"Last Dance" is a song by English-Albanian singer

Dua Lipa Dua Lipa ( , ; born ) is an English and Albanian singer and songwriter. Possessing a mezzo-soprano vocal range, she is known for her signature disco- pop sound. Lipa has received numerous accolades, including six Brit Awards, three Gramm ...

from her eponymous debut studio album (2017). The song was written by Lipa,

Talay Riley Talay Riley is a British singer-songwriter. Career At the age of 18, Talay Riley signed his first major publishing deal with Global Publishing. His first appearance was in 2009, when he appeared on rapper Chipmunk's single which peaked at num ...

and its producer Stephen "Koz" Kozmeniuk. The song was released for digital download and

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

on 9February 2016 through Dua Lipa Limited, after having premiered on

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a day earlier. It is a

chillwave Chillwave (originally considered synonymous with glo-fi and hypnagogic pop) is a music microgenre that emerged in the late 2000s. It loosely emulates 1980s electropop while engaging with notions of memory and nostalgia. Common features inclu ...

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 ...

and post-EDM song that features a

contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

-heavy production. Lipa was inspired by being tired and homesick, and lyrically, she sings about a relationship that could crash at any second. "Last Dance" received acclaim from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, with many praising Lipa's vocals. The song peaked at number four on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''s Twitter Emerging Artists chart. An accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

premiered via

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

on 18February 2016. It was directed and produced by both Jon Brewer and Ian Blair, and was filmed in California's

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

s. The song appeared in an advert for Lipa's campaign with

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and was promoted by her with numerous live performances in 2016, mainly on her Hotter than Hell Tour.

Background and composition

"Last Dance" was written by

and Stephen "Koz" Kozmeniuk, with the latter of the three solely handling production. They wrote the song in October 2014 during the singer's first trip to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, after she had many failed writing sessions attempting to recreate the sound of " Hotter than Hell" (2016). It was her third writing session in a day and Lipa decided to write about the fact that she was tired and homesick. Lipa recalled writing the song as "a very honest moment," being able to capture her feelings in that exact moment. She went on to say that every time she listens to the song, Lipa recalls that moment. After leaving the session, Lipa was unsure about the song, though after hearing the finished version, she fell in love with it. Lipa stated that it is the sound she wanted her album to have and is the song she would take to producers and say "this is my sound." "Last Dance" was recorded at KasaKoz Studios in Toronto while the vocals were recorded at TaP Studio / Strongroom 7 in London. Mixing took place at BabelFish Studios by Matty Green and the song was mastered by John Davis at

Metropolis Studios Metropolis Studios is a music production and entertainment industry company established in 1989 by Gary Langan, Carey Taylor and Karin Clayton.Donald Brackett It is located in the Powerhouse, a Grade II listed building, at 70 Chiswick High Ro ...

in London. Musically, "Last Dance" is a

and post-EDM song. It runs for 3 minutes and 48 seconds, and follows a structure of verse,

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

, verse, bridge, chorus,

middle eight The 32-bar form, also known as the AABA song form, American popular song form and the ballad form, is a song structure commonly found in Tin Pan Alley songs and other American popular music, especially in the first half of the 20th century. A ...

breakdown Breakdown may refer to: Breaking down *Breakdown (vehicle), failure of a motor vehicle in such a way that it cannot be operated *Chemical decomposition, also called chemical breakdown, the breakdown of a substance into simpler components *Decompo ...

. The song is composed in time and the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

A minor A minor is a minor scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has no flats and no sharps. Its relative major is C major and its parallel major is A major. The A natural minor scale is: : Changes ...

, with a driving beat

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 120 beats per minute and a

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

of F(add2)–Am–C/G. Lipa's vocals span from the low note of A₃ to the high note of D₅, showing a sense of urgency with them and using looped vocals. The track begins slowly, with Lipa vocally whispering. It builds up to where Lipa is enunciating every lyric. The

is mostly instrumental, featuring

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

sounds and a

beat. The

contains a breakdown, where Lipa vocally hits her high notes. The track has a

dance-heavy, tribal and glitchy production with

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

synth chords and a

bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, or classical music for the low-pitched Part ( ...

rumble. Lyrically, the song contains

Tumblr Tumblr (stylized as tumblr; pronounced "tumbler") is an American microblogging and social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and currently owned by Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content to a sho ...

-inspired lyrics about an intense relationship that could crash at any second.

Release and promotion

In October 2015, Lipa revealed that the song would be released in January of the following year. "Last Dance" premiered on 8February 2016 via

Annie Mac Annie Mac (born 18 July 1978), is an Irish DJ, broadcaster and writer. She hosted a variety of shows on BBC Radio 1, including BBC Switch and ''Future Sounds''. She also DJed in various locations, including hosting her AMP (Annie Mac Presents) ...

show. The song was released for digital download and

the following day through Lipa's

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

, Dua Lipa Limited, as the third

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from her eponymous debut studio album. It first appeared as the third track on the Austrian, German, and Swiss-exclusive

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) for the singer's previous single " Be the One", released on 19February 2016.Citations regarding the "Be the One" digital EP release: * * * The song was included as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

of the

CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...

for "Be the One" which was released on 11March 2016. Remixes by Coucheron and Stefan Ponce were released on 25March 2016. The song was intended to be the second track on the album but was ultimately removed from the standard track listing and included as the closing track on the deluxe edition, released 2June 2017. However, it appears as the second track on the Austrian, German and Swiss version of the album. In2018, the song was included in an advert for Lipa's campaign with

, titled "Join The Pace". Lipa performed "Last Dance" for the first time on 13January 2016 at the

Eurosonic Eurosonic Noorderslag is an annual four-day music showcase festival and conference held in January in Groningen, Netherlands. The first three days of the festival (Eurosonic) feature artists from all over Europe, the last day of the festival (No ...

festival. It was also included on the set list for Lipa's Hotter than Hell Tour (2016). Lipa performed the song in 2016 during her

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

push artist live performance. She also performed the song for her MTV Setlist show on 20November 2016 at the

Iridium Iridium is a chemical element with the symbol Ir and atomic number 77. A very hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal of the platinum group, it is considered the second-densest naturally occurring metal (after osmium) with a density of ...

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Music video

The

for "Last Dance" was directed and produced by Jon Brewer alongside Ian Blair, while edited by Jackson Ducasse. It premiered to YouTube on 18February 2016. The visual was filmed during December 2015 in the

s of California, with Lipa recalling that it was really cold in the state. It opens with Lipa in a red-lit bathroom, going into a bath and coming out of a lake in a technicoloured rainforest. She then begins to run and dance in the forest, wearing a T-shirt dress. In another scene, Lipa is seen wearing a black bra and mesh pants. At multiple points, the visuals flicker into 3D territory. Lipa is also seen dancing with her hands up in a looped fragment, as well as making an

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

hand gesture for nodding to her Kosovan heritage.

Reception

"Last Dance" was met with acclaim from

. Kim Taylor Bennett of ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...

'' compared the song to the works of

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

, calling it "ballsy" and "beautiful." She went on to praise Lipa's vocal flexibility, writing her voice is "powerful one minute and a magnetically vulnerable the next." Writing for ''Pulse Media'', Jessica Boyle also compared the song to Rihanna and categorized the lyrics as "standalone," and Lipa's voice as "smokey." She concluded that it would sound nice with a club remix. In ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'', Ailbhe Malone praised the song's production and lyrics mix, while comparing the breakdown in the middle eight to

Cashmere Cat Magnus August Høiberg (born 29 November 1987), known professionally as Cashmere Cat, is a Norwegian DJ, record producer, songwriter and musician. He is best known for producing songs for artists including Kanye West, The Kid Laroi, Selena Gomez ...

. ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

''s Justin McCraw commended Lipa's vocals but also said that it is not "vocally adventurous". He concluded by stating the song "is worth getting hurt over". William Defebaugh of '' V'' noted that the song highlights Lipa's "strong, sultry vocals" and "savy song-writing skills". ''

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

''s Bianca Gracie called "Last Dance" a "flirty

une Une is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Eastern Province, Cundinamarca, Eastern Province, part of the Departments of Colombia, department of Cundinamarca Department, Cundinamarca. The urban centre is located at an altitude of at a dista ...

that will "immediately hit you at your waistline," courtesy of Lipa's "sultry and bold" vocals. She went on to call the production "fluttering" and the song as a whole a "solid future festival staple." For ''A Bit of Pop Music'', Michiel Vos praised Lipa's vocal abilities and compared the chorus to

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...

's '' Purpose'' (2015), and

Major Lazer Major Lazer is an American electronic dance music DJ trio, which includes record producer Diplo, and DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. It originates from Kingston, Jamaica, and was founded in 2008 by Diplo and Switch, with Switch leaving after t ...

. Sebas E. Alonso of ''Jenesaispop'' also compared the song to the music of Major Lazer, while '' The 405''s Sean Ward called it "thrilling." For '' Clash'', Robin Murray called the track "gorgeous" and "infectious," with "innate energy" and a "real pop intelligence." "Last Dance" peaked at number four on the US ''

'' Twitter Emerging Artists chart, lasting for seven weeks on the chart.

Track listings

*Digital download and streaming # "Last Dance" – 3:48 *Digital download and streaming – remixes # "Last Dance" (Stefan Ponce remix) – 4:57 # "Last Dance" (Coucheron remix) – 3:02

Personnel

vocals * Stephen "Koz" Kozmeniuk production, keyboards, programming, backing vocals *

backing vocals * Matt Vlahovich additional keyboards * Michael Sonnier engineering assistance * Matty Green mixing * John Davis mastering

Certifications

Release history

Footnotes

References

External links

* *
Lyrics of this song
at

MetroLyrics MetroLyrics was a website dedicated to song lyrics. It was founded in December 2002, and its database contained over one million songs by over 16,000 artists. Unlike other lyric websites, MetroLyrics places a warning on songs that contain expli ...

{{Authority control 2016 singles 2016 songs Chillwave Dua Lipa songs Songs written by Talay Riley Songs written by Dua Lipa Songs written by Stephen Kozmeniuk