What Does ‘Disco Stick’ Mean? Lady Gaga Explains Its Library Origins
Lady Gaga‘s “LoveGame” was a hit song but lots of people don’t even know its name. They just know the lyric “disco stick.” That might be the most infamous line in Gaga’s catalog. Here’s how a library and Gaga’s love life inspired the track.
Lady Gaga’s ‘disco stick’ line from ‘LoveGame’ was inspired by a library
In 2017, The Washington Square News reported on a Ryan Seacrest interview with the “Applause” singer. In it, she revealed how a famous lyric came together. “I had finished most of the song, but it was still missing something — originally the hook was ‘I wanna take a ride on your stick,’ but I knew that wasn’t catchy enough,” Gaga said.
“So I looked out into the library, and I don’t know if it is still like this, but at the time they had all these golden bars running up and down the interior of the library, and there are a ton of windows so the bars reflect light all over,” she added. “I know it seems crazy but in that moment — after having been writing the song for hours — the way the light was reflecting off the bars reminded me of a disco ball, and just like that I had the phrase ‘disco stick.'”
The other inspiration behind Lady Gaga’s ‘disco stick’ line
Gaga also revealed that “LoveGame” was inspired by, well, library bathroom sex. “It wasn’t just me — everyone was doing it,” Gaga said. “I would sit there in the library, typing away, and some guy or girl would look at me. We would exchange that nod that everyone does, and the next thing you know, we are going at it in the bathroom.”
While “LoveGame” might seem a little quaint in a post-“WAP,” but it was pretty provocative at the time. While the “disco stick” line was probably supposed to be campy, to many listeners, it was obscenely sexual. It’s fitting that the song has racy origins.
‘LoveGame’ became a hit and inspired a remix with vocals from a famous rock star
“LoveGame” peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 22 weeks. That track appeared on her debut album, The Fame. That record reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 378. That was Gaga’s longest-charting album on the Billboard 200 by far.
The Fame produced three other top 10 singles: “Just Dance,” “Poker Face,” and “Paparazzi.” The record was rereleased with an EP called The Fame Monster, which was supposed to have a darker counterpart to the original. That record gave us three other top 10 singles: “Bad Romance,” “Telephone,” and “Alejandro.” If you put The Fame and The Fame Monster together, you have Gaga’s definitive artistic statement and one of the most important records of the 2010s.
“LoveGame” inspired a remix featuring Marilyn Manson. That makes a lot of sense. Gaga and Manson are both over-the-top, theatrical performers who are known to offend conservative religious groups. They also take obvious inspiration from earlier provocateurs like David Bowie and Madonna. Sadly, the remix sounds horrendous, and Manson shouts the lyrics to the track in a way that nobody would ever consider sexy.
“LoveGame” had racy origins but that didn’t stop it from taking over the pop charts.
