This was initially made available as a promotional single from Lady Gaga's … Read Full Bio ↴This was initially made available as a promotional single from Lady Gaga's ARTPOP album. Upon its release, the song received acclaim from music critics and topped the American iTunes highest selling songs list within five hours. Such was the positive response, that it was released as the second single instead of the planned "Venus."

The song features R Kelly, and Gaga was pleased to have Chicago's R&B mastermind on the tune. "Can you believe that R. Kelly is on my album? He sounds so amazing and the song is so great," Gaga said during an interview on Live 101.5. "It's an R&B record. I did a lot of genre tripping on this album."
A half minute snippet of the song was featured in a Best Buy commercial for Beats by Dre headphones in the US.

The song finds the two singers taking on their critics. Gaga also used lines from the song to tackle her detractors in a series of tweets. One missive was addressed to those who referenced her failure to outdo Katy Perry on the charts when they dropped their singles "Applause" and "Roar" on the same day. "APPLAUSE didn't DEBUT AT #1! KATY IS BETTER THAN HER! #UWontUseMyMind I write for the music not the charts," she tweeted.

Gaga told the story behind this song during a listening party at Berlin's famed Berghain club. "I've been living in Chicago and spending a lot of time there, and that's where R. Kelly hails from," she explained. "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."

Gaga told USA Today that R. Kelly is her close friend. "It's not that unlikely. I've been living in Chicago, and he's from Chicago. When it comes to R&B, there's really nobody else to call," she said. "The thing we have very much in common is that a lot of people write very untrue things about me, and a lot of people write very untrue things about him. Look, it was the perfect marriage in that way. It was very emotional singing the song with him. He wanted to be my friend. We're both songwriters. When I talk to him he gets it and vice versa."
Producer DJ White Shadow broke down to MTV News how this duet came about. "When she started singing the song, we were on a bus in Europe and I was like, instantly, 'This is my favorite song. It's never going to stop that this is my favorite song on the whole record,'" he recalled. "We had gone over the idea [of a collaboration] ... and I was like 'You know what would be awesome? R. Kelly.' And she was like 'Sure, let's do it.'"

Lady Gaga and R. Kelly came together to give a raunchy performance of the song on the November 16, 2013 episode of Saturday Night Live, which included the mother Monster simulating a sex act on the Chicago crooner. Gaga also performed her anthemic ballad, "Gypsy," during the show, which the singer hosted and performed in several sketches. They included an opening monologue in which she pandered for "cheap applause," a takeoff where she played an elderly version of herself hoping someone would recognize her hits from yesteryear and a spoof of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, in which the singer portrayed a fashion-challenged Apple Store employee.

On January 10th 2019, Lady Gaga had the R. Kelly version of the song removed from streaming services and digital retailers after the documentary ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ had been aired, which exposed new allegations of sexual misconduct and assault. In November of 2019, ARTPOP was also re-released on CD and Vinyl without the Track. Since then, the only available version of the song is the remix version with Christina Aguilera, which is also just title "Do What U Want" in most streaming services.

Do What U Want
Lady Gaga Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Huh oh
Yeah yeah
Huh oh
Whoa whoa
Oh

I
I feel good

I walk alone
But then I trip over myself and I fall, I
I stand up
And then I'm OK
But then you print some shit that makes me want to 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 'bout 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 'cause
You don't own my life but
Do what you want with my body
Do what you want with my body

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

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 'bout 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 'cause
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
I would fall apart (apart)
If you break my heart
So just take my body
And don't stop the party (ayy)

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 'cause
You don't own my life but
Do what you want with my body
Do what you want with my body

Do what you want with me
What you want, Lady Gaga?
What you want with me, Christina?
Oh, what you 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, world
Help me now

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

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Lady Gaga's song Do What U Want contain themes of power dynamics, specifically in the music industry. Gaga sings about feeling good and confident, but at times becoming vulnerable to the media's harsh criticism. She expresses frustration with journalists who write about her without regard for how it will affect her emotional well-being. At the same time, she acknowledges that her body is a part of her public image and feels that she has to let others do what they want with it. She also conveys the sense that her voice and mind belong only to herself, and that others can't use them for their own purposes.

Overall, the song is an anthem for self-empowerment and the right to control one's own body and mind. Gaga seems to be saying that while she may feel pressure to conform to society's expectations, she ultimately has the power to decide what she wants for herself. By asserting this message through her music, she encourages listeners to do the same.

Line by Line Meaning

Huh oh
Expression of surprise and excitement

Yeah yeah
Expression of agreement and enthusiasm

Whoa whoa
Expression of awe and amazement

Oh
Expression of realization or surprise

I feel good
I am confident and happy with myself

I walk alone
I am independent and self-reliant

But then I trip over myself and I fall, I
But sometimes I make mistakes and fail

I stand up
But I always pick myself up and keep going

And then I'm OK
And I am strong enough to handle criticism

But then you print some shit that makes me want to scream
But when you publish negative and hurtful things about me, it's difficult for me to stay calm and composed

So do what you want, what you want with my body
You can physically use me and objectify me however you like

Do what you want, don't stop, let's party
You can continue to mistreat me and exploit me for your own pleasure

Write what you want, say what you want 'bout me
You can say whatever you want about me, whether it's true or not

If you're wondering, know that I'm not sorry
I am not ashamed or apologetic for who I am

You can't have my heart and you won't use my mind but
You cannot emotionally manipulate me and control me

My bones hurt from all the show hmm
Performing takes a significant physical toll on me

But I don't feel the pain 'cause I'm a pro I
But I have become experienced in dealing with the physical challenges of performing

I sink in and then I'm okay eh,
I immerse myself in my performance and become emotionally invested in it

'Cause my body belongs to you when I'm on stage eh
On stage, my body is a part of my performance and is used to entertain and please the audience

Sometimes I'm scared I suppose
Sometimes I feel vulnerable and afraid

If you ever let me go
If I lose the approval and adoration of my fans

I would fall apart (apart)
I would be emotionally devastated

If you break my heart
If my fans turn against me or stop supporting me

So just take my body
So I offer myself to my fans completely

And don't stop the party (ayy)
And I will continue to perform and entertain my fans, no matter what

What you want, Lady Gaga?
Christina Aguilera asks Lady Gaga what she wants

Oh, what you want with my body
Christina Aguilera offers her body to Lady Gaga

Do what you want with me
Christina Aguilera gives Lady Gaga complete control over her

What you want with my body
Christina Aguilera offers her body to Lady Gaga again

Help me now
Expression of a cry for help or assistance

World, what you want with my body
Christina Aguilera offers her body to the entire world

Do what you want with my body
Christina Aguilera gives the world complete control over her

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Stefani J. Germanotta, Robert S. Kelly, Paul Edward Blair, William Sami Etienne Grigahcine, Martin Bresso

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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