Songfacts®:

• This is the title track and first single from singer and American Idol season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert's debut album.
• Lambert announced the choice of this song as the album's lead single via Twitter. He tweeted: "Debut single is called 'For Your Entertainment' get ready to shake yo asses to this song. It'll make ya dance for sure."
• This was co-written by Claude Kelly and Dr Luke, who also produced the track. Their previous collaborations include "Circus" for Britney Spears, "My Life Would Suck Without You" for Kelly Clarkson and "Party in the U.S.A." for Miley Cyrus.
• Lambert made his first post-Idol performance when he closed the 2009 American Music Awards with this song. The saucy performance featured various dancers in bondage gear, including a guy who Lambert led around by a leather rope. What caused a kerfuffle, though, was when Lambert, who made no secret that he was gay, kissed the guy playing keyboards. He didn't do the smooch in rehearsal, so ABC, which broadcast the show, was caught off guard. According to Lambert, he was supposed to be on the ABC morning show Good Morning America the next day, but the appearance was canceled. Lambert suffered no ill effects from the incident and earned plaudits from the LGBT community.
• Lambert explained to Billboard magazine that this was chosen as the lead single as, "I wanted to release something that would be played in a club, that would make you dance on New Year's."
• The song's music video was directed by Ray Kay, who did the clip for Lady Gaga's "Poker Face."
• The glowing, spacey album cover in which Lambert sports dramatic eyeliner and cobalt-blue hair drew mixed reactions from fans. Lambert defended the image on his twitter. He tweeted: "Thank you to those who appreciate and understand that the album cover is deliberately campy. It's an omage [sic] to the past. It IS ridiculous. For those that don't get it: oh well… Glad to have gotten your attention. androgyny. Rock n Roll."
• Lambert told Digital Spy about the song: "It's real sexy, very contemporary dance-pop. It has a dark, mysterious electro sound to it and lyrically there's definitely a double meaning. It's me saying, 'Here I am, I'm going to put on a show'. It also shows my musical theatre influences - it's almost like that song 'Wilkommen' from Cabaret - and I think in many ways it sums up my thing. That's why I wanted it as the first single, because it's a great introduction."