Dancing On My Own vs. Run Away With Me
October 28, 2022 4:39 PM   Subscribe

I've been thinking about hard-driving pop songs I love and one of the things I've recognized is how much I love emotive but club-ready tunes that have a driving but expertly musically well-rounded vibe like e.g. Robyn's "Dancing On My Own" and Carly Rae Jepsen's "Run Away With Me". That's a fuzzy definition but the key is: absolutely unstoppable pop production married to a lyrical vibe that has a stark emotional/narrative appeal.

I don't have much elaboration on this; I think it's going to be a sort of reverse Potter Stewart thing where I know it when I don't see it. But I am open to free association on this. A banger with a gutpunch; if you can't dance to it, that's not it; if it doesn't devastate you a little bit, that's not it. Beyond that, go wild. This is subjective and definitely about a subjective emotional feel that I can't really nail down cleanly.
posted by cortex to Media & Arts (33 answers total) 25 users marked this as a favorite
 
Bulletproof by La Roux
or covered by
Pomplamousse
posted by falsedmitri at 4:46 PM on October 28, 2022 [3 favorites]


Not sure if it’s hard-driving enough, but this is emotional, expertly (imo) produced and probably club-ready? (I’d go to a club playing it, anyway!)

Susanne Sundfør - Slowly

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JvD3EALtKXE

(Live: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BXj6D9A1-GY)
posted by cotton dress sock at 4:49 PM on October 28, 2022


A lot of Superorganism might work. Their second album just came out, a highlight is Into the Sun (ft Stephen Malkmus)
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:03 PM on October 28, 2022


Response by poster: In terms of tuning things: Superorganism is great if a little more sedate in terms of general energy than what I'm fishing for. Bulletproof is really great production-wise if a little more inert in terms of emotional valence than my perfect specimen.
posted by cortex at 5:09 PM on October 28, 2022


Most of these lean more towards rock but hopefully will still scratch that itch (would love to know if they do because I adore Dancing On My Own for the reasons you give):

Time to Pretend by MGMT
Woman Woman by AWOLNATION
Gold Guns Girls by Metric
Clearest Blue by CHVRCHES
posted by Rora at 5:48 PM on October 28, 2022


Response by poster: Rock-ish is fine! So is like electro- or synth-centric stuff. As long as it has a lyrical core that has some emotional heft and is overall a driving, big feel, I'm interested.

I will say 1, 3, and 4 off that list are all on "songs I love" lists in general. Clearest Blue is a bit more down-tempo than the vibe I'm going for as much as I love everything Chvrches has done in the broader sense.
posted by cortex at 5:52 PM on October 28, 2022




David Guetta feat Rihanna, Who’s That Chick?

https://youtu.be/EAc4zHEDd7o
posted by cotton dress sock at 6:34 PM on October 28, 2022


I feel like MUNA in general would fit what you're looking for. For example Crying on the Bathroom Floor - MUNA
posted by litera scripta manet at 6:35 PM on October 28, 2022 [2 favorites]


Not exactly something you’d hear at a dance club, but I’d call it a “driving beat” and it’s definitely danceable for some form of dancing. And the emotional gut-punch — I don’t think I know a song that has more of one (at least to me).

Jens Lekman - Black Cab
posted by sesquipedalia at 7:12 PM on October 28, 2022


Also — all of the Weakerthans songs I know have that same emotional effect, so some of their bangers would definitely do the job here. Example: Aside.
posted by sesquipedalia at 7:28 PM on October 28, 2022




St. Lucia - Dancing on Glass
posted by sigmagalator at 7:55 PM on October 28, 2022


It's only 28 seconds, but I've had “Theme From Sealab 2021” by Calamine on my everyday playlist for as long as I've had an everyday playlist.
posted by ob1quixote at 7:57 PM on October 28, 2022


Ooh, and maybe Jessie Ware - Save A Kiss
posted by sigmagalator at 7:59 PM on October 28, 2022


Here's some possibilities in the electronic side based on things I've been listening to lately that seem aligned a bit with the examples. Fred Again.. stuff, including the new album just came out today (e.g. Danielle (smile on my face), Kammy (like i do) ), maybe also check out his recent boiler room set if you haven't seen it. Romy - lifetime. BRONSON - HEART ATTACK (feat lau.ra), DAWN (feat Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs). Slow Magic - Carry On (feat Paperwhite). Odesza - Wide awake (feat Charlie Houston), other stuff (I also particularly like Light Of Day (feat. Ólafur Arnalds) but maybe too minimal lyrics for your present goals). I guess if you know Chrvches you may also know about purity ring, but some of their music may do what you want (example). One older rec in case you haven't encountered it: Calvin Harris - Sweet Nothing ft. Florence Welch.
posted by advil at 8:06 PM on October 28, 2022 [1 favorite]


Lorde Green Light
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 8:30 PM on October 28, 2022 [3 favorites]


Gunshot by Lykke Li may be a little downtempo, but the chorus is huge and dramatic in a way that reminds me of Run Away With Me.
posted by snofoam at 8:52 PM on October 28, 2022


Ok, not sure if these are quite what you're looking for but they work in a similar way for me. I have all of them in a playlist that also includes Chvrches and Robyn, so maybe you will enjoy even if they aren't quite what you're looking for.
Kate Miller-Heidke feat Mallrat - Simpatico
Florence and the Machine - Free
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero
Nine Inch Nails - Perfect Drug
School of Seven Bells - The Night
New Order - Age of Consent
The Big Moon - Your Light
posted by Athanassiel at 9:34 PM on October 28, 2022


Actually the New Order song doesn't have the same kind of emotional punch but I still love it and I already hit post so it can stay.
posted by Athanassiel at 9:37 PM on October 28, 2022


I’m slightly surprised that no one else has said Can’t Get You Out Of My Head by Kylie Minogue yet.

But the grandmothers of this genre must surely be It’s Raining Men by the Weather Girls, and I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor.
posted by rd45 at 3:40 AM on October 29, 2022 [1 favorite]


I'm an old guy not clued into popular music genres, but Walking on Sunshine seems to fit the bill.
posted by SemiSalt at 6:15 AM on October 29, 2022


Robyn has other songs that sound like Dancing On My Own, if you haven't heard them e.g. With Every Heartbeat.

Crying For No Reason by Katy B is the closest thing to those two examples I can think of otherwise.
posted by rollick at 11:03 AM on October 29, 2022


All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem
posted by rodneyaug at 11:35 AM on October 29, 2022 [2 favorites]


Sigma feat. Birdy - Find Me
posted by keep it under cover at 2:07 PM on October 29, 2022


Renaissance by M People
posted by essexjan at 5:08 PM on October 29, 2022


Shiny Toy Guns - Le Disko
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 7:56 PM on October 29, 2022




Also, tbh, Ariana Grande - Into You
posted by litleozy at 3:39 AM on October 31, 2022




I have found it really hard to find songs like that. All the Lovers by Kylie is close, but a bit emotionally flat.
posted by tinwhiskers at 2:35 PM on November 1, 2022


Christine and the Queens - Doesn't Matter (voleur de soleil)
To me, this is exactly in that groove you're describing. This version is in French and English - there's also an all-English version, but I like this one better (even though I don't speak French). It's perfect pop music, and it's heart wrenching.

The Knocks - Slow Song (with Dragonette)
Another sad club song. The energy level is moderate, but it packs some powerfully complicated feels. The Knocks are some of the best producers in pop right now, in my opinion, and this track is no exception. Incidentally, the video is also excellent.

Sonny Fodera, SHELLS, and Vintage Culture - Nightjar (Extended Mix)
Definitely club ready with a house music beat, but it also includes some guitar twang and smooth smoky vocals over top. Wistful and a little sad, but still a driving track with immaculate production.

12 Rounds - Where Fools Go
A classic club track sampling heavily from Nick Cave's "Red Right Hand". The vibe is energetic trip hop, and while the lyrics have some emotional weight to me, they're more evocative than narrative, so (as in all things) they may land differently for different folks.
posted by djspinmonkey at 10:01 AM on November 3, 2022


Here are some others that might fit the bill, but are a bit further afield....

Kleerup - Until We Bleed (With Lykke Li)
Orchestral electronic music, sparse in some places and lush in others. It sounds like a sad Lykke Li song, but if Lykke were a minimal electronic artist doing a collaboration with a symphony.

Pretty Lights - One Day They'll Know (ODEZSA Remix)
A weirdly ethereal remix of a dubstep/trip hop track sampling what sounds like classic pop or possibly funk. There's a lot going on here! Somehow, it comes out smooth and all fits together. The lyrics are all samples, and mostly fairly processed. To me, this is a very emotional song, but if you want more of a coherent story rather than just suggestions of feelings, it may not be what you're looking for.

Banks - This Is What It Feels Like
Slow trip hop with a dirty fuzz drone of a bass line. This one definitely brings the emotional pull, but may be a bit slower and more brooding than what you described above.

Lovage - To Catch A Thief
Smoked honey vocals from Jennifer Charles over the masterful turntablism of Kid Koala, all produced by Dan the Automator. The musicality in this track is incredible. It's not exactly pop, though, and may be a bit more lighthearted than what you're describing.
posted by djspinmonkey at 10:41 AM on November 3, 2022


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