Lady Gaga's Tattoos All Have Special Meanings

In 2008 Gaga got a swirl of roses on her lower back, created by celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D. The reason she got the tattoo? It was actually so she could blend it into her treble clef tattoo, having regretted getting the music note.

Above the daisies on her left shoulder, Gaga has the words "Tokyo Love," which was handwritten by Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki. Gaga and Araki had collaborated on a bondage-themed photoshoot during her visit to Japan in 2009. As she explained to Interview Magazine, "I was honored to be the first American woman he's photographed, and only the second pop artist, in the company of Björk. He signed the Polaroids "Tokyo Love," and the Haus got tattoos of his marking in celebration."

Gaga inked the word "dad" inside of a heart as a tribute to her father, Joe Germanotta, after he had open-heart surgery in 2009. Her father initially didn't want to get the surgery, but she managed to convince him, and the heart valve replacement that he had ended up saving his life.

While in Amsterdam, Netherlands, during her "Born This Way" tour in 2012, Gaga got a small anchor tattooed just below her left armpit at Amsterdam Tattoo Museum by local artist Hank. She later tweeted pics of her new tat, writing, "New Tat. Stamp of His Mermaid." It is believed that the anchor is a tribute to her then-boyfriend Taylor Kinney, who she met when he appeared in her video for "You And I," where she played a mermaid.

In honor of her sister Natali, whose nickname growing up was "Mouse," Gaga got a cartoon mouse holding a sewing needle and thread on the back of her left arm. The end of the thread reads "Nat." Natali is a fashion designer who graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York City. On her website, Gaga explained, "Got it for Nat, my sister and original hoodrat, her name was always mouse and I am loopy. Needle represents her passion for fashion design. I love her more than anything, she inspires me. Also cuz we watched "Cinderella" together and the mice sewed in that movie! It has a lot of meanings."

In 2014, Gaga got a trumpet inked on the inside of her right bicep. The tattoo was designed by her friend and "Cheek to Cheek" collaborator Tony Bennett. She debuted the piece on Instagram, along with the caption, "Bennedetto. Tony's an artist. he sketched this trumpet and were getting tattoos @brainnewmanny playing on the tony album and arranging music. Tattoos by @badnewsbecca photo by @skwotty."

Just under her left armpit, Gaga got a huge hand in Hamburg, Germany, dedicated to her Little Monsters, whom she always encourages to "put your paws up." In a Reddit AMA question and answer session, Gaga revealed that the paw was her favorite tattoo to date. "Its the Monster Paw, the symbol of my fans as they have held their paws high in the crowd every night since we became a community. I cherish it for its meaning, the loyalty, devotion, and strength we share. I wanted it engraved on me forever."

To complete her trio of tattoos dedicated to her Little Monsters, Gaga added the words "Mother Monster" with lace detailing extending from her ribcage to her armpit. She was so eager to get her nickname inscribed on her ribs that she flew tattoo artist Eric Gonzalez over from LA to Manchester, England, in order to get the ink.

In February 2016, just one month after David Bowie died, Gaga got a portrait of the legendary performer from the cover of his "Aladdin Sane" album inked above her left hip. Before performing a tribute to Bowie at the Grammy Awards just two days later, she told The Hollywood Reporter what made her fall in love with Bowie when she first moved to New York City. "He is a true, true artist and I don't know if I ever went, 'Oh, I'm going to be that way like this,' or if I arrived upon it slowly, realizing it was my calling, and that's what drew me to him," she said.