I’m Gonna Drink My Tears And Cry

Lady Gaga “Government Hooker”

“Government Hooker” is a bit out of step with the rest of Born This Way. It’s more of a Fame Monster song, really — harsh industrial dance music with dark, cynical lyrics at odds with the big-hearted affirmations on the rest of the record. It does makes sense that this one is sequenced back to back with “Judas,” which is just as bleak and intense. It’s like a little island of goth angst and pounding beats on an album that is otherwise focused on ecstatic, campy grandeur.

The track, written by Gaga along with producers Fernando Garibay and DJ White Shadow, is a harsh, sleek banger. It reminds me of KFMDM, Basement Jaxx and Goldfrapp in “Strict Machine” mode. It gleefully steals — and amps up — the best bit from New Order’s “Blue Monday.” The lyrics approach some kind of point about politics and sexuality and commerce, but it doesn’t quite connect. That doesn’t bother me, really — this song is all about the menacing vibe, and the words end up serving that feeling by suggesting ideas about identity, kink and power dynamics that you can fill in yourself.

My favorite detail in this track is the very sound of the male voice. As it turns out, the guy saying “back up and turn around” et al is one of Gaga’s bodyguard. There’s something incredible about this dude’s voice and it’s totally appropriate for his role in the song’s dynamic. He sounds smug, hyper-masculine, somewhat detached. He creeps me out and I love it, especially in direct contrast with Gaga singing, with a touch of longing, “as long as I’m your hoooooker!”

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