It’s like, whatever you’re doing- fuck that. The first line is great, “Don’t you dare look back.” It’s such a bold first line. That’s a lyric in the song, but it’s also what she was wearing that night? For real? She was the one in the backless dress and beat-up sneaks. That must be awesome for her… to know she inspired such a great song.
Coming home and working on the song I thought, this is it. Encouraging people to let go of whatever it is that’s bothering you and get into your body and out of your head. She’s one of my best friends and pulled me out into the moment, and that really became the subject of the song. At the time, I was in my head and not with it. When she said that, did you know at the time that was going to be a lyic in a potential song? Or was it later when you realized that? We took it back to the studio and it spun out very quickly after that. The story of “Shut Up and Dance” is based on a true story of hanging out there with my friends… this girl actually told me to shut up and dance with her. So over the next weekend, I went to this awesome party they have at The Echo in Echo Park, Los Angeles, called Funky Soul Saturday. We didn’t have a chorus and we didn’t have a subject or a lyric. And it had this great feeling that we couldn’t stop playing over and over. Well, (bandmember) Eli Maiman and I were working on something that’s now the verse. Take me through the origin of “Shut Up and Dance.” I want to know everything about it. So it’s great to feel like we’re growing. Success is this sort of this climbing, moving, evasive target. As the track continues to grow more and more popular (buoyed by recent appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers), WALK THE MOON frontman Nick Petricca takes us through the history of “Shut Up and Dance”- from the true story the lyrics are based on to the top of the charts.Ĭongratulations “Shut Up and Dance”! It looks like you have a hit song on your hands. After a slow build that began last fall, the song finally reached the peak of both the alternative and rock charts, earning the Ohio-based band their first number one hit.
The guys in WALK THE MOON were crossing their fingers in hopes of a hit from their December sophomore album TALKING IS HARD when they released “Shut Up and Dance,” an energetic and catchy guitar-driven dance anthem that takes inspiration from cheesy, 80s-era rock.