"Slow Dancing in the Dark" (stylized in

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) is a song by Japanese-Australian singer-songwriter Joji. It is the second single from his debut album, ''

Ballads 1 ''Ballads 1'' (stylized in all caps) is the debut studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Joji. It serves as a follow-up to '' In Tongues'' EP, his first project as Joji, and '' Pink Season'', his only album released under the now-retired alte ...

''. The song was written and produced by Joji and

Patrick Wimberly Jonathan Patrick Wimberly (born May 29, 1983) is an American record producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and mixing engineer best known as being one-half of the synth-pop duo Chairlift. The band parted ways in 2017 so Patrick and ...

. The song was chosen as

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

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) ...

's ''Hottest Record in the World'' for 18 September 2018.

Music video

A music video for the song was released the same day. Directed by Jared Hogan, the video features Miller in a white tuxedo smoking a cigarette and stumbling through city streets at night in emotional anguish. Later in the video, he is revealed to be a

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with an arrow in his back. He coughs up blood while splayed on an illuminated dance floor. He eventually collapses in a pool of blood. The final frame is used in the song's cover artwork. The video's visual style has been compared to that of director

David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. His films, mostly psychological thrillers and biographical dramas, have received 40 nominations at the Academy Awards, including three for him as Best Director. Fin ...

Remixes

An acoustic remix of "Slow Dancing in the Dark" was released as a single on 18 October 2018. It features Miller singing over a solo piano backing played by co-producer Carol Kuswanto. Remixes of the song by Mr. Mitch and

Loud Luxury Loud Luxury are a Canadian music production and DJ duo consisting of Andrew Fedyk and Joe Depace and currently based in Los Angeles. In 2017, they released a remix of the Martin Garrix and Dua Lipa single "Scared to Be Lonely", which gained the ...

were released on 9 November 2018.

Usage in media

A microwave-like 'ding' sound effect present in the song's pre-chorus spawned an

internet challenge Internet challenges are a genre of videos in which users record themselves performing an action, usually daring others to repeat it. They play a role in Internet meme, Internet meme culture, with many challenges spreading through such memes. Example ...

on short-form video service

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...

in 2019 known as the "Microwave Challenge". In the challenge, people were asked to spin themselves around while sitting on the floor, imitating food spinning in a microwave.

Personnel

;Original version Credits adapted from

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. * George Miller – songwriting, vocals, arrangement *

– production, recording, mixing, arrangement * Francisco "Frankie" Ramirez – recording * Chris Athens – mastering ;Acoustic Remix Credits adapted from

. * George Miller – production, songwriting, arrangement * Patrick Wimberly – production, arrangement * Carol Kuswanto – production * Francisco "Frankie" Ramirez – mastering, mixing, recording

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2018 songs 2018 singles Joji (musician) songs Sentimental ballads Song recordings produced by Patrick Wimberly Contemporary R&B songs