"Shut Up and Dance" (stylized as "SHUT UP + DANCE") is a song by American
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
band
Walk the Moon
Walk the Moon (stylized as WALK THE MOON) is an American rock band based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Lead singer Nicholas Petricca started the band in 2006, while a student at Kenyon College, deriving the band's name from the song "Walking on the M ...
from their third studio album ''
Talking Is Hard
''Talking Is Hard'' is the third studio album by American rock band Walk the Moon, released on December 2, 2014, by RCA Records. The band chose to work with Tim Pagnotta to produce an album that would explore different influences and sounds to d ...
'' (2014).
It was written by the band members and songwriters
Ben Berger and
Ryan McMahon. The song is based on an experience lead singer
Nicholas Petricca
Walk the Moon (stylized as WALK THE MOON) is an American rock band based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Lead singer Nicholas Petricca started the band in 2006, while a student at Kenyon College, deriving the band's name from the song "Walking on the ...
had at a
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
nightclub. His girlfriend invited him to dance, inspiring the title. Petricca envisioned the song as an
anthem for letting go of frustration and having fun. The song was
digitally released as the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
from ''Talking Is Hard'' on September 10, 2014.
The song became the band's biggest
hit single to date, peaking at number four on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and becoming a number-one hit on the magazine's
Alternative Songs chart and the Hot Adult Contemporary chart. Outside of the United States, "Shut Up and Dance" topped the charts in Poland, peaked within the top ten of the charts in Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom, the top 20 of the charts in New Zealand and Sweden, and the top 30 of the charts in the Netherlands. The band has performed "Shut Up and Dance" on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...
'', ''
Late Night with Seth Meyers'', ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was pro ...
'' and ''
Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...
''.
Background
The song originated between vocalist Nicholas Petricca and guitarist Eli Maiman, who first developed the verse and found something infectious about it.
The following weekend, Petricca went to a party named Funky Soul Saturday at
The Echo in
Echo Park
Echo Park is a neighborhood in the east-central region of Los Angeles, California. Located to the northwest of Downtown, it is bordered by Silver Lake to the west and Chinatown to the east. The culturally diverse neighborhood has become known f ...
,
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, while feeling frustrated with the writing process.
Petricca recalled, "We were at the bar, and it was taking forever to get a drink. I was frustrated because there was great music playing and I wanted to be out there."
His girlfriend, in "a backless dress and beat up red
Chucks
Chuck Taylor All-Stars or Converse All Stars (also referred to as "Converse", "Chuck Taylors", "Chucks", "Cons", "All Stars", and "Chucky Ts") is a model of casual shoe manufactured by Converse (a subsidiary of Nike, Inc. since 2003) that was ...
", abruptly invited him to dance with her, inspiring the song's title.
Petricca later went home to work on the song and incorporated his experiences into the song's lyrics. After creating the song's main refrain, he began picturing himself in
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
: an "incredibly uncomfortable, awkward adolescent dude"; he imagined the song as an "anthem for the dork who is 100 percent me".
In an interview with ''
American Songwriter
''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
History
The ''American Songwri ...
'', he summarized the song's theme as: "Encouraging people to let go of whatever it is that’s bothering you and get into your body and out of your head."
In terms of the song's music, Petricca highlighted three songs that were instrumental in its creation: "
Just What I Needed
"Just What I Needed" is a song by American rock band The Cars from their self-titled debut album (1978). The song, which first achieved radio success as a demo, took inspiration from the Ohio Express and the Velvet Underground. The song is sun ...
" (1978) by
The Cars
The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes (keyboards), ...
, "
Hit Me with Your Best Shot" (1980) by
Pat Benatar
Patricia Mae Giraldo ('' née'' Andrzejewski, formerly Benatar; born January 10, 1953), known professionally as Pat Benatar, is an American rock singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has had two multi-platinum albums, five platinum al ...
, and "
Jessie's Girl
"Jessie's Girl" is a song written and performed by Australian singer Rick Springfield. It was released on the album '' Working Class Dog'', which was released in February 1981. The song is about unrequited love and centers on a young man in lov ...
" (1981) by
Rick Springfield
Richard Lewis Springthorpe (born 23 August 1949), known professionally as Rick Springfield, is an Australian-American musician and actor. He was a member of the pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971, then started his solo career with his debut ...
, which he deemed "simple and beautiful and in-your-face rock songs" that captured the sound the band desired. The song is inspired by
the music of the 1980s, which the group felt was a time in which "weird" was celebrated, in both music and fashion.
"Shut Up and Dance" premiered on the radio station
101 WKQX in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
on June 22, 2014.
It was released
digitally as the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
from ''
Talking Is Hard
''Talking Is Hard'' is the third studio album by American rock band Walk the Moon, released on December 2, 2014, by RCA Records. The band chose to work with Tim Pagnotta to produce an album that would explore different influences and sounds to d ...
'' on September 10, 2014.
On November 11, 2014, the song was made available in the United States as a free single on
iTunes.
Composition and lyrics
"Shut Up and Dance" is a
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
,
power pop
Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and c ...
,
synth rock,
and
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
song that is driven by
synthesizer and
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 ...
groove
Groove or Grooves may refer to:
Music
* Groove (music)
* Groove (drumming)
* The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s
* The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station
* Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station
...
s.
It incorporates production that is reminiscent of the 1980s, with gated
ambience added to the drums, sheeny synth pads, reversed snare 'whooshes', and stadium-sized
reverb
Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, after a sound is produced. Reverberation is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing numerous reflections to build up and then decay as the sound is abs ...
and
delay
Delay (from Latin: dilatio) may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Delay 1968'', a 1981 album by German experimental rock band Can
* ''The Delay'', a 2012 Uruguayan film
People
* B. H. DeLay (1891–1923), American aviator and acto ...
effects.
Steve Baltin and Shirley Halperin of ''
Billboard'' called the song a "
new-wave throwback", while ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
''s Brittany Spanos referred to it as "a
Killers-style update on Eighties
pop hits" such as "
And We Danced" (1985) by
the Hooters
The Hooters are an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band combines elements of rock, reggae, ska, and folk music to create its sound.
The Hooters first gained major commercial success in the United States in the mid-198 ...
.
Mike Wass of ''
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 ...
'' saw the song as "tapping into a '
80s rock sound" similar to the band
Bleachers.
The song is composed in
common time
The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note val ...
and written in the key of
D♭ major
D-flat major (or the key of D-flat) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B and C. Its key signature has five flats. It is enharmonically equivalent to C-sharp major.
The D-flat major scale is:
:
Its ...
with a fast
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 (ofte ...
of 128
beats per minute
Beat, beats or beating may refer to:
Common uses
* Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area
** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols
** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men
* Battery ...
.
Ryan Reed of ''Billboard'' described Petricca's vocal performance as "flaunt
nghis emotive yelp" over the track.
The song makes use of jangling guitars, thunderous pounds, and retro synths that play over a grumbling
disco bass.
It additionally includes an open and closed
hi-hat pattern, handclaps, and a synth
solo
Solo or SOLO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Comics
* ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series
* Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics
Characters
* Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character
* Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...
.
The intro is constructed by two guitar parts, with the first one "playing the arpeggio of the main
riff
A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or acc ...
", while the other "play
16th notes on muted strings". According to Maiman, the combination of the two guitars resulted in a helicopter' sound", which "is thickened with a dotted eighth note delay set".
The main riff itself, also processed with digital delay, was seen as having been influenced by
the Edge
David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing voca ...
of
U2.
"Shut Up and Dance" is largely based on Petricca's experience that night at The Echo, containing specific lyrical references that refer back to it.
The song finds the singer taking to the dance floor with a female friend who wears "
backless dress and some beat up sneaks", referring to her as his "discotheque, Juliet teenage dream". The
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 ...
, consisting of two "shut up and dance with me"
hook
A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...
-lines, is accentuated by
kick drum
The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. Th ...
hits and accompanied by
gang vocals
Screaming is an extended vocal technique that is popular in "aggressive" music genres such as heavy metal, punk rock, and noise music and others. It is common in the more extreme subgenres of heavy metal, such as death and black metal as w ...
.
Jeff Miers of ''
The Buffalo News
''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It recently sold its headquarters to Uniland Development Corp. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by W ...
'' said that the lyrics "boast the sort of everyman relatability that is required of a pop hit".
Critical reception
Upon the song's release, Mike Wass of ''Idolator'' said "Shut Up and Dance" is "pretty irresistible" with its "monstrous chorus and a plethora of hooks".
''Billboard''s Ryan Reed gave the song a four and a half stars out of five, mentioning how Petricca's vocal runs are "catchier than most bands' choruses".
''
AbsolutePunk''s Anthony Sorendino wrote that the track is not "a cookie cutter chorus rigged to a cheap set of verses" and that the chord progression is what sells it.
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
's James Christopher Monger described the song as a "pulsing, closing credits-ready anthem that oozes upbeat millennial enthusiasm" while having "just enough angst to evoke a Breakfast Club post-lunch therapy session".
Mitchell Bozzetto of ''
Renowned for Sound
''Renowned for Sound'' is an Australian online magazine
An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a pri ...
'' felt it is one of the better tracks off ''Talking Is Hard'', saying "its catchy chorus and overall refreshing atmosphere is quite enjoyable".
The staff of ''
Alternative Addiction
Alternative Addiction was an American daily Internet publication devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus was on Alternative rock. It was in operation from 1999 to 2020.
History
The website was origin ...
'' picked "Shut Up and Dance" as the top song of 2014, writing that "there isn't a song that's been as catchy or as good released in a long time". Chris DeVille of ''
Stereogum
''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine.
''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...
'' placed it at number 43 on his "50 Best Pop Songs of 2015" list, saying the song is "proof positive" that one does not "have to innovate or
etrendy to score a hit,
hey
Hey or Hey! may refer to:
Music
* Hey (band), a Polish rock band
Albums
* ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014
* ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980
* ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...
just have to ''write'' a hit". ''
Consequence of Sound
''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
'' ranked it as the 235th best number one ''Billboard'' alternative rock hit in 2017. Killian Young, writing for the publication, viewed the song as "
sipid pop", but complimented its catchiness and called the chorus "crowd-pleasing".
The song is considered by
''Billboard'' to be heavily influenced by
The Edge
David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing voca ...
of
U2 and
''Vulture'' describes how the opening riff resembles U2's "''
Where the Streets Have No Name
"Where the Streets Have No Name" is a song by Irish rock music, rock band U2. It is the opening track from their 1987 album ''The Joshua Tree'' and was released as the album's third single (music), single in August 1987. The song's hook (music) ...
''".
Commercial performance
North America
"Shut Up and Dance" began topping streaming service
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
's viral top 50 chart in November 2014.
The song peaked at number one on ''Billboard''s
Alternative Songs chart (it is the band's second top-ten hit on the chart after "
Anna Sun") in the issue dated February 18, 2015, where it made RCA Records only the second label to receive three consecutive number-one hits on the chart (and first in two decades). It also concurrently hit number one on the
Rock Airplay
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...
chart.
The song debuted on the all-genre
Hot 100 on November 22, 2014, at position 98,
where it stayed there for two weeks before leaving the chart. It re-entered the charts the following week at number 88. It eventually peaked at number 4 on the chart in the ''Billboard'' issue of May 30, 2015, becoming Walk the Moon's first top-ten single in the United States. As of January 21, 2016, it has sold 3,231,080 copies domestically.
[ ] The song broke the record for the longest reign atop ''Billboard''
Hot Rock Songs
Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (formerly known as Rock Songs and Hot Rock Songs) is a record chart published by '' Billboard'' magazine. From its debut on June 20, 2009, through October 13, 2012, the chart ranked the airplay of songs across alterna ...
chart at 27 consecutive weeks, now held by
Panic! at the Disco's "
High Hopes". "Shut Up and Dance" also entered the
Canadian Hot 100 at position 99 for the week ending February 28, 2015. The song peaked at number four and remained in that position for seven consecutive weeks from May 30, 2015, to July 11, 2015. As of August 11, 2015, "Shut Up and Dance" has been certified triple platinum by
Music Canada and has sold over 321,000 copies.
Europe and Oceania
"Shut Up and Dance" made its first chart appearance internationally in the Netherlands on the
Singles Top 100
The Dutch Single Top 100 or Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales, legal downloads and since July 2013 streaming and composed by Dutch Charts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the Dut ...
chart at number sixty-five. The song peaked at number 28 on January 7, 2015, and remained there for two non-consecutive weeks.
"Shut Up and Dance" proved to be a bigger success in Sweden, entering at position 58 on the
Swedish Singles Chart
Sverigetopplistan (, lit. "the Sweden top list") is the Swedish national record chart, formerly known as Topplistan (1975–1997) and Hitlistan (1998–2007) and known by its current name since October 2007, based on sales data from the Swedish ...
on January 16, 2015. The song reached number 24 on February 27, 2015, before beginning to descend down the chart for the next few weeks. The song began to gain in performance again and entered the top 20 at number 18 on April 27, 2015. "Shut Up and Dance" peaked at number 12 on May 8, 2015, a position it held for two non-consecutive weeks,
and has been certified quadruple platinum by the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry of Sweden as of September 23, 2015.
In Ireland, "Shut Up and Dance" debuted at number 91 on the
Irish Singles Chart. On July 24, 2015, the song peaked at number two and stayed there for four non-consecutive weeks. In Poland, the song reached number one on the
Polish Airplay Chart for one week on August 7, 2015.
According to the
Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry
The Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry ( pl, Związek Producentów Audio-Video, ZPAV) is the trade organization that represents the interests of the music industry in Poland, and the Polish chapter of the International Federation of the ...
, "Shut Up and Dance" was the most played song in Poland.
In Australia, "Shut Up and Dance" made its first appearance on the Australian Hitseekers chart at number eight on March 30, 2015. The song made its official debut on the
Australian Singles Chart a week later at number 58 on April 6, 2015. On its second week, "Shut Up and Dance" rose to number 41 on April 13, 2015. On April 20, 2015, the song entered the top 20, moving up 24 positions to number 17. "Shut Up and Dance" leaped 12 positions to number five on April 27, 2015, its highest charted position in any region at the time. On May 11, 2015, the song peaked at number three for two consecutive weeks. The song dropped to number 11 on August 3, 2015, after spending three months within the top 10. As of August 22, 2015, "Shut Up and Dance" has been certified quadruple platinum by the
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...
(ARIA) for shipments of over 210,000 copies.
In the United Kingdom, the single debuted at number seventy-five on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
for the week ending June 13, 2015. The following week, it flew 67 places to number eight. The next week, it climbed three places to number five. On its fourth week on the chart, it climbed to number four, where it peaked and remained for two weeks. It spent thirteen weeks in the top ten of the UK Singles Chart, which were all consecutive. It fell out of the top ten on the week ending September 17, 2015, having spent just under three months in the top ten. It re-entered the top 40 at number twenty seven for the week ending January 7, 2016. It fell to number thirty one the following week, before dropping out again. It has re-entered on four different occasions since, spending 72 total weeks in the top 100.
Music video
The
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 ...
for "Shut Up and Dance", directed by Josh Forbes and co-directed by the band members, was shot in Los Angeles in September 2014.
It first premiered on the
internet radio
Online radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, Internet radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted ...
network
8tracks on October 22, 2014, before it went live on Walk the Moon's
Vevo
Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...
account a day later.
Petricca described the video as "a trippy story of dork victory" that was "
fluenced by the plot- driven music videos of the 80s and nerdy visuals of 90s television".
In an interview with
Mashable, he said that the band intended for it "to be kooky, but also stylish
ith
The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany.
Geography
Location
The Ith is immediatel ...
a story you could follow" like the video for
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
's "
Beat It" (1983).
The clip features graphics similar to those used in the opening of ''
Saved by the Bell
''Saved by the Bell'' is an American television sitcom created by Sam Bobrick for NBC. The series premiered, in primetime, on August 20, 1989, a Sunday night. Targeted at kids and teens, ''Saved by the Bell'' was broadcast in the United States ...
'' (1989–93) that take over the screen.
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 Lauretta Charlton wrote that the video's plot "is a retelling of th
events" at The Echo, with the exception of "look
nglike it was filmed in a laser-tag arena instead of a nightclub".
Lauren Taft stars alongside Petricca as the "woman of his dreams" that he meets on the dance floor, mouthing the lyrics to the song as they dance together. There are several cameos like Russell Wilson.
''Idolator''s Mike Wass called it a "hilarious visual" where "things get really weird thanks to a serious case of dance floor concussion". ''Stereogum''s Chris DeVille said the video is "an excellent sendup" that pointedly embraces its '80s influences as "a knowing pastiche of side ponytails, neon, and references to early
MTV". MTV's Gil Kaufman remarked that the video is "so retro it might give
Simon LeBon
Simon John Charles Le Bon (born 27 October 1958) is a British singer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the new wave band Duran Duran and its offshoot Arcadia. Le Bon has received three Ivor Novello Awards from the Britis ...
whiplash".
It received a nomination at the
2015 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Rock Video, but lost to
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...
's "
Uma Thurman
Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress and former model. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 an ...
" (2015).
Live performances and other usage
Walk the Moon played "Shut Up and Dance" live for the first time at
Saint Louis University.
The song received its first televised appearance on September 15, 2014, on ''
Late Night with Seth Meyers''.
Starting in October, the band went on a North American tour to promote the song called the Shut Up and Tour (2014).
Upon the release of ''Talking Is Hard'', the band played the song along with "Anna Sun" on ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' on December 2, 2014. It was later included on the setlist of their Talking Is Hard Tour the following year in support of the album.
On February 19, 2015, the band performed it on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...
''. In March of that year, Walk the Moon performed the song on ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was pro ...
''. The band performed the song on ''
The Today Show
''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It ...
'' on April 15, 2015. They performed it on ''
Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...
'' on July 10, 2015, in New York's
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...
. Since the band hails from
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
, "Shut Up and Dance" and "
Different Colors" was performed in front of a hometown audience at the
2015 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby at
Great American Ball Park
Great American Ball Park is a baseball stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. It served as the home stadium of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB), and opened on March 31, 2003, replacing Cinergy Field (formerly Riverfront Stadium), the Reds ...
prior to the start of the exhibition contest on July 13, 2015. The band made a guest appearance at
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
's
1989 World Tour, performing the song together on July 24 in
Foxborough, Massachusetts. Walk the Moon performed the song at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards pre-show on August 30, 2015, where the band played on a circular, multicolored stage prior to the show's start. On December 31, 2015, the band performed the song on
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve
''Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve'' (''NYRE'') is an annual New Year's Eve television special broadcast by ABC. The special broadcasts primarily from New York City's Times Square and prominently features coverage of its annual ball drop ev ...
in
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
. On February 13, 2016, the band performed "Shut Up and Dance" and "
Work This Body" at the
2016 NBA All-Star Game in
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 ...
, Canada.
The song is featured in the 2018 American Broadway musical, ''
Moulin Rouge!
''Moulin Rouge!'' (, ) is a 2001 jukebox musical romantic drama film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It follows a young English poet, Christian, who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and cour ...
'', mashed up with
Pink
Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
's "
Raise Your Glass
"Raise Your Glass" is a song by American singer Pink (singer), Pink from her first greatest hits album, greatest hits compilation ''Greatest Hits... So Far!!! (Pink album), Greatest Hits... So Far!!!'' (2010). The song was written by Pink, Max Ma ...
".
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...
sang a gender-flip version of this song on her television variety talk show ''
The Kelly Clarkson Show
''The Kelly Clarkson Show'' is an American daytime television variety talk show hosted by American singer Kelly Clarkson. It is produced and distributed by NBCUniversal Syndication Studios and features Clarkson interviewing celebrities and seg ...
''.
The song is used as a
walk-on music by
PDC darts
Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small sharp-pointed missiles known as darts at a round target known as a dartboard.
Points can be scored by hitting specific marked areas of the bo ...
player
Michael Smith.
Track listing
*Digital download
# "Shut Up and Dance" – 3:17
*CD single
# "Shut Up and Dance" – 3:17
# "Shut Up and Dance" (Live at Sirius XM) – 3:15
*Digital download – Acoustic
# "Shut Up and Dance" (Acoustic) – 3:13
# "
Different Colors" (Acoustic) – 3:24
*Digital download – White Panda Remix
# "Shut Up and Dance" (White Panda Remix) – 3:41
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Talking Is Hard''.
Locations
* Recorded at Rancho Pagzilla,
North Hollywood, California
North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North H ...
* Mixed at The Casita,
Hollywood, California
* Mastered at
Sterling Sound,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
Personnel
* Nick Petricca – vocals, keyboards, percussion, programming,
songwriting
A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...
* Kevin Ray – bass, vocals, songwriting
* Sean Waugaman – percussion, vocals, songwriting
* Eli Maiman – guitar, vocals, programming, songwriting
*
Ben Berger – songwriting, vocal production, co-production
*
Ryan McMahon – songwriting, vocal production, co-production
* Jarett Holmes – programming, recording, digital editing
* Tim Pagnotta –
production
Production may refer to:
Economics and business
* Production (economics)
* Production, the act of manufacturing goods
* Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services)
* Production as a stati ...
,
recording
A record, recording or records may refer to:
An item or collection of data Computing
* Record (computer science), a data structure
** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity
** Boot sector or boot record, r ...
* Brian Phillips – digital editing
* Allen Casillas – digital editing
* Ryan Gillmore – digital editing
* Mauro Rubbi – drum technician
* Andrew "Muffman" Luftman – recording assistant
* Kuk Harrell – vocal recording
* Marcos Tovar – vocal recording
* Blake Mares – assistant engineer
* Robert Cohen – assistant engineer
*
Neal Avron
Neal Avron (born December 31, 1965) is an American record producer, mixer, audio engineer, and musician. Working predominantly in rock music, Avron began working on records in 1993 and achieved his production breakthrough when he co-produced Ev ...
–
mixing
* Scott Skrzynski – mixing assistant
* Joe LaPorta – mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
All-time charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
*
List of best-selling singles in Australia
This is a list of highest-certified singles in Australia according to the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Since 1983, ARIA certifies a single Platinum for shipment of 70,000 copies across Australia. Single figures can include "q ...
*
List of number-one singles of 2015 (Poland)
This is a list of the songs that reached number-one position in official Polish single chart in ZPAV in 2015.
Chart history
Number-one artists
See also
* Polish Music Charts
References
{{Polish Music Charts
Poland
Poland, ...
*
List of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top 10 singles in 2015
*
List of number-one ''Billboard'' Rock Songs
*
List of Billboard Adult Contemporary number ones of 2015
*
List of Adult Top 40 number-one songs of the 2010s
*
List of number-one ''Billboard'' Alternative Songs of 2015
References
External links
Official videoon
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 ...
{{Authority control
2014 songs
2014 singles
American new wave songs
American pop rock songs
American power pop songs
Synth rock songs
Number-one singles in Poland
RCA Records singles
Songs about dancing
Songs written by Ben Berger
Songs written by Ryan McMahon (record producer)
Walk the Moon songs