| "Dark Ballet" | |
|---|---|
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| Promotional single by Madonna | |
| from the album Madame X | |
| Released | June 7, 2019 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:14 |
| Label | Interscope |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) |
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| Music video | |
| "Dark Ballet" on YouTube | |
"Dark Ballet" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her fourteenth studio album Madame X (2019). It was released on June 7, 2019 as the album's third promotional single. Written and produced by Madonna and longtime collaborator Mirwais, the song contains a sample from The Nutcracker (1892) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and was inspired by the historical figure Joan of Arc. It is an experimental pop and electro-gospel piano ballad, with the use of vocoder on her vocals and lyrics about rebelling against the patriarchy.
"Dark Ballet" received generally positive reviews from music critics, who deemed it a highlight from Madame X and one of Madonna's most experimental songs. In the United Kingdom, "Dark Ballet" peaked at number 83 on the official downloads chart. A music video, directed by director Emmanuel Adjei, was released on June 7, 2019. It features rapper Mykki Blanco playing Joan of Arc. Madonna first performed "Dark Ballet" during the 2018 Met Gala, known then as "Beautiful Game", and as the second number of her 2019−20 Madame X Tour.