"Why Don't We Just Dance" is a song written by

Jim Beavers Jim Beavers is an American country music songwriter. Early life and education Jim Beavers grew up in Garland and Jacksonville, Texas. His educational background includes a BBA from Baylor University and an MBA from Vanderbilt University. Care ...

Jonathan Singleton Jonathan Singleton is a 2 time Grammy nominated American country music singer and songwriter who resides in Nashville, TN. He also won the ACM song of the year in 2022 with “Things a Man Oughtta Know” by Lainey Wilson, and the CMA album of t ...

, and Darrell Brown, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist Josh Turner. It was released in August 2009 as the lead-off single from his album '' Haywire'', which was released on February 9, 2010. It became Turner's third number one hit in February 2010, his first since " Would You Go With Me" in October 2006, and his longest stay at the top---four weeks. On May 24, 2010, the single was his fourth to be certified Gold by the RIAA.

Content

"Why Don't We Just Dance" is a moderate up-tempo song, featuring a production with piano, steel guitar fills, and fiddle. The song's narrator suggests to his lover that they dance in the living room to forget each other's troubles. Turner said the song, which was written by

, Jonathan Singleton, and Darrell Brown, caught his attention the first listen. "It's an up-tempo, traditional country song that has a very catchy melody with a lyric that poses the question 'why don't we just dance?' and forget about all of the bad stuff going on the world and just concentrate on each other."

Critical reception

"Why Don't We Just Dance" received mostly positive feedback from critics. Juli Thanki of Engine 145 gave the song a thumbs up, describing it as "three minutes of escapist fun, and Turner’s charming performance on the track is further proof that he’s one of country music’s most talented young A-listers; this may not be the greatest vocal turn of his career but it’s still a pleasure to listen to." She also drew comparisons to Neal McCoy’s 1995 single " They're Playin' Our Song" and Turner's 2007 single "

Firecracker A firecracker (cracker, noise maker, banger) is a small explosive device primarily designed to produce a large amount of noise, especially in the form of a loud bang, usually for celebration or entertainment; any visual effect is incidental t ...

". Bobby Peacock of Roughstock gave a positive review, describing the song as "a step in the right direction." He thought Turner's performance "recall dthe seductive swagger of

Conway Twitty Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...

" and praised the production for having "an infectious, syncopated rhythm and a catchy melody that shows off the deeper end of Josh's range quite effectively." Kevin J. Coyne of Country Universe gave the song a B rating. Although he thought that "Turner is charming as ever," he added that "he has a bit of trouble keeping up with the beat as he tosses off the lyrics" and said the song is "about as deep as Vegas rainfall."

Music video

The music video, which was directed by Deaton-Flanigen Productions, premiered on GAC's Monday Music Mania on October 5, 2009Country On Demand: Turner goes to GAC to debut 'Dance' video
and on CMT on October 8, 2009.CMT Videos: Music Binge - 10.8.09 : Why Don't We Just Dance
/ref> Turner is shown inside a house, observing a couple (played by real-life couple Ciaran McCarthy and Ashley Anderson) dancing in the living room. Throughout the video, the couple changes clothes and dancing styles, showcasing different decades beginning with the 1950s through present day. According to '' Country Weekly'' magazine, Turner was "elated to discover that he wouldn't have to do any acting" in the video. The video was ranked #39 on GAC's Top 50 Videos of the Year.

Personnel

* Lead Vocals: Josh Turner * Background Vocals: Wes Hightower and Russell Terrell * Drums:

Shannon Forrest Shannon Forrest (born August 22, 1973 in Easley, South Carolina) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. As a session drummer, he has contributed to the work of many well-known artists, and he is also a pr ...

* Bass: Kevin "Swine" Greantt * Acoustic guitar: Bryan Sutton * Electric guitar:

J. T. Corenflos Jerry Troy "J. T." Corenflos (November 6, 1963 – October 24, 2020), was an American session musician and country guitarist, who played on an estimated 75 Number One hit records as well as hundreds of other recordings and hits. He received 14 ...

and Brent Rowan * Piano: Gordon Mote * Fiddle:

Aubrey Haynie Aubrey Haynie (born March 27, 1974) is an American bluegrass musician who plays the fiddle and mandolin. In his career, he has recorded three studio albums for the Sugar Hill Records label, all three of which contained mostly songs that he wr ...

* Steel: Steve Hinson * Percussion: Eric Darken

Chart performance

"Why Don't We Just Dance" debuted at #57 on the U.S. ''Billboard''

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart for the week of September 5, 2009. On the week ending November 28, 2009, it also debuted at #99 on the U.S. ''Billboard''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

. In January 2010, it became his first Top 10 single since "

" reached #2 in 2007. On the chart week of February 20, 2010, it became his third Number One song and his first since " Would You Go with Me" in October 2006. It also debuted at #97 on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

chart for the week of February 20, 2010.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Josh Turner 2009 singles Josh Turner songs Songs written by Jonathan Singleton Music videos directed by Deaton-Flanigen Productions Songs written by Darrell Brown (musician) Songs written by Jim Beavers Song recordings produced by Frank Rogers (record producer) MCA Nashville Records singles 2009 songs