"Better When I'm Dancin'" | |
---|---|
Promotional single by Meghan Trainor | |
from the album The Peanuts Movie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | |
B-side | "Bang Dem Sticks" |
Released | 14 October 2015 |
Recorded | 2015 |
Genre | Tropical |
Length | 2:56 |
Label | Epic |
Songwriter(s) |
|
Producer(s) |
|
Music video | |
"Better When I'm Dancin'" on YouTube |
"Better When I'm Dancin'" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor for the soundtrack to the film The Peanuts Movie , based on the popular comic strip of the same name created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz. Trainor co-wrote it with Thaddeus Dixon and co-produced it with her brother, Justin. Epic Records released it on October 14, 2015, as the first and only promotional single from the soundtrack. Backed by an instrumentation of salsa-inspired drums, the tropical song has house influences and optimistic lyrics that were inspired by Trainor's fans.
"Better When I'm Dancin'" peaked at number 76 in Australia, and at number one on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, certified Platinum in both countries. Philip Andelman directed the music video, which was released on October 14, 2015. Trainor has performed "Better When I'm Dancin'" live on several shows, including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Dancing with the Stars . It was performed during her MTrain Tour (2015).
In July 2015, Trainor embarked on the MTrain Tour in support of her debut major-label studio album Title (2015). She accompanied herself on a ukulele and wrote "Better When I'm Dancin'" in "a short amount of time" on her tour bus. [1] She approached American record producer Thaddeus Dixon to produce the song, against the wishes of her label Epic Records. Dixon recalled that Trainor said "if Thaddeus isn't producing it, I'm not doing it", and "stuck up" for him. [2] Ultimately, Dixon ended up co-writing "Better When I'm Dancin'" with Trainor, while the latter co-produced it with her brother Justin Trainor. [3]
In an interview with People that month, Trainor revealed that she was recording the song for The Peanuts Movie soundtrack. According to her, she was approached to soundtrack the film due to her ability to write "a song about confidence". [4] An animated version of Trainor was used to promote the announcement on her Instagram account. [5] A 20-second clip of "Better When I'm Dancin'" was made available on October 9, 2015. [6] The song was released for digital download and streaming on October 14, 2015, being offered as an instant download with the soundtrack's pre-order. [7] It was released to Italian contemporary hit radio stations on October 23. [8] Trainor contributed an additional song called "Good to be Alive" to the Target edition of The Peanuts Movie soundtrack. [7] "Better When I'm Dancin'" was released as a 7" Vinyl single on February 26, 2016, with the song "Bang Dem Sticks" as its B-side. [9]
"Better When I'm Dancin'" was inspired by Trainor's fans, who "make [her] feel like a star on that stage". [11] The song is about confidence and releasing your insecurities on the dance floor, and has been described as a "classic confidence-boosting tune". [4] [5] A tropical song, [10] it has a peppy beat and optimistic message, along with instrumentation of salsa-inspired drums. [12] "Better When I'm Dancin'" strays from Trainor's usual doo-wop-influenced musical style, being described as "breezy and harmless" with traces of house music. [6] [10] The song is written in the key of D major with a tempo of 128 beats per minute. In the verses, the song follows a chord progression of D–D/F♯–G5–D/F♯–Em7–Asus, and Trainor's vocals span from G4 to D6 in the song. [13]
Idolator's Robbie Daw wrote that "Better When I'm Dancin'" would make listeners realize that "everything [they] thought [they] knew about Meghan Trainor was a dark and twisted lie", calling it the "most un-Meghan Trainor song we've heard so far". [6] Carolyn Menyes of Music Times stated that the song is "perfectly fitted for a children's movie but won't break much out of that space", the reason being that it is "overly cutesy". [12] Time included it in their list of the Top 10 Worst Songs of 2015, criticizing how little the lyrics relate to the Peanuts franchise and noting that their "attitude of high-spirited joy aren't (sic) matched by a blandly indifferent delivery". [14] "Better When I'm Dancin'" received a nomination for the Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original Song in an Animated Film at the 2015 Hollywood Music in Media Awards, and won the Radio Disney Music Award for Best Song That Makes You Smile at the 2016 Radio Disney Music Awards. [15] [16]
"Better When I'm Dancin'" topped the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, as well as the Kid Digital Songs chart. [17] [18] The song attained a Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [19] It also charted at number 93 on the Canadian Hot 100. [20] "Better When I'm Dancin'" reached number 76 in Australia, achieving a quadruple Platinum certification in the country in 2023. [21] [22] Additionally, it peaked at numbers 99, 29 and 17 on Venezuela's Record Report, Pop General and Top Anglo charts, respectively, and received a Gold certification in Poland. [23] [24] [25] [26]
Directed by Philip Andelman, the video premiered on Apple Music on October 14, 2015. It features Trainor with appearances from Snoopy, Woodstock, Charlie Brown, among other characters from Peanuts. [27] Several of Trainor's relatives traveled to Los Angeles to appear in the video, including her aunt and uncle, Lisa and Burton Toney, and their three children. Her high school friend Lily Harrington and father Gary Trainor also made cameos, while her mother filmed the making of the video. [28] In the music video, Trainor wears a red, long-sleeved dress and performs choreography at locations such as a diner and a street corner. [29] Her relatives are also featured dancing. [10] [29] The beginning of the video was filmed in black and white, which changes to bright colors during shots of Trainor's family. [30]
Menyes compared the video's transition, from black and white to the "big, colorful comic world" of Peanuts, to Smallville . [12] Writing for Idolator, Mike Wass described it as "a suitably lighthearted affair", commenting that its "retro look" is similar to Trainor's previous music videos, with the singer "rocking vintage fashions and working behind the counter of an old-school diner". [31]
Trainor performed "Better When I'm Dancin'" and "Good to be Alive" during selected shows of her MTrain Tour, such as on July 24 in Los Angeles and August 6 in Boston, prior to their release. [32] [33] On November 5, 2015, she played it on Today , and the following day on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon . [1] [34] She also performed the song on the Dancing with the Stars season 21 finale on November 24, 2015, followed by her collaboration with Who Is Fancy and Ariana Grande, "Boys like You". [35]
Credits adapted from Tidal. [3]
Chart (2015-2024) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [21] | 76 |
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [20] | 93 |
UK Singles Downloads (OCC) [37] | 28 |
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles ( Billboard ) [17] | 1 |
US Kid Digital Songs ( Billboard ) [18] | 1 |
Venezuela (Record Report) [23] | 99 |
Venezuela (Pop General) [24] | 29 |
Venezuela (Top Anglo) [25] | 17 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [22] | 4× Platinum | 280,000‡ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [38] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [39] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [40] | 2× Platinum | 60,000‡ |
Poland (ZPAV) [26] | Gold | 10,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [41] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [19] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
Streaming | ||
Sweden (GLF) [42] | Gold | 4,000,000† |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Various | October 14, 2015 | Epic | [36] | |
Italy | October 23, 2015 | Contemporary hit radio | [8] | |
Various | February 26, 2016 | 7" Vinyl | [9] |
The Peanuts Movie is a 2015 American animated comedy film based on Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts, produced by 20th Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios, and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film was directed by Steve Martino from a screenplay by Cornelius Uliano and Craig and Bryan Schulz. Uliano and the Schulzes also serve as producers alongside Paul Feig and Michael J. Travers. It stars the voices of Noah Schnapp as Charlie Brown and, via archival recordings, Bill Melendez as Snoopy and Woodstock. The film sees Charlie trying to improve his odds with his love interest, the Little Red-Haired Girl, while Snoopy writes a book where he is a World War I Flying Ace trying to save his fellow pilot and love interest, Fifi, from the Red Baron and his flying circus. It was the fifth full-length Peanuts film and the first in 35 years, following Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown .
Meghan Elizabeth Trainor is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She rose to prominence after signing with Epic Records in 2014 and releasing her debut single "All About That Bass", which reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and sold 11 million copies worldwide. Trainor has released six studio albums with the label and has received various accolades, including a Grammy Award, four ASCAP Pop Music Awards, and two Billboard Music Awards.
"All About That Bass" is the debut single of the American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor, released on June 30, 2014, through Epic Records. The song was included on Trainor's debut extended play (EP), Title (2014), and her debut studio album of the same name (2015). Written by Trainor and producer Kevin Kadish, "All About That Bass" is a bubblegum pop, doo-wop and pop rap track. Trainor, who as a teenager struggled with her negative body image, was inspired to write the song to promote self-acceptance.
American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor has released six studio albums, two extended plays (EP), two live albums, 40 singles, 34 music videos, three independent albums, and 26 promotional singles. She self-released the albums Meghan Trainor (2009), I'll Sing with You (2011), and Only 17 (2011); they were pulled from circulation after she signed with Epic Records in February 2014. Trainor's debut single, "All About That Bass", was released on June 30, 2014, and topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight consecutive weeks. The single became the longest-reigning number-one by an Epic recording artist in the United States, surpassing the seven-week record held by Michael Jackson's songs "Billie Jean" (1983) and "Black or White" (1991). It topped the national charts of 58 countries and became one of the best-selling singles of all-time. As of 2015, it had sold over 11 million units internationally. "All About That Bass" was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and preceded Trainor's debut EP, Title (2014), which peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 in September 2014.
Title is the debut major-label studio album by the American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor. It was released on January 9, 2015, by Epic Records. Initially a songwriter for other artists, in 2013, Trainor signed with the label the following year and began recording material she co-wrote with Kevin Kadish. They were dissatisfied with the electronic dance music predominant in contemporary hit radio and drew influence from retro-styled 1950s and 1960s music.
"Lips Are Movin" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor, taken from her debut major-label studio album, Title (2015). It was written by Trainor and the album's producer, Kevin Kadish. Epic Records premiered the song on MTV News on October 15, 2014, and released it to the United States contemporary hit radio stations on October 21, as the second single from Title. A retro-tinged doo-wop and pop song with girl-group harmonies and bubblegum pop hooks, "Lips Are Movin" was inspired by Trainor's conflict with her record label. However, critical commentary has described it as a song about Trainor leaving her significant other after discovering he is cheating on her.
"Dear Future Husband" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor. It was included on Title, her 2014 extended play, and later on her 2015 studio album of the same name. Trainor wrote the song with its producer, Kevin Kadish. Epic Records released "Dear Future Husband" as the album's third single on March 17, 2015. A doo-wop and pop song, it has lyrics about chivalry and dating. In the song, Trainor lists things a potential romantic suitor needs to do to win her affection.
"Like I'm Gonna Lose You" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor from her debut major-label studio album Title (2015), featuring guest vocals from John Legend. Trainor wrote the song with Justin Weaver and Caitlyn Smith, and produced it with Chris Gelbuda. Epic Records released it as the album's fourth single on June 23, 2015. A soul love ballad, "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" is about savoring moments spent with loved ones and not taking them for granted.
"Marvin Gaye" is the debut single by American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth featuring fellow American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor, from his third EP, Some Type of Love (2015). It later served as the lead single for his debut studio album, Nine Track Mind (2016). Puth co-wrote it, with Julie Frost, Jacob Luttrell and Nick Seeley, and produced it. Artist Partner Group released it as a single on February 10, 2015. The doo-wop and soul song is named after singer Marvin Gaye, whose name is used as a verb in the lyrics.
The MTrain Tour was the second North America headlining concert tour by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor to support of her 2015 debut major-label studio album Title. The tour was announced in March 2015, with dates being released at the same time. The show was exclusively promoted by Live Nation Entertainment. The set list featured the majority of the songs from Title. The tour was positively received by critics. The remainder of the tour was canceled on August 11, 2015, because Trainor suffered a vocal cord hemorrhage. As a result, Trainor was able to complete only 13 of the originally scheduled 29 shows.
"Boys Like You" is a song by American singer Who Is Fancy, featuring singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor and singer Ariana Grande. Fancy co-wrote it with J.R. Rotem, Jason Gantt, and Bob DiPiero, while the former of the three handled production. Republic Records released the song for digital download and streaming as a single on November 23, 2015. The doo-wop and pop song has a beachy vibe and lyrics about Who Is Fancy, Trainor and Grande attempting to court the men they desire.
"Better" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor featuring American rapper Yo Gotti released as the third and final single from Trainor's second major-label studio album Thank You (2016). Trainor, Gotti, Taylor Parks, Travis Sayles, Eric Frederic, Tommy Brown and Steven Franks wrote the song, and the latter three produced it. Initially released as a promotional single, the track was released on August 29, 2016, as the third single from the album. It was well received by critics who considered it a different direction for Trainor.
"I'm a Lady" is a song by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor, for promotion of the film Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017). Trainor and Martin Renea co-wrote the song, and co-produced it alongside the Monsters and the Strangerz. Epic Records released the song for digital download and streaming as a single on February 24, 2017. Backed by percussion-heavy instrumentation, it is a retro-pop song, with the lyrics discussing loving oneself and empowerment. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who noted its anthemic nature and praised the message.
Thaddeus Gustav Dixon, also known as The Music Man, is an American record producer, songwriter, and music director. He co-produced and co-wrote Meghan Trainor's 2015 single "Better When I'm Dancin'," which she performed for The Peanuts Movie soundtrack. The song received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
"No Excuses" is a song by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor, released on March 1, 2018, as the lead single from her third major-label studio album, Treat Myself (2020). Trainor co-wrote it with Jacob Kasher Hindlin and Andrew Wells, who produced it as well. The track was announced in February 2018 along with its official single artwork. The pop song, with country and R&B influences, has lyrics against sexism. The song received acclaim from music critics, some of whom noted that it was a return to the sound of Trainor's album Title (2015).
"With You" is a song by American DJ Kaskade and singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor. Kaskade and Trainor co-wrote the track with Robert Gerongco, Samuel Gerongco, Terence Lam, Sarah Aarons, Finn Bjarnson, Richard Beynon, and Thomas Shaw, while Kaskade co-produced it with the latter three. Released as a single on June 14, 2019, through Columbia Records, the song is an electropop track. The lyrics talk about emotional conflict and Trainor's partner sending her mixed signals when she could be using her time better.
"Nice to Meet Ya" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor from her third major-label studio album, Treat Myself (2020), featuring the Trinidadian-born rapper Nicki Minaj. Trainor and Minaj wrote it with the songwriter Scott Harris and Raul Cubina and Mark Williams from its production duo, Ojivolta. Epic Records released it as the album's third single on January 31, 2020. Backed by an instrumentation of tingling drums and a hip hop beat, the pop and R&B song has feel-good and characteristically confident lyrics.
The Peanuts Movie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2015 animated film The Peanuts Movie, directed by Steve Martino and produced by Blue Sky Studios. Based on Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts, it is the fifth full-length Peanuts film, and the first in 35 years. The original score is composed by Christophe Beck, with contributions from jazz pianist David Benoit and Meghan Trainor, who performed an original song titled "Better When I'm Dancin', released as a single on October 14, 2015. The soundtrack was digitally released by Epic Records and Fox Music on October 23, 2015.