“Dance in the Dark” by Lady Gaga
Needless to say, there’s a lot going on in Lady Gaga’s “Dance in the Dark” song. But conclusively, all lyrics considered what it primarily centers on is a topic like domestic abuse against females.
The main narrative presented to get this point across is that of a lady whose self-image has pretty much been destroyed by her boyfriend. That’s the concept that the titular metaphor actually points to, i.e. her reluctance to step out into the light.
And the song does a pretty good job of getting that point across up until the bridge, where the singer then proceeds to namedrop all types of historical figures, though mostly entertainers. But apparently what she is doing therein by referencing the likes of Jon Benet Ramsey (1990-1996), Liberace (1919-1987) and even Jesus is illustrating them as individuals who have also dealt with similar serious instances of emotional abuse akin to the lady above, or something like that.
Or rather, we can say that Lady Gaga is likening the female victims of domestic abuse to martyrs in their suffering or what have you.
“Dance in the Dark” Facts
Artist(s): Lady Gaga
Album/EP: “The Fame Monster”
Was “Dance in the Dark” a single release?
Yes. On November 9 of 2009, it became one of the singles from the singer’s EP, “The Fame Monster”.
Writing Credits
It was written by Gaga herself with assistance from Fernando Garibay (who also receives production credits).
Genre(s)
- Europop
Awards/Honors
“Dance in the Dark” earned a nomination for the award, “Best Dance Recording” at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2011. It, however, lost to Rihanna’s “Only Girl (In the World)”. Three other songs listed below also gained nominations for that award:
Chart Performance
- US – 22
- UK – 89
- Slovakia – 6
- Poland – 2
- Hungary – 9
- Czech Republic – 10
Gaga’s “The Fame Monster”
American sensational singer and songwriter Lady Gaga released the Euro-pop song Dance in the Dark in 2009. The song was birthed by her hit third EP, The Fame Monster.
Gaga released the EP through Interscope Records on November 18, 2009. Initially, she planned to release the album as a sole deluxe edition and re-issue her debut studio album Fame.
However, after accessing the cost of making a sole deluxe edition re-issue, Gaga and Interscope Records agreed to release The Fame Monster as a solo EP and release the re-issue later. Gaga has also stated that the two albums were not conceptually coherent, so a deluxe edition re-issue was not a good choice.
The eight songs on The Fame Monster describe Gaga’s views on the bad aspects of fame, sex, fashion, and shows, using a fictional monster character. It also contains sampled tunes from old synth-pop, rock, and disco music.
The Fame Monster was number one on the following listings:
- Billboard Top Dance Albums,
- Polish Albums chart (ZPAV)
- Australian Albums chart (ARIA)
- Belgian Albums chart (Ultratop Flanders)
It was also fifth on the Billboard 200 chart and appeared in the top ten albums of over ten other European countries. In addition, it has received many diamonds, platinum, and gold certifications from over 20 countries.
