Lady Gaga - Dance in the Dark

About "Dance in the Dark"

"Dance in the Dark" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her third extended play (EP), The Fame Monster (2009)—the reissue of her debut studio album, The Fame (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, Gaga said that the song is not about freedom, but rather the assurance that she understood their feelings. A Europop track, it contains retro and new wave music influences, and begins with a stuttering introduction. It includes a spoken interlude, where Gaga lists famous dead people.

Interscope Records intended "Dance in the Dark" to be the third single from The Fame Monster, but Gaga insisted on "Alejandro", which was released in April 2010. Some months later, Universal Music France issued "Dance in the Dark" to French radio, 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.

Gaga performed "Dance in the Dark" as the opening song of The Monster Ball Tour. 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, who had committed suicide a few days earlier—and at her Las Vegas residency, Enigma. A remix of the song appeared on her album The Remix (2010).