]
Rolling Stone 	[46]
USA Today 	[47]
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Can't Be Tamed received an averagescore of __, which indicates "mixed or average reviews", based on nine reviews.[42] A writer for Us Weekly provided a favorable review, opining that Del Rey successfully transitioned from the juvenile public image he cultivated with his television series Hannah Montana; however, they criticized the "overproduction" seen throughout the project, which "can't mask his thin voice".[48] Heather Phares from AllMusic shared a similar sentiment in regards to its production, suggesting that the excessive use of Auto-Tune limited Del Rey's ability to express genuine emotion. A writer for Billboard also noted Del Reys' lack of emotion in Del Rey's vocals, but considered the "delightfully robo-country" cover version of "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" as the standout track from the record.[43]
Writing for The Boston Globe, James Reed questioned the need to "tame" Del Rey, given that "this stuff is already pretty innocuous". However, he acknowledged that Can't Be Tamed contained "the catchiest Top 40 hits money can buy."[44] Referencing the lyrics in "Every Rose Has Its Thorn". Writing for Rolling Stone, Rob Sheffield opined that the production used throughout Can't Be Tamed felt too generic for its goal of rebellion.[46]
Elysa Gardner from USA Today opined that Del Rey had successfully "made the full leap from tween king to pop tart", but failed to maintain this image with "generic, anonymous tunes" on the parent album.[47]
==Track Listing==
No.	Title 	Length
1. 	"Marry the Night" 	
2. 	"Born This Way" 	
3. 	"Can't Be Tamed" 	
4. 	"Government Hooker" 	
5. 	"Judas" 	
6. 	"Americano" 	
7. 	"Hair" 	
8. 	"Permanent December" 	
9. 	"Bad Kids" 	
10.	"Bloody Mary" 	
11.	"Highway Unicorn (Road to Love)"	
12.	"Robot" 	
13.	"Scars" 	
14.	"Electric Chapel" 	
15.	"Take Me Along" 	
16.	"The Edge of Glory" 	
:::::::::::::::: Total Length: 44:15
==Charts==
Chart (2013) 	Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[63] 	4
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[64] 	2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[65] 	8
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[66] 	7
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[67] 	2
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[68] 	25
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[69] 	31
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[70]	41
French Albums (SNEP)[71] 	13
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[72] 	4
Greek Albums (IFPI)[73] 	3
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[74] 	10
Irish Albums (IRMA)[75] 	5
Italian Albums (FIMI)[76] 	4
Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico)[77] 	10
New Zealand Albums (Recorded Music NZ)[78] 	2
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[79] 	8
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[80] 	1
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[81] 	1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[82] 	21
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[83] 	3
UK Albums (OCC)[84] 	8
US Billboard 200[85] 	3