| "Dancing" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byKylie Minogue | ||||
| from the albumGolden | ||||
| B-side | "Rollin'" | |||
| Released | 19 January 2018 (2018-01-19) | |||
| Recorded | 2017 | |||
| Studio | Phrased Differently (London, England)[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:58 | |||
| Label |
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| Songwriters |
| |||
| Producer | Sky Adams | |||
| Kylie Minogue singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Dancing" onYouTube | ||||
"Dancing" is a song by Australian singerKylie Minogue. It was released on 19 January 2018 by Darenote andBMG, as the lead single from her fourteenth studio albumGolden (2018). Written by Minogue,Steve McEwan andNathan Chapman, and produced by Sky Adams, "Dancing" was the singer's first material with BMG and Liberator, after finishing her contract with British labelParlophone two years prior. Musically, "Dancing" is a departure from her usualelectronic dance sound, and adapts tocountry pop with elements ofelectronica anddance-pop. Lyrically, it talks about having fun and enjoying life while you can, withdeath andtime being incorporated into the song's themes.
"Dancing" received critical acclaim frommusic critics, many whom praised the song's production and lyrical quality. Upon its release on the parent album, certain critics had chosen it as a highlight. Commercially, the track reached the top twenty in regions such as Spain, Scotland, Hungary and Poland. It became the singer's 51st top-forty entry on theUK Singles Chart, and her 14th number-one hit on the USDance Club Songs chart. Additionally, despite staying one week in the Top 50 in her native Australia,[4] "Dancing" was certified gold by theAustralian Recording Industry Association and silver by theBritish Phonographic Industry, denoting sales exceeding 35,000 and 200,000 units respectively.
Directed bySophie Muller, the music video features Minogue dancing and singing in several backdrops that were inspired by theCountry and Western culture, such as the work ofDolly Parton, and used motifs and imagery revolving around death. To promote the single, Minogue performed the song on herKylie Presents Golden tour, and at several gigs and shows includingAnt & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway,Sport Relief, theEcho Music Prize in Germany, and when she headlinedRadio 2 Live in Hyde Park.
In 2016, Minogue released her final studio album with long-term record labelParlophone, entitledKylie Christmas: Snow Queen Edition.[5] After her departure from the label, Minogue signed a new record deal withBMG Rights Management which will release her upcoming album internationally.[6] In December 2017, Minogue and BMG had struck a joint-deal withMushroom Music Labels — under the sub-division label Liberator Music to release her new album in Australia and New Zealand.[7] Throughout that year, Minogue worked with writers and producers for her fourteenth studio album includingAmy Wadge, Sky Adams,DJ Fresh,Nathan Chapman, and teamed with previous collaboratorsRichard Stannard,The Invisible Men andKaren Poole.[8][9][10] "Dancing" was one of the tracks written and recorded inNashville,Tennessee, where she felt the location had a "profound" effect on her.[8] It was co-written by Minogue alongside McEwan and Chapman, with production being handled by Adams. Minogue usedInstagram to discuss the story of the single, saying that the track is about removing "hurdles" in life by "dancing and having a good time".[11]
"Dancing" runs for two minutes and 58 seconds.[12] Music critics have described the track as "country/electropop".[13][14] Mark Lindores ofClassic Pop compared its structure to "Burning Up" from Minogue's 2002 albumFever.[15] Writing forRolling Stone, Daniel Kreps noted that Minogue's work in Nashville was "evident" to the single, exemplifying its "acoustic guitar fingerpicking and Minogue brandishing some twang" at the opening of the song.[16] Similarly, Nick Reilly fromNME noticed Minogue's "unlikely foray" toCountry music, but complimented the track's progression to the "huge pop chorus".[17]Noisey's editor Lauren O'Neill found elements ofelectronic music in the song. Additionally, she compared the track's sound to the innovations ofelectronic dance music today—alongside Minogue's previousexperimentations—and felt Minogue's offering was "more successful" than other "popstars".[18] A contributor atSpin described it as a "top 40 version ofYoung Thug'scountry rap experiment 'You Said'", though they noted its more of a "rootsydance" hybrid.[19] Minogue commented about the track's production and entire form in an interview withHerald Sun in Australia;
"You've got the lyrical edge, that country feel, mixed with some sampling of the voice and electronic elements, so it does what it says on the label. And I love that it's called 'Dancing', it's immediately accessible and seemingly so obvious, but there's depth within the song".[10]
"Dancing" was released on 19 January 2018 byBMG and Liberator Music, as the lead single from her fourteenth studio albumGolden (2018).[20] It also served as the singer's first material with BMG and Liberator, after finishing her contract with British labelParlophone two years prior. A7" vinyl was included in various package bundles on the singers website, promoting the release of the parent album; this included the B-side track "Rollin'", which appeared as a bonus track on deluxe editions of the album.[21] A limited editionCD single were distributed in Australia and New Zealand for the annualMardi Gras Fair Day, which included the standard version of the album and a T-shirt.[22]
Throughout February and March 2018, Minogue's company Darenote distributed digital remixes of "Dancing", featuring the work of Initial Talk,Illyus & Barrientos,Anton Powers and Dimmi; Powers' version including both a radio and extended edit.[23][24][25] Additionally, Minogue re-packaged the single releases of the first three artists into one format, and released it on her website.[26] Dimmi's remix only premiered in France viaiTunes.[27] The cover art were re-colored versions of the standard picture, which was a promotional shot of Minogue during theGolden photoshoot.[22]
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"Dancing" received critical acclaim frommusic critics. Joey Nolfi fromEntertainment Weekly called it a "welcome return to form for the singer-songwriter", and believed it to be her most "refreshing" offering since her work onImpossible Princess (1997).[28] Sam Damshenas atGay Times agreed, calling it a "country-pop banger" that may "becom[e] a future Kylie classic".[13] Matt Bagwell, writing forThe Huffington Post, wrote an article defining 10 moments of Kylie's career where she "redefined pop music", and listedGolden and "Dancing" as one of them; he called it her most "surprising" material yet, and praised the songwriting for being more "in-depth".[29] Daniel Kreps fromRolling Stone described it as "euphoric", whereasIdolator writer Mike Wass called it a "cute country-pop hybrid with an instantly hummable chorus."[16][30] Hannah J. Davis fromThe Guardian listed it as their "Track of the Week", declaring it as "Raw yet danceable,". She compared it to "Dancing on My Own" by Swedish singerRobyn, believing it to be "one of those songs that's a total bop but which, after a couple of merlots, might push you into the foetal position."[31]
Described a lot "mellower" than her previous music,Express.co.uk contributor Shaun Kitchener believed it was "still unmistakably Kylie" by its production, and believed its chorus would "satisfy her loyal fan base".[32] Although Similarly, MuuMuse's Bradley Stern acknowledged that it wasn't what was "expected", but concluded that "Dancing" is a "perfectly fine first step into this bold new era, and an assurance that she's going to keep doing what she does best until the very last shimmy,".[33] Cameron Adams fromThe Northern Star believed the track's sound would "divide" fans, but also compared its appeal to the work ofImpossible Princess—which made a similar impact. Nevertheless, Adams said that "Dancing" is a "smart first single as it is one of the most traditional Kylie moments onGolden."[34]
Upon the release ofGolden, "Dancing" was selected as one of the album's highlights. Tim Sendra fromAllMusic chose it as a standout track, and praised Minogue's ability to pull of both contemporary pop and country music.[35] Ian Gormely fromExclaim! shared a similar opinion, stating that it "is a great addition to the Kylie singles arsenal of earworms,".[36]Pitchfork editor Ben Cardew opined that tracks like "Dancing" stay true to Minogue's dance-pop style, and described it as "genuine brilliance." Moreover, he complimented the track's "funny one-liner chorus... that perfectly sums up the way a great pop song can defy mortality."[37] Mark Kennedy atThe Washington Post also commended her songwriting abilities, and described it as "Dolly Parton-ish".[38]
"Dancing" made its official charting debut in New Zealand, opening at number seven on their regionalHeatseeker Singles Chart. This became the singer's first single to chart in the region since 2012's "Timebomb", which reached number 33 on the country's top 40 chart.[39][40] In Minogue's native Australia, the song opening at number 46, tying with "Into the Blue" as her lowest-charting lead single in the country. Furthermore, it also reached number eight on the region's dance chart.[41] Despite the single's low charting, "Dancing" received a gold certification denoting shipments of 35,000 units.[42] In the United Kingdom, "Dancing" opened at number 47 on theUK Singles Chart before dropping off the chart the following week.[43] Once the video was released it re-entered at number 93 before leaving again for two weeks.[43] After her performance of the song on live television, the song re-entered at number 50, staying in the chart for another week after at number 61.[43] It later peaked at number 38 after the release ofGolden, becoming her fifty-first top 40 hit.[43] Moreover, it debuted at number five on the UK Indie Chart, number one on the Vinyl Singles chart, number 15 on the Official Singles Sales Chart[44] and peaked at number 10 on theScottish Singles Chart.[45][46][47]
In Belgium, it entered the WalloniaUltratip chart at number 46, and peaked at number 14 five weeks later.[48] Additionally, it charted on the Flanders Ultratip chart at number 44, its final peak.[49] It also reached number five on the Digital Songs Chart in both Finland and Sweden, provided byBillboard.[50] Due to live promotion of the single in Germany, it managed to enter theirsingles chart at number 98, Minogue's first appearance on the chart since "Into the Blue". The song later peaked at number 71.[51] Additionally, "Dancing" made appearances on several radio charts throughout Europe, including in Hungary at number 17, and at number 19 in Poland.[52][53] In the United States, the single made its debut on theDance Club Songs at number 53. After 11 weeks, it rose to number one, becoming the singer's 14th song to top that chart.[54]
Minogue uploaded the official audio of "Dancing" on herYouTube channel on the same date of its release. The audio-only video features the single's artwork, consisting of her wearing a cowgirl outfit and leaning back while sitting in front of a stage.[55]
The video for "Dancing" premiered on 1 February, following a backstage teaser confirming the date.[56] Directed bySophie Muller, the country-inspired video was an homage to singers such asDolly Parton as well as a return to Minogue's earlier choreography based videos. Minogue toldRolling Stone, "I always thought I could learn routines quickly, but this was different," she said. "However, by the time I had to dance with the Grim Reaper at the end I had mastered it. And if that's not a funny allegory for life I don't know what is!"[57]
Minogue performed "Dancing" for the first time onAnt & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway on 24 February 2018.[58] The song was included on the setlist ofKylie Presents Golden concerts in March 2018. On 23 March, Minogue performed the song onSport Relief.[59] On 12 April 2018, Minogue performed the song live during the GermanEcho Music Prize.[60] Minogue performed "Dancing" on the 25 April 2018 episode ofLate Night with Seth Meyers; this was the song's debut performance for American television.[61] Two days later, she performed the song onGood Morning America.[62] On 30 April 2018, Minogue performed the song onThe Late Late Show with James Corden.[63]
Minogue performed "Dancing" as part of her set headliningRadio 2 Live in Hyde Park. She also closed herGolden Tour with "Dancing", where she wore a teal playsuit paired with grey embroidered thigh high boots.[citation needed]
|
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Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[42] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[74] | Silver | 200,000[73] |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 19 January 2018 |
| [75] | |
| Australia | Contemporary hit radio |
| [76] | |
| Italy | BMG | [77] | ||
| United Kingdom | [78] | |||
| Various | 23 February 2018 |
|
| [23][79] |
| 2 March 2018 |
| [24][80] | ||
| 9 March 2018 |
| [25][81] | ||
| Germany | 6 April 2018 | Vinyl | [82] | |
| United States | [21] |
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