Dance To This
by Troye Sivan (featuring Ariana Grande)

Album: Bloom (2018)
Charted: 64
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This seductive after-hours ballad finds Troye Sivan and his duet partner Ariana Grande moved by the music. The pair prefer to spend their time together partying at home rather than going out night clubbing. Troye croons in the pre chorus:

    Oh, yeah, under the kitchen lights
    You still look like dynamite
    And I wanna end up on you
    Oh, don't need no place to go
    Just put on the radio


    Ariana comes in on the intimate second verse in which she urges her partner to move closer to her while they dance.

    Dear beloved
    Bring those 501s a bit closer, bit closer
    And dear, my lover
    Do that thing we never do sober, sober
  • Sivan explained the song's meaning: "'Dance To This' is about that moment when you feel like you've been to enough house parties or events, and staying home and like, making out in the kitchen and cooking dinner sounds like a much, much better alternative."
  • Though Sivan and Grande had known each other since meeting at the Billboard Music Awards in 2016, this was the first time the pair had worked together. The Australian singer admitted to Beats 1's Zane Lowe he was initially nervous to ask the songstress to duet with him on "Dance to This."

    "I think that she's just the coolest. I basically just texted her the song. I sat on it for a couple of weeks because I'm nervous to ask people for stuff," he revealed. "I don't want to ever put anybody in an uncomfortable position where they're like, 'This song is terrible and I don't want to be a part of it.' So I kind of waited and then I was like, 'You know what? I'm going to regret it if I don't ask.' So, I sent her the song."
  • The song features production from Swedish writer-producer Oscar Holter, who also worked on hit singles by Katy Perry ("Bon Appetit"), Hailee Steinfeld ("Love Myself"), Pink ("Just Like Fire") and Tori Kelly ("Should've Been Us"). According to Sivan's short livestream the sound was inspired by Janet Jackson's 2004 single "All Nite (Don't Stop)."
  • When Troye Sivan joined the panel of Australian news program The Project to break down some of the lyrics from Bloom, he was asked for clarification on this song's line "do that thing we never do sober." Sivan replied that he frequently gets asked about that lyric. "When I was talking to Ariana about which part she was gonna sing, I was like, 'You can change any lyrics or whatever,'" he added. "And when I got back her singing that lyric, I literally cracked up laughing."
  • The visual was directed by frequent Vogue contributor Bardia Zeinali, who also helmed Troye's "Bloom" video. The clip sees the two singers dancing around a community center amidst the people who are eating, playing cards and dominos. The pair eventually drive everyone else out of the room.

    Sivan said: "The DTT vid was inspired literally by High School Musical and Grease and 'Pass This On' by the Knife and a gif of Cher spinning around."
  • The song's sound was heavily inspired by Janet Jackson's 2004 hit "All Nite (Don't Stop)."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Christopher Cross

Christopher CrossSongwriter Interviews

The man who created Yacht Rock with "Sailing" wrote one of his biggest hits while on acid.

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

Jon Anderson

Jon AndersonSongwriter Interviews

Jon Anderson breaks down the Yes classic "Seen All Good People" and talks about his 1000 Hands album, which features Chick Corea, Rick Derringer, Ian Anderson, and many other luminaries.

Julian Lennon

Julian LennonSongwriter Interviews

Julian tells the stories behind his hits "Valotte" and "Too Late for Goodbyes," and fills us in on his many non-musical pursuits. Also: what MTV meant to his career.

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The Kingdom

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The KingdomSongwriter Interviews

The Bush frontman on where he finds inspiration for lyrics, if his "machine head" is a guitar tuner, and the stories behind songs from the album The Kingdom.

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul Station

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul StationSongwriter Interviews

Paul Stanley on his soul music project, the Kiss songs with the biggest soul influence, and the non-make-up era of the band.