In the 8th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful ๐๐๐, we highlight โShut Up and Danceโ performed by Walk the Moon.
It only takes ONE hit to solidify a musical legacy ๐ฏ! On 1 Hit WONDERful ๐๐๐, we highlight songs that were the SOLE hit by a given musician.ย To be fair, it is possible that the artists appearing on this list earned a minor hit or two, BUT for the most part, itโs that ONE hit that earned them recognition. So, in the 8th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful ๐๐๐, we dive into ๐ต โShut Up and Danceโ, ย the one hit wonder by ๐ Walk the Moon.
โOh, donโt you dare look back / Just keep your eyes on me / I said, โYouโre holding backโ / She said, โShut up and dance with meโ.โ That chorus was one of the most memorable choruses of 2014, hands down.ย Ohio alternative collective ๐ Walk the Moon, fronted by ๐ Nicholas Petricca, earned a breakout pop hit with the hella infectious ๐ต โShut Up and Danceโ, which appears on their 2014, platinum-certified album, ๐ฟ TALKING IS HARD. Take one listen to this utterly song and itโs easy to understand why it totally blew up.ย โShut Up and Danceโ gave Walk the Moon their sole top-10 hit on the pop charts, peaking at no. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2015. ย In fact, the multiplatinum single is also their sole top-40 hit.ย The only other entry from Walk the Moon is the gold-certified single, ๐ต โOne Footโ, which peaked modestly at no. 65 โ not truly a pop hit. Perhaps the โone-hit wonderโ tag feels harsh, but, what better one hit to have than โShut Up and Danceโ? ย
โShut Up and Danceโ thrives because it is bright, energetic, exuberant, and, well, danceable AF.ย Set in a major key โ the happy key โ this joint simply makes you feel good while listening.ย โHelpless to the bass and the fading light / Oh, we were bound to get together,โ Petricca sings in the first verse.ย In the second, he describes her โbackless dress and some beat-up sneaks / My discotheque Juliet, teenage dream.โ Woo! Petricca is on fire vocally, infusing ample personality.ย What more can you say of ๐ต โShut Up and Danceโ than โOoh-ooh, shut up and dance with me!โย That shit still hits hard approaching a decade later! ย
Appears in ๐ป:
๐ Walk the Moon โข ๐ฟ TALKING IS HARD โข ๐ท RCA โข ๐ 2014ย
Walk the Moon, Shut Up and Dance: 1 Hit WONDERful ๐๐๐ No. 8 (2023) [๐ท: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Julia Larsen, Kurchakto, RDNE Stock project, Victor Terrell from Pexels; Andrew Martin from Pixabay]