"Just Dance" is a dance-pop song and lead single from Lady GaGa's debut studio album, The Fame. The song is written by Lady GaGa and features Colby O'Donis, who is signed to the same label as GaGa, and Akon, who provides backing vocals through Colby's verse and shortly afterwards. The track is produced by RedOne (most known for working with Akon, and Kat DeLuna).

The song has charted at number 1 in Australia, Canada and most recently in the United States, and number 3 in New Zealand and UK with downloads alone. In the U.S. "Just Dance" scored the second biggest-single-week sum of all time behind Flo Rida's 467,000 from the same week last year, the song sold 419,000 downloads in just one week.^[1]

Single release and promotion

Released as the lead single from the album, "Just Dance" was first released to radio stations in the U.S. on April 8, 2008. It was released commercially worldwide on June 17, 2008 through digital distribution. It was released in the United Kingdom on January 5th, 2009.

On August 16, 2008, the song debuted at number seventy-six on the Billboard Hot 100. It also garnered second biggest-single week sum of all time with download sales of 419,000, the biggest single-week tally by a female artist since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking digital downloads in 2003.^[1]

During an interview with HX magazine, Lady Gaga talked about the song quoting: "If you've ever been so high that it's, like, scary, the only way you can deal with it is not deal with it, so you just kind of dance through the intoxication."

Reception

Nick Levine, music editor of Digital Spy described the track as "mix Gwen Stefani's guetto ghetto fabulousness with a rather more limited version of Christina Aguilera's voice, sprinkle in a bit of Madonna's blonde ambition and then let it marinate in a generous helping of Andy Warhol."^[2] "It's a booming fusion of electropop and R&B that practically jumps out of the speakers and strong-arms you into shimmying round the office/your bedroom/Boots' deodorant aisle," the website said, the lyrics are all about "dancing through the intoxication", which is strangely perfect really.

Bill Lamb of About.com thought that "Just Dance" is a "a flamboyant, edgy performer, this song is rather tame, but it does provide a path to get Lady GaGa noticed by the mainstream. It's catchy and may just get you up off the couch, but my guess is there is much more interesting music yet to come from Lady GaGa".^[3]

Chart performance

The track entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at seventy-six on August 16, 2008. The single was a hit in clubs in the U.S. peaking both at #2 on the Hot Dance Airplay, and Hot Dance Club Play during the summer of 2008. It made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100 that summer at number seventy-six and eventually broke into the Top 40^[4]. The song rose to number two on the Billboard Hot 100, after selling huge downloads of 419,000, for the issue dated January 10, 2009. On the same issue, the song rose to #1 on the Billboard Pop 100 due to more radio airplay and digital downloads in the country. It has also peaked at the number one spot on the Billboard Hot Digital Tracks chart. On the issue dated January 17, 2009, the song rose to number one spot on the Hot 100 replacing "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" by Beyonce.

In Canada, the song debuted at number ninety-seven on the Canadian Hot 100 and topped the Canadian Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks, and become Lady Gaga first number one hit in that country.

The track debuted at number thirty-four on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart on July 21, 2008, and moved up to seventeen on the July 30 and was the chart's "greatest gainer". On September 15, 2008, the track topped the chart for one week before being knocked off the top spot for Pink's hit So What. It has since been certifed Double Platinum with sales of over 140,000 copies.^{[5] [6]}

The single also charted in New Zealand debuting at number nineteen in the same week it appeared in the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. It reached number three on the New Zealand's RIANZ Singles chart. It has been certified platinum by the RIANZ.^[7]

"Just Dance" received massive airplay in Romania and has reached number three on the Romanian Top 100 Airplay Songs.^[8]. Moreover, in Europe, the track has achieved a moderate success. It has peaked the top ten in Bulgaria, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. "Just Dance" peaked in the top 20 in Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Finland, France and Germany.^[9] In addition, the song also charted in Sweden, climbing to number six^[10] two weeks after it debuted at number fourteen.^[11]

In the U.K. "Just Dance" debuted at number 3 selling 40,537 copies from download sales alone on January 4, 2009. ^[12] In Ireland, the song debuted at number 11 in the week ending January 2, 2009. "Just Dance" is currently in the lead to take the number 1 spot on the UK singles chart this weekend.

Remix

The official remix of the song features rapper Kardinal Offishall. It contains samples of his voice from his own song "Dangerous", and also has the same rhythm and tempo as the song. It has also received airplay in a few radio stations due to it being released in Dance Clubs. Other remixes of the song, such as Tony Arzadon Remix, are also the versions some radio stations have decided to play.

Lyrics

With HX Magazine, Lady Gaga explained what "Just Dance" was about:

If you've ever been so high that it's, like, scary, the only way you can deal with it is not deal with it, so you just kind of dance through the intoxication. I wrote the song the day after I had just flew in from New York to L.A., so I was taken very quickly out of my party lifestyle. I wrote it instantly-like it flew out of my body. I'd been working on this album for two-and-a-half years, and I was at a crossroads with my songwriting. I was trying to be so cool with my own music, but I would get better responses when I would write for other artists because I was not trying to be cool. So when I did "Just Dance", that was my way of being like, "just fuckin' write a good song. Stop worrying about what's going to fly in the underground. Worry about writing a great record." Actually, that record ended up being more powerful than any of the songs that I racked my brain writing, and after that, it was an influx of record after record. It was almost like a switch went off in my brain, and I figured out how to write a good pop song.

Music video

The video, directed by Melina Matsoukas, starts Lady GaGa arrives with her dancers, Dina and Pepper, at a house party, which seems to have ended, and one of the dancers puts a stereo on, starting the music. The crowd at the party appear to be sleeping in different areas, and are awoken by the music. They all start to dance, and scenes of the party are inter cut with scenes of scantily dressed Lady GaGa dancing in a poncho, with a disco ball or in a small rubber pool. She wears a blue lightning shaped sticker beneath her right eye like that on the single cover. The video shows Colby O'Donis being flanked by several girls during the "When I come through on the dance floor" interlude. Cameo appearances are made by Akon and fellow label hip-hop band Flipsyde.

Track listings

Official versions and remixes

• "Just Dance" (original mix by Robert Orton)
• "Just Dance" A Capella
• "Just Dance" Instrumental
• "Just Dance" (Glam As You Club Mix)
• "Just Dance" (Glam As You Radio Mix)
• "Just Dance" (HCCR's Bambossa Dub)
• "Just Dance" (HCCR's Bambossa Main Mix)
• "Just Dance" (HCCR's Bambossa Radio Edit)
• "Just Dance" (RedOne Remix featuring Kardinal Offishall)
• "Just Dance" (Manny Lehman Remix)
• "Just Dance" (Richard Vission Remix)
• "Just Dance" (Richard Vission Radio Edit)
• "Just Dance" (Robots to Mars Remix)
• "Just Dance" (Space Cowboy Remix)
• "Just Dance" (Tony Arzadon Remix)
• "Just Dance" (Tony Arzadon Extended Club Mix)
• "Just Dance" (Trevor Simpson Radio Edit)
• "Just Dance" (Trevor Simpson Remix)

Charts

Sales and certifications

Chart procession and succession

References