"If I Can't Dance" is a song by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

recording artist

Sophie Ellis-Bextor Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor (born 10 April 1979) is an English singer and songwriter. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded Ellis-Bextor went solo and ach ...

for her third studio album, ''

Trip the Light Fantastic To "trip the light fantastic" is to dance nimbly or lightly to music. The origin of the phrase is attributed to John Milton.Kirkpatrick, Betty and Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth McLaren (1999) "light fantastic" ''Clichés: Over 1500 Phrases Explored and ...

'' (2007). It was written by Ellis-Bextor and

Dimitri Tikovoi Dimitri may refer People * Dmitry, a male given name, Slavic version of Greek name Demetrios * Dimitri (clown) (1935–2016), Swiss clown and mime * Dimitri Atanasescu, Ottoman-born Aromanian teacher * Dimitri from Paris, French DJ * Dimitri Flower ...

, while production was handled by Tikovi, with additional production by Brio Taliaferro and Jeremy Wheatley. It is a

dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...

and

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

song and a reference to the famous misquotation of

Emma Goldman Emma Goldman (June 27, 1869 – May 14, 1940) was a Russian-born anarchist political activist and writer. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of the ...

, "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution", which nevertheless summarizes what she did say. The song was scheduled to be released as the fourth single from the album, which was confirmed by the singer herself; however, a full release did not eventuate. The song was also included on the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

to the 2007 film ''

St Trinian's ''St Trinian's'' is a British gag cartoon comic strip series, created and drawn by Ronald Searle from 1946 until 1952. The cartoons all centre on a boarding school for girls, where the teachers are sadists and the girls are juvenile delinquents ...

'' and received mostly positive reviews from music critics, with many calling it a "delightfully self-aware cut which transport us to a world where the glitter ball never stops spinning."

Background and release

In an interview with

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in August 2007, Ellis-Bextor announced that "If I Can't Dance" was to be released as the fourth single from her album ''Trip the Light Fantastic'' in November 2007. She performed the song live for the first time in July 2007 on the BBC1 Saturday night game show, ''

DanceX ''DanceX'' is a reality television show produced in the UK for BBC One in 2007. It is a live show, in which two teams of male and female dancers compete to form a new dance group. Team Bruno won the show on 25 August. Presenter and team leaders ...

''. Around this time, Sophie announced that she was unsure if she wished to release "If I Can't Dance", due to the popularity of "Love Is Here" amongst fans, and that after her performance on ''DanceX'', fans had urged her to release "Love Is Here" instead. She then announced plans for releasing "If I Can't Dance" would stay, and that "Love Is Here" would become the fifth single instead. On 9 October 2007, Ellis-Bextor announced that plans to release "If I Can't Dance" and "Love Is Here" had been cancelled, and that her record label would release a new, unreleased song in their place. However, when the song was featured on the ''

'' soundtrack, which was released on 10 December 2007, rumours spurred that the single would, in fact, be released. In January 2008, Ellis-Bextor made a shock announcement that the ''Trip the Light Fantastic'' era was concluded, and soon after, plans for a ''Greatest Hits'' compilation expected for release in Autumn 2008 came to light. Rumours regarding the single's release again became rife when the track was confirmed for inclusion on the compilation, but Ellis-Bextor confirmed in February 2008 the track would not be released as a single. Regardless, on 5 May 2008, a single release of "If I Can't Dance" surprisingly appeared on the

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without any prior announcement or confirmation, complete with new artwork and backed with the B-side "Can't Have It All". Days later, the single was removed from the store, and since, fans have wondered if the single was listed by Fascination, due to its removal just days later. This also meant the single failed to chart anywhere.

Composition

"If I Can't Dance" was written by Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Dimitri Tikovoi, while production was handled by Tikovi, with additional production by Brio Taliaferro and Jeremy Wheatley. It draws from the

and

genres. The song is a reference to the famous quote from

, "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution". Goldman never said these exact words but she did convey this idea in an encounter with a young revolutionary that she mentions in her autobiography ''

Living My Life ''Living My Life'' is the autobiography of Lithuanian-born anarchist Emma Goldman, who became internationally renowned as an activist based in the United States. It was published in two volumes in 1931 (Alfred A. Knopf) and 1934 (Garden City Publ ...

''. Lyrically, it finds Sophie tartly telling her stiff limbed lover, "Oh darling, don't be so unkind / The beat must never be denied".

Critical reception

The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Emily Mackay of

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wrote that "'If I Can't Dance', with its jerky,

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-esque rhythmm, is sure-footed sparkler." Kitty Empire of ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

'' called it "another delightfully self-aware cut which features our ice maiden twitching a buttock to some bloopy percolations", while Talia Kraines of

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio o ...

wrote that the song "transport us to a world where the glitter ball never stops spinning." K. Ross Hoffman of

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noted that it is a "

Xenomania Xenomania is an English songwriting and production team founded by Brian Higgins and based in Kent, England. Formed by Higgins with his Creative Director Miranda Cooper and Business Director Sarah Stennett of First Access Entertainment, Xenoman ...

-esque stomp." Nick Levine of

commented, "When she declares, halfway through the album, 'If I can't dance, I don't want any part of your revolution', you can't help but wonder, just for a moment, how on earth those pesky Frenchies of 1786 icref>The correct year was 1789. managed to storm the Bastille without ''Trip the Light Fantastic'' as a soundtrack."

Track listing

# "If I Can't Dance" – 3:26 # "Can't Have It All" – 4:11

Credits and personnel

*Songwriting – Sophie Ellis-Bextor,

*Production – Dimitri Tikovoi *Additional

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by Brio Taliaferro, Jeremy Wheatley *All instruments by Dimitri Tikovoi Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Trip the Light Fantastic'', Fascination Records.

References

{{authority control 2008 songs Sophie Ellis-Bextor songs Songs written by Sophie Ellis-Bextor Songs written by Dimitri Tikovoi Fascination Records singles 2007 songs Electropop songs Political songs