"Dance Monkey" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Tones and I | ||||
from the EP The Kids Are Coming | ||||
Released | 10 May 2019 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:29 | |||
Label |
| |||
Songwriter(s) | Toni Watson | |||
Producer(s) | Konstantin Kersting | |||
Tones and I singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Dance Monkey" on YouTube |
"Dance Monkey" is a song by Australian singer Tones and I, released on 10 May 2019 as the second single (first in the US) from Tones and I's debut EP, The Kids Are Coming . The song was produced and mixed by Konstantin Kersting. [3]
"Dance Monkey" topped the official singles charts in over 38 countries and peaked within the top ten of many others, including the United States. The song broke the record for the most weeks at number one on the Australian singles chart at 24 non-consecutive weeks. [4] It also broke the record for the most weeks spent at the top of the UK Singles Chart by a female artist with 11 weeks at the top. When it hit number four in the US, it became the first top-five hit solely written by a woman in over eight years. [5] On Spotify, as of March 2024, the song is the most streamed by a female artist and the eighth-most overall, with over 3 billion streams. [6] The song was also the first song by a female artist to reach 3 billion streams. [6]
The song has received a number of awards. It won Best Pop Release at the ARIA Music Awards of 2019, [7] Song of the Year at the APRA Music Awards of 2020 [8] and Independent Song of the Year at the AIR Awards of 2020. [9] It was also the Grand Prize winner of the 2019 International Songwriting Competition. [10]
When interviewed by DJ Smallzy in July 2019 on Australian radio station Nova FM, Tones explained that Dance Monkey's lyrics are about the relationship she had with her audience when she was busking (street performing) on the streets of Australia:
"I wrote this song when I was busking, and about the pressure that I felt to always be entertaining people on the street. And if they didn't like it, when they looked at their phones they could just click something else; ... we are all so used to being entertained at the click of a button."
"So when you're [busking] on the street, .. to command [your] attention, people would be like: 'again! again!' .. 'more! more!' .. or they would just leave. So if you replace [the lyric]: 'dance for me, dance for me' with 'sing for me, sing for me,' it's pretty literal," she said. [11]
Liam Kelly and Nick Kozakis directed the music video, which was released on 24 June 2019, produced by Visible Studios. [12] It follows the character "Mr. Tones" (played by Tones and I), an elderly man who sneaks out of a care home with his friends so they can go to a golf course and have a dance party with other senior citizens.
Due to the overcast weather on the day of filming, every shot of the music video had its sky replaced digitally. In 2020, it was added to APRA billion streams list. [13] As of June 2024, the video has over 2.13 billion views on YouTube. [12] The music video was filmed at Eynesbury Golf Club, Victoria, Australia. [14]
Upon reaching its tenth week at the top of the Australian Singles Chart, "Dance Monkey" broke the record for the most weeks at number one on the chart by an Australian artist. [15] In November 2019, during its sixteenth week at number one, it broke the record for the most weeks at number one in Australia's ARIA chart history (1983–present), previously held by Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" (2017). [16] "Dance Monkey" also holds the record for the longest time at number one across Australian singles charts, with 24 weeks (including 21 consecutive weeks from August to late December 2019). [17]
In the United Kingdom, "Dance Monkey" broke the record for the most weeks spent at the top of the UK Singles Chart by a female artist when it remained at the top of the chart for an eleventh week. The previous record of ten weeks was held jointly by Whitney Houston's version of "I Will Always Love You" in 1992–1993 and "Umbrella" by Rihanna and Jay-Z in 2007.
"Dance Monkey" was the sixth highest ranked global digital single of 2019 according to IFPI, moving 11.4 million converted units. [18] In November 2020, "Dance Monkey" was declared the most Shazamed song of all time with 36.6 million searches. [19] In December 2020, Dance Monkey became the third most-streamed song on Spotify with over 2.5 billion streams, making Tones the first female artist to do so. [20]
Tones made her debut on US television on 18 November 2019 with a performance of the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon . On 10 December 2019, Tones appeared as a guest performer again in the US on The Voice . The following week, "Dance Monkey" entered the US Billboard Hot 100 top ten for the first time at number nine, and later peaked at number four on the chart.
At the ARIA Music Awards of 2019, Tones and I was nominated for eight awards, winning four. Tones won ARIA Award for Best Female Artist and Breakthrough Artist while "Dance Monkey" won Best Pop Release and The Kids Are Coming EP won Best Independent Release. [7] At the APRA Music Awards of 2020, "Dance Monkey" was nominated for Song of the Year, Most Performed Australian Work of the Year and Most Performed Pop Work of the Year, winning Song of the Year. [8] [21] At the AIR Awards of 2020, the song won Independent Song of the Year. [9] In May 2020, "Dance Monkey" was announced as the Grand Prize winner of the 2019 International Songwriting Competition. [10]
Credits adapted from Spotify. [22]
Weekly charts
| Monthly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [209] | 19× Platinum | 1,330,000‡ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [210] | 7× Platinum | 210,000‡ |
Belgium (BEA) [211] | 5× Platinum | 200,000‡ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [212] | 2× Diamond | 320,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada) [213] | Diamond | 800,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [214] | 5× Platinum | 450,000‡ |
France (SNEP) [215] | Diamond | 333,333‡ |
Germany (BVMI) [216] | 7× Gold | 1,400,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [217] | 6× Platinum | 420,000‡ |
Netherlands (NVPI) [218] | 2× Platinum | 160,000‡ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [219] | 5× Platinum | 150,000‡ |
Poland (ZPAV) [220] | 4× Diamond | 1,000,000‡ |
Portugal (AFP) [221] | 4× Platinum | 40,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [222] | 7× Platinum | 280,000‡ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [223] | 3× Platinum | 60,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [224] | 6× Platinum | 3,600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [225] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000‡ |
Streaming | ||
Chile (Profovi) [226] | Platinum | 29,000,000 [226] |
Japan (RIAJ) [227] | Gold | 50,000,000† |
South Korea (KMCA) [228] | Platinum | 100,000,000† |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Version |
---|---|---|---|---|
Australia [229] | 10 May 2019 | Bad Batch | Original | |
Various [230] | 18 October 2019 | Stripped Back |
"Dancing in the Moonlight" is a song written by Sherman Kelly, originally recorded in 1970 by Kelly's band Boffalongo, and then a hit single by King Harvest in 1972, reaching number 5 in Canada and number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2000, a cover by English band Toploader became a worldwide hit and achieved multi-platinum status in the United Kingdom. A version by Swedish EDM duo Jubël, released in 2018, was a hit in Europe.
"Pump It" is a song recorded by American group the Black Eyed Peas for their fourth studio album Monkey Business (2005). It was written by group members will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Fergie, along with frequent songwriting collaborator Thomas van Musser, and produced by will.i.am. The song heavily incorporates music from Dick Dale's 1962 surf version of "Misirlou", known for being featured in the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction, hence crediting Nicholas Roubanis as a co-writer. It was released as the fourth and final single from Monkey Business on January 16, 2006, by A&M Records and Interscope Records.
"9 PM (Till I Come)" is a song by German DJ and producer ATB from his debut studio album, Movin' Melodies (1999). It was co-written by ATB, Angel Ferrerons, Julio Posadas and Yolanda Rivera. It features vocals by Spanish model Yolanda Rivera and a synthesizer hook created on guitar. The track's hook would later be reworked into the single "Don't Stop!" in 1999, which also featured on Movin' Melodies and also proved very popular.
"I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" is a song by American pop band Scissor Sisters. It was released in August 2006 as the first single from their second album, Ta-Dah (2006). The song was written by Jason Sellards, Scott Hoffman and Elton John, the last of whom provides piano for the song, and was the band's first top-10 single in many countries, peaking at number one in nine of them.
"Ride It" is the first single from Jay Sean's second album My Own Way and is also featured on his US debut album All or Nothing. It was written by Jay Sean himself and Alan Sampson, and produced by the latter. It was released on 21 January 2008. The song reached the top 20 in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 11. The single was also very successful and one of the most played songs in Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia, Bulgaria and Romania, where it became one of the top three best-selling singles of the year. A Hindi version of the song was also included in the Indian release of the album My Own Way.
"Closer" is a song by American recording artist Ne-Yo. The song was produced by Stargate. It was released as the lead single from Ne-Yo's third studio album, Year of the Gentleman (2008).
"Sexy and I Know It" is a song by American duo LMFAO from their second and final studio album, Sorry for Party Rocking. It was released as the third single from the album on September 16, 2011. The song was written by Stefan Kendal Gordy, GoonRock, Erin Beck, George M. Robertson and Kenneth Oliver, and it was produced by Party Rock. It went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on January 7, 2012, and remained there for two weeks.
"Don't You Worry Child" is the sixth single released by Swedish house music supergroup Swedish House Mafia. It is the last single from their second compilation album, Until Now, featuring vocals from Swedish singer John Martin. In the United States, it is the act's second number-one single on Billboard's Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, following "Save the World". It is the group's biggest hit single to date, as well as the final single released before their disbandment in early 2013. It was released to widespread acclaim and received a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording in the 2013 Grammy Awards, as did its predecessor, "Save the World", the previous year. The song is written in the key of B minor.
"Counting Stars" is a song by American pop rock band OneRepublic from their third studio album, Native (2013). The song was written by lead singer Ryan Tedder, and produced by Tedder and Noel Zancanella. It was released as the album's second single on June 14, 2013.
"Feel It Still" is a song by American rock band Portugal. The Man. The song draws on the melody from the Marvelettes' 1961 hit "Please Mr. Postman"; written by the band along with producers John Hill and Asa Taccone, "Feel It Still" also includes a credit for Motown songwriter Brian Holland. It serves as the second single and first radio single off their eighth studio album, Woodstock. The song reached number one on the US Alternative Songs, Mexican and Russian Tophit airplay chart. It was also their first entry on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming a sleeper hit, as it took eight months to peak at number four in November 2017.
"Feels" is a song recorded and produced by Scottish DJ Calvin Harris featuring American musician Pharrell Williams, American singer Katy Perry, and American rapper Big Sean. It was released on 15 June 2017 through Columbia Records as the fourth single from his fifth studio album, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 (2017), after "Slide", "Heatstroke" and "Rollin". Starrah assisted the artists in writing the song.
"Youngblood" is a song recorded by Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer. It was written by Calum Hood, Ali Tamposi, Andrew Watt, Ashton Irwin and Luke Hemmings with production handled by Andrew Watt and Louis Bell. The song was released via Capitol Records on 12 April 2018, as the second single from their third studio album of the same name.
"In My Mind" is a 2012 song by Australian house music producer Ivan Gough and house music duo Feenixpawl, featuring the vocals of indie pop musician Georgi Kay.
"Someone You Loved" is a song recorded by British singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi. It was released on 8 November 2018 as a download through Vertigo Records, the third single from his second extended play, Breach (2018), and was later included on his debut album, Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent (2019). The song was written by Capaldi, Samuel Romans, and its producers Thomas Barnes, Peter Kelleher and Benjamin Kohn. It was serviced to radio stations on 16 April 2019 as the first US single.
"I Don't Care" is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran and Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It was released on 10 May 2019, through Asylum, Atlantic Records and Def Jam Recordings as the lead single from the former's compilation album, No.6 Collaborations Project (2019). Sheeran previewed the song on his Instagram on 5 May 2019, and Bieber shared another part of the song the following day, before both artists announced the full title and release date on 7 May.
"Señorita" is a song by Canadian singer Shawn Mendes and American singer and songwriter Camila Cabello. It was released on June 21, 2019, through Island and Epic Records as the second single from the deluxe edition of Mendes' self-titled third studio album, and the lead single from Cabello's second studio album Romance (2019). The song was written by Mendes, Cabello, Charli XCX, Ali Tamposi, Jack Patterson, and its producers Andrew Watt, Benny Blanco, and Cashmere Cat.
"Post Malone" is a song by Dutch DJ Sam Feldt featuring Dutch singer Rani. It was released on 24 May 2019 through Spinnin' Records as a single from Feldt's Magnets EP. The music video was directed by Deni Kukura and features drag queens Ma'maQueen, Abby Omg and Inga Shubskaya.
"Lose Control" is a song by Italian production trio Meduza, British singer Becky Hill and production trio Goodboys, released as a single by Virgin Records on 11 October 2019. It reached number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. As of November 2023, the song has amassed more than 870 million streams on Spotify. The song also appears in Meduza's recent released album MEDUZA.
Dardan Aliu, known professionally as Regard, is a Kosovo-Albanian DJ and record producer. Born and raised in Ferizaj, he made his international breakthrough in 2019 with his remix of Jay Sean's 2008 single "Ride It", which resulted as a commercial success worldwide.
"Take You Dancing" is a song by American singer Jason Derulo. It was released as a single on July 21, 2020, by Atlantic Records, a sister of his previous home label Warner Records. The song was written by Teemu Brunila, Derulo, Emanuel "Eman" Kiriakou, Sarah Solovay and Shawn Charles.