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Disease (Lady Gaga song)

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"Disease"
A car parked beneath upside down text reading "Disease"
Single by Lady Gaga
ReleasedOctober 25, 2024 (2024-10-25)
Genre
Length3:49
LabelInterscope
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Lady Gaga singles chronology
"Die with a Smile"
(2024) 		"Disease"
(2024)
Music video
"Disease" on YouTube

"Disease" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lady Gaga. It was released on October 25, 2024, through Interscope Records, as the lead single from Gaga's upcoming eighth studio album. She wrote and produced the song with Andrew Watt and Cirkut, while Michael Polansky co-wrote it with them. Musically, "Disease" is a dark pop, electropop, dance-pop, synth-pop, and EDM song. The melodramatic lyrics of the song discuss love's ability to heal a lover's disease. "Disease" received positive reviews from music critics, who praised the song's production and Gaga's vocals, although some found the lyrics uncreative.

An accompanying music video, directed by Tanu Muino, was released on October 29, 2024. It features Gaga facing different versions of herself and trying to control her personified fears. The video received praise from fans and critics, with critics particularly praising the video's theme and fashion costumes.

Release

[edit]

Lady Gaga first spoke of new music while celebrating her 38th birthday on March 28, 2024, saying she was "writing some of my best music in as long as I can remember" and posted another update from a recording studio in July 2024.[1] Following the release of "Die with a Smile", a collaboration with American singer Bruno Mars, on August 16, and while attending the 81st Venice International Film Festival ahead of the premiere of her film Joker: Folie à Deux, Gaga announced the lead single for her upcoming eighth studio album to be released in October.[2][3]

On October 18, 2024, Spotify updated the titles of seven different tracks from Gaga's discography to spell out the word "disease", hinting at an upcoming single.[4][5] Three days later, the release of "Disease" was confirmed by Universal Music Group through a pre-save website.[6] The cryptic website depicted a glitch of the phrase "I could play the doctor" against a black screen.[7] Alongside the announcement, Gaga revealed via her social media the official logo of "Disease", a promotional poster, and the exact release time for cities globally.[8] On October 25, Interscope Records released "Disease" worldwide digitally for download and streaming and in the United States to the contemporary hit radio.[9][10] Universal released the song to Italian radio on the same day.[11]

Composition

[edit]
"Disease"
A sample of the song's chorus, featuring electronic and techno-heavy beats, Gaga's growly vocals, and lyrics about the ability to cure a lover's disease.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Disease" is three minutes and 49 seconds long.[9] It was written and produced by Gaga, Andrew Watt, and Cirkut, while Michael Polansky co-wrote the track with them.[12] "Disease" has been identified as an upbeat electropop,[13] dark pop,[14] dance-pop,[15] synth-pop,[16] and EDM song,[17] with gothic, industrial rock,[18] pop, rock, dance, and rage influences.[19] It features "simple" vocal hooks singing "ah-ah",[15] grungy guitars, ominous layered harmonies, and midtempo industrial, EDM, and techno-heavy four-to-the-floor beats.[20][21][22] On the final chorus, Gaga pares everything back to her falsetto register and piano notes, before a final growl and rip-roaring salvo.[20] Critics found "Disease" thematically similar to Gaga's singles "Bad Romance" (2009) and "The Cure" (2017)",[a] with Alexis Petridis of The Guardian particularly finding Gaga's "strident" and "imperious" vocals similar to her singles "The Cure" and "Poker Face" (2008).[22] Roisin O'Connor from The Independent found Gaga's vocals and the "squelching" synth line similar to those of George Michael's single "Freeek!" (2002).[20]

In "Disease", Gaga sings about love's potential to cure and heal a lover's "tortured" disease.[14][13][15] She sings in the pre-chorus, "Screamin' for me, baby/ Like you're gonna die/ Poison on the inside/ I could be your antidote tonight", over a pulsing electronic beat.[5] Describing the lyrics of the pre-chorus, Petridis stated that "if they don't bear much resemblance to the work of the Metaphysical poets, do seem a bit dominatrix-y".[22] Gaga sings later in the chorus, "I could play the doctor, I can cure your disease/ If you were a sinner, I could make you believe/ Lay you down like one, two, three/ Eyes roll back in ecstasy/ I can smell your sickness, I can cure your/ Cure your disease".[12] Elle's Erica Gonzales described Gaga's vocals in the chorus as "rock" and "growly".[14] Robin Murray from Clash considered the chorus one of Gaga's best choruses and found the song's energy and directness similar to punk music.[24] Gaga sings in the second verse to the lover, "You're so tortured when you sleep, plagued with all your memories/ You reach out and no one's there, like a god without a prayer".[23] Nick Levine of the BBC dubbed the lyrics "melodramatic" and believed the song's composition is a "welcome reminder" that Gaga "stormed the mainstream by making music that was catchy and freaky in equal measure".[15]

Critical reception

[edit]

"Disease" received positive reviews from music critics,[25] who considered it a return to Gaga's pop roots.[b] Journalists from Consequence named it the "Song of the Week" upon its release, describing it as "a four minute reminder that pop music is where so many elements of performance have the opportunity to coalesce".[27] In a five-star review, Evening Standard's India Block called "Disease" a "high gothic blast that's perfect for spooky season" and praised Gaga's vocals, the production, and the religious themes.[26] Murray gave the song a nine out of ten rating, dubbing it a "wild blast of outsider pop music". He described it as "lustful" and "salacious" and compared its "heavy-duty electronics" to works by American band Nine Inch Nails.[24]

Alexa Camp from Slant Magazine and O'Connor described the lyrics as "cliché" but praised the production, with O'Connor stating that "Disease" is Gaga's "best in a long while" in her four-star review.[17][20] Petridis gave the song four stars out of five and praised the song's production and ability to "evoke memories of late 00s Gaga and still fit with the messy, post-Brat pop climate" through its excessive mood and sound.[22] Petridis felt "Disease" is stylistically reminiscent of the music in Gaga's debut studio album The Fame (2008), while Camp felt it is more reminiscent of Gaga's subsequent releases The Fame Monster (2009) and Born This Way (2011).[17][22] In a positive review, Bianca Betancourt from Harper's Bazaar described "Disease" as "classic Gaga in the best way possible" and considered it as an "edgier" and "more mature" version of "Bad Romance".[19] In a ranking of Gaga's entire catalog, Vulture's Kristen Hé placed "Disease" at number 15, saying that Gaga is "no longer consumed by darkness but in control of it".[28]

Music video

[edit]

On October 22, 2024, Gaga teased the release of the music video for "Disease", previewing a snippet from it via her social media. The 11-second video features Gaga wearing a white dress and running from a car driving directly towards her on a suburban street; Gaga turns back to the mystery driver several times throughout the video as she tries to escape. Piano notes is played during the video before a percussive hit at the end.[8][29] Gaga's white dress in the snippet video has been compared to that of Samara Morgan from the psychological horror film The Ring (2002).[30] The music video premiered via Gaga's Vevo channel on YouTube at 21:00 Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−04:00) on October 29.[31][32][33] Gaga revealed via her social media that the inspiration behind the concept of the music video was her personal "inner darkness". She stated, "I think a lot about the relationship I have with my own inner demons. It's never been easy for me to face how I get seduced by chaos and turmoil. [...] "Disease" is about facing that fear, facing myself and my inner darkness, and realizing that sometimes I can't win or escape the parts of myself that scare me. That I can try and run from them but they are still part of me and I can run and run but eventually I'll meet that part of myself again, even if only for a moment".[34][35]

Directed by Tanu Muino with choreography by Parris Goebel,[c] the four-and-a-half-minute video takes place in a quiet suburban neighborhood and finds Gaga facing different versions of herself and trying to regain control of her deepest personified fears.[40][41] One of the versions features Gaga having red eyes and wearing an all-black leather outfit, a zippered mask, towering heels, and long steel-studded finger nails.[40][42] The red-eyed version of Gaga runs over a "more innocent" version of her wearing a floral-print nightgown. Another version wearing white crop top and briefs walks over her clone while being handcuffed to the ceiling. A version of Gaga wearing a dip-dyed ombré mesh dress emerges in a pool of black vomit before two colliding walls close in on her.[34][43][44] At different points of the video, the different versions of Gaga either fight, run down the street, dance, or hug each other.[42]

The music video received praise from fans and critics.[35] Gonzales described the video as "spooky", "haunting", and at times "disturbing".[34] Attitude's Jamie Tabberer dubbed it "dark", "twisted", and "deeply personal" and compared it to horror films.[45] Christian Allaire from Vogue and Gonzales praised the video's theme and "avant-garde" fashion costumes.[34][43] Flisadam Pointer from Uproxx commended Gaga's performance, the production, and the "extravagant" wardrobe changes.[46] Nylon's Dylan Kickham compared the video's horror-leaning artistic direction to Gaga's previous works, including her 2011 song "Bloody Mary".[47] Danielle Chelosky of Stereogum found the video stylistically similar to the gothic film Edward Scissorhands (1990).[44]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Disease"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Germany (GfK)[48] 70
South Korea BGM (Circle)[49] 152
South Korea Download (Circle)[50] 179

Release history

[edit]
"Disease" release history
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various October 25, 2024
Interscope [9]
United States Contemporary hit radio [10]
Italy Radio airplay Universal [11]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[14][17][19][21][23][22]
  2. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[22][24][26][27]
  3. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[36][37][38][39]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Guglielmi, Jodi (July 19, 2024). "Lady Gaga Returns to the Studio for LG7: 'Happy as Ever Making Music'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  2. ^ Aswad, Jem (September 3, 2024). "Lady Gaga to Drop First Single From New Album in October". Variety. Archived from the original on October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  3. ^ Daw, Stephen (September 3, 2024). "Lady Gaga Confirms Her First Single Off LG7 Will Arrive in October". Billboard. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  4. ^ Robinson, Gregory (October 18, 2024). "Lady Gaga fans are trying to work out this cryptic puzzle". Indy100. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Dunworth, Liberty (October 25, 2024). "Listen to Lady Gaga's dramatic new single 'Disease'". NME. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  6. ^ Horowitz, Steven J. (October 20, 2024). "Lady Gaga to Release New Single "Disease" This Week". Variety. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  7. ^ Paul, Larisha (October 21, 2024). "Lady Gaga Teases New Single "Disease" With Cryptic Website and Playlist". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Skinner, Tom (October 23, 2024). "Watch Lady Gaga's sinister teaser video for new single 'Disease'". NME. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Gaga, Lady (October 25, 2024). "Disease - Single". Apple Music (US). Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Pop Mart - HOT NEW RELEASES : HITS Daily Double". Hits. October 25, 2024. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Fusi, Eleonora. "Lady Gaga 'Disease' | (Radio Date: 25/10/2024)" (in Italian). Universal Music Group. Archived from the original on October 25, 2024. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Radio Airplay SRL.
  12. ^ a b Blistein, Jon (October 25, 2024). "Lady Gaga Has the Cure on New Song 'Disease'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Garcia, Thania (October 24, 2024). "Lady Gaga Shares New Electro-Pop Single, 'Disease'". Variety. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  14. ^ a b c d Gonzales, Erica (October 25, 2024). "Lady Gaga Wants to 'Cure Your Disease' with Her Brand New Single". Elle. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c d Levine, Nick (October 25, 2024). "Disease: Why Lady Gaga's comeback hits the spot". BBC. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  16. ^ Ecoeur, Robin (October 25, 2024). "Lady Gaga fait un retour fracassant dans la pop avec un gros single : 'Disease'" [Lady Gaga Makes a Smashing Return to Pop with a Big Single: 'Disease'] (in French). Europe 2. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  17. ^ a b c d Camp, Alexa (October 25, 2024). "Review: Lady Gaga's 'Disease' Is a Throwback to Her Heyday". Slant Magazine. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  18. ^ Griffiths, George (October 25, 2024). "Lady Gaga goes back to basics on industrial-pop rager Disease". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  19. ^ a b c Betancourt, Bianca (October 25, 2024). "Lady Gaga Is Back with a Vengeance with Her Comeback Single 'Disease'". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  20. ^ a b c d O'Connor, Roisin (October 25, 2024). "Lady Gaga's new single 'Disease' is a potent dose of dungeon-dark pop". The Independent. Retrieved October 25, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ a b Siroky, Mary; Vito, Jo (October 25, 2024). "Lady Gaga Unveils Dynamic New Song 'Disease': Stream". Consequence. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g Petridis, Alexis (October 25, 2024). "Lady Gaga: Disease review – a return to form, and to her classic sound". The Guardian. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  23. ^ a b Viswanath, Jake (October 25, 2024). "Lady Gaga's 'Disease' Lyrics Are Basically A Horror Movie". Bustle. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  24. ^ a b c Murray, Robin (October 25, 2024). "Lady Gaga – Disease". Clash. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  25. ^ Page, Jordan (October 25, 2024). "Lady Gaga's UK chart timeline: Grammy winner releases new single Disease from upcoming album". Evening Standard. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  26. ^ a b Block, India (October 25, 2024). "Lady Gaga — Disease review: A catchy pop exorcism for the love sick". Evening Standard. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  27. ^ a b "Song of the Week: 'Disease' Is the Pop Music Homecoming Lady Gaga Deserves". Consequence. October 25, 2024. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  28. ^ Hé, Kristen S. (October 25, 2024). "Every Lady Gaga Song, Ranked". Vulture. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  29. ^ Blistein, Jon (October 22, 2024). "Lady Gaga's Latest 'Disease' Teaser Depicts a Frightening Chase". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  30. ^ Frank, Jason P. (October 22, 2024). "Is That Lady Gaga Running?". Vulture. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  31. ^ Gaga, Lady (October 29, 2024). "Lady Gaga - Disease (Official Music Video)". Vevo – via YouTube.
  32. ^ Aniftos, Rania (October 29, 2024). "Lady Gaga Faces the 'Disease' in Cinematic New Music Video". Billboard. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  33. ^ "Lady Gaga dropping not one but two videos Tuesday". KOSP. October 29, 2024. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  34. ^ a b c d Gonzales, Erica (October 29, 2024). "Lady Gaga's 'Disease' Music Video Is Downright Haunting". Elle. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  35. ^ a b Damshenas, Sam (October 30, 2024). "Lady Gaga's twisted and demonic Disease video is one of her best". Gay Times. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  36. ^ Herrero, Juan Ignacio (October 23, 2024). "La fuga de Lady Gaga en el primer adelanto del vídeo 'Disease'" [Lady Gaga's escape in the first preview of the 'Disease' video] (in Spanish). Los 40. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  37. ^ Trusty, Maegan (October 28, 2024). "Lady Gaga Releases New Single 'Disease'". L'Officiel Singapore. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  38. ^ "Lady Gaga signs up Rihanna's choreographer for new single 'Disease'". The News International. October 24, 2024. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  39. ^ Green, Walden (October 29, 2024). "Watch Lady Gaga's New "Disease" Video". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  40. ^ a b Madarang, Charisma (October 30, 2024). "Watch Lady Gaga Fight Her Inner Demons in New 'Disease' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  41. ^ Horowitz, Steven J.; Garcia, Thania (October 29, 2024). "Lady Gaga Fights Different Versions of Herself in New Video for 'Disease'". Variety. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  42. ^ a b Zhan, Jennifer (October 29, 2024). "Lady Gaga Spreads 'Disease,' Looks Sickening". Vulture. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  43. ^ a b Allaire, Christian (October 29, 2024). "Lady Gaga Has a Fashion "Disease"—And I Don't Want the Cure". Vogue. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  44. ^ a b Chelosky, Danielle (October 29, 2024). "Lady Gaga Celebrates Halloween With Freaky "Disease" Music Video". Stereogum. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  45. ^ Tabberer, Jamie (October 30, 2024). "Lady Gaga battles 'inner demons' as she drops ultra dark 'Disease' video". Attitude. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  46. ^ Pointer, Flisadam (October 29, 2024). "In Lady Gaga's Haunting 'Disease' Video The Singer Has Several Lethal Lovestruck Encounters With Herself". Uproxx. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  47. ^ Kickham, Dylan (October 30, 2024). "Lady Gaga's "Disease" Music Video Is A Dark Return". Nylon. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  48. ^ "Lady Gaga – Disease" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  49. ^ "BGM Chart – Week 43 of 2024". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  50. ^ "Download Chart – Week 43 of 2024". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 31, 2024.
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