Lady Gaga’s new song “Abracadabra” has become a massive hit, but its message is more profound than a surface-level interpretation lets on.The singer premiered the song and music video at the 2025 Grammys, where she took home the Best Pop Duo Performance award for “Die With A Smile.” However, the Bruno Mars duet is vastly different from the song she premiered at the awards ceremony.
“Abracadabra” is reminiscent of Gaga’s old work. After dominating the pop world in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Gaga shifted her sound. WithJoanne, collaborations with Tony Bennett, and an acting career, it felt like the old Lady Gaga was gone. However, “Abracadabra” proves Gaga is ready to reclaim her throne. The song was critically acclaimed upon release and quickly went viral on TikTok.The song has currently been used in over 236,000 videoson the app. A decent amount of the videos are of users recreating the music video’s choreography. Needless to say, it’s good to have the old Gaga back.
What Is Gaga Singing About?
Gaga Is Fighting Her Inner Demons
Lady Gaga was honest about the message behind “Abracadabra” in an interview withElle UK. Gaga spoke about resilience and triumph saying “The song is about facing the challenge of life and the challenge of the night and finding the magic in it all.“Gaga has always been open about mental healthand the difficulties she has faced in her life. However, she’s also been adamant about fighting back and overcoming the dark sides of life. Gaga is singing about fighting back against the negative voices in her head as well as the negative opinions from the world around her.
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The best way to do that? By being her most authentic self. Gaga has always known how to showcase her authenticity no matter what the world thinks, and she’s inspired her little monsters to do the same. However, with “Abracadabra,” it seems Gaga is letting even more of her authenticity show.Gaga has been a champion for underrepresented groups, especially the LGBTQ+ community, and the song feels incredibly relevant in the world right now. Gaga has given her fans a fun dance song and an empowering anthem to get them through these challenging times.
Abracadabra Lyrics Explained
What Do The Lyrics Mean?
In the first verse of “Abracadabra,” Lady Gaga sings about angels and devils. This suggests focusing on the good over the bad: The lyric “keep your mind on the distance when the devil turns around” feels like Gaga’s play on focusing on the chosen road instead of all the distractions around you. In the song’s context, Gaga is saying,ignore the negative voices and stay on your path. In the refrain, the pop star mentions keeping her in mind “in the magic of the dark moonlight.” It’s one of the most mystical lyrics in the song, referencing witchcraft and moonlit rituals.
Gaga is contrasting the darkness of the world around her with the magic that is within her. The first pre-chorus of “Abracadabra” is when Gaga first mentions “the lady in red.” This could be interpreted as a reference to the devil. Gaga sings about this woman’s poem leading to the end of her life. However, through music and dance,Gaga is able to put her in a “trance” that ends her power. Gaga has also said the lady in red is symbolic of the negative voices in her head that are saying bad things about her.
Abracadabra, abracadabra
Pay the toll to the angels
Drawin' circles in the clouds
Keep your mind on the distance
When the devil turns around
Hold me in your heart tonight
In the magic of the dark moonlight
Save me from this empty fight
In the game of life
Like a poem said by a lady in red
You hear the last few words of your life
With a haunting dance, now you’re both in a trance
It’s time to cast your spell on the night
“Abracadabra, amor-oo-na-na
Abracadabra, morta-oo-ga-ga
Abracadabra, abra-oo-na-na”
In her tongue she said, “Death or love tonight”
Feel the beat under your feet, the floor’s on firе
Choose the road on the wеst side
As the dust flies, watch it burn
Don’t waste time on a feelin'
Use your passion, no return
Feel the beat under your feet, the floor’s on fire
Phantom of the dance floor, come to me
Sing for me a sinful melody
Ah, ah, ah
In her tongue, she said, “Death or love tonight.”
Throughout the chorus, Gaga repeats the song’s title and other phrases, making up a spell. However, the most potent lines are “death or love tonight” and “feel the beat under your feet, the floor’s on fire.” Through these lyrics, Gaga expresses the power of words and how there is always a choice between using them for good or bad. She also sings about the power of dance and artistic expression.When the world seems dark, many people find hope and joy through art, and Gaga is one of them.
The singer revisits the same concept in the second verse. The line “use your passion” plays into the idea that leaning into passions will guide the world through the darkness. It is what Gaga has always done throughout her career.She has written countless songs about the troubles she’s faced, and it has been like a form of therapy for her. The same goes for dance, as she has also put a lot of thought into her choreography throughout her career.
In the bridge, Gaga calls in the power of the dance floor to help. However, the lyric about a “sinful melody” contradicts the first line. This could be interpreted in several ways. Gaga could be inviting in the negative voices to prove to them she’s not afraid and they no longer have power over her.She also could be referring to her own music as sinful. Gaga and several other musicians throughout history have received backlash for their “sinful” or “demonic” music. Gaga could be mocking the people who believe she is causing harm with her own words.
The Abracadabra Music Video
How The Video Plays Into The Song’s Message
Gaga is a skilled performer, and this is reflected in her music videos. For the “Abracadabra” video, Gaga combines choreography, fashion, and color schemes to bring her song to life. Gaga toldEllethe song is about community, which is why there are so many dancers in the video.As we’ve seen throughout history, when people come together to fight off evil, they are more likely to succeed.
In the video, Gaga portrays two roles. In one scene, she is dressed in white along with her dancers. In the other, she is dressed in red, with only a few dancers dressed in black. The red represents the dark side of the world as well as the dark side of Gaga. In contrast, the white represents purity. Gaga and her dancers in white are fighting off evil through dance and by coming together. The song and video are certainly relevant in today’s society and feel like a return to theLady Gagathe world knows and loves.
