Songfacts®:

• Lady Gaga told About.com that this dance-pop party song sums up her time of self-discovery when she was living in the Lower East Side of New York: "I was doing a lot of drugs when I wrote 'Dirty Rich.' It was about two years ago, and it was about a few different things. First and foremost the record is about – whoever you are or where you live – you can self-proclaim this inner fame based on your personal style, and your opinions about art and the world, despite being conscious of it. But it's also about how on the Lower East side, there was a lot of rich kids who did drugs and said that they were poor artists, so it's also a knock at that. 'Daddy I'm so sorry, I'm so, so sorry, yes, we just like to party.' I used to hear my friends on the phone with their parents, asking for money before they would go buy drugs. So, that was an interesting time for me, but it's funny that what came out of that record – because it's about many different things – but ultimately what I want people to take from it is 'Bang-bang.' No matter who you are and where you come from, you can feel beautiful and dirty rich."
• "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" is part of Lady Gaga's debut album, The Fame, which as the title implies, is a treatise on our collective obsession with money, fame and beauty. She wrote it with Rob Fusari, who produced the track, early in her career and performed it in 2007 when she was doing shows in New York City clubs as part of the "Starlight Revue." She also wrote the song "Paparazzi" with Fusari, which follows this theme. The pair, who were a romantic couple as well, parted ways before the album was released and ended up in a long legal battle.
• The music video was directed by Melina Matsoukas, whose credits include Rihanna's "Rude Boy" and Beyoncé's "Formation." Gaga plays the part of an entitled, spoiled party girl in the video, essentially bringing the lyrics to life.
• "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" was a big live song for Lady Gaga on her first two tours, and she brought it back in 2018 for her Las Vegas residency.