"Hair" is a song by Lady Gaga off Born This Way. It was released on May 16, 2011 as part of the album countdown on iTunes. The song title was revealed through Vogue magazine, and was registered on Gaga's BMI on May 17, 2011. Gaga told Ryan Seacrest that the song is one of her favorites off the album. She also stated via Twitter that it is one of the favorite songs of everyone who had listened to her new album.
| “ |
One of my favorite songs on the album is called "Hair". It’s a really uptempo club record with a Bruce Springsteen vibe to it. I had Clarence Clemons come in from the E Street Band and play saxophone on the record. It has this KISS / Iron Maiden to the melody. |
” |
—Lady Gaga | ||
On December 8, 2010, Gaga tweeted a line from the song.
- "I've had enough, this is my prayer, that l'll die living just as free as my Hair." -Mother Mons†er" 3:16 AM via web
On May 27, 2011, Gaga performed the song live for the first time for her fans in New York City at Good Morning America.
Background
On The Graham Norton Show, Lady Gaga explained the origin of the song, which involves the analogy of her hair with freedom, and how that is the only part of her body she can change without anyone judging her.
According to a press listening in February, 2011, "Hair" draws inspiration from Pat Benatar's '80s classic "We Belong," while thematically it focuses on empowering lyrics similar to those of "Born This Way."
Lady Gaga elaborated on the song's inspiration via the video message Lady Gaga - Graham Norton 5†13†11 (May 14, 2011) on her YouTube channel:
| “ | I love this song so, so much. When I was a kid, I used to always come down the stairs of my parents' house, and they would say, 'Go back upstairs and brush your hair, change your clothes, you can't go out wearing that', and I felt like it was stifling my identity... My hair was my glory. It was the only thing that I could change about myself. | ” |
—Lady Gaga | ||
Posting on Twitter (May 22, 2011), Lady Gaga explained the meaning of this song: "I wrote HAIR about how my parents used to get pissed at my outfits and my hair when I was a kid."
| “ | This song is about your identity being the most important thing to you... it's what's on the inside that matters. I used to get made fun of because my mom used to get up and do her hair every day in the morning, and I really looked up to my mother, so would sometimes be up blowdrying my hair until one in the morning. I'd come to school, and my friends would say, 'Why is your hair so nice? It's all girls in this school, you don't have to look so nice for class.' Well, I want to be like my mom. Now, my hair means so much to me - I must have hundreds of wigs. | ” |
—Lady Gaga in A Very Gaga Thanksgiving | ||
Lady Gaga also revealed during the 2019 Daily Front Row's Fashion Los Angeles Awards (March 17, 2019) something she said not even her long-standing hairstylist Frederic Aspiras knew: He was the inspiration for the song “Hair”. She said she wrote the song because “He helped inspire me to love myself, and be myself every day.”
Performances
| Dates | Location | Channel | 
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|---|
| 2011 | |||
| May 27 | Good Morning America | ABC | 
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| Jun 17 | Paul O'Grady Live | ITV | 
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| Jun 28 | Taratata | France Télévisions | 
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| Jul 28 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | ABC |
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| Nov 24 | A Very Gaga Thanksgiving | ||
| Dates | Location | Station |
|
|---|
| 2011 | |||
| Jul 18 | The Howard Stern Show | Sirius XM Radio |
|
| Sep 24 | iHeartRadio Music Festival | iHeartRadio | |
| Dates | Location | City |
|
|---|
| 2011 | |||
| Jul 13 | Gaga Live At Sydney Monster Hall | Sydney | 
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| Dec 3 | KISS FM's Jingle Ball | New York City |
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| Dec 9 | Z100's Jingle Ball | ||
| Tour | Dates | Performances |
|---|
| The Born This Way Ball | April 27-June 27, 2012 July 7, 2012 August 23, 2012-February 11, 2013 |
79 |
| artRAVE: The ARTPOP Ball | May 25, 2014 | 1 |
| The MAYHEM Ball | 2025-2026 (Select dates) | 15 |
| Total of performances | 95 |
Lyrics
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, oh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, woah
Whenever I’m dressed cool my parents put up a fight (uh huh, uh huh).
And if I’m hot shot mum will cut my hair at night (uh huh, uh huh).
And in the morning I’m short of my identity (uh huh, uh huh).
I scream “Mom and Dad, why can’t I be who I wanna be?” (uh huh, uh huh) to be.
I just wanna be myself
And I want you to love me for who I am.
I just wanna be myself
And I want you to know I am my hair.
I’ve had enough, this is my prayer,
That I’ll die living just as free as my hair,
I’ve had enough, this is my prayer,
That I’ll die living just as free as my hair,
I’ve had enough, I’m not a freak,
I just keep fightin’ to stay cool on the streets.
I’ve had enough, enough, enough
And this is my prayer, I swear,
I’m as free as my hair.
I’m as free as my hair.
I am my hair.
I am my hair.
Free as my hai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-r,
Free as my hai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-r,
Free as my hai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-r,
Free as my hai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-r.
Sometimes I want some raccoon or red highlights (uh huh, uh huh),
Just because I want my friends to think I’m dynamite (uh huh, uh huh).
And on Friday rock city high school dance (uh huh, uh huh).
I’ve got my bangs to high that I don’t stand a chance (uh huh, uh huh) a chance.
I just wanna be myself
And I want you to love me for who I am.
I just wanna be myself
And I want you to know I am my hair.
I’ve had enough, this is my prayer,
That I’ll die living just as free as my hair,
I’ve had enough, this is my prayer,
That I’ll die living just as free as my hair,
I’ve had enough, I’m not a freak,
I just keep fightin’ to stay cool on the streets.
I’ve had enough, enough, enough
And this is my prayer, I swear,
I’m as free as my hair.
I’m as free as my hair.
I am my hair.
I am my hair.
Free as my hai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-r,
Free as my hai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-r,
Free as my hai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-r,
Free as my hai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-r.
I just want to be free, I just wanna be me,
And I want lots of friends that invite me to their parties.
I don’t want to change and I don’t want to be ashamed,
I’m the spirit of my hair, it’s all the glory that I bare.
I’m my hair, I am my hair, I’m my hair, I am my hair,
I am my hair, I am my hair, I am my hair (it’s all the glory that I bear),
I’m my hair, I am my hair, it’s all the glory that I bear,
I am my hair, I am my hair, I am my hair (it’s all the glory that I bear),
I’m my hair (it’s all the glory that I bear),
I’m my hair (it’s all the glory that I bear) my hair.
I’ve had enough, this is my prayer,
That I’ll die living just as free as my hair,
I’ve had enough, this is my prayer,
That I’ll die living just as free as my hair,
I’ve had enough, I’m not a freak,
I just keep fightin’ to stay cool on the streets.
I’ve had enough, enough, enough
And this is my prayer.
I am my hair.
Ooh, I’m my hair, I am my hair.
Credits
| Songwriter and producer | Lady Gaga and RedOne |
| Publishing |
|
| Lead vocals | Lady Gaga |
| Background vocals | Lady Gaga and RedOne |
| Vocal editing | RedOne and Trevor Muzzy for RedOne Productions |
| Programming and instruments, vocal arrangement | RedOne |
| Saxophone | Clarence Clemons |
| Electric guitars | Trevor Muzzy |
| Engineer | RedOne, Trevor Muzzy and Dave Russell |
| Additional engineer | Bill Malina |
| Recording studio | Tour Bus, Europe in 2010 |
| Mixing engineer | Tony Maserati for Two Chords Music, Inc. at RMC Studio, Los Angeles, CA
|
| Mixing assistant | Jonathan "Jon" Castelli and Justin Hergett |
| Mastering engineer | Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound, New York City, NY
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