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"Do What U Want" is a song by Lady Gaga and R. Kelly from her fourth studio album, ARTPOP; it formerly appeared as the seventh track on the album. The song was written by Lady Gaga, DJ White Shadow, R. Kelly, Martin Bresso and DJ Snake between 2012 and 2013. The song was registered on Gaga's BMI on November 5, 2013. The name and part of the lyrics were first revealed via Twitter by Gaga on September 21, 2013. On October 16th, Gaga confirmed that the track would be released as a promotional single on October 21, 2013 in the United States and October 22, 2013 worldwide. The same day, Gaga confirmed that due to the positive commercial response upon the song's release, "Do What U Want" would be replacing "Venus" as the album's second single.

A music video for "Do What U Want" was shot on November 4, 2013 by photographer and director Terry Richardson. The video was planned to be released in December but was instead shelved.

On January 10, 2019, after the resurfacing of sexual assault allegations against R. Kelly brought to light by the "Surviving R. Kelly" documentary, Lady Gaga announced that the song would be taken down from all streaming services.[1] The song was also removed from new vinyl and CD pressings of the album in November 2019.

Background

During the recording process of the album, DJ White Shadow requested the assistance of one of his friends from Chicago, Martin Bresso. One of the beats he gave him was a groove that he created in 2010 for a remix project that ended up being shelved. The beat was then reworked by Gaga and DJ White Shadow in 2012 when they had started writing the song on the tour bus in Europe. According to Gaga, she started writing the song in Chicago and finished it on an airplane to Milan in October 2012. She felt the groove could be used for many different things but ended writing an R&B song to it. At the time, she wasn't sure the song would be taken seriously as she had never written a true R&B song before. One of her previous attempts at an R&B song was an unreleased song written in 2008 titled "Second Time Around". Part of the recording process took place in Chicago, Gaga explained that she was influenced by the R&B and hip hop music scene of the city.

According to DJ White Shadow, the song "kinda stayed on a back burner for a minute" until September 2013. He discussed the song with Gaga and he described the conversation as followed: “I was like ‘You know who would sound good on this? R. Kelly’ and she said ‘Yes!’ So I called him up and put them on the phone together literally like 10 minutes later. Then we just made it happen. It is two writing/singing geniuses on one track. Seemed logical to me.

Lady Gaga talked about the meaning of the song and collaborating with R. Kelly in the track-by-track ARTPOP commentary on Sirius XM.

The lyrics are not only about, you know, the way that I feel now — sexually as a woman, in my life — it’s kind of like one of the greatest gifts you can give to a man, that you love, is just like, “Do what you want with me, I don’t care.” And then, at the same time, it’s about the press and the media, and it’s about becoming more and more famous, and really needing to figure out a way to — in my mind — to handle all of those things, and I’ve really, kind of navigated all of that by knowing that: they do what they want with my body — but that’s just the vehicle for my music and my records — but my mind and my heart, that’s what I get to keep, that’s the part that’s sacred, that’s what they can never have. So, I asked R. Kelly to be on this not only because I’m a big fan but, because he’s from Chicago, and Paul’s from Chicago, and I was living there, so it just kind of made sense. And, this is something that we both really have in common, you know, a lot of people write a lot of lies about me all the time, and a lot of people kind of write about him all the time; so, we really really connected with this song, and it became like an emotional experience for me. For the both of us, on the set, we had a great chemistry, shooting the video, and I’m really excited for people to see it, and to hear it.

Lady Gaga on Sirius XM

Gaga explained that since she was also living in Chicago at that time and that both Paul and R. Kelly are from Chicago that it was a logical choice for Kelly to be involved. Gaga's insecurity regarding the genre of the song vanished when she received R. Kelly's "blessing" since he is regarded to by some as the "king of R&B". She also said that the press often printed lies about him which they also do to her and that the song was perfect for them. Before meeting him, Gaga revealed that she always been a fan of his and that "it is like an epic pastime in the Haus of Gaga that we just get fucked up and play R. Kelly."

During the Q&A at the ARTPOP listening party held on October 24th, 2013, at Berlin's famed Berghain Club, Lady Gaga gave the full story behind the song.

Well actually I've been living in Chicago and spending a lot of time there, and that's where R. Kelly hails from. I was working on ARTPOP and I wrote ['Do What U Want'] on tour. It was about my obsession with the way people view me. I have always been an R. Kelly fan and actually it is like an epic pastime in the Haus of Gaga that we just get f---ed up and play R. Kelly. This is a real R&B song and I [said 'I] have to call the king of R&B and I need his blessing.' It was a mutual love. He's a very, very, very talented man. I'm so excited to be on this album with him.

Lady Gaga

Asked about the collaboration, R. Kelly revealed that before meeting Gaga, he had a preconceived notion of the singer being "locked into her character" and she would not "give a damn about what anybody has to say about it". However, when he came to know about Gaga's determination and her artistry, Kelly was impressed and described the collaboration as "natural jelling".

I wrote that song with Paul (DJ White Shadow) and when it was done, I said “well, it’s an R&B song and I’m a white chick from New York, so we better call the King of R&B and see if he likes it”. And he did, he loved it. When he sang on it, it was magical. He’s a very talented person and I feel connected to him because he’s also plagued by other people’s projections of what he is. And that’s what’s really exciting to me about this album. In a way, it’s showing my fans how to have a more detailed and critical eye with music and what they’re looking at.

—Lady Gaga, 2013 BBC Radio 1 interview


On April 30, 2021 during "no skips” ARTPOP party at the Scarlet Bar in Chicago DJ White Shadow revealed that Do What U Want is one of his favorite songs he’s ever made and “it’s a fucking shame what happened,” implying the release of the Lifetime series, Surviving R. Kelly, which documented the sexual abuse allegations against R. Kelly.

Inspiration

The song was mainly inspired by a media backlash in late September to October of 2012 due to her recent weight gain. Pictures taken during shows of the Born This Way Ball were posted in various media where Gaga is seen to have to put on weight. Gaga's mother soon called her when she heard it on the news to discuss the matter with her. At first, Gaga didn't believe her mother and thought it was extremely shallow to discuss her weight in the news when wars, famine, and illness are happening in the world. In the past, she has been vocal about her body issues and addiction to drugs which could be the cause of her weight gain. The real problem, however, was her then unidentified hip injury which made her swollen and her frequent drug use to ease the pain. Gaga then decided to write a song that would take a stance on such incidents and she would dictate whatever she wants to portray instead of being transparent in front of the world.

In the track-by-track ARTPOP commentary on Sirius XM, Gaga explained that in general, she found the media more and more invasive and critical to her as she became more famous. This leads her to the realization that they, the media, can do what they want with her body, which she described her vessel for her music and her record, but they can't touch her heart nor her minds which is the parts she gets to keep for herself and her fans.

A Body Revolution 2013

Main article: The Born This Way Foundation

Around the same time Gaga's weight gain became news in the media, Gaga decided to turn the media scrutiny on her body into something more positive and self-empowerment. Thus, she created on September 25, 2013 "A Body Revolution 2013" which debuted with Gaga and Tara posting pictures of herself embracing her curves and insecurities. She then encouraged her fans to do the same on Little Monsters so they could all become brave together.

Composition

Musically the song is a synthpop and R&B track containing '80s throbbing synths and an electronic beat. Asked in an interview to MTV, DJ White Shadow described the sound of the song as being "some space age George Jetson R&B." According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com, "Do What U Want" is set in the time signature of common time, with a moderate tempo of 96 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of A major with Gaga's vocals spanning the tonal nodes of E3 to F5. The song follows a basic sequence of D–E–Fm–E–D–E as its chord progression.

Lady Gaga talked about the creation of the song in the track-by-track ARTPOP commentary on Sirius XM.

"Do What U Want" featuring R. Kelly, which is a song that I wrote in Chicago, and I finished it on the airplane to Milan. It started out as a groove that DJ White Shadow sent me, and I was just so obsessed with it, but I just didn’t know what it was gonna be yet. I thought this could be so many different things, and I, I ended up writing an R&B song to it; and I was like, “Oh fuck — I don’t even know if anyone will take this seriously... I’ve never really made a true R&B song before,” but everybody loved this record.

Lady Gaga on Sirius XM

Recording

For the recording of the song, Gaga brought new collaborators that were mixed with people she had worked with in the past. Previous collaborators included DJ Snake, who contributed to the production of "Government Hooker" in 2010, recording engineer and mixer Dave Russell, who worked on the majority of her songs since 2008 and Bill Malina, who also assisted recording in 2011 for "Born This Way". The newcomers were Tim Stewart, Gaga's guitarist for the Born This Way Ball along with Martin Bresso and Dino Zisis who contributed to the music.

The song was recorded between 2012 to 2013 at Record Plant in Hollywood, California, USA. The production was done by DJ White Shadow and Gaga with additional contribution by Martin Bresso and DJ Snake. R. Kelly vocals were recorded during his recording sessions for "Black Panties" at Patchwerk Studios in Atlanta. For his vocals, Kelly used his own team consisting of Donnie Lyle, his musical director, and engineers Abel Garibaldi and Ian Mereness.

Release

A snippet of "Do What U Want" (feat. R. Kelly) was first heard on a Best Buy commercial ("Beats Blue Studio") for Beats on October 17, 2013. Before the release, Gaga hinted at the commercial on October 15, 2013: "there MAY be a snippet of certain LADY GAGA R KELLY JAM in a @beatsbydre commercial thurs #ARTPOPsnippetDoWhatUWant R KELLY IS ON ARTPOP". The ad created by Wunderman agency featured John Wall, a NBA player and actor Azim Rzik as the Best Buy vendor.

The track was made available early on the iTunes Store ahead of the full release of ARTPOP. "Do What U Want" was released as the album's second single on Amazon.com on October 21, 2013. It was also used in "Balloon", a commercial for UK mobile company O2 as part of the "Be More Dog" campaign. The commercial was shot on October 18, 2013, in the United States and direct by David Wilson for agency VCCP London.

Single

On October 16th, Gaga confirmed that this track is going to be a promotional single. It was released on October 21, 2013 in the United States and on October 22, 2013 worldwide. The same day, Gaga confirmed that due to the positive commercial response upon the song's release, "Do What U Want" would be replacing "Venus" as the album's second single, with Gaga planning to release "Venus" on October 27, as originally planned, though as a promotional single. An EP of remixes was released digitally on February 25, 2014.

The night before the song's release, Gaga took to Twitter to publicly and controversially address her critics. She included lyrics from "Do What U Want" with each tweet, and spoke about gossip that has surfaced throughout her career, including rumors of the singer being a hermaphrodite, gaining weight in 2012, as well as her drug addiction. Other subjects addressed included the negative comparisons between Gaga and Madonna, and the media pitting the singer against fellow pop musician Katy Perry when Gaga's single "Applause" and Perry's "Roar" were released within days of each other.

10-20-13 Twitpic 001
LADY GAGA IS FAT NOW! #DoWhatUWantWithMyBody pic.twitter.com/ty43LrM8kz

10-20-13 Twitpic 002
LADY GAGA IS A REDUCTIVE MADONNA COPY! SHE'S OVER NOW! #WriteWhatUWant #SayWhatUWantBoutMe #ImNotSorry pic.twitter.com/vuSRxwrpXS

10-20-13 Twitpic 003
LADY GAGA IS A HERMAPHRODITE! LOOK AT THIS PIC OF HER D*CK #DoWhatUWantWithMyBody pic.twitter.com/nOCYrRtJSb

10-20-13 Twitpic 004
LADY GAGA IS ON DRUGS! HER CAREER IS OVER! (been an addict for 10years) #WriteWhatUWant My recovery is a daily battle pic.twitter.com/EXHxuDcT1b

10-20-13 Twitpic 005
GOD HATES LADY GAGA! #YouCantHaveMyHeart ill always fight for equality, got my own relationship with God pic.twitter.com/4PG9GMcYNx

10-20-13 Twitpic 006
APPLAUSE didn't DEBUT AT #1! KATY IS BETTER THAN HER! #UWontUseMyMind I write for the music not the charts pic.twitter.com/KjOpFURWwl

MADONNA HATES GAGA SHES OVER http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emGPMil2Vpc … i dont need anybodys permission to be remembered. I will be. Whether they like it or not


Artwork

Gaga tweeted the cover art for "Do What U Want" on October 18, 2013. It follows the same design aesthetic started with the "Applause" cover. This time around, photographer Terry Richardson, took the picture of Gaga's buttocks and handwrote the text. The photograph was taken a day earlier. 

In an interview with German television station ProSieben, Gaga said that the reason for choosing the explicit picture was her belief that the general public did not value art and would commercialize it, which she did not fancy. So the picture of her buttocks was a form of a statement from Gaga that it was "just another piece of ass for you to buy. You will not have my heart or mind, because you don't deserve it. I would give it to my fans because they would receive it with love... When I look at how society has changed, I feel like this is a good time to show you my ass, because its all I choose to give you."

A censored version of the cover featuring a pale mauve coloured skirt edited over the top of Gaga's buttocks was used in selected countries in the Middle East.

Removal

Gaga initially defended her collaboration with Kelly, saying that they both have had "sometimes [...] very untrue things written about" them. However, on January 10, 2019, Gaga spoke out after the release of the Lifetime series, Surviving R. Kelly, which documented the sexual abuse allegations against Kelly. The singer confessed her regret about working with Kelly, explaining that her thinking was "explicitly twisted" and that she had "poor judgement" at that time. Gaga vowed to support women who had been through abuse and by the next day had the track removed from iTunes and all streaming services. Keith Caulfield from Billboard reported that even the remixes featuring Kelly were not playable on Spotify and other platforms, only the version featuring Aguilera was present. He theorized that since changes to digital music services take time, Gaga's management were working and removing the song from every medium gradually. Following Gaga's statement and just hours before the song's removal, sales of "Do What U Want" rose by 13,720% in the US to 2,000 music downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The song was removed from new vinyl and CD pressings of ARTPOP in November 2019.

Remixes & alternate versions

Non R. Kelly version

Although the album version features R. Kelly, the original version featured only Gaga's vocals. Lyrics from the original solo version were posted on January 26, 2013 by Gaga via her Twitter: "My bones hurt from all the shows But I dont feel the pain cuz Im a pro I sink in then Im ok cuz my body belongs to u when Im on stage."

The original solo version was used during a promotional video for the 2013 opening of an H&M store in Times Square. For the majority of the live performances of the single, Gaga sang the solo version. The solo version was also used as the base for the duet with Christina Aguilera.

The solo version of the song surfaced online of April 7, 2014, and was later on a couple of radio compilations of songs titled "Do What U Want" (Non-R. Kelly Version, 3:37).[2]


Country Date Album Details
Es Spain April 1, 2014 Europa FM 2014 Track #3 on the 2nd CD
Fr France April 7, 2014 NRJ Extravadance 2014 Track #7 on the 2nd CD

DJWS Remix (feat. R. Kelly & Rick Ross)

Gaga announced on Twitter on November 29 that: "Do What U Want the Remix feat. RICK ROSS. It's happening." The remix was produced by DJ White Shadow. Ross told in an interview with MTV that he was not prepared for collaborating with Gaga and that is was her team that contacted him about the collaboration. It was released on December 20, 2013.

The remix starts with Kelly's vocals with a new introduction, followed by Ross rapping on a verse, adding new lines like "Photos of the Bawse just to post 'em on a blog/Get alotta views cause they know we be the top/Jean Basquiats in the hall, she my work of art so I pin her to the wall."

The artwork for the song is the same as the original single cover, with Rick Ross' name added to the bottom.

Do What U Want (feat. R. Kelly & Rick Ross) (DJWS Remix) - Artwork Label: Interscope
Format: Digital
Released: December 20, 2013
Barcode: None
Photography: Terry Richardson
Design: N/A
# Name Time
1. "Do What U Want" (DJWS Remix) [feat. R. Kelly & Rick Ross]) 4:19

Remix feat. Christina Aguilera

Prior to the announcement of Gaga's performance on The Voice, producer DJ White Shadow got a tweet by a fan on November 25, 2013, requesting a remix of either "Do What U Want" or "Sexxx Dreams" with Christina Aguilera. He replied "wouldn't that be fun? I'll ask." Gaga's performance was confirmed for The Voice on December 12, 2013. After the performance, Carson Daly asked how the collaboration came about, which Gaga replied with: "I was really excited because The Voice called and said they wanted me to perform on the finale, and I obviously can't refuse. Such an amazing show! And I said 'I want to know if Christina wants to do it with me'"

After Gaga and Aguilera performed "Do What U Want" on the December 17 finale of The Voice, Aguilera recorded her portion of the revamped single in the days before Christmas. On December 24, 2013, Aguilera posted on her social media accounts the following sentence: "Working on something special... Happy Holidays to all!! XoXtina" with a photograph of herself in a recording studio. For an article for Billboard, Interscope head of sales, Gary Kelly, explained that they wanted to release the song sooner but "by the time it was mastered and approved, iTunes was shut down—they weren't accepting any products." This led them to release it on all virtual stores on January 1, 2014. The artwork keeps the original layout but with a photograph of Christina and Gaga performing on The Voice finale. It was taken by Trae Patton for NBC Universal Media.

12-24-13 Christina Aguilera 001
Christina recording her vocals on studio.

They used the original solo version to make the duet adding new ad-libs and the line "What you want Lady Gaga" and "What you want with me Christina" along with a few other modifications. The instrumentation was also altered with a new drums beats added among other things.

The artwork for the song features a brand new cover, with an image of Gaga and Christina performing "Do What U Want" together on The Voice.

This version was spared from its removal from streaming services. It did not replace the original track in new pressings.

Do What U Want feat. Christina Aguilera Label: Interscope
Format: Digital
Released: January 1, 2014
Barcode: None
Photography: Trae Patton
Design: N/A
# Name Time
1. "Do What U Want" ((feat. Christina Aguilera)) 3:36

Remixes

Do What U Want Remixes cover Label: Interscope
Format: Digital
Released: February 25, 2014
Barcode: None
Photography: Terry Richardson
Design: N/A
# Name Time
1. "Do What U Want" (DJ White Shadow Remix [feat. R. Kelly]) 4:03
2. "Do What U Want" (Samantha Ronson Remix [feat. R. Kelly]) 4:27
3. "Do What U Want" (Kronic Remix [feat. R. Kelly]) 5:12
4. "Do What U Want" (Steven Redant 'Madrid' Radio Remix [feat. Christina Aguilera]) 4:00
5. "Do What U Want" (Steven Redant 'Madrid' Club Remix [feat. Christina Aguilera]) 7:31
6. "Do What U Want" (Steven Redant 'Barcelona' Club Remix [feat. Christina Aguilera]) 6:28
7. "Do What U Want" (Red Ant & Amp Lexvas Deep House Remix [feat. Christina Aguilera]) 6:49

Release history

Country Date Format
Us United States October 21, 2013 Digital download
De Germany October 22, 2013
Gb United Kingdom
Au Australia October 23, 2013 Contemporary hit radio
It Italy October 25, 2013
Gb United Kingdom October 30, 2013
Us United States November 5, 2013 Rhythmic radio
Contemporary hit radio
December 20, 2013 Digital download – DJWS remix feat. Rick Ross
January 1, 2014 Digital download – feat. Christina Aguilera remix
February 25, 2014 Digital download - Remixes


Remixes

Remix Length Releases Year
DJWS Remix feat. R. Kelly & Rick Ross 4:19 DJWS Remix 2013
Remix feat. Christina Aguilera 3:36 2014
Chew Fu House ReFix feat. R. Kelly 4:04
DJ White Shadow Remix feat. R. Kelly 4:03 Do What U Want Remixes
Samantha Ronson Remix feat. R. Kelly 4:27
Kronic Remix feat. R. Kelly 5:12
Steven Redant "Madrid" Radio Remix feat. Christina Aguilera 4:00
Steven Redant "Madrid" Club Remix feat. Christina Aguilera 7:31
Steven Redant "Barcelona" Club Remix feat. Christina Aguilera 6:28
Red Ant & Amp Lexvas Deep House Remix feat. Christina Aguilera 6:49

Performances

Gaga performed the song for the first time on The X Factor (ITV) on October 27, 2013. She has performed the album version with R. Kelly, her original solo version and also as a duet with Christina Aguilera.

Dates Location City Country
2013
Nov 10 artRave Brooklyn, NY Us
Dec 6 Annabel's London Gb

Dates Location Station Country

Tour Dates Performances
artRAVE: The ARTPOP Ball 2014 (All Dates) 79
Total of performances 79

Lyrics

R. Kelly:
Yeah.

Lady Gaga:
Uhh, uh uhh.

R. Kelly:
Turn the mic up.

Lady Gaga:
Ye-yeah.

R. Kelly:
Eh eh eh eh, eh eh eh
Eh eh eh eh, eh eh eh

Lady Gaga:
Uhh, uh uhh.
Oh.

I, I feel good, I walk alone
But then I trip upon myself and I fall
I, I stand up, and then I'm okay
But then you print some shit
That makes me wanna scream

So do what u want
What u want with my body
Do what u want
Don't stop, let's party
Do what u want
What u want with my body
Do what u want
What you want with my body

Write what u want
Say what u want 'bout me
If you're wonderin'
Know that I'm not sorry

Do what u want
What u want with my body
What u want with my body

You can't have my heart
And you won’t use my mind but
Do what u want (with my body)
Do what u want with my body
You can't stop my voice cause
You don't own my life but
Do what u want (with my body)
Do what u want (with my body)

R. Kelly:
Early morning, longer nights
Tom Ford, private flights
Crazy schedule, fast life
I wouldn't trade it in
'Cause it's our life
(Let's slow it down…)

I could be the drink in your cup
I could be the green in your blunt
Your pusher man, yea I got what you want
You wanna escape all of the crazy shit
You're the Marilyn, I'm the president
And I love to hear you sing, girl

Do what I want
Do what I want with your body
Do what I want
Do what I want with your body
Back of the club, takin' shots, gettin' naughty
No invitations, it's a private party
Do what I want
Do what I want with your body
Do what I want
Do what I want with your body
Yea we takin' these haters and we roughin' 'em up
And we layin' the club like we don't give a fuck

Lady Gaga:
You can't have my heart
And you won’t use my mind but
Do what u want (with my body)
Do what u want with my body
You can't stop my voice cause
You don't own my life but
Do what u want (with my body)
Do what u want (with my body)

Sometimes I'm scared I suppose
If you ever let me go
I would fall apart
If you break my heart
So just take my body
And don't stop the party

You can't have my heart (Help me now)
And you won’t use my mind but
Do what u want (with my body)
Do what u want with my body
You can't stop my voice cause
You don't own my life but
Do what u want (with my body)
Do what u want (with my body)

Do what you want with me
What you want with my body
Do what you want with me
What you want with my body (boy)
Do what you want with me
What you want with my body
Do what you want with me
What you want with my body, world!

Help me now
(What you want with my body)
Do what you want with my body,
Do what you want with my body,
(What you want my body, world)
(What you want with my body)

Uhh, uh uhh.

Ye-yeah.

Uhh, uh uhh.
Oh.

I, I feel good, I walk alone
But then I trip upon myself and I fall
I, I stand up, and then I'm okay
But then you print some shit
That makes me wanna scream

So do what u want
What u want with my body
Do what u want
Don't stop, let's party
Do what u want
What u want with my body
Do what u want
What you want with my body

Write what u want
Say what u want 'bout me
If you're wonderin'
Know that I'm not sorry

Do what u want
What u want with my body
What u want with my body

You can't have my heart
And you won’t use my mind but
Do what u want (with my body)
Do what u want with my body
You can't stop my voice cause
You don't own my life but
Do what u want (with my body)
Do what u want (with my body)

My bones hurt from all the shows
But I don't feel the pain 'cause I'm a pro
I, I sink in
And then I'm okay
'Cause my body belongs to you when I'm on stage

So do what u want
What u want with my body
Do what u want
Don't stop, let's party
Do what u want
What u want with my body
Do what u want
What you want with my body

Write what u want
Say what u want 'bout me
If you're wonderin'
Know that I'm not sorry

Do what u want
What u want with my body
What u want with my body

You can't have my heart
And you won’t use my mind but
Do what u want (with my body)
Do what u want with my body
You can't stop my voice cause
You don't own my life but
Do what u want (with my body)
Do what u want (with my body)

Sometimes I'm scared I suppose
If you ever let me go
I would fall apart
If you break my heart
So just take my body
And don't stop the party

You can't have my heart (Help me now)
And you won’t use my mind but
Do what u want (with my body)
Do what u want with my body
You can't stop my voice cause
You don't own my life but
Do what u want (with my body)
Do what u want (with my body)

Do what you want with me
What you want with my body
Do what you want with me
What you want with my body (boy)
Do what you want with me
What you want with my body
Do what you want with me
What you want with my body, world!

Help me now
(What you want with my body)
Do what you want with my body,
Do what you want with my body,
(What you want my body, world)
(What you want with my body)

R. Kelly:
There it feel like a remix, yeah

Rick Ross:
Maybach Music, Music, Music

R. Kelly:
Feel like a remix, yeah

R. Kelly:
It must be the remix, yeah

Rick Ross:
Lady Gaga, Rick Ross

R. Kelly:
Ooh ooh ooh

Rick Ross:
It's so special right here

R. Kelly:
Got to feel like the remix, yeah

Rick Ross:
It's so special right here

R. Kelly:
Oooooooooooooh

Rick Ross:
Photos of the boss
He just post 'em on a blog
Get alotta of views
'Cuz they know we be the top (Ooh)
Jean Basquiat's
In the middle of our hall (Ooh)
She's my work of ART
So I pin her to the wall (Ah ah)
Sex and the dope
Sightseeing in a space rejects
As omni pain off of the stores
Ain't me understand
I've got to tag it on your wall (Maybach Music, Music, Music)
Cuz under ART has crossed the border
Cuz got together
Mouthing in the middle
Hanging out the window,
Bruce Willis on the pedel (Hot)
Pool on the roof
Black bottle for a model (Ooh)
I gotta keep the fly mosquito doors on the auto
Boss!

Lady Gaga:
I, I feel good, I walk alone
But then I trip upon myself and I fall
I, I stand up, and then I'm okay
But then you print some shit
That makes me wanna scream

So do what u want
What u want with my body
Do what u want
Don't stop, let's party
Do what u want
What u want with my body
Do what u want
What you want with my body

Write what u want
Say what u want 'bout me
If you're wonderin'
Know that I'm not sorry

Do what u want
What u want with my body
What u want with my body

You can't have my heart
And you won’t use my mind but
Do what u want (with my body)
Do what u want with my body
You can't stop my voice cause
You don't own my life but
Do what u want (with my body)
Do what u want (with my body)

R. Kelly:
Early morning, longer nights
Tom Ford, private flights
Crazy schedule, fast life
I wouldn't trade it in
'Cause it's our life
(Let's slow it down…)

I could be the drink in your cup
I could be the green in your blunt
Your pusher man, yea I got what you want
You wanna escape all of the crazy shit
You're the Marilyn, I'm the president
And I love to hear you sing, girl

Do what I want
Do what I want with your body
Do what I want
Do what I want with your body
Back of the club, takin' shots, gettin' naughty
No invitations, it's a private party
Do what I want
Do what I want with your body
Do what I want
Do what I want with your body
Yea we takin' these haters and we roughin' 'em up
And we layin' the club like we don't give a fuck

Lady Gaga:
You can't have my heart
And you won’t use my mind but
Do what u want (with my body)
Do what u want with my body
You can't stop my voice cause
You don't own my life but
Do what u want (with my body)
Do what u want (with my body)

Sometimes I'm scared I suppose
If you ever let me go
I would fall apart
If you break my heart
So just take my body
And don't stop the party

You can't have my heart (Help me now)
And you won’t use my mind but
Do what u want (with my body)
Do what u want with my body
You can't stop my voice cause
You don't own my life but
Do what u want (with my body)
Do what u want (with my body)

Do what you want with me
What you want with my body
Do what you want with me
What you want with my body (boy)
Do what you want with me
What you want with my body
Do what you want with me
What you want with my body, world!

Help me now
(What you want with my body)
Do what you want with my body,
Do what you want with my body,
(What you want my body, world)
(What you want with my body)

Lady Gaga:
Uhh, uh uhh
Ye-yeah
Uhh, uh uhh
Oh

I feel good, I walk alone
But then I trip over myself and I fall
I, I stand up and then I'm okay
But then you print some shit that makes me wanna scream

So do what you want
What you want with my body
Do what you want
Don't stop, let's party

Do what you want
What you want with my body
Do what you want
What you want with my body

Write what you want, say what you want about me
If you're wondering know that I'm not sorry
Do what you want, what you want with my body
What you want with my body

You can't have my heart and
You won't use my mind but
Do what you want with my body
Do what you want with my body

You can't stop my voice cuz
You don't own my life but
Do what you want with my body
Do what you want with my body

Christina Aguilera:
M-y bones hurt from all the shows hmm
But I don't feel the pain cuz I'm a pro
I, I sink in and then I'm okay
Cuz my body belongs to you when I'm on sta-a-a-a-age

Lady Gaga:
So do what you want
What you want with my body
Do what you want
Don't stop, let's party

Both:
Do what you want
What you want with my body
Do what you want
What you want with my body

Write what you want, say what you want about me
If you're wondering know that I'm not sorry
Do what you want, what you want with my body
What you want with my body

You can't have my heart and
You won't use my mind but
Do what you want with my body
Do what you want with my body

You can't stop my voice cuz
You don't own my life but
Do what you want with my body
Do what you want with my body

Sometimes I'm scared I suppose
If you ever let me go
Lady Gaga:
I would fall apart (apart)
If you break my heart
So just take my body
And don't stop the party

Christina Aguilera:
Yeah

Lady Gaga:
You can't have my heart (help me now) and
You won't use my mind but
Do what you want with my body (do what you want)
Do what you want with my body (do what you want)

You can't stop my voice cuz (my voice)
You don't own my life but
Do what you want with my body (do what you want with me)
Do what you want with my body

Both:
Do what you want with me
What you want Lady Gaga
What you want with Christina
Oh, do what you want with my body

Do what you want with me
Do what you want with my body
Do what you want with me
Do what you want with my body world

Help me now
Do what you want with my body world

Music video

Although Terry Richardson did the artwork for the single, his role as director was unconfirmed until November 11, 2013. On the night of the artRave, Gaga confirmed and revealed that he was indeed the director and that the video was already shot. They shot the music video on November 4, 2013, in an unknown location. This is the second video collaboration by Gaga and Terry of their yet released film they shot during the Born This Way era. During a Q & A on Twitter, Gaga revealed that the video would be a little bit longer but less than the "Marry the Night" music video.

  1. Lady Gaga wears a shirt by Saint Laurent, underwear by Fleur Du Mal, and sunglasses by Moscot.
  2. Lady Gaga wears a custom paper dress by Perry Meek, and shoes by Pleaser.
  3. Lady Gaga wears a custom suit by Versace, and earrings by Swarovski.
  4. Lady Gaga wears a coat by Helen Yarmak, pants by Saint Laurent, and shoes by Marni.
  5. Lady Gaga wears a custom robe by Versace.
  6. Lady Gaga wears a custom glass overall by ThreeASFOUR.

Release

On November 26, 2013, BitTorrent announced that they will release a "Lady Gaga X BitTorrent Bundle" as part of their partnership with VICE media. The bundle was to include 4K footage documenting the making of the music video, photos and exclusive video interview with Lady Gaga and Richardson, led by VICE Editor-in-Chief Rocco Castoro. The original release date was December 3, 2013, on BitTorrent Bundles but was pushed back as the video needed more work.

On January 6, 2014, Gaga posted a note on Little Monsters regarding the music video in which she explained the delay to some mismanagement of her schedule. However, she did not give a date nor any indication regarding the status of the music video. As of March of 2014, the third single "G.U.Y." got a music video which can be interpreted that the music video for "Do What U Want" was shelved and won't be released.

On June 19, 2014, a thirty-second trailer for the video leaked. Many said that the video was scrapped because it was literally 'an ad for rape'.

Credits

R. Kelly Version

Writers Lady Gaga, DJ White Shadow, Martin Bresso, William Grigahcine and R. Kelly
Producers DJ White Shadow and Lady Gaga
Co-producers Nick Monson and Dino Zisis
Recording by Dave Russell and Bill Malina at Record Plant, Hollywood, CA Us
Additional recording Ghazi Hourani
Assistant recording Benjamin 'Ben' Rice at Record Plant
Musical director for R. Kelly Donnie Lyle
Vocals recording for R. Kelly Abel Garibaldi and Ian Mereness at Patchwerk Studios Atlanta, GA Us
Assistant recording Zane Shoemake at Patchwerk Recording Studios
Guitar Tim Stewart for Haus of Gaga
Synth arrangement Lady Gaga
Union contract adminstrator Ivy Skoff
Mixing Dave Russell at Record Plant, Hollywood, CA Us
Heard IT! Studios, North Hollywood, CA Us
Additional mixers Dino "Speedlove" Zisis and Bill Malina at Record Plant, Hollywood, CA Us
Assistant mixers Benjamin "Ben" Rice and Ghazi Hourani
Mastering Gene Grimaldi at Oasis Mastering, Burbank, CA Us
Publishers
  • Sony/ATV Songs LLC / House of Gaga Publishing LLC (BMI)
  • Maxwell and Carter Publishing, LLC (ASCAP), administered by Universal Music Publishing Group
  • Etrange Fruit (SACEM)
  • Fuzion (SACEM), administered by Get Familiar Music (ASCAP)
  • R. Kelly Publishing, Inc./Universal Music - Z Songs LLC (BMI)
R. Kelly appears courtesy of RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.

Christina Aguillera Version

Mixing Manny Marroquin at Larrabee North Studios, Universal City, CA Us
Assisted Chris Galland and Delbert Bowers

References

Background

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