Dance Off Explained

Dance Off
Cover:Macklemore and Ryan Lewis - Dance Off.png
Type:single
Artist:Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Idris Elba and Anderson .Paak
Album:This Unruly Mess I've Made
Released:February 25, 2016
Length:3:49
Label:Macklemore LLC
Producer:Ryan Lewis
Chronology:Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Prev Title:Downtown
Prev Year:2015
Next Title:Brad Pitt's Cousin
Next Year:2016

"Dance Off" is a song by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring British actor and musician Idris Elba and fellow American musician Anderson .Paak, released in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and selected European countries on February 25, 2016 as the second single from the duo's studio album This Unruly Mess I've Made (2016).

Background and release

Following the large success of the duo's debut album The Heist (2012), Macklemore revealed the This Unruly Mess I've Made release with an Instagram post on January 15, 2016.[1] "Dance Off" was released as second single of the album on February 25, 2016, succeeding "Downtown".[1]

Music video

The song's music video was uploaded to Ryan Lewis's YouTube, now known as Macklemore LLC, channel on May 17, 2016. It was directed by Lewis & Jason Koenig.[2]

Critical reception

The song received positive reviews from music critics. Killian Young said that "Dance Off" makes nod to the pillars of hip hop culture: rapping, DJing, tagging, breakdancing and piano groove.[3] David Turner of MTV said that "Dance Off" sounds like rolling into the morgue by the 27th second, when the song says "I grab my ankle and pull it up / And do that thing where I move my butt".[4] Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic commented that the song sounds like the director Vincent Price in "Thriller" (of Michael Jackson), and said that Macklemore "frets about the adequacy of what's between his legs. In his world, music does not help you transcend your insecurities—it heightens them.".[5]

Chart performance

In Australia, "Dance Off" entered the Australian Singles Chart at number twenty one on March 7, 2016.[6]

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (2016)Position
Australia (ARIA)[8] 88
Australia Urban (ARIA)[9] 12

Notes and References

  1. Spanos. Brittany . Brittany Spanos . January 15, 2016 . Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Announce new album. Rolling Stone. February 27, 2016.
  2. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS - DANCE OFF (FEAT. IDRIS ELBA) OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO . YouTube.
  3. Web site: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – This Unruly Mess I've Made. Consequence of Sound. August 27, 2015 . September 9, 2015.
  4. Web site: Macklemore Fights White Privilege (And Loses) . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213558/http://www.mtv.com/news/2748232/macklemore-fights-white-privilege-and-loses/. dead. March 3, 2016. MTV. August 27, 2015 . September 9, 2015.
  5. Web site: This Unruly Mess I've Made uses novelty rap to disguise self-loathing, barely.. The Atlantic. August 27, 2015 . September 9, 2015.
  6. Web site: Lukas Graham make it a hat-trick with '7 Years'. September 21, 2015 . ARIA.
  7. Web site: NZ Top 40 Singles Chart. Recorded Music NZ. April 4, 2016. April 1, 2016.
  8. Web site: ARIA Top 100 Singles 2016. Australian Recording Industry Association. January 6, 2017.
  9. Web site: ARIA Top 50 Urban Singles 2016. Australian Recording Industry Association. January 6, 2017.
  10. Web site: Dance Off (Ft. Idris Elba & Anderson .Paak). Hip Hop Engine. August 27, 2015 . September 9, 2015.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Dance Off".

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