Dancing on My Own

For the Pixie Lott song, see Young Foolish Happy. For the song by M.O., see Dance On My Own.

"Dancing on My Own"
Single by Robyn
from the album Body Talk Pt. 1
Released20 April 2010 (2010-04-20)
Genre
Length4:39
LabelKonichiwa
Songwriter(s)
  • Robyn
  • Patrik Berger
Producer(s)Patrik Berger
Robyn singles chronology
"The Girl and the Robot"
(2009) 		"Dancing on My Own"
(2010) 		"Hang with Me"
(2010)
Music video
"Dancing on My Own" on YouTube

"Dancing on My Own" is a song by Swedish singer-songwriter Robyn, released on 20 April 2010 as the lead single from her fifth studio album, Body Talk Pt. 1 (2010), the first in her Body Talk series. "Dancing on My Own" was produced by Patrik Berger, co-produced by Robyn, and mixed by Niklas Flyckt, with Robyn and Patrik sharing writing credits. The song's stark mid-tempo electropop version from her album was the first version of the single released followed by a layered mid-tempo synth-pop edit designed for radio and a downtempo piano ballad recording for Radio 1's Live Lounge – Volume 5 later that year. It depicts a female protagonist in a crowded club just before last call who is dancing on her own while watching her ex-boyfriend who she sought out dancing with and embracing another woman, pondering confronting him for the last time before her time runs out. The song was inspired by situations Robyn observed while on her previous tour then clubbing throughout Stockholm, her favorite "inherently sad gay disco anthems",[4] and the dissolution of her engagement.

Critics praised "Dancing on My Own" as another bittersweet anthem for her song canon, with some ranking it as the greatest song of the year and eventually, the decade. Several reassessed its influence as Robyn's signature song, a gay anthem, and "the ultimate sad banger"[5] of the poptimist movement, with Rolling Stone ranking her original album version at number 20 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2021.[6] "Dancing on My Own" became Robyn's first number one in her native country following its live premiere on Swedish TV show Sommarkrysset and also reached the top ten in Denmark, Norway and the United Kingdom later that month. Frequent collaborator Max Vitali directed "Dancing on My Own"'s Rosie Perez-inspired music video, first released on 21 May 2010, that showed Robyn portraying the protagonist in the song's lyrics in various club and rehearsal settings. The song later earned a nomination for Best Dance Recording at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards and was awarded Best Song at the Grammisgalan in Sweden. All three of her song's versions were promoted well into the following decade through multiple televised and streamed live performances and inclusion on many films, television series, and commercials.

"Dancing on My Own" was covered by numerous artists and bands, with several releases, especially of Robyn's downtempo version. Inspired by the downtempo Southern rock ballad cover of it performed (but not released) by band Kings of Leon, a downtempo AC ballad by Britain's Got Talent contestant Calum Scott was most prominently released on 15 April 2016. Calum's cover was a moderate sleeper hit throughout Europe following substantial success in the UK, where it went viral on streaming services despite little initial radio play. Critical reception to it was polarized, with Robyn praising the cover but prominent music journalists comparing it negatively to her original. The first major test release by controversial London-based AI algorithm-based A&R start-up Instrumental, its formula in finding Calum and releasing his cover would go on to revolutionize major label signing based on early Internet engagement. An accompanying music video was released on 15 April 2016 that received over 400 million YouTube views in four years.

  1. ^ "'Dancing On My Own' by Robyn". Songfacts. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  2. ^ Hogan, Marc (10 September 2013). "Kings of Leon Strip Out the Synths, Keep the Passion in Robyn's 'Dancing on My Own'". Spin. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  3. ^ Fawbert, Dave (8 June 2018). "Betrayal, sadness, and defiance: Why it's time to reclaim Robyn's 'Dancing on My Own'". ShortList. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  4. ^ Dickinson, Alistair (28 May 2010). "Robyn Premieres Her New Video for "Dancing on My Own"". PopMatters. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  5. ^ Holden, Steve (1 June 2020). "Dancing On My Own: The story behind 2010's 'sad banger'". BBC Newsbeat. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  6. ^ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.