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Dance Off

"Dance Off"
Single by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Idris Elba and Anderson .Paak
from the album This Unruly Mess I've Made
ReleasedFebruary 25, 2016
Genre
Length3:49
LabelMacklemore LLC
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Ryan Lewis
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis singles chronology
"Downtown"
(2015)
"Dance Off"
(2016)
"Brad Pitt's Cousin"
(2016)
Idris Elba singles chronology
"Murdah Loves John"
(2015)
"Dance Off"
(2016)
"Boasty"
(2019)
Anderson .Paak singles chronology
"Come Down"
(2016)
"Dance Off"
(2016)
"Dang!"
(2016)
Music video
"Dance Off" on YouTube

"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]

Track listing

Digital download[7]
No.TitleLength
1."Dance Off" (featuring Idris Elba and Anderson Paak)3:49

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[15] Platinum 70,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Label Format
Australia February 25, 2016[6][16] Macklemore LLC Digital download

References

  1. ^ a b Spanos, Brittany (January 15, 2016). "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Announce new album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  2. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS - DANCE OFF (FEAT. IDRIS ELBA) OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO. YouTube.
  3. ^ "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – This Unruly Mess I've Made". Consequence of Sound. August 27, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  4. ^ "Macklemore Fights White Privilege (And Loses)". MTV. August 27, 2015. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  5. ^ "This Unruly Mess I've Made uses novelty rap to disguise self-loathing, barely". The Atlantic. August 27, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Lukas Graham make it a hat-trick with '7 Years'". ARIA. September 21, 2015.
  7. ^ "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Idris Elba and Anderson.Paak – Dance Off". iTunes. August 27, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  8. ^ "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Anderson .Paak, Idris Elba – Dance Off". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  9. ^ "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Anderson .Paak, Idris Elba – Dance Off" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  10. ^ "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Anderson .Paak, Idris Elba – Dance Off" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  11. ^ "Chart Track: Week 16, 2016". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  12. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 4, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  13. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles 2016". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  14. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Urban Singles 2016". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  15. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2016 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  16. ^ "Dance Off (Ft. Idris Elba & Anderson .Paak)". Hip Hop Engine. August 27, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.