Lady Gaga – “Just Dance”

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From Ben Norman, for About.com

As dance music creeps ever so stealthily into the mainstream, as with Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Fall Out Boy, etc., it’s nice to see some people embracing the fusion with so much… class. Any discerning reader will notice that is a tongue-in-cheek criticism of Lady Gaga’s fantastic new hit, “Just Dance.” (purchase/download) The lyrics, folks, just will not save your life. They won’t cure cancer or do windows either. And while Lady Gaga has a voice worth listening to, her vocals and those lyrics are just part of a grander scheme that’s aim is getting us to stop thinking and… just dance.

The song tells the story of Gaga’s night out at a club, trashed out of her mind and unable to think or see clearly, let alone find anything. But the music is bangin’ and all she wants to do is dance. Guest rapper Colby O’Donis joins her on the floor, spinning rhymes and offering a male vocal counterpoint. Then the bridge kicks in, beats flying and Gaga, split between both speakers and split in time as well, intones “I’m psychotic synchyphonic/I got my blue burners and phonic/I’m psychotic synchyphonic/I got my brand electronic” which definitely bears well for future offerings.

“Dance” was produced by up-and-comer RedOne, who you may or may not know as the producer of Kat Deluna’s debut album, 9 Lives, and most recently for remixing Swedish superstar Robyn’s song “Handle Me”. His production is stellar on “Just Dance,” making it hard to hear the song any other way. His deft progression from silly verse lyrics (”Where are my keys? I lost my phone! Oh oh oh”) to the catchy chorus, and further into the psychedelic bridge is not to be missed, for sure.

With a song so entrenched in electronica, named thusly, of course we have remixes. Is it possible RedOne outdid the people hired to mix this track? HCCR, Richard Vission, and Trevor Simpson supply ready-to-spin, but unfortunately lackluster remixes for “Just Dance.” HCCR (purchase/download) supports the track with trancy synths and a progressive house beat while still employing the chord structure of the original. The Main Mix is tirelessly repetitive, with the Dub going that extra step and removing anything that was fun from their original mix. The radio version isn’t horrible, but all but removes the trippy bridge. Richard Vission (purchase/download) goes for a tech-ier feel for the track, following in the trend of using the melody of the original track but interspersing it with the tech sound which is cool at first but quickly becomes annoying. He also messes with the vocals, dropping them down quite past “manly” and into “freaky” territory. His mix, in typical Vission style, is really more of a dub. Trevor Simpson (purchase/download) tries a deeper club sound, yet somehow keeping the general song structure of the version we all know and love. All the familiar aspects are there, with some added blips and beeps. Out of the three remixers presented, Simpson is the only one who used the bridge, and he warped it up even further making it loop on itself before breaking back into the chorus. His version is also the least tedious of the bunch, but still lacks the charm that RedOne provided us in the original.

Summary: This song should be tearing up radio, and while the mixes here may find their way onto a dancefloor, it wouldn’t be a revelation. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for a summer release of Gaga’s album, The Fame.

Released May 6, 2008 on Interscope Records