Tones and I, Dance Monkey | Bangerz N Bopz 🔥

In the 49^th edition of Bangerz N Bopz 🔥 (2024), we highlight “Dance Monkey” performed by Tones and I.  

Bring on the bold, fierce songs! Bangerz N Bopz 🔥 serves up background info and insight into songs of various styles, especially songs that raise eyebrows and stir the pot.  Featured records can be classic or brand new. In the 49^th edition of Bangerz N Bopz 🔥 (2024), we break down “Dance Monkey” performed by Tones and I.

“So they say / ‘Dance for me, dance for me, dance for me, oh-oh-oh…’” Some musicians are an acquired taste – polarizing for whatever reason. Australian musician Tones and I (Toni Watson) falls into that category.  Her unique voice contributes to her polarizing nature.  While she may not be everybody’s cup of musical tea, she secured a massive hit with “Dance Monkey”.  In the United States, “Dance Monkey,” the second track from her EP, The Kids Are Coming, peaked at no. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been certified multi-platinum.  Per Billboard, in 2024, it surpassed 3 billion streams on Spotify. That’s big. Fun fact, even the Kidz Bop Kidz cover has been certified platinum 🤯. If Watson had never released another song or album, her spot in music history would have already been cemented by “Dance Monkey.” She wrote the bop that many love to hate while Konstantin Kersting produced.

So, what made “Dance Monkey” become the rousing success that it is? It is catchy – infectious to the nth degree.  The colorful, minor key instrumental is sleekly produced.  The beat hits. The synths bite. A vibe is established.  Tones and I’s unique voice is front and center. Like the synths, she bites with a cutting tone. She is confident, the melody is tuneful, and the lyrics are catchy and entertaining.  Poetic wouldn’t be appropriate to describe the text but the fun, even if it is annoying fun, is undeniable.  “They say, ‘Oh my god, I see the way you shine / Take your hands, my dear, and place them both in mine.’” Word, Toni.  The chorus is inescapable, for better or worse.  It is simple but potent, catching the ears the first time you ever hear the song.  Not only does Watson inform us they say, “Dance for me,” they also say, “Move for me, move  for me, move for me, eh-eh-eh.” While there is a strong case to be made for the annoying nature of “Dance Monkey” overall, it’s some of the gimmickry that irks detractors.  The repetition, silly, nonsensical lyrics, and such.  Even a moment like, “Just like a monkey, I’ve been dancing my whole life” raises eyebrows.  Still, the success of Tones and I should be recognized and celebrated.  Many musicians would die for an enduring hit the caliber of “Dance Monkey”.   

Tones and I  // The Kids Are Coming (EP) // Elektra // 2019

Tones and I, Dance Monkey: Bangerz N Bopz 🔥 No. 49 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Elektra; cottonbro studio, Harry Shelton, Kool Shooters, Lucas Pazeta, Mavluda Tashbaeva, Teddy Yang, Wesley Souza from Pexels]