Why did Gaga include Dancin' In Circles in Joanne album?

[TheFrenchGuy 573]

I think it’s simply a way to numb the pain. To me it's clear that Joanne is about healing from family trauma first, not just specificaly about her aunt, and themes of m*sturbation and sex have always been part of her work as ways to escape yourself and feel good for a moment. It fits the record’s emotional landscape, just from a different angle. 

Up full night tryin' to rub the pain out (rub the pain out) 

It's pretty clear the theme is just a pretext to talk about wanting to escape the pain in ways that are temporary, just like John Wayne is about trying to find her father in her boyfriends.

[Starmie25 19,842]

53 minutes ago, TheFrenchGuy said:

just like John Wayne is about trying to find her father in her boyfriends.

[Starmie25 19,842]

It's a feminist anthem.

[Nagini 3,368]

1 hour ago, PartySick said:

I like country music and was raised by hillbillies so personally, I loved the entire aesthetic of that era  

Very "city punk that moved to a red state" vibes for much of it.

I'm going to listen to it in full this week. I love love love that comment about it being her coming of age album, trying to figure things out, take it one step at a time, etc. Joanne Piano Version clears anything on Chromatica. 

[TheFrenchGuy 573]

28 minutes ago, Starmie25 said:

I mean…. Isn’t it ?

[meltedplastic 449]

bc she was in psychosis

[Ladle Ghoulash 28,341]

19 hours ago, TheFrenchGuy said:

I mean…. Isn’t it ?

It is lol

[Ladle Ghoulash 28,341]

9 hours ago, meltedplastic said:

bc she was in psychosis

Booooooo

[StrawberryBlond 14,968]

Joanne is Gaga's middle name, so the album is as much about her as it is about her aunt. Calling the album Joanne makes it all come full circle because it's incapsulates them both. Joanne the song is the only song explicitly about her aunt and it was meant to be that way, one dedicated song, not a dedicated album. Granted, it is weird to put such a song on an album with her aunt's name but let's not pretend we've not heard other singers albums with sexual songs on them who say their children inspired them claiming their kids brought out their "fun" side or something. It's probably one of Gaga's most personal albums, it deals with many topics dear to her like her dead aunt (Joanne), her relationship (PI, MR, DiC), her wider family (Sinner's Prayer), her performing origin story (Diamond Heart), her friends (Grigio Girls), her take on political events (Angel Down). It's one of her most thematically rich albums that can't be summed up purely by her aunt's memory. 

[27monster27 14,048]

One thing I haven't seen yet in this thread is actually the correlation between masturbation and chronic pain relief. Multiple studies have shown that masturbation can actually help to relieve pain, including chronic pain. Yes, the song obviously isn't only about that, but it could play a part.

[Lemon Blood 269]

On 11/2/2025 at 4:47 PM, Chromanne said:

Joanne, an album that is a tribute to her deceased aunt

Because that’s not actually what the album is about. It’s about the other side to Gaga that her fans hadn’t seen yet. The girl behind Gaga.

And so I guess mastur*****n was a part that 

[Nicklev 1,083]

In the "Joanne" era, Lady Gaga developed her artistry much more, moving beyond being a "commercial pop product."

Meeting Rick Rubin when they collaborated on "Dope" opened doors to a whole new world for her (Gaga has recorded almost her entire subsequent discography at his Malibu studio, Shangri-La).

This led to her being viewed with less prejudice, resulting in collaborations with artists like Father John Misty, Mark Ronson, Kevin Parker, and Anthony Rossamondo, among many others.

One of them is the alternative folk singer Beck, known for his song "Loser." Gaga is a big fan of his work. When they met, he told her that his favorite song of hers was "Alejandro," and after some time in the studio, they produced "Dancing in Circles."

I think they just wanted to do something playful. And the theories that have been mentioned, like using masturbation to cope with chronic pain, seem super interesting to me.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=YgSPaXgAdzE

Edited yesterday at 02:01 AM by Nicklev

[AddMeOnMYSPACE 2,054]

It quite clear that masturbation is super important to Gaga.  

[XxBones 1,191]

I think the album is just meant to be personal. Not just about her aunt but herself because her name is also Joanne. The whole album seems to be filled with loss, love,  relationships  and yes Dancin in Circles is a song about loss. It’s pleasuring yourself to fill the void of being lonely after a broken relationship it’s still fits in with the whole personal relationships and sadness of the album along with perfect illusion. I think after listening to mayhem for so long, going back to this album it seems so obvious now. That song is literally just a sad “pleasuring” song that fits the whole vibe. I really do think her aunt is just one story and not the main story of Joanne. 

[weed 74,795]

The concept of the album is already interesting to me as she never met her Aunt Joanne. I think it fits well, I should definitely revisit the album... perhaps rn! I loved it when it came out but I haven't returned to it at all in years really.