Lady Gaga: Dance in the Dark (Single Review)

by Bradley Stern
filed under: Lady Gaga, Leona Lewis, Single Review

gagadanceinthedark Lady Gaga: Dance in the Dark (Single Review)

Today has just been full of disappointments: The videos for “Bad Romance” and “Video Phone” seem to be delayed indefinitely, the Leona Lewis album is, for the most part, a massive snooze-fest, and worst of all, the strawberries that I worked so hard to plant have withered on FarmVille.

But enough mourning for this morning, it’s time to talk about the good stuff: “Dance in the Dark,” Mademoiselle Gaga‘s new single (maybe?) off of The Fame Monster, her re-release of The Fame (maybe?).

An In-Depth Analysis of “Dance in the Dark.”

1. The opening.
Stuttering male vocals! Gaga shrieking in the distance! Haunted synthesizers! Doom, destruction, and everything in between! Brilliant.

2. “Silicone, saline, poison, inject me…baby, I’m a free bitch.”
The greatest opening line of 2009.

3. She sends a shout-out to Sylvia Plath.
So the breakdown layout is lifted straight from Madonna‘s “Vogue.” Who cares? Everyone knows that if someone’s reciting the names of famous people in a monotone voice, it’s time to dance.

In the case off “Dance in the Dark,” Gaga limits her subjects according to theme, choosing only those who’ve suffered a tragic end by way of (or indirectly because of), you guessed it: The fame. “Marilyn, Judy, Sylvia…tell ‘em how you feel, girls.” Shivers!

4. It is dark disco.
“Dance in the Dark” is a hands-in-the-air dance song about a woman being harassed by her boyfriend. “She looks good, but her boyfriend says she’s a tramp, she’s a vamp, but she still does her dance,” mourns the Gaga. And let’s not forget about the chorus: “Baby does her dance in the dark, ’cause when he’s looking, she falls apart.” Who knew emotional abuse could inspire such happy feet?

5. It is not quite as good as “Bad Romance,” but it’s in the same league.
Which, according to my calculations, means that The Fame Monster is almost destined to be one of the greatest pop releases of the year.

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pixel Lady Gaga: Dance in the Dark (Single Review)

  • Gaga4Greggles

    Is “Bad Romance” a meta, post-modern allegory to “BRomance?”

    I believe the linguistic inferences are utmost exemplary. Perhaps this is an aside to Betty Friedan

  • Eli

    Aren’t the synths in the beginning a playing a sample from an old song?

  • 29,136,768 B.C.

    Brad: Are you that breatheheavy.com guy’s brother?
    You 2 are so annoying.
    hate to say that I was starting to like you…but you just think YOU know it all POP.

    DISLIKE QUEENS
    they should disappear

  • Electrophonique

    this song’s synths sample an old song, I’m sure of that!
    but still can’t recognize which song it is.

  • Shar

    If anyone finds which song Lady Gaga took the sample from, please tell me! I love this song btw.

  • Kacey

    The synths remind me of Shiny Toy Guns’ When They Came For Us

  • Lauren

    It samples “Careless Whisper” by WHAM!

  • Meaghan

    I instantly thought it was Careless Whisper too but i’m not sure.

  • j

    Sounds like careless whisper and eurythmics having sex

  • Alan

    It’s totally from the saxophone section of Careless Whisper…

  • Dawn

    ‘Careless Whisper’!! Of course, it was driving me gonzo. It’s hilarious that the Gaga took an 80′s “sample” and made it sound even more 80′s. That’s why I couldn’t remember, it sounded so legit I was sure it was a straight sample. Once again, she’s amazing.

  • dawn2

    it’s not careless whisper. there is an 80′s song with the intro.

  • JenJenn

    It’s definately not Careless whisper, It sounds like a mix of “Stranglove” and “Enjoy the Silence” by Depeche Mode. This is gonna get on my nerves!

  • Anonymous
  • Chase Haro

    I believe it’s a sample of the theme song from the old ABC soap opera, “The Edge of Night”.

  • T Barry

    I am fairly certain the beginning part is sampled from the theme to the film “Psycho III.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCiEMFByVnU&feature=related That link is the song from the movie only slowed down.

  • T Barry

    Actually, this link at 1:53 into the clip is the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4tD0gPuxQ8

  • Paul

    I think it’s Stragelove from Depeche Mode

  • Yourealldumb

    You’re all so dumb! I checked out all the links and it’s not sampled from any of them, and it isnt careless whispers either. It’s her own take on an 80′s theme, is that really so hard to believe…She’s awesome just drop it who cares where it came from.

  • Will

    I listened to all the links too and it’s most definitely “Careless Whisper”. It may not be a straight note for note sample, but it’s close enough to be instantly recognizable. It definitely used the main melody and theme of the saxophone part. None of the others are even that close.

  • Anonymous

    definately careless whisper, i knew it was from somewhere and it’s been driving me nuts for months! she’s taken the sax intro and instead of it flowing melodicvally she’s made it sticato beats and with a synth. i ve been going back and forth between videos and just hummed dance in the dark to the intro of careless whisper and it works

  • http://www.kenjidub.tumblr.com ken

    not Careless Whisper at all. Definately Strangelove by Depeche!! ask Gaga herself.

  • David

    HELLOOOWWW Is everybody insane in here?? Ever heard of a song called Super Trouper from ABBA???!!!!
    Now THAT’s where the sample’s from! NOT Careless Whisper, NOT Strangelove, no nothing but only Super Trouper. Literally!
    So i have only 1 advice for everyone here: LISTEN TO IT….thank you

  • Anonymous

    yes i agree its the basic melody of careless whisper just sticato and the same synth used by depeche mode….thus the whole confusion of where it was taken a nice little meld of 1980′s classic pretty good result. *this song also burned a hole in my head untill i hummed and played both songs at the same time to verify this… (careless whisper is faster BPM)

  • what a shame

    she’s a horrid copycat..copies everybody..the beginning is definitely like DM.. a mix of Strange love and I’d add also The thing you said, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpOm5dpTDn4&feature=related, start listening the synth from 0:53 to 1:10… and Shouldnt have done that synth as well http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diQwoot067w&feature=related … she’s not original…no new to the music…she dares to claim she brings sth new to the music while she is just a poor copy

  • mina

    It’s George Micheal’s “Careless Whisper”…There is definitive proof in the comparison, made at whosampled.com over here…
    http://www.whosampled.com/sample/view/19322/Lady%20Gaga-Dance%20in%20the%20Dark_George%20Michael-Careless%20Whisper/
    Gaga sampled the jazzy saxophone bit that starts in the mid-intro of Careless whisper, using it as the backtrack beat for Dance in the dark.

  • Alfredo

    Dance in the dark is about a woman who doesn’t want her boyfriend seeing her in the light….but she’s an animal in bed when the lights go off…”Dance” is sex.

  • KATRINA

    ITS DEF NOT DEPECHE MODE.
    CARELESS WHISPER FOR SURE..
    COMMON ITS IDENTICAL..
    abba was a good try though

  • tomek

    she sampled the sax line for sure. it’s from some 80/90′ love story movie. i thought it’s b ferry slave to love but that’s a miss 2

  • Kk

    Definitely Careless Whisper I knew it from the moment I heard it. Good Ear