This is the third in a several part series, in which I explore the meanings and cultural implications of the top ten most downloaded songs of all time. Read part one and part two.
The Number Six Most Downloaded Song of All Time: Just Dance – Lady Gaga
As the first song on Lady Gaga’s debut album, and the first song that was popularized as a hit, ‘Just Dance’ can really be considered Lady Gaga’s anthem, and the concept that guides her artistic and musical choices.
In our podcast on this subject, we discussed the varied subjects that Lady Gaga addresses with her music and performance, but first and foremost in her music is the idea of existentialist pleasure-seeking and carefree indulgence of life above all else. This song, with its commanding synth intro and the persistent barrage of Lady Gaga’s voice in both the background and the foreground, preach the gospel of “dance” without us having to understand a word. It’s no mistake that, other than “Just dance,” the words that are most likely to grab the casual listener (who is no doubt the primary audience for such a song) are, “Gunna be okay!” followed by what has to be one of the most infectious hooks of the year. The song makes its case before we’re even aware of it. The apparent gibberish in the bridge of the song convey the true purpose of the song: “Half psychotic, sick hypnotic. Got my blueprint, it’s symphonic.” We are under her spell, just as she planned.
Pursuit of pure hedonistic pleasure is nothing new to the dance and club scene, as we’ve seen from Flo Rida’s Low and Ke$ha’s Tik Tok. The key difference that lies so clearly within the song is the near disdain with which Lady Gaga seems to view close relationships with anyone around her. Witness the way in which human beings in the first verse are spoken of as mere props: “I’ve had a little bit too much. All the people start to rush (start to rush by). A dizzy twister dance, can’t find my drink or man.” In the second verse, the only reference to another person is to say, “Control your poison babe. Roses have thorns, they say.” The person has become the nuisance.
It’s worth noting as well that the album on which this song was released, Fame, was followed up by a companion album entitled, Fame Monster. It’s in this companion album that Lady Gaga seems to come clean about many of the implications of her previous album’s viewpoints. It is a notably darker album, as evidenced by the title as well as the first few singles, ‘Bad Romance’ and ‘Telephone’. It seems clear that ‘Telephone’ is written as a direct follow-up to and clarification of ‘Just Dance’, focusing not so much on obsession with the party (which is nonetheless a key ingredient in both songs), but on the inevitable price this obsession has on a relationship. In essence, it’s a celebration of the rejection of committed relationships for the sake of the party: “Stop calling, stop calling. I don’t wanna talk any more. I left my head and my heart on the dance floor.” That chorus hits hard musically and emotionally.
In fact, it’s phrases like those that point out the awareness with which Lady Gaga sings about relationships and their ultimate demise. Unlike other pop stars before her, who seem to share her worldview, Gaga is strikingly aware of the cost of such an obsession. It could even be speculated that the songs aren’t meant to trumpet these ideas but call them into question. The video for Telephone (watch at your own risk) pushes the implications to the limits: Beyonce and Lady Gaga commit mass murder against a restaurant of innocent people simply because they’re in their way. Yes, the video has been controversial because it’s horrifying, but let’s be clear: it’s horrifying because it’s honest about the implications of the horrifying worldview that exists in 90% of popular music today.
Richard Clark (Co-Founder/Editor-in-Chief) has spent his entire life writing, reading, listening, and playing. He has a Bachelors in Theology from the Baptist College of Florida and has a Master of Arts in Theology and the Arts from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He lives in Louisville, KY where he is the classroom technology manager at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition to writing at Christ and Pop Culture, he is also a staff writer for 
I watched the music video for telephone (and I must repeat the warning that it is graphic) but I thought there was a lot of symbolism in it, although that might be me looking into it more than it was meant to.
The first half of the movie is set in a jail. I could be wrong about this but I think Gaga is acknowledging that the dance club lifestyle can be a prison of sorts. She is trapped by her own need to have fun, and she definitely acknowledges the destructiveness of that kind of lifestyle. The whole video/song is very dark, despite singing about the dance club yet again.
Telephone is part 2 of the “movies” she’s made – Paparazzi being the first. Taken together, you might have a different interpretation of the videos themselves.
You might consider watching some videos of interviews before drawing conclusions. Telephone, like every Lady Gaga song, is multi-layered. On it’s most shallow level it is about a girl at a club. One it’s second level it’s obviously about some kind of imprisonment. On it’s deepest level she has said the song is a metaphor for her own workaholic nature. She has insomnia quite frequently and has said she has trouble enjoying free time because she is such a creativity-driven individual. When a telephone rings you have to answer it. In that same regard if she’s trying to just stop and enjoy herself or go to bed, she always has ideas swirling about her head, pounding away non-stop. On a personal level I can relate to this pretty strongly, especially during the midst of a period of strong depression that I suffered. Sometimes the ideas or even “voices” will not stop coming. I believe the video relates in a similar way by quickly flashing imagery that you can not ignore in bright colors like an old grindhouse film. It tackles you with things like transexuals, nudity, consumerism and violence and you are forced to take it all in faster than you can process it. You can tell by the “American flag” bit at the end that she’s making a statement about American culture as a whole; the things we grow comfortable with overtake us and, like a ringing Telephone, we can’t ignore them without extreme measures.
On a side note, I appreciate her method of putting it out there for you to decide rather than drawing a conclusion for you. Hopefully my words have helped some.
Great thoughts, Cannerus. That’s helpful.