Danceteria (song)
2026 song by Madonna
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"Danceteria" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her fifteenth studio album, Confessions II (2026). The song features an interpolation of "Walk on the Wild Side" (1973), written and performed by Lou Reed.[2] The title of the song is a reference to the club of the same name, where Madonna performed live for the first time.[3]
| "Danceteria" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Madonna | |
| from the album Confessions II | |
| Released | July 3, 2026 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:55 |
| Label | Warner |
| Songwriters | |
| Producers |
|
Background
Several people from Madonna's past are mentioned in the lyrics, including Haoui Montaug, the former doorman for Danceteria, Fab Five Freddy, Debi Mazar, Basquiat, Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf, Nile Rodgers, David Byrne, B-52s.[4][5]
Release and promotion
The song was prominently featured in Madonna's musical short film Confessions II, which was released before the song was made available on streaming services.[6] The song was played alongside "The Test", another song from Confessions II, during a private album showcase at Paradis Latin in Paris.[7]
Critical reception
The song received mostly positive reviews from critics. BBC described the song as a "a sweat-soaked strut through the nightspot where Madonna launched her career" and a "thrilling evocation of 1980s New York".[8] NME had similar comments, calling the song "a thrilling tribute to the New York nightclub where she found her sound and her chosen family".[9] Billboard was positive, describing the song as "a camp masterclass in how to revel in a city without whitewashing it".[10] Pitchfork described the song as having a "bolshy French touch" before describing the song as "an extraordinarily fun hybrid of bouncy disco, squalid electroclash, and sexy French touch" and stating, "The whole song is excitable and frenzied and genuinely new territory for Madonna".[1] Rolling Stone was very positive about the track, calling it a "most delightful disco trip" and saying "It’s a song saturated in different generations of New York glam cool, translated to the sweaty democracy of the dance floor."[11]
Far Out Magazine criticized the song, saying it "wasn't memorable" and described it as a "shortcoming".[12] Consequence negatively described the song as "not particularly close to where dance-pop’s actual frontier has moved" and stating, "Madonna seems much more concerned with literally telling her audience that they should go out and dance".[13] The Daily Telegraph called the song "the album's epic centrepiece" before stating, "While Lou Reed painted an indelible picture of a transgressive world, Madonna just lists names and forces rhymes. And though billed as her second confession, apart from jokey references to drugs there are no sins exposed that a couple of Hail Marys wouldn’t absolve".[14]
Live performances
Credits and personnel
The credits are adapted from Tidal.[16]
- Madonna – vocals
- Stuart Price – engineering, mixing, additional programming, additional keyboards
- Andrew Watt – guitar, keyboards. bass
- Cirkut – keyboards, programming, drum programming
- Ruairi O'Flaherty – mastering