Scheiße (song)

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"Scheiße"
Song by Lady Gaga
from the album Born This Way
LanguageEnglish and faux-German
WrittenMay 2010
ReleasedMay 23, 2011 (2011-05-23)
Recorded2010
StudioTour Bus (Europe)
GenreDance-pop
Length3:45
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Lady Gaga
  • RedOne
Audio video
"Scheiße" on
YouTube

"Scheiße" (

female empowerment
.

The song received positive reviews from contemporary critics, who complimented its heavy

Coachella
performance.

Background

The song was written and produced by Lady Gaga and RedOne. It was originally recorded on a tour bus in Europe in 2010, and was later remixed at Larrabee Sound Studios in North Hollywood, California by Trevor Muzzy.[2] Gaga said that the song was inspired after a night of partying at the Laboratory nightclub in Berlin, Germany. The next day, she wrote "Scheiße", stating that she "meant [the song] like 'shit, it's good.' But I also meant it the other way; because this song is really about wanting to be a strong female without all the bullshit that comes along with. Anything that gets in your way from being brave. It's not the only word I know, I just like that word. It's sexy."[3]

"Scheiße" was first introduced in a

runway.[4][5] It featured a thumping dance beat with snippets of German words. The remix ended with the lyrics, "I'll take you out tonight/say whatever you like."[4] On January 20, 2011, Mugler's creative director Nicola Formichetti premiered a short film featuring a remix of the song. Gaga commented on her website, Littlemonsters.com, that she wanted to release "Scheiße" as a single but her label did not want her to put it out.[5][6] "Scheiße" was released as part of Gaga's second studio album, Born This Way, on May 23, 2011.[7]

Composition

"Scheiße"
A 22-second sample of "Scheiße", where Gaga sings a verse about female empowerment and then the chorus.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Scheiße" is a

artist speaks rather than sings.[10] "Scheiße" has been described as "a strange mash up of digestible, American shopping mecca music and the thud of German nightclub electronica." The song features a "grimy" bass and so many "fizzing" synths that it produces a "keyboard assault on the senses."[10][11]

The song's lyrics are of female empowerment. Although the theme of "Scheiße" is similar to the inspirational theme of other songs on Born This Way,

French accent.[8][9][13]

The song starts with Gaga saying, "I don't speak German, but I can if you like", then immediately launches into a spoken verse in faux-German.

beats per minute. It is composed on the key of C minor, with Gaga's voice spanning from A3 to Eb♯5. The song follows in the sequence of Cm–Cm/Cm–Eb/Gm as its chord progression.[15]

Critical response

Lady Gaga performing "Scheiße" on the Born This Way Ball tour (2012–2013)

"Scheiße" received positive reviews from critics, with some calling it a highlight of the album. NME's Dan Martin also found "Scheiße" comparable to a Madonna song, saying it "channels Miss Kittin doing a rave take on Madonna’s 'Erotica'," making it a "commanding pop song" and a "triumph".[16] The Village Voice called "Scheiße" a "highlight" of the album, but questioned the sincerity of the feminist lyrics.[12] BBC Music called the song a "monster tune begging for a sex dungeon-themed video event".[17] Kerri Manson of Billboard found the song to be "dated", but strongly praised the chorus.[8] Tim Jonze of The Guardian also found the chorus of the song "ridiculously catchy" and felt it was the most important aspect of the song.[18] He also noticed Berlin techno influences in the song, which were described as "decadent."[18] Rolling Stone's Jody Rosen, however, felt the chorus was "a whisp" and called the song's beat "generic Eurodisco thump".[9] Gaga's faux-German lyrics were criticized by the magazine, which called it "gibberish that sounds German but isn't."[9] Caryn Ganz from Spin called the opening lines of the song ("I don't speak German, but I can if you like") "hilariously ludicrous."[19]

Tinymixtapes gave a mixed review of the German in the song, saying "the singer is not so much speaking the language of the German people, but updating it for the new millennium, enjoining this nation to move beyond its tragic history into a new era of love and dancing... ['Scheiße'] reveals a certain disregard for both fact and reality."[22] Nathan Heller from Slate compared the song to Mediterranean dance tracks, while declaring it as being "custom-tailored to an international audience".[23] Adam White of The Independent felt that "Scheiße" is "naked pandering to the Berghain crowd, with its gibberish German lyrics and rampant, aggressive absurdity. But it is such a deer-in-the-headlights racket that it transcends any and all cliche."[24]

While reviewing

Born This Way The Tenth Anniversary in 2021, Owen Myers of Pitchfork dubbed "Scheiße" "the best non-single of Gaga’s career".[25] The same year, Bianca Gracie of Uproxx listed it between Gaga's best songs, calling it "utter chaos in a way that only Gaga could pull off" and "one of her most liberating tunes".[26]

Chart performance

Despite not having been released as a single, the song entered the charts in different countries. In

Dance/Electronic Digital Songs, as well as at number 72 on the Canadian Hot Digital Songs chart.[30]

Live performances

Coachella Festival
set with "Scheiße"

Lady Gaga included the song's first verse in her performance at the

Idolator was dismissive, arguing that "She [Gaga] Uh, she does know she's performing on a show featuring models, right?"[34]

The opening faux-German lines, first verse and chorus opened Gaga's set at the

iHeart Radio music festival in Las Vegas.[35] "Scheiße" was performed on the Born This Way Ball tour (2012–2013) as the last song before the encore. Gaga, with long blonde pigtails, performed a complex dance routine wearing a black top and pants, described by Miguel Dumaual of CBS News as containing "solid dance-beats".[36] On some occasions, Gaga invited audience members on stage to dance along with her to "Scheiße".[37]

In 2017, Gaga performed "Scheiße" as the opening track of her

Coachella set. She wore a Mugler leather coat with pointy shoulder pads, along with an admiral cap, a big leather belt, and grommet covered boots.[38] Vanessa Franko from The Press-Enterprise opined that she "dressed like a military-inspired dominatrix" for the performance.[39] Peter Larsen from the same newspaper thought that "Scheiße" was an understandable choice as the opening song, "its musical elements fitting neatly with the electronic dance music that dominates a huge part of the festival these days."[40] The track was also part of the setlist of the Joanne World Tour (2017–2018).[41] Gaga was wearing a fringe-covered black leather jacket for the performance, which was custom-made for her by Alexander Wang, along with fishnets and black thigh-high boots.[42]

"Scheiße" is performed on the singer's 2018–2020 Las Vegas residency show, Enigma. For the duration of the song, Gaga is seen sitting on top of a metallic, clawed, robot-like equipment, which journalists compared to a Transformer,[43][44] and to a giant spider.[45][46] She wears an armor-like bodysuit with light-up panels.[45]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Born This Way.[2]

  • Lady Gaga – vocals, songwriter, producer
  • RedOne – producer, songwriter, vocal editor, vocal arrangement, engineer, instrumentation, programmer, recording engineer
  • Trevor Muzzy – recording engineer, vocal editor, engineer, mixer
  • Gene Grimaldi – mastering engineer

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Scheiße"
Chart (2011) Peak
position
Canada Digital Songs (Billboard)[30] 72
Germany Download (
Media Control)[27]
 90
South Korea International (
GAON)[28]
 20
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[29]
 136
US
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[47]
 11
US
Dance/Electronic Digital Songs (Billboard)[30]
 6

References

  1. Broadcast Music Incorporated. Archived
    from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  2. ^ a b Born This Way (liner notes). Lady Gaga. Interscope Records. 2011. B0015374-72.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ "Lady Gaga could live in Berlin". Contactmusic.com. June 10, 2011. Archived from the original on January 12, 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  4. ^ a b Vozick-Levinson, Simon (January 20, 2011). "Lady Gaga debuts new remix: Listen here". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 21, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  5. ^ a b Mapes, Jillian (January 20, 2011). "Listen: Gaga Premieres 'Born This Way' Remix at Mugler Fashion Show". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 20, 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  6. ^ "Film Submission: Scheisse". LittleMonsters.com. August 2, 2011. Archived from the original on August 8, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  7. MTV Networks. Archived
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