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"Dance in the Dark" is a song by American singer
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
from her third
extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.
(EP), ''
The Fame Monster ''The Fame Monster'' is a reissue of American singer Lady Gaga's debut studio album, ''The Fame'' (2008), and was released on November 18, 2009, through Interscope Records. Initially planned solely as a deluxe edition reissue of ''The Fame'', ...
'' (2009)—the
reissue In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or Single (music), single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New aud ...
of her debut studio album, ''
The Fame ''The Fame'' is the debut studio album by American singer Lady Gaga. It was released on August 19, 2008, by Interscope Records. After joining Kon Live Distribution and Cherrytree Records in 2008, Gaga began working on the album with different p ...
'' (2008). It is about a woman who prefers to have sex in the dark as she is insecure in her body. Having met such women while working on the
MAC AIDS Fund M∙A∙C AIDS Fund (M·A·F) is a public charity established in 1994 to support people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. It donates funds to communities and organizations that offer services to people with HIV/AIDS and help to prevent the disease ...
, Gaga said that the song is not about freedom, but rather the assurance that she understood their feelings. A
Europop Europop (also spelled Euro pop) is a style of pop music that originated in Europe during the mid-to-late 1960s and developed to today's form throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with revivals and ...
track, it contains
retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...
and
new wave music New wave is a loosely defined music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. La ...
influences, and begins with a stuttering introduction. It includes a spoken
interlude Interlude may refer to: *a short play or, in general, any representation between parts of a larger stage production *''Entr'acte'', a piece of music performed between acts of a theatrical production *a section in a movement of a musical piece, se ...
, where Gaga lists famous dead people.
Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
intended "Dance in the Dark" to be the third single from ''The Fame Monster'', but Gaga insisted on "
Alejandro Alejandro is the Spanish form of the name Alexander. Alejandro has multiple variations in different languages, including Aleksander (Czech, Polish), Alexandre ( French), Alexandros (Greek), Alsander (Irish), Alessandro (Italian), Aleksandr (Rus ...
", which was released in April 2010. Some months later,
Universal Music France Universal Music Group owns, or has a joint share in, many of the record labels listed here. According to UMG official site, the main labels are Abbey Road Studios, Bravado, Capitol Music Group, Decca Records, Def Jam Recordings, Deutsche Grammopho ...
issued "Dance in the Dark" to French
radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
, making it the EP's fourth and last single in the country. Critics praised the song for its chorus and theme, although some found it a formulaic production. Retrospective reviewers ranked the song as one of Gaga's best. "Dance in the Dark" reached the top ten of charts in Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic, as well as the US Dance/Electronic Digital Song. It was nominated for a
Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording (formerly known as Best Dance Recording) is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists f ...
. Gaga performed "Dance in the Dark" as the opening song of
The Monster Ball Tour The Monster Ball Tour was the second worldwide concert tour by American singer Lady Gaga. Staged in support of her first EP, ''The Fame Monster'' (2009) and comprising a set list of songs from that and her debut studio album, ''The Fame'' (2008 ...
. In the first leg of the tour, Gaga appeared behind a scrim-lit screen, and in the revamped shows, she performed it on a set reminiscent of a New York City night scene. Other events where she performed the song included the 2010 BRIT Awards—dedicated to Gaga's close friend,
Alexander McQueen Lee Alexander McQueen CBE (17 March 1969 – 11 February 2010) was a British fashion designer and couturier. He founded his own Alexander McQueen label in 1992, and was chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001. His achievements in fashion ...
, who had committed suicide a few days earlier—and at her Las Vegas
residency Residency may refer to: * Domicile (law), the act of establishing or maintaining a residence in a given place ** Permanent residency, indefinite residence within a country despite not having citizenship * Residency (medicine), a stage of postgrad ...
,
Enigma Enigma may refer to: *Riddle, someone or something that is mysterious or puzzling Biology *ENIGMA, a class of gene in the LIM domain Computing and technology * Enigma (company), a New York-based data-technology startup * Enigma machine, a family ...
. A remix of the song appeared on her album ''
The Remix A remix is an alternative version of a recorded work. Remix or The Remix may also refer to: Film and television * ''Remix'' (film), a 2008 Danish film * '' The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion'', a 2019 American documentary film * ''Remix'' (TV ser ...
'' (2010).


Background and release

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
and
Fernando Garibay Fernando Garibay (;) is an American record producer, songwriter, DJ, academic and entrepreneur. Artistic career He was the official musical director of Lady Gaga's Born This Way Ball and the producer of her '' Born This Way'' album. Fernando ...
wrote, produced and
arranged In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchest ...
"Dance in the Dark"; they were also responsible for
instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...
. Garibay solely handled programming. Jonas Westling, Dan Parry and Christian Delano were the recording and tracking engineers. The song was recorded at
Metropolis Studios Metropolis Studios is a music production and entertainment industry company established in 1989 by Gary Langan, Carey Taylor and Karin Clayton.Donald Brackett It is located in the Powerhouse, a Grade II listed building, at 70 Chiswick High Ro ...
in London. Gaga told the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' that the inspiration behind "Dance in the Dark" came from an intimate experience between two people in a bedroom. The song is about a girl who prefers to have sex in the dark as she feels self-conscious about her body. Gaga explained, "She doesn't want her man to see her naked. She will be free, and she will let her inner animal out, but only when the lights are out." While working on the
Mac AIDS Fund M∙A∙C AIDS Fund (M·A·F) is a public charity established in 1994 to support people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. It donates funds to communities and organizations that offer services to people with HIV/AIDS and help to prevent the disease ...
, she realized that women her age do not express such insecurities, fearing that their boyfriends would not love them if they did so. Gaga added that she herself struggled with issues of body image and self-doubt. "Dance in the Dark" was released as a
promotional single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...
from the
extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.
(EP) ''
The Fame Monster ''The Fame Monster'' is a reissue of American singer Lady Gaga's debut studio album, ''The Fame'' (2008), and was released on November 18, 2009, through Interscope Records. Initially planned solely as a deluxe edition reissue of ''The Fame'', ...
''—the
reissue In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or Single (music), single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New aud ...
of Gaga's debut studio album, ''
The Fame ''The Fame'' is the debut studio album by American singer Lady Gaga. It was released on August 19, 2008, by Interscope Records. After joining Kon Live Distribution and Cherrytree Records in 2008, Gaga began working on the album with different p ...
'' (2008)—on November 9, 2009, when it became available to purchase on
iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
in Belgium. According to
MTV News MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...
,
Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
initially planned "Dance in the Dark" as the EP's third single, but Gaga preferred "
Alejandro Alejandro is the Spanish form of the name Alexander. Alejandro has multiple variations in different languages, including Aleksander (Czech, Polish), Alexandre ( French), Alexandros (Greek), Alsander (Irish), Alessandro (Italian), Aleksandr (Rus ...
", which was released on April 20, 2010.
Universal Music France Universal Music Group owns, or has a joint share in, many of the record labels listed here. According to UMG official site, the main labels are Abbey Road Studios, Bravado, Capitol Music Group, Decca Records, Def Jam Recordings, Deutsche Grammopho ...
issued "Dance in the Dark" on August 25, 2010, to French
radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
, making it the EP's fourth and last single in the country. In March of that year, Gaga released her first
remix album A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson (''Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 2007 ...
entitled ''
The Remix A remix is an alternative version of a recorded work. Remix or The Remix may also refer to: Film and television * ''Remix'' (film), a 2008 Danish film * '' The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion'', a 2019 American documentary film * ''Remix'' (TV ser ...
'', which included the Monarchy Stylites rendition of the song.


Music and lyrics

"Dance in the Dark" is a
Europop Europop (also spelled Euro pop) is a style of pop music that originated in Europe during the mid-to-late 1960s and developed to today's form throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with revivals and ...
track which infuses influences of
retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...
and
new wave music New wave is a loosely defined music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. La ...
in its
composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...
. Author Robin James in the book ''Resilience & Melancholy: Pop Music, Feminism, Neoliberalism'' recognized
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
elements in the song, which was influenced by
Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depeche ...
's " Strangelove" (1987). Paul Lester of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
and Tony Hardy of ''
Consequence Consequence may refer to: * Logical consequence, also known as a ''consequence relation'', or ''entailment'' * In operant conditioning, a result of some behavior * Consequentialism, a theory in philosophy in which the morality of an act is determi ...
'' called it an R&B production; Hardy also found
dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
elements in the song. "Dance in the Dark" begins with a stuttering
introduction Introduction, The Introduction, Intro, or The Intro may refer to: General use * Introduction (music), an opening section of a piece of music * Introduction (writing), a beginning section to a book, article or essay which states its purpose and g ...
and orgasmic groans, followed by Gaga singing the song.
Musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...
Alexandra Apolloni found that "Dance in the Dark" was one of many songs where Gaga uses a "technologically-imposed vocal stutter". She cited author Daniel Goldmark's opinion that using stutter in
American popular music American popular music has had a profound effect on music across the world. The country has seen the rise of popular styles that have had a significant influence on global culture, including ragtime, blues, jazz, swing, rock, bluegrass, count ...
was a way to demonstrate abnormality. For Apolloni, such vocal instabilities complement moments where "bodily vocal labor is audible", a result of Gaga physically manipulating her voice. Apolloni saw moments of "vocal ugliness and abjection" in the song, which she interpreted as Gaga vocally expressing pain and pleasure, eliciting a real' (albeit totally performed) non-technological body". Sal Cinquemani from ''
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
'' noted influences from 1980s music in "Dance in the Dark", writing, "The song isn't a
cautionary tale A cautionary tale is a tale told in folklore to warn its listener of a danger. There are three essential parts to a cautionary tale, though they can be introduced in a large variety of ways. First, a taboo or prohibition is stated: some act, lo ...
per se, but a call to arms to misfits everywhere." Analyzing the song's music, Michael Cragg of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' found it "a glorious juxtaposition of textures: the harsh, stuttering vocal meshing with that glacial riff, while the processed vocals of the verses burst into the sunshine of the chorus". He wrote about its "robotic" spoken interlude, which he believed is "eventually washed away by a warm synthetic breeze". The interlude references famous dead people:
Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
,
Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
,
Sylvia Plath Sylvia Plath (; October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. She is credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry and is best known for two of her published collections, ''The ...
, JonBenét Ramsey,
Liberace Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer, and actor. A child prodigy born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish origin, he enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordi ...
,
Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
,
Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...
, and
Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...
. The lyrics of the song refer to
vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...
s and
werewolves In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely ...
: "Run run her kiss is a vampire grin/The moon lights her way while she's howlin' at him". Gaga explained that the lines conveyed how people rely on external motivations to cope with internal
anxiety Anxiety is an emotion which is characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil and includes feelings of dread over anticipated events. Anxiety is different than fear in that the former is defined as the anticipation of a future threat wh ...
: "She doesn't feel free without the moon". Gaga said the song discusses self-insecurity common among men and women at any age. Sociologist Mathieu Deflem believed the lyrics "I'm a free bitch, baby!" exemplified Gaga's response to
sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers primari ...
in her music where she confirms her strength as a woman.


Critical reception and accolades

"Dance in the Dark" received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Some called it "
campy Camp is an aesthetic style and sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its bad taste and ironic value. Camp aesthetics disrupt many of modernism's notions of what art is and what can be classified as high art by inverting aes ...
", single-worthy and an album highlight. Praise focused on the song's suitability for workout, and extravagant and club-friendly production. Reviewers also positively compared Gaga to
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
and noted the references to famous people. Michael Hubbard of ''
MusicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...
'' highlighted the
spoken-word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...
lyrics referencing Princess Diana: "You will never fall apart Diana, you're still in our hearts / Never let you fall apart / Together we'll dance in the dark." Nick Levine from
Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
found that the song "makes you want to dance with your top off in a grotty German bondage basement". "Dance in the Dark" received a nomination for
Best Dance Recording The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording (formerly known as Best Dance Recording) is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists f ...
at the
53rd Annual Grammy Awards The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prio ...
. The song was ranked as one of Gaga's best by the
Official Charts Company The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. In the United Kingdom, its charts inc ...
, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'', ''The Guardian'', ''
Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
'' and '' Glamour''. It was cited as a "cult favorite" by ''Vulture''. The song's
chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...
—called "one of Gaga's most lustrous" by ''Rolling Stone'' and "deliciously outrageous, sky-scraping" by ''Vulture''—was praised for "pierc ngthrough the mesh of synths like a laser". Other plaudits focused on the song's theme. ''Glamour'' argued that its topic about body insecurities and sound (describing it as "one of Gaga's brightest efforts: booming and industrial yet incredibly haunting") made it her most emotionally impactful song to date. Elena Gorgan of
Softpedia Softpedia is a software and tech news website based in Romania. It indexes, reviews and hosts various downloadable software and reports news on technology and science topics. Website Softpedia hosts reviews written by its staff—each review in ...
believed Gaga, through the song, was unafraid of pushing boundaries and changing what people view as "normal". Some reviews were less enthusiastic, calling the song "slightly too disposable" and finding the dance and R&B production formulaic. Adam White of ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' liked the beginning, but found that the song "gradually declines into something more middle-of-the-road than it first appears". Hubbard added that "after a stuttering intro of orgasmic groans it becomes a little bit Gaga-by-numbers, which is a shame given the standard of the early tracks".


Chart performance

In late 2009, "Dance in the Dark" charted on the Hungarian Mahasz Single Top 10 lista, the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
and the
Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...
at number 9, number 89 and number 88, respectively, for one week. The song debuted at number 43 on the
Australian Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
, later peaking at number 24. It entered the French Digital Singles Chart at number 40 and peaked at number 30. In the US, "Dance in the Dark" peaked at number 22 on the
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...
chart in August 2010 and number 9 on Hot Dance/Electronic Digital Songs in October 2010. It reached number two on the Polish Dance Top 50 in October 2010.


Live performances

Gaga performed "Dance in the Dark" as the opening song of
The Monster Ball Tour The Monster Ball Tour was the second worldwide concert tour by American singer Lady Gaga. Staged in support of her first EP, ''The Fame Monster'' (2009) and comprising a set list of songs from that and her debut studio album, ''The Fame'' (2008 ...
(2009–2011). During the original 2009 leg of the tour, the show began as Gaga appeared behind a giant, green laser-lit video screen featuring scrim lights, in a futuristic silver jeweled jumpsuit with bulbs on it. Wearing matching eye makeup and a mask, she sang "Dance in the Dark" while surrounded by dancers in white balaclavas and jumpsuits. The scrim was lifted during the performance. "Dance in the Dark" was again the opening song in the revamped 2010–2011 shows of The Monster Ball Tour. Gaga performed the song in a set reminiscent of a New York City night scene, with flickering neon signs displaying the words "ugly", "sexy" and "liquor", fire escape stairwells and a broken yellow taxi. For Katrin Horn, a
postdoctoral fellow A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to p ...
in
American studies American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field of scholarship that examines American literature, history, society, and culture. It traditionally incorporates literary criticism, historiography and critical theory. Sch ...
, the "Dance in the Dark" performance helped highlight a recurring theme in Gaga's work from the tour's beginning—"
pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * Pop (Gas al ...
's obsession with both decay and beauty, or more precisely the decay of beauty"—as the song is dedicated to famous dead people who had struggled with their reputation when they were alive. Gaga sang "
Telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...
", the second single from ''The Fame Monster'', and "Dance in the Dark" at the
Brit Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
on February 16, 2010, at
Earls Court Exhibition Centre Earls Court Exhibition Centre was a major international exhibition and events venue just west of central London. At its peak it is said to have generated a £2 billion turnover for the economy. It replaced exhibition and entertainment grounds, ...
. Inspired by the recent death of her friend, fashion designer
Alexander McQueen Lee Alexander McQueen CBE (17 March 1969 – 11 February 2010) was a British fashion designer and couturier. He founded his own Alexander McQueen label in 1992, and was chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001. His achievements in fashion ...
, she changed the concept of her performance at the last minute to pay tribute to him. Gaga said, "I wanted to do a very, very forward performance, something that I felt was a true representation of the future." Her performance of "Dance in the Dark", described as more restrained compared to her previous ones by ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'', began as she got up from her piano while the
disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...
of the song was heard. Wearing a lace bodysuit and a large bouffant wig, Gaga took to a giant
keytar The keytar is a lightweight synthesizer that is supported by a strap around the neck and shoulders, similar to the way a guitar is supported by a strap. Keytars allow players a greater range of movement onstage, compared to conventional keyboard ...
and performed a
techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...
rendition of the track. In 2015, Liv Moss of Official Charts Company called it one of the "biggest, best and weirdest" performances in the history of Brit Awards. The following year, Daniel Welsh of ''
HuffPost UK ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' cited it as one of Gaga's 15 most memorable performances on television. Gaga sang "Dance in the Dark" on her 2018–2020
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
residency show,
Enigma Enigma may refer to: *Riddle, someone or something that is mysterious or puzzling Biology *ENIGMA, a class of gene in the LIM domain Computing and technology * Enigma (company), a New York-based data-technology startup * Enigma machine, a family ...
. The song was preceded by an interlude, which introduced her alien counterpart, named Enigma. Gaga was sent through a future simulation by the character, and reappeared on stage in a fluorescent green jacket to perform "Dance in the Dark".


Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the
liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...
of ''The Fame Monster''. Recording and postproduction locations * Recorded at
Metropolis Studios Metropolis Studios is a music production and entertainment industry company established in 1989 by Gary Langan, Carey Taylor and Karin Clayton.Donald Brackett It is located in the Powerhouse, a Grade II listed building, at 70 Chiswick High Ro ...
, London, Englandand Paradise Studios,
Hollywood, Los Angeles Hollywood is a neighborhood in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a metonymy, shorthand reference for the Cinema of the United States, U.S. film industry and the people associated with i ...
, California *
Audio mixing Audio mixing is the process by which multiple sounds are combined into one or more channels. In the process, a source's volume level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated or enhanced. This practical, aesthetic, ...
at
Sarm Studios Sarm Studios is an independent recording studio in London. Originally founded in east London in 1973, the studio's original location was renamed Sarm East Studios in 1982 when Jill Sinclair and Trevor Horn purchased Basing Street Studios from Isl ...
, London, England *
Audio mastering Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via met ...
at Oasis Mastering,
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...
Personnel *
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
 – producer,
instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...
and
arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...
*
Fernando Garibay Fernando Garibay (;) is an American record producer, songwriter, DJ, academic and entrepreneur. Artistic career He was the official musical director of Lady Gaga's Born This Way Ball and the producer of her '' Born This Way'' album. Fernando ...
 – producer, instrumentation, programming and arrangement * Jonas Westling – recording engineer * Dan Parry – recording engineer * Christian Delano – recording engineer * Robert Orton – mixer * Gene Grimaldi – mastering engineer


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Release history


Rina Sawayama cover

On June 29, 2020, Japanese-British singer-songwriter
Rina Sawayama is a Japanese–British singer-songwriter, actress and model. Born in Niigata, Japan, she emigrated to London with her parents at age five. She is known for her musical versatility and has been labelled a "musical chameleon". In 2017, she ...
released a cover of "Dance in the Dark" as part of
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
's ''Spotify Singles'' series. Produced by
Clarence Clarity Adam Mark Crisp (born c. 1985), known by the stage name Clarence Clarity, is an English singer, songwriter, producer, and musician. He has been praised for his unique, eclectic pop sound which was described by ''The Guardian'' as "funk played by ...
, the song was included in Sawayama's remix EP ''
Sawayama Remixed ''Sawayama'' (stylized in all caps) is the debut studio album by Japanese-British singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama, released on 17 April 2020 by the independent record label Dirty Hit. A follow up to her self-released debut EP '' Rina'' (2017), ...
'' (2020). Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, Sawayama recorded her cover at her home studio, instead of
Electric Lady Studios Electric Lady Studios is a recording studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. It was commissioned by rock musician Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and designed by architect John Storyk and audio engineer Eddie Kramer by 1970. Hendrix spent only ten ...
in New York City, where ''Spotify Singles'' are generally recorded. It is an
electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
track with influences of
nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...
. Robin Murray of '' Clash'' and Brendan Wetmore of '' Paper Mag'' reviewed the song positively. Murray described Sawayama's take on the original as "
seismic Seismology (; from Ancient Greek σεισμός (''seismós'') meaning "earthquake" and -λογία (''-logía'') meaning "study of") is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or through other ...
". Wetmore opined that "Sawayama's voice somehow rivals even Lady Gaga's level of theatricality". He felt that her rendition was "almost painting a picture of an animated
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
love story", because of "how much the track evokes the feeling of listening to pop's greatest hitmakers of the late '90s, the golden era of the Disney
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
."


Footnotes


References


Literary sources

* * * * * * {{authority control 2009 songs 2010 singles Body image in popular culture Interscope Records singles Lady Gaga songs Song recordings produced by Fernando Garibay Song recordings produced by Lady Gaga Songs written by Fernando Garibay Songs written by Lady Gaga