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Many of Lady Gaga‘s songs became defining hits of the 2000s and 2010s. Sadly, one of the “Bad Romance” singer‘s best tunes languishes in obscurity. Here’s a look at a track with an unusual meaning and some of Gaga’s most overt Madonna references to date.

1 Lady Gaga song is partially a tribute to celebrities who met tragic ends

There were some dark undertones to Gaga’s debut album, The Fame. For cryin’ out loud, “Paparazzi” is about slaking. However, the dark elements of that record came into bloom in its companion EP The Fame Monster. Here, Gaga managed to meld unpleasant emotions like fear and sexual shame with danceable beats. In other words, we wouldn’t have Lorde or Billie Eilish without The Fame Monster.

Three songs from The Fame Monster — “Bad Romance,” “Telephone,” and “Alejandro” — became top 5 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. “Speechless” got a little attention for being Gaga’s first foray into arena rock. Tucked away in the album is “Dance in the Dark,” one of the best electropop songs of its era.

“Dance in the Dark” is a song about a woman who is mistreated by her man but finds release in “dancing” — and the dancing seems to be a metaphor for something more salacious. The song is one of Gaga’s best feminist moments. The bridge is a pseudo-rap in the vein of Madonna’s “Vogue.” Instead of naming Old Hollywood stars, Gaga names a bunch of women who met tragic ends, like Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, and Sylvia Plath. Brilliant.

The song has a sexual subtext

During a 2009 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Gaga explained the meaning of “Dance in the Dark.” “The record is about a girl who likes to have sex with the lights off, because she’s embarrassed about her body,” she said. “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. She doesn’t feel free without the moon. These lyrics are a way for me to talk about how I believe women and some men feel innately insecure about themselves all the time. It’s not sometimes, it’s not in adolescence, it’s always.”

Gaga said that “Dance in the Dark” the song had was positive by acknowledging darkness. “That song in particular is about me wanting to live — but also, the song isn’t called ‘Dance in the Light,'” she said. “I’m not a gospel singer trying to cross people over. What I’m saying is, ‘I get it. I feel you, I feel the same way, and it’s OK.'”

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Lady Gaga’s ‘Dance in the Dark’ wasn’t even a single

Gaga never released “Dance in the Dark” as a single, and it never charted on the Billboard Hot 100. What a shame. After all, “Dance in the Dark” is a lot better than “Telephone,” one of the other singles from that era. The song’s parent EP, The Fame Monster, peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 74 weeks. It remains one of her most popular records.

“Dance in the Dark” isn’t one of Gaga’s big hits but it stands as one of her best achievemets.

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