On Oct. 25, world-famous actress and musician Lady Gaga dropped her seasonally appropriate single “Disease.” The haunting new pop single is Gaga’s first song in three years that is not connected to a movie. Both the song and music video are dark and eerie, with a fun pop-punk vibe.
“Disease” opens with isolated vocals, soon dropping into a techno-esque beat before the verse begins. The pre-chorus has a catchy repetitive sequence: “Screamin’ for me, baby/Like you’re gonna die/Poison on the inside/I could be your antidote tonight.” These lyrics then build up into the climax of the chorus, which carries a more traditional pop sound than the verses and is more similar to some of Gaga’s past work.
Written in a minor key, the song has a slightly dark vibe but is still fun and catchy to listen to. The music video, however, possesses a dark and gruesome tone with haunting visuals fitting for the Halloween season. Gaga plays several characters in the video who are seen fighting one another, dancing and even hugging.
The video showcases much more emotion and a deeper meaning than the song itself, as it reflects on Gaga’s battle with her inner demons, which she touched on in an Instagram Story posted before the video’s premiere. She wrote, “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. It makes me feel claustrophobic. ‘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.”
One stand-out scene from the video shows one version of Gaga lying in an alleyway. The walls begin to close in on her while she lies on the ground, moving and twitching. The scene is slightly uncomfortable and anxiety-inducing, likely reflecting the claustrophobia that Gaga mentioned in her post about the single.
In her Instagram story, Gaga also touched on how, over her time in the industry—although she has had many battles with her inner self—she has ultimately learned how to handle what she does and that she is the one in charge of her own life and career.
“Dancing, morphing, running, purging. Again and again, back with myself. This integration is ultimately beautiful to me because it’s mine and I’ve learned to handle it. I am the conductor of my own symphony. I am every actor in the plays that are my art and my life,” Gaga wrote.
Overall, “Disease” is a well-made, catchy song with dark undertones that portray much more emotion than the listener may anticipate when hearing it for the first time. The cinematic aspects and emotion in the music video also make the song much more meaningful than the original listen.
Rating: 4/5
