The song was distributed to radio stations as the second single from the album on 13 August 2013, following the worldwide hit single "Get Lucky". Prior to this release, "Lose Yourself to Dance" charted in various countries, including France, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In the UK, it joined the playlists ofBBC Radio 1,BBC Radio 2, and a number of commercial and smaller stations. It reached number 49 in the UK Singles Chart.
"Lose Yourself to Dance" is adisco andfunk song in the key ofB♭ minor with a tempo of 100 BPM.[1][2] Daft Punk expressed that the song was the result of a desire to createdance music with live drummers.[3][4]Thomas Bangalter elaborated that they wished to redefine dance music as "something lighter or something more [primal]", and that the song is meant to evoke the sense of being unified and connected on the dance floor.[5]
Pharrell Williams sings lead vocals on "Lose Yourself to Dance". Williams stated that the song "makes me feel like walking down the street in the middle of the night in London and it's 1984, 1985. I don't hear '70s in that at all." He also believed thatDavid Bowie could theoretically have sung the song.[5] Additional vocals are performed by Daft Punk usingvocoders,[6] which Nick DeCosemo ofMixmag felt resembled their 2001 song "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger".[7]
Instrumentalists who perform on "Lose Yourself to Dance" includeNile Rodgers on guitar,Nathan East on bass, andJohn "J.R." Robinson on drums.[8] Its "heavy beats" are said to resemble American rock singerBilly Squier's 1980 song "The Big Beat".[7] Jeremy Abbott ofMixmag felt that, "Big multi-layered claps and thrashing cymbals also play a big part in driving the song forward."[9]
In promotion of the10th anniversary edition of the album, a video series calledMemory Tapes was released throughout 2023.[10] In Williams's episode, he revealed he did not expect his vocals to be on the finished versions of either song. The episode contains footage of Williams's reaction to the completed "Get Lucky" and "Lose Yourself to Dance" tracks for the first time.[11]
One of the bonus tracks on the 10th anniversary edition is a demo without Rodgers called "LYTD (Vocoder Tests)".[12]
Pharrell Williams performed lead vocals for "Lose Yourself to Dance".
In the third episode of the promotional web seriesThe Collaborators,Nile Rodgers performed a portion of "Lose Yourself to Dance", which was referred to only as "the song of the summer" by the interviewer.[13] The title was later revealed throughColumbia Records's officialVine account as part of a video relaying a series of images.[14] A four-minute edit of the song was distributed tomainstream andrhythmic radio stations in the United States on 13 August 2013.[15][16]
Rodgers stated that video footage had been shot for "Lose Yourself to Dance" at the same time that "Get Lucky" footage was being filmed.[17] A trailer for "Lose Yourself to Dance" debuted at the2013 MTV Video Music Awards, featuring Daft Punk, Rodgers and Williams, who also presented the award for "Best Female Video" at the ceremony.[18] The song-length version of the video was released on Daft Punk's officialVevo channel on 16 September 2013. Produced by Daft Arts, the music video was shot on70mm film and was directed by Daft Punk,Warren Fu, Paul Hahn and Cédric Hervet.[19][20]
^Minsker, Evan and Phillips, Amy (16 April 2013)."Daft Punk RevealRandom Access Memories Tracklist Via Vine Video".Pitchfork Media. Pitchfork.com. Retrieved16 April 2013.[...] The French robot duo have shared the album's track list via a Vine video. As previously reported, the album features collaborations with the Strokes' Julian Casablancas, Animal Collective's Panda Bear, Pharrell, Paul Williams, Nile Rodgers, Giorgio Moroder, Chilly Gonzales, DJ Falcon, and Todd Edwards.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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