Shut Up and Dance (Walk the Moon song)

"Shut Up and Dance"
Single by Walk the Moon
from the album Talking Is Hard
Released September 10, 2014
Format Digital download
Recorded 2014
Rancho Pagzilla
(North Hollywood, California)
Genre
Length 3:17
Label RCA
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Tim Pagnotta
Walk the Moon singles chronology
"Tightrope"
(2012)		 "Shut Up and Dance"
(2014)

"Shut Up and Dance" (stylized as "SHUT UP + DANCE") is a song recorded by American alternative rock band Walk the Moon for their second studio album Talking Is Hard (2014). It was written by the band members and songwriters Ben Berger and Ryan McMahon. The song is based on an experience frontman Nicholas Petricca had at a Los Angeles nightclub. His girlfriend invited him to dance, inspiring the title, which he envisioned as an anthem for letting go of frustration and to having fun. Its music was inspired by music of the 1980s. The song was digitally released as the lead single from Talking Is Hard on September 10, 2014.

The song became the band's biggest hit single to date, peaking at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming a number-one hit on the magazine's Alternative Songs chart. Outside the United States, the single has performed within the top 30 in Australia, Canada, Sweden, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. The band has performed "Shut Up and Dance" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Background

The song originated between vocalist Nicholas Petricca and guitarist Eli Maiman, who first developed the verse and found something infectious about it.[3] The following weekend, Petricca went to a party named Funky Soul Saturday at The Echo in Echo Park, Los Angeles while feeling frustrated with the writing process.[1] The song is largely based on that night: "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," he remembered.[4] His girlfriend, in "a backless dress and some beat up sneaks", abruptly invited him to dance with her, inspiring the song's title.[3] 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: an "incredibly uncomfortable, awkward adolescent dude," he imagined the song as "an anthem for the dork who is 100 percent me."[3] In an interview with American Songwriter, 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."[3]

In terms of the song's music, Petricca highlighted three songs that were instrumental in its creation: "Just What I Needed" (1978) by The Cars, "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" (1980) by Pat Benatar, and "Jessie's Girl" (1981) by Rick Springfield, 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.[5][6]

Commercial performance

"Shut Up and Dance" premiered on the radio station 101 WKQX in Chicago on June 22, 2014.[7] It was released digitally released as the lead single from Talking Is Hard on September 10, 2014.[8] It was released in the United States as a free single on iTunes on November 11, 2014.[9]

It began topping streaming service Spotify's viral top 50 chart in November 2014.[10] The song peaked at number one on Billboard‍‍ '​‍s Alternative Songs chart 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 chart.[11] The song first debuted on the all-genre Hot 100 on November 22, 2014 at position 98,[12] later moving to the top 40 during the week of March 13, 2015.[13] It jumped to number 15 on the chart on March 27, 2015,[14] and advanced the following week to number 12.[15] As of the Billboard issue of May 9, 2015, "Shut Up and Dance" has peaked at number 7 on the chart, becoming Walk the Moon's first top-10 single in the United States.

Live performances

Walk the Moon has performed "Shut Up and Dance" on late-night talk shows The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers.[3]

Music video

The music video, a 1980s club-themed movie-style music video, was released on YouTube on October 23, 2014. It stars Lauren Taft alongside Petricca.

Formats and track listing

  1. "Shut Up and Dance"  – 3:17

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Talking Is Hard.[17]

Locations
Personnel
  • Nick Petricca – vocals, keyboards, percussion, programming, songwriting
  • Kevin Ray – bass, vocals, songwriting
  • Sean Waugaman – percussion, vocals, songwriting
  • Eli Maiman – guitar, vocals, programming, songwriting
  • Ben Berger – songwriting, vocal production
  • Ryan McMahon – songwriting, vocal production
  • Jarett Holmes – programming, recording, digital editing
  • Tim Pagnotta – production, 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
  • Neal Avron – mixing
  • Mixing assistant – Scott Skrzynski – mixing assistant
  • Joe LaPorta – mastering

Charts

Chart (2014–15) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[18] 4
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[19] 74
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[20] 21
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[21] 6
Canada AC (Billboard)[22] 11
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[23] 21
Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[24] 7
Canada Rock (Billboard)[25] 22
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[26] 35
Ireland (IRMA)[27] 91
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[28] 22
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[29] 28
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[30] 13
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[31] 35
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[32] 13
US Billboard Hot 100[33] 7
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[34] 1
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[35] 1
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[36] 17
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[37] 4
US Dance/Mix Show Airplay (Billboard)[38] 27
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[39] 10

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[40] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[41] Gold 40,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[42] Gold 7,500*
Sweden (GLF)[43] Gold 20,000x
United States (RIAA)[44] Platinum 1,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Scott T. Sterling (October 22, 2014). "Related Questions: WALK THE MOON, ‘Shut Up and Dance’". Radio.com. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  2. ↑ Lucas Villa. "Walk the Moon channels the '80s in music video for 'Shut Up and Dance'". AXS. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Rob LeDonne (March 5, 2015). "Inside “Shut Up and Dance,” WALK THE MOON’s Number One Hit". American Songwriter. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  4. ↑ Harley Brown (March 17, 2015). "Indie Rockers Walk the Moon: 'People of Our Generation Are Scared to Express Themselves'". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Walk The Moon Celebrate "Goofy" '80s on "Shut Up And Dance"". Fuse. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  6. ↑ Mike Wass (December 11, 2014). "WALK THE MOON On Rising Hit “Shut Up + Dance,” Sophomore LP ‘TALKING IS HARD’ & Magic Cards: Idolator Interview". Idolator. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  7. ↑ Lucas Villa. "Listen: Walk the Moon rocks the disco on new single 'Shut Up and Dance'". AXS. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "Review: Walk the Moon amazes on new single 'Shut Up and Dance' (Includes first-hand account)". digitaljournal.com. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  9. ↑ "WALK THE MOON’s "Shut Up and Dance" is Free on iTunes". mickmgmt.com. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  10. ↑ "A-Sides With Jon Chattman: The WALK THE MOON "Dance Off": Eli Maiman Talks Hard About Recreating '80s "Nuggets of Nerdy Goodness" - Jon Chattman". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  11. ↑ Emily White (February 18, 2015). "Walk the Moon 'Dance's to No. 1 on Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  12. ↑ Gary Trust (November 14, 2014). "Hot 100 Chart Moves: Selena Gomez's 'Heart' Starts at No. 25". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  13. ↑ Gary Trust (March 13, 2015). "Hot 100 Chart Moves: Kanye West, Paul McCartney & Carly Rae Jepsen Debut". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  14. ↑ Gary Trust (March 27, 2015). "Hot 100 Chart Moves: Meghan Trainor's 'Future' Looks Bright". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  15. ↑ Gary Trust (April 1, 2015). "'Uptown Funk' Is Longest-Leading Hot 100 No. 1 of the 2010s". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Shut Up and Dance— WALK THE MOON". iTunes Store. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  17. ↑ Talking Is Hard (inlay cover). Walk the Moon. RCA Records. 2014. p. 16.
  18. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Walk the Moon – Shut Up + Dance". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Walk the Moon – Shut Up + Dance" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  20. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Walk the Moon – Shut Up + Dance" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  21. ↑ "Walk the Moon Album & Song Chart History" Canadian Hot 100 for Walk the Moon. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Walk the Moon Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Canada AC for Walk the Moon. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Walk the Moon Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Canada CHR/Top 40 for Walk the Moon. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Walk the Moon Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Canada Hot AC for Walk the Moon. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Walk the Moon Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Canada Rock for Walk the Moon. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  26. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201449 into search. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  27. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 17, 2015". Irish Singles Chart.
  28. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Walk the Moon search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Walk the Moon – Shut Up + Dance" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Walk the Moon – Shut Up + Dance". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  31. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201446 into search. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  32. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Walk the Moon – Shut Up + Dance". Singles Top 60. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  33. ↑ "Walk the Moon Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Walk the Moon. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Walk the Moon Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot Rock Songs for Walk the Moon. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Walk the Moon Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Rock Airplay for Walk the Moon. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  36. ↑ "Walk the Moon Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Walk the Moon. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  37. ↑ "Walk the Moon Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Walk the Moon. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  38. ↑ "Walk the Moon Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Dance/Mix Show Airplay for Walk the Moon. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  39. ↑ "Walk the Moon Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Pop Songs for Walk the Moon. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  40. ↑ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 4 May 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  41. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Walk the Moon – Shut Up and Dance". Music Canada. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  42. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Walk the Moon – Shut Up and Dance". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  43. ↑ "Walk the Moon - Shut Up and Dance" (in Swedish). Grammofon Leverantörernas Förening. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  44. ↑ "American single certifications – Walk the Moon – Shut Up and Dance". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 22, 2015. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH