Gaga's five succeeding studio albums all debuted atop the US Billboard 200. Her second full-length album, Born This Way (2011), explored electronic rock and techno-pop and sold more than one million copies in its first week. The title track became the fastest-selling song on the iTunes Store, with over one million downloads in less than a week. Following her EDM-influenced third album, Artpop (2013), and its lead single "Applause", Gaga released the jazz album Cheek to Cheek (2014) with Tony Bennett, and the soft rock album Joanne (2016). She ventured into acting, winning awards for her leading roles in the miniseries American Horror Story: Hotel (2015–2016) and the musical film A Star Is Born (2018). Her contributions to the latter's soundtrack, which spawned the chart-topping single "Shallow", made her the first woman to win an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award and Grammy Award in one year. Gaga returned to dance-pop with her sixth studio album, Chromatica (2020), which yielded the number-one single "Rain on Me". She followed this with her second collaborative album with Bennett, Love for Sale, and a starring role in the biopic House of Gucci, both in 2021.
Having sold an estimated 170 million records, Gaga is one of the world's best-selling music artists and the only female artist to achieve four singles that each sold at least 10 million copies globally. Her accolades include 13 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, 18 MTV Video Music Awards, awards from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and recognition as Billboard's Artist of the Year (2010) and Woman of the Year (2015). She has also been included in several Forbes' power rankings and ranked fourth on VH1's Greatest Women in Music (2012). Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2010 and 2019 and placed her on their All-Time 100 Fashion Icons list. Her philanthropy and activism focus on mental health awareness and LGBTQ+ rights; she has her own non-profit organization, the Born This Way Foundation, which supports the wellness of young people. Gaga's business ventures include Haus Labs, a vegan cosmetics brand launched in 2019.
Hollywood
Lady Gaga Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Deep in the mirror I am scared,
Don't know who the hell is there.
Yeah, I'm losing my reflection.
Obsession
The thing it's our new religion.
Changes how I look at me.
Oh, don't tell me, don't tell me
I'll never be
A superstar 'cause I know I could
Look like a girl in Hollywood.
Hollywood, Hollywood
In Hollywood, In Hollywood
Women, let's talk about our condition.
How beauty's a commodity,
Women don't get the best things,
Battered liver though, with poison.
I am the bill.
In the world without me, this vision.
Sure Hollywood's commercially amorous
But naturally, me? Quite ugly as hell.
Tell me I'm not sixteen!
Like a superstar, yeah I know I could
Look like a girl in Hollywood.
Hollywood, Hollywood
Hollywood, Hollywood
Within a year I know I could
Look like a girl in Hollywood.
Like a superstar, yeah I know I could
Look like a girl in Hollywood.
Within the year I know I could
Look like a girl in Hollywood.
Like superstars, yeah I know I could
Look like a girl in Hollywood.
In Hollywood, Hollywood
Hollywood, HollywoodLike a superstar, yeah I know I could
Look like a girl in Hollywood.
Within the year I know I could
Look like a girl in Hollywood.
Like superstars, yeah I know I could
Look like a girl in Hollywood.
In Hollywood, Hollywood
Hollywood, Hollywood
The song "Hollywood" by Lady Gaga, from her debut studio album "The Fame", speaks on the pressures and obsessions that come with the desire for fame and success. The lyrics reflect on the insecurities that arise when one compares themselves to the celebrities and models that they see in the media. The line "don't know who the hell is there, yeah I'm losing my reflection" suggests that she doesn't recognize herself anymore and is losing her identity. The pre-chorus refers to how the obsession with beauty has become the new religion and how it affects one's perception of themselves. Lady Gaga then goes on to criticize how women are commoditized and how society has made it difficult for them to receive the best opportunities. The line "battered liver though, with poison. I am the bill." addresses how women are often pressured to compromise their health for fame and success, but ultimately end up bearing the consequences.
The chorus of the song speaks on how Lady Gaga believes she has the potential to look like a girl in Hollywood and become a superstar, but then questions whether or not this image is even desirable. The song ends with the repetition of the line "like a superstar, yeah I know I could look like a girl in Hollywood" emphasizing the idea of the pursuit of fame and how it can be destructive to one's well-being.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen, I've got the sickest ambition.
I have a strong desire to be successful that is overwhelming.
Deep in the mirror I am scared,
Looking at my reflection makes me frightened, as I'm not sure who I see looking back at me.
Don't know who the hell is there.
I am completely unsure of the person that lives inside me and who they really are.
Yeah, I'm losing my reflection.
I think I am becoming someone else and losing track of who I once was.
The thing it's our new religion.
We are now obsessed with beauty and fame, treating them like a religion.
Each model and celebrity
People in the public eye, who are known for their physical appearance and success.
Changes how I look at me.
Seeing these flawless images of people makes me doubt and feel negatively about my own looks.
Oh, don't tell me, don't tell me
I don't want to hear anyone tell me that I can't look perfect like these celebrities do.
I'll never be
I feel like I can never be as perfect as these celebrities, no matter how hard I try.
A superstar 'cause I know I could
I believe that I could become famous and be a superstar if I looked more like these celebrities.
Look like a girl in Hollywood.
I want to look like one of the pretty young things that grace the screens of Hollywood.
Women, let's talk about our condition.
Women should discuss and address the societal expectations that are imposed on them based on their looks.
How beauty's a commodity,
Physical beauty is a valuable asset that is highly sought after in our society.
Women don't get the best things,
Women are not treated fairly and are often overlooked and undervalued because of their gender.
Battered liver though, with poison.
Even though I can tell that pursuing a life of fame and beauty is damaging to me, I am still drawn to it.
I am the bill.
I am fully responsible for the consequences of my actions and the prices I pay in my pursuit of physical perfection.
In the world without me, this vision.
Without me and other people like me who are obsessed with beauty and fame, these ideals would not exist in the same way they do now.
Sure Hollywood's commercially amorous
Hollywood is entirely focused on making money, and it uses our obsession with beauty and fame to do so.
But naturally, me? Quite ugly as hell.
Even though I try to alter and perfect my looks, I know inside that I am not naturally beautiful.
Tell me I'm not sixteen!
I want to look young and fresh like a teenager, even though I know that is impossible to maintain.
Within a year I know I could
I believe that with enough effort and resources, I could radically change my appearance in a short amount of time.
Like a girl in Hollywood.
I want to resemble the idealized, perfect women that inhabit the city of Hollywood.
Like superstars, yeah I know I could
I am convinced that I could become a famous, successful celebrity if I just looked the part.
In Hollywood, Hollywood
The center of fame and beauty, where celebrities are worshipped and the ideal of physical perfection is upheld.
Within the year I know I could
My desire to change my appearance is so strong and persistent that I believe it could happen quickly.
Like superstars, yeah I know I could
I am convinced that I could become a famous, successful celebrity if I just looked the part.
In Hollywood, Hollywood
The center of fame and beauty, where celebrities are worshipped and the ideal of physical perfection is upheld.
Contributed by Sebastian K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
blackrainbow
2006: "Don't tell me I'll never be a superstar"
2016: performing in the same bar with a future superbowl performance
Goosebumps
Ray Medeiros
Yassssss
Sarah Glick
Stefani Germonatta 2005:
“I’m a superstar and you know I could look like a girl in Hollywood”
Lady Gaga 2019:
“I would like to thank the academy for this incredible honor”
FanOfVacuums2
It's crazy that she's performing in the same bar right now.
V.L. Tleipuia
When
Ray Medeiros
Yassssss
Abéy
she went from this to #1 albums, selling out stadiums, Superbowl performance, and an A+ movie within 10 years. She has really worked hard for all the praise she gets. A true star.
illy794
I'm so proud of her and everything she has accomplished in these 8 years.
She's my queen forever <3
BadGuy Productions
One of her best songs. EVER.
I hope when they start to do these TV specials about one artist where other singers perform in tribute, the first performance is of this song with a backdrop full of flashbacks of her entire career, since 2005 to now (and then).
Larissa Miranda
flash forward to 13 years later, she's a superstar in Hollywood, Oscar, Grammy, Golden Globe and all important awards winner. WOW. Queen