Stolen Dance

Album: Sadnecessary (2013)
Charted: 24 39
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Milky Chance is a pop-rock duo comprising vocalist Clemens Rehbein and DJ Philipp Dausch. Both originate from the German town of Kassel and are signed to Kassel-based label Lichtdicht Records in their home country.
  • This along with the other songs on Sadnecessary this one was recorded and mixed by the pair in a home studio. Released on April 5, 2013 as Milky Chance's debut single, the folk/pop/electronic mélange peaked at #2 in their home country and quickly became a European hit, topping the chart in Austria, Belgium (Wallonia), Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland and Switzerland. It took a little to catch on in America: the song didn't reach its US chart peak of #39 until 21 months after it was first released.
  • In this song Milky Chance use an addict who is craving drugs to fuel his habit as a metaphor for someone missing their former lover. Clemens Rehbein explained to Artist Direct: "You want to spend time with a person but you can't because of some bad circumstances. It describes a feeling you have and expressing the aching for that person and perhaps the hope to see her again. You're hoping for good things."
  • Rehbein told Nylon magazine the story of the song: "I wrote the chorus two or three years ago, and then the verse a few years later," he said. "The whole song took a few years. I always have so many ideas in my head and so I'm always trying to find pieces to fit together and stick together. It's kind of puzzling, and that's the special thing about it. In general it takes a week or so to write a song, but sometimes you have ideas and don't know how to continue. Then you have to put them away and come back to them later, which is what I did."
  • The words 'stolen' and 'dancing' both appear in the song's lyrics, but separately. The title doesn't feature in the song.

Comments: 6

  • David from Maple ValleyAs I fought to regain my 22 year marriage and my daughter, I was fighting against forces of wicked people that ultimately stole them away from me.

    During those 18 months, this song buoyed me to remain optimistic and see potential for joy.
  • Ethan from UsaI think it's about 2 lovers, and people got in the way and in between them, and they lost the time with eachother and gradually lost love, that's why it's called stolen dance, and he says "fetch back the time, they have stolen from us". It's a song about reconnecting and igniting where they left off, even though it doesn't seem possible
  • Lola The Dancer from United States I took it to mean meeting someone after you have been single for a long time after a bad relationship and you finally meet someone special and you want to be happy again, but the ability to feel joy has been compromised, ". . . get back the the time they have stolen from us". You don't even want to talk about it, you don't want to hear what anyone else has to say about it, you just want to get back out there and have fun and, "boogie all night long", "stoned in the paradise" of a new love.

    I guess the lyrics are vague enough so the mean different things to people.
  • Elijah from Nyc “Never danced like this before” “dancing on, do the bogie all night long. Stoned in paradise.” Uppers. Clearly geekin through the night
  • Erased Father from NzFor me the song reminds me of my situation of being a father separated from my daughter through the family courts by my vindictive ex and how badly I miss my little girl who was stolen from me.
  • Massascensionofconsiousness4humanity from TxStolen Dance to me is more of a spiritual song for me. The deeper meaning I see in the song is a man who sees an evil world and longs for the God of love and unity. Shocked and saddened by the world he sees, he is determined to address the evil on a spiritual level to get back the "stolen dance" thats been taking from him and everyone else in the world. "SHOULDN'T TALK ABOUT IT," "WE DON'T TALK ABOUT IT"
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"They're Playing My Song

"How much does it cost? I'll buy it?" Another songwriter told Jonathan to change these lyrics. Good thing he ignored this advice.

Gilby Clarke

Gilby ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned.

Curt Kirkwood of Meat Puppets

Curt Kirkwood of Meat PuppetsSongwriter Interviews

The (Meat)puppetmaster takes us through songs like "Lake Of Fire" and "Backwater," and talks about performing with Kurt Cobain on MTV Unplugged.

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired MenSong Writing

Bowie's "activist" days of 1964 led to Ziggy Stardust.

Movie Stars In Music Videos

Movie Stars In Music VideosSong Writing

Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Mila Kunis and John Malkovich are just a few of the film stars who have moonlighted in music videos.

Kim Thayil of Soundgarden

Kim Thayil of SoundgardenSongwriter Interviews

Their frontman (Chris Cornell) started out as their drummer, so Soundgarden takes a linear approach when it comes to songwriting. Kim explains how they do it.