Dua Lipa “Dance the Night” released

Dance the Night Dua Lipa

Writer(s): Dua Lipa, Caroline Ailin, Andrew Wyatt, Mark Ronson (see lyrics here) Released: May 25, 2023 First Charted: June 10, 2023 Peak: 6 BB, 4 AC, 12 A40, 11 UK, 4 CN, 3 AU (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.6 UK, 1.37 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 184.60 video, 641.88 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The pop singer/songwriter Dua Lipa was born in 1995 in London, England. She released her self-titled debut in 2017 and it reached #3 in the UK, generating five top-ten hits there, one of which (“New Rules”) also reached the top 10 in the United States. Her second album, 2020’s Future Nostalgia, reached #1 in the UK and #3 in the U.S. She garnered four more UK top-ten hits, including “Don’t Start Now” and “Levitating,” which both reached #2 in the United States. After another UK #1 dueting with Elton John in 2021 on “Cold Heart (Pnau remix),” she landed a song on the 2023 soundtrack to the Barbie movie, a live-action adaptation of the iconic Mattel doll. The song, “Dance the Night,” gave her yet another #1 in the UK and her fifth top-ten hit in the United States. It was released as the lead single for the album. The pop/disco song is “an anthem that embodies the spirit of dancing through the night, transcending sadness caused by a turbulent romance.” SF It is featured in the movie during a highly choreographed number. Director Greta Gerwig reached out to Mark Ronson to create the song and then he and Andrew Wyatt created a backing track. WK Ronson then reached out to Lipa, saying, “there’s a song with a huge 60 person dance number with the whole cast…I would…love it if you would consider co-writing and starring in it…I honestly think the movie’s going to be incredible.” SF “Dance the Night” was nominated for Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media. It also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Dua Lipa SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 1/19/2024.

 

Dua Lipa “Don’t Start Now” released

Don’t Start Now Dua Lipa

Writer(s): Dua Lipa, Caroline Ailin, Emily Warren, Ian Kirkpatrick (see lyrics here) Released: October 31, 2019 First Charted: November 16, 2019 Peak: 2 BB, 14 BA, 16 BA, 5 AC, 15 A40, 2 UK, 3 CN, 2 AU (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 4.0 US, 2.6 UK, 10.56 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.86 radio, 1205.60 video, 2651.06 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The pop singer/songwriter Dua Lipa was born in 1995 in London, England. She released her self-titled debut in 2017 and it reached #3 in the UK, generating five top-ten hits there, one of which (“New Rules”) also reached the top 10 in the United States. She released her second album, Future Nostalgia, in 2020. It was preceded by the lead single “Don’t Start Now.” The “adrenaline-fuled, dance floor anthem” SF was written by the same team who did “New Rules” in a conscious attempt to recreate its success. Critics have even cited “Don’t Start Now” as a sequel, nothing that it “proves that the rules created to get over an ex in the former track actually work in a breakup.” WK Lua said the song was “about finding confidence…and not letting anyone get in the way of your happiness.” SF The team were inspired by a disco night at a local dive bar and specifically Gloria Gaynor’s 1978 disco hit “I Will Survive.” They decided to write a disco song because “it’s the most fun to dance to.” WK The song was viewed as “the beginning of a revival for disco music…as downtempo, urban-styled music previously dominated mainstream music.” WK Lipa was praised for her “significant growth in…sound and vocals.” WK “Don’t Start Now” debuted at #2 on the UK chart, kept from the top spot by Tones and I’s “Dance Monkey.” While “New Rules” was a bigger chart hit, “Don’t Start Now” amassed 25 weeks in the top 10, making it the seventh longest-running top-10 hit in the UK. WK The song was nominated for Grammys for Record and Song of the Year. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Dua Lipa SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 1/19/2024; last updated 5/4/2024.