"Work This Body" is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band Walk the Moon for their third studio album, '' Talking Is Hard'' (2014). It was written by all four members of the band and John Ryan. The song was sent to US

alternative radio Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...

stations by

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

as the album's 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 ...

on February 23, 2016. A

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

song with Latin American influence and a

worldbeat Worldbeat is a music genre that blends pop music or rock music with world music or traditional music. Worldbeat is similar to other cross-pollination labels of contemporary and roots genres, and which suggest a rhythmic, harmonic or textural con ...

element, its lyrics are about getting in shape and motivating one's self to go after their dreams without succumbing to their fears. "Work This Body" was met with mostly positive reviews from music critics, receiving praise for its movable groove and hook. Following the song's release, it reached number 34 on the ''

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 ...

Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart. The song's

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 ...

, directed by the band and

Isaac Rentz Isaac Rentz (born August 21, 1982) is an American feature film, music video, and commercial director. Biography Rentz was born in Japan, and was raised in Tempe, Arizona. He was signed to Draw Pictures for UK and US music video representati ...

, was released on February 12, 2016. It portrays a kid who starts a food fight during a school talent show while the band performs the song dressed as superheroes surrounded in 1980s video game imagery. The song was included on Walk the Moon's setlist for the Talking Is Hard Tour (2015) and performed live at events such as '' Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve'' and the NBA All-Star Weekend's Slam Dunk Contest.

Background and composition

"Work This Body" was written by all four members of Walk the Moon with John Ryan and recorded at Rancho Pagzilla in North Hollywood, California. The band's drummer Sean Waugaman utilized fifteen different percussion instruments in the song. Frontman Nicholas Petricca recounted how the live room after the song's recording was "completely trashed with every percussion instrument that

e could E, or e, is the fifth letter and the second vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''e'' (pronounced ); plura ...

think of", which included timbales and

shakers The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, more commonly known as the Shakers, are a Millenarianism, millenarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian sect founded in England and then organized in the Unit ...

, explaining its

element. Additionally, Petricca cited the

guitar solo A guitar solo is a melodic passage, instrumental section, or entire piece of music, pre-written (or improvised) to be played on a classical guitar, electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. In 20th and 21st century traditional music and popular m ...

featured in

Jimmy Eat World Jimmy Eat World is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Mesa, Arizona. The band is composed of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach Lind. They h ...

's " The Middle" as the inspiration for the one found in "Work This Body". It was produced by Tim Pagnotta and mixed by

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 Eve ...

at The Casita in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, California. Mastering was done by Joe LaPorta at

Sterling Sound George Marino (April 15, 1947 – June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He at ...

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 ...

. The song's

cover was designed by Jason Matheny, who worked on the band's cover designs for the '' Talking Is Hard'' album and the ''

Different Colors "Different Colors" is a song written and recorded by American rock band Walk the Moon for their second studio album, ''Talking Is Hard'' (2014). The song was released to US alternative radio stations by RCA Records as the album's second single ...

'' EP. According to the song's sheet music published by

Sony/ATV Music Publishing Sony Music Publishing (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is the largest music publisher in the world, with over five million songs owned or administered as of end March 2021. US-based, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is itself owned ...

, "Work This Body" is composed in time and the key of

E major E major (or the key of E) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, ...

at an "upbeat and peppy"

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 134 beats per minute. The song has a melody that spans a tonal range of B₃ to B₅. It has been described as a

song with a "vaguely Caribbean lilt" and was compared to the works of

Bleachers Bleachers (North American English), or stands, are raised, tiered rows of benches found at sports fields and other spectator events. Stairways provide access to the horizontal rows of seats, often with every other step gaining access to a row ...

Fun Fun is defined by the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' as "Light-hearted pleasure, enjoyment, or amusement; boisterous joviality or merrymaking; entertainment". Etymology and usage The word ''fun'' is associated with sports, entertaining medi ...

Steel Train Steel Train was an indie rock band from New Jersey. They have toured with The Juliana Theory, Tegan and Sara, Girl in a Coma, Ben Folds, The Fray, Silversun Pickups, Hanson, The Format, Gomez, O.A.R., Something Corporate, Jack's Mannequin, Baren ...

, Vampire Weekend, and

Animal Collective Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). The band's work is characterized ...

. Jade Wright of the ''

Liverpool Echo The ''Liverpool Echo'' is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales – a subsidiary company of Reach plc and is based in St Paul's Square, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Sunday, and is Liverp ...

'' wrote that the beginning of the track sounds "very much" like "

A Little Respect A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

" by Erasure. Petricca told ''Billboard'' Argentina that "Work This Body" has a lot of Latin American influence and described its rhythm and percussion as having "a very Zamba vibe". Bassist Kevin Ray said that the track has a "special dynamic" with "a bit of world music

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...

". Anthony Soredino, writing for ''

AbsolutePunk ''AbsolutePunk'' was a website, online community, and alternative music news source founded by Jason Tate (the most recent CEO). The website mainly focused on artists who are relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it was known to fea ...

'', described Maiman's solo in the song as him "channel nghis inner Jack Antonoff". Lyrically, the song's

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 ...

encourages one to work their own body until they beat everyone else fair and square, with Ray commenting on how its title could be interpreted as "a direct invitation to exercise". Petricca stated that "Work This Body" is a song about "getting isass in shape and standing up to isfears". He explained in an interview with ''

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 ...

'' that its message is connected with "being unafraid fchas ngyour dreams and go ngafter what you really want". Petricca added that the song acts like "the soundtrack to

he band He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...

trying to beat" their global hit " Shut Up and Dance". Guitarist Eli Maiman said that the song also deals with one "going beyond

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...

perceived limitations" and utilizing "maybe jealousy or feelings of someone else getting something that

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 ...

want to motivate hemrather than letting it get hemselvesdown". Certain lines throughout "Work This Body" are sung in French, consisting of: "Que ferais-tu? Putain, je ne sais pas! Ne viens pas pleurer vers moi."

Release and reception

"Work This Body" was released as the eighth track of Walk the Moon's second major-label studio album ''Talking Is Hard''. The band premiered the song's single edit (later labeled Le Mix Nouveau) on their

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, di ...

channel on January 19, 2016. A live version of "Work This Body" was made available as a digital download and as an instant gratification track for pre-orders of Walk the Moon's first live album ''You Are Not Alone (Live at the Greek)'' on February 19, 2016. The song impacted US

stations on February 23, 2016, through

as the third and final single from ''Talking Is Hard''. "Work This Body" received mostly positive reviews from music critics. James Christopher Monger of

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 ...

highlighted "Work This Body" as a track pick from the ''Talking Is Hard'' album. Kenneth Patridge of ''

'' magazine wrote that the band "certainly knows how to start a party" with "Work This Body" and says that the song "lives up to its title yhit

ing Ing, ING or ing may refer to: Art and media * '' ...ing'', a 2003 Korean film * i.n.g, a Taiwanese girl group * The Ing, a race of dark creatures in the 2004 video game '' Metroid Prime 2: Echoes'' * "Ing", the first song on The Roches' 1992 ...

listeners with a groove that forces them to shut up and dance". The staff of BigFM referred to it as "a real summer hit" that "not only ensure a good mood, but also uncontrolled wiggling and fidgeting of all limbs". ''SFGate'''s Kimberly Chun commended the song's hook for being "frenetic yet effortless-sounding". Anthony Sorendino of ''AbsolutePunk'' called the track "fun" and "bouncy" and that it "will probably end up in a ''

Biggest Loser ''The Biggest Loser'' is a reality television format which started with the American TV show ''The Biggest Loser'' in 2004. The show centers on overweight and obese contestants attempting to lose the most weight; the winner receives a cash prize ...

'' or

Planet Fitness Planet Fitness (PFIP LLC) is an American franchisor and operator of fitness centers based in Hampton, New Hampshire. The company reports that it has 2,039 clubs, making it one of the largest fitness club franchises by number of members and loca ...

commercial". 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 ...

'' said that "it's pretty wild to hear" a song like "Work This Body" "become top-40 pop", which he characterized as "late-aughts blog fodder". ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'' Jill Menze said that "Work This Body" is "a tune that hopped on the Vampire Weekend revival train a few years too late".

Commercial performance

After its release to alternative radio, "Work This Body" debuted at number 37 on the US ''Billboard''

chart on the week ending March 26, 2016. On its final week on the chart, the song peaked at number 34 in the issue dated April 16, 2016, making it Walk the Moon's lowest charting placement there. The song logged a total of four weeks on the Alternative Songs chart. "Work This Body" was the band's first single to not chart on either the US

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 alternati ...

chart or the Rock Airplay chart. It experienced some minor success in the United Kingdom, reaching number 100 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart and number 87 in Scotland on the chart dated April 14, 2016. The song charted for only one week on both charts.

Music video

The

for "Work This Body" was shot by Andre Lascaris in

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' ...

, California. It was co-directed by the band with

and produced by production company More Media. According to music and tour photographer Anna Lee, the video's creative process and back-end production took over 12 hours to complete. Multiple short videos showing each member of Walk the Moon donning their outfits were posted to the band's social media accounts a day prior to the video's release. Petricca mentioned how the video is "a little nudge to the skeptic that there really are superheroes among us". Maiman added that the song's meaning translates to the video as "th kid using superheroes as inspiration to stand up to bullies". The clip premiered exclusively on ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' website on February 12, 2016. The video shows a boy at a school's talent show (dressed up as Petricca) who "ditches staples like dancing or magic tricks" and instead "starts a revolution with a lunchbox" by initiating a massive food fight among his classmates in the cafeteria. The kid ends up winning the talent show and earns the admiration of his school by the end of the video. Meanwhile, the band "rocks some retro superhero duds" while performing the song "against an '80s CGI background".

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 ...

's Sasha Green described that the video "is full of retro flair". Regarding the video's imagery throughout Walk the Moon's performance, Green wrote that the band looked as if they were "stomping around on the set of '' Tron'' or inside an ''

Asteroids An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

'' arcade game", while Capital FM said it takes place "in some sort of 80s video game utopia".

Live performances and use in other media

"Work This Body" was included on the setlist of Walk the Moon's Talking Is Hard Tour (2015). The band was also set to embark on a Work This Body Tour in 2016, but it ultimately got canceled due to Petricca having to tend to his father, who was suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's disease. The song was performed as part of a 12-song set at the

Austin City Limits Music Festival The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on two consecutive three-day weekends. Inspired by the KLRU/PBS music series of the same name, the festival is produced by Austin-based ...

on October 3, 2015. A video of Walk the Moon performing "Work This Body" live on the Honda Stage was uploaded to their Vevo account on November 17, 2015. It was later played at '' Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve'' on December 31, 2015. On Saturday, February 13, 2016, the band performed the song with "Shut Up and Dance" at the NBA All-Star Weekend's Slam Dunk Contest. They performed "Work This Body" on ''

Late Night with Seth Meyers ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'' is an American late-night news and political satire talk show hosted by Seth Meyers on NBC. The show premiered on February 24, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. Airing weeknights a ...

'' on May 11, 2016. In 2016, ''Billboard'' partnered with Zumba to create a fitness routine

playlist A playlist is a list of video or audio files that can be played back on a media player either sequentially or in a shuffled order. In its most general form, an audio playlist is simply a list of songs, but sometimes a loop. The term has sever ...

of 15 pop songs to work out to, which included "Work This Body". That same year, Walk the Moon teamed up with Zumba to create a choreography video for the song, starring "two dancers at a roller rink who wear fluorescent, 1980s-style Zumba workout gear". ''Billboard'' Colin Stutz wrote that the video showcases them "grooving to the catchy tune, encouraging fans to get moving and try it for themselves at their next Zumba class or at home". The band's manager Michael McDonald said that none of the four members have ever taken a Zumba class and "didn't consider appearing in the video"; instead, "they just wanted to tap into Zumba's devoted following".

Track listing

*Digital download # "Work This Body" – 2:57 *Digital download – Live # "Work This Body" (Live) – 4:08

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

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,

, California *Mastered at

;Personnel *Nick Petricca vocals, keyboards, percussion, programming, songwriting *Kevin Ray bass, vocals, songwriting *Sean Waugaman percussion, vocals, songwriting *Eli Maiman guitar, vocals, programming, songwriting * John Ryan songwriting *

Ben Berger Ben Berger (1897 – 1988) was a Minneapolis businessman, perhaps best known for being one of the original owners of the Detroit Gems National Basketball League team, which he helped move to Minneapolis and renamed the Minneapolis Lakers. Biogr ...

vocal production * Ryan McMahon vocal 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 *Brian Phillips digital editing *Allen Casillas digital editing *Ryan Gillmore digital editing *Mauro Rubbi drum technician *Blake Mares assistant engineer *Robert Cohen assistant engineer *

mixing *Scott Skrzynski mixing assistant *Joe LaPorta mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Release history

References

{{Walk the Moon 2014 songs 2016 singles American pop songs Macaronic songs RCA Records singles Songs written by John Ryan (musician) Walk the Moon songs