Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon was released into the world 10 years ago today. Here are some fun facts about the song you may not know:
Although most people remember it as a song of the summer for 2015, it took months to get there. It was a long slow build for its popularity. A viral video featuring dance clips from movies set to the song helped.
The band wrote the song as a potential single at the request of their record label after most of the album (Talking is Hard) was done. They were having trouble coming up with lyrics for the chorus, until the lead singer was at a club with his girlfriend and was getting frustrated trying to get a drink at the bar. She said “Just shut up and dance with me” to get him on the dancefloor, and the rest is history.
She’s in the video above. She’s the one with the side ponytail. They were very serious at the time and much of the record is romantic songs about her. However she dumped him and there are a lot of breakup songs on the next album. She was a stylist living in LA and was Mia Criss’s maid of honor. She is now married and living in Ohio.
The band made a few more records (that contained a lot of good music), but couldn’t shake the one hit wonder stigma. They’re currently on hiatus, but play the occasional private show and are doing a festival early next year.
Source for the video, the movie video, and the rest is from my head as a fan.
