Just Dance (song)
"Just Dance" is the debut single by American singer Lady Gaga. She co-wrote the song with Akon and his producer RedOne. It also features vocals from Colby O'Donis and was released on April 8, 2008, as the lead single from Gaga's debut studio album, The Fame. The song was written by Gaga in 10 minutes as "a happy record". "Just Dance" lyrically speaks about being intoxicated at a club.
"Just Dance"
"Just Dance" received acclaim from music critics, who complimented its club anthem-like nature and the sound associated with it. The song was a sleeper hit, spending almost five months on the Billboard Hot 100 before finally peaking at the chart's summit in January 2009. It is certified eleven times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Outside of the United States, "Just Dance" topped the charts in Australia, Canada, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, as well as the top ten of the charts in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, and Sweden. The track is among the best-selling singles of all time, having sold over 10 million copies.
Its music video portrayed Gaga appearing in a party where she plays the song, prompting party-goers to start dancing in enjoyment. Gaga compared her experience of shooting the video with being on a Martin Scorsese movie set. "Just Dance" was performed by her in a number of live appearances, such as the Miss Universe 2008, So You Think You Can Dance, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, all of her concert tours, and the Super Bowl LI halftime show. She usually plays on a keytar while performing the song. At the 51st Grammy Awards, "Just Dance" was nominated in the Best Dance Recording category—Gaga's first Grammy nomination.
Composition[edit]
"Just Dance" is an uptempo electropop,[10][11] synth-pop[12][13] and dance-pop[14][15] song, combining synths of clipped marching beats with soaring electronics. It is written in the key of C♯ minor and is set at a moderate dance tempo of 119 beats per minute. Gaga's vocal spans from the low note of G♯3 to the high note of C♯5.[16] The song begins with a fast tempo following by the synth arrangement and Gaga uttering "RedOne". "Just Dance" has a basic progression of C♯m–E–B–F♯m.[16] O'Donis sings the interlude in the same range as Gaga[16] followed by an R&B-influenced interlude by her,[17] after which the chorus is repeated with O'Donis providing backup vocals and the marching beats. The song ends with an echoing of the word "dance".[16]
Lyrically, "Just Dance" throws a partial tongue-in-cheek perspective with lyrics like "What's going on on the floor? / I love this record, baby but I can't see straight anymore".[18] The lyrics deal with being completely intoxicated at a party.[19] The opening lyric "RedOne" has often been misinterpreted as "red wine" but in actuality is a reference to music producer RedOne.[20]
Critical reception[edit]
Matthew Chisling of AllMusic described the song as "a powerhouse of dance waves and infectiously produced beats".[21] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian called it a "beguilingly compulsive tale of pulling a drug-induced whitey, with a combination of clipped marching beats, sawing electronics and mild R&B flavor that bears a vague resemblance to Nelly Furtado's 'Maneater'".[17] Ben Norman of About.com said that the song "opens the album like a valkyrie leading the charge [...] riding triumphant ahead of her army. If you don't know this song, use your browser. I won't waste time explaining what it sounds like." However he also noted that the song is not groundbreaking and compared it to the music of Rihanna, Chris Brown and The Pussycat Dolls.[22] Bill Lamb from About.com called the song tame but catchy enough for Gaga to be noticed in mainstream. He also added that "'Just Dance' has strong energy and features Lady Gaga's striking voice, but it ultimately adds up to rather bland dance-pop." O'Donis' smooth vocals were also complimented.[23]
Evan Sawdey of PopMatters said that "Just Dance" is an intensely catchy single and is an excellent indicator of what the album was all about.[24] Ben Hogwood of MusicOMH praised the song saying, "You won't get many more catchy party odes than the chart topping Just Dance this year, a polished gem set to lodge in your head for the next few weeks."[25] Freedom lu Lac of The Washington Post described the song to be "filled with mindlessly frothy synth-pop that matches low-grade dance grooves with GaGa's icy, almost disembodied vocals about dancing bliss".[26] Lynn Saxberg from the Ottawa Citizen, while reviewing Gaga's The Fame Ball Tour, called the song a perfect sing-along club anthem.[27] Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine wrote that the song resembles the "desperate train wreck you're likely to encounter getting wasted at any dive on the L.E.S. at four in the morning" as is emphasized by the lyrics.[28] Talia Kranes from BBC called the song irresistible and said that "the catchiness of her songs is sure to cement her place in the list of pop idols".[29]
At the 51st Grammy Awards, "Just Dance" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording, but it lost to electronic duo Daft Punk for their song "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (Alive 2007)".[30] It became Gaga's first Grammy nomination.[31]
In other media[edit]
"Just Dance" was featured in an episode of The Office by the name of "Michael Scott Paper Company", in which Steve Carell's character mistakes it for a Britney Spears song.[94]
"Just Dance" also appears on the 2010 video game Dance Central. The song was also planned to be on the main track list of the video game Just Dance 2, but it was scrapped for unknown reasons. The song eventually made a final appearance in the series in Just Dance 2014. "Just Dance" was also featured in the 2013 romance television film Lovestruck: The Musical.
Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Fame.[101]