"Dance wiv Me" is a single by British rapper Dizzee Rascal, from his fourth studio album, Tongue n' Cheek. It was released on 30 June 2008[1] and features guest vocals from British DJ Calvin Harris and British R&B singer Chrome. The extended mix of the song also appears on Harris' second studio album, Ready for the Weekend.
| "Dance wiv Me" | ||||
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| Single by Dizzee Rascal featuring Calvin Harris and Chrome | ||||
| from the album Tongue n' Cheek and Ready for the Weekend | ||||
| Released | 30 June 2008 | |||
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| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Calvin Harris | |||
| Dizzee Rascal singles chronology | ||||
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| Calvin Harris singles chronology | ||||
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| Chrome singles chronology | ||||
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"Dance wiv Me" mixes Rascal's usual grime style with dance music from Harris and R&B from Chrome. Rascal and Harris recorded their respective verse and main hook parts separately, sending their parts back and forth over the phone, while Chrome recorded the pre hook/bridge vocals in the studio with Rascal.[2] The song was produced by Harris, who also sings the chorus. The song debuted in the UK Singles Chart at number one and stayed there for four weeks – making it Rascal's first ever number one.[3] It became the 12th biggest-selling single in the UK in 2008. Rascal, Chrome and Harris performed an impromptu acoustic version of "Dance wiv Me" for the BBC as part of the Glastonbury Festival 2008 coverage. The song was played in an episode on the HBO series, Entourage.
British rock group Keane mashed-up this song with "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen at Radio 1 Live Lounge as "Another One Bites the Dizzee".[4]
Writing and recording
editIn December 2007, Calvin Harris announced a new record with Dizzee Rascal.[5][6] In an interview with Jo Whiley on BBC Radio 1, Rascal explained that the collaboration with Harris came after they had met during Radio 1's Big Weekend in 2007. Rascal told Harris that the latter's single "Acceptable in the 80s" had got him excited about music again and that he would love to make a track with him.[7][8]
"Dizzee texted me, saying he'd done this a cappella over someone else's music, but his verse was too good for their music, so could he do it with me instead? So I spent a long time on it, to make sure it lived up to his expectations. I sent him the track, and he called me at 2 in the morning to say it was amazing, so I knew it was good." – Calvin Harris on the press release for Ready for the Weekend.[9]
The song's lyrics were written and recorded by Rascal with extra vocals recorded by Chrome. Harris produced the music separately from Rascal and Chrome and later sent the track to Rascal's studio for completion.
"Me and Calvin met and we exchanged numbers. We never actually met once to actually make the tune, we did it back and forth over the phone. It was good, we were just like over the phone, 'What about changing that hook a bit?' Chrome was the only one that came in the studio but it was good working with him because we've done a few things in the past." – Dizzee Rascal in an interview with Newsnight.
Release and reception
edit"Dance wiv Me" represented a change for Rascal from his grime roots to a more pop-oriented sound. It was first released as a download single in the UK on 30 June 2008 and in physical format one week later. The song was Rascal's first single on his own Dirtee Stank Recordings record label, released after he had split from his former label, XL Recordings, who did not want to release the track themselves.
"Experimenting with dance music is a good way for British rappers to get on the radio and into the charts. Some people might see this as me selling out but no way. Every track I write I try to make different from the last and as my profile has risen with all the festivals and live shows I've done, I've wanted to experiment more." – Dizzee Rascal in the Daily Star
Chart performance
editOn its first week of release, "Dance wiv Me" reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and remained top of the chart for four-consecutive weeks becoming both Rascal and Harris' first number one in the UK. The song was the UK's 12th highest-selling single of 2008.[10]
Music video
editThe music video for "Dance wiv Me" depicts Dizzee Rascal and Chrome in a night club with Calvin Harris as the bar man.[11] The video also features Big Brother 14 contestant Gina Rio.[12]
Track listings
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Charts
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Weekly chartsedit
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Year-end chartsedit
Decade-end chartsedit
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Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[30] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[31] | 3× Platinum | 1,800,000‡ |
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‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Dizzee Rascal ft. Calvin Harris - Dance wiv Me Archived 29 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine. iTunes.
- ^ Dance Wiv Me Songfacts. www.songfacts.com.
- ^ Paine, Andre (22 May 2009). Dizzee Rascal Driving U.K. 'Bonkers'. Billboard. Accessed 27 June 2009.
- ^ Whiley, Jo. "Live Lounge – Keane". BBC Radio 1.
- ^ Lyons, Beverley (28 December 2007). "Calvin Harris Records With Dizzee Rascal". Daily Record. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ Dadds, Kimberley (28 December 2007). "Harris to collaborate with Dizzee Rascal". Digital Spy. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ "Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding have shared a clip of their new collab".
- ^ Cragg, Michael (28 July 2022). "Calvin Harris's 20 greatest songs – ranked!" – via The Guardian.
- ^ Lester, Paul (2011). Bonkers: The Story of Dizzee Rascal. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-587-3.
- ^ a b "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2008". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2MiyZx8MTY [bare URL]
- ^ https://www.thisisbigbrother.com/forums/topic-285462-gina-rio-was-in-a-music-video_big-brother-14-summer-2013.htm [bare URL]
- ^ "Dizzee Rascal feat. Calvin Harris and Chrome – Dance wiv Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ^ "The ARIA Report – ARIA Club Tracks – Week Commencing 27th October 2008" (PDF). ARIA. 27 October 2008. p. 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ "Issue 984" ARIA Top 50 Dance Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ "Dizzee Rascal feat. Calvin Harris and Chrome – Dance wiv Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 35. týden 2008 in the date selector. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
- ^ "Hits of the World – Euro Singles Sales" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 120, no. 31. 2 August 2008. p. 50. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ^ "Dizzee Rascal feat. Calvin Harris and Chrome – Dance wiv Me" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Dance wiv Me". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "ARIA End of Year Singles Chart 2008". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 50 Dance Singles 2008". ARIA. Archived from the original on 15 April 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 50 Club Tracks 2008". ARIA. Archived from the original on 15 April 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ "Year End Charts: European Hot 100 Singles". Billboard. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 50 Dance Singles 2009". ARIA. Archived from the original on 15 April 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ Radio 1 Chart of the Decade, as presented by DJ Nihal 29 December 2009
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2022 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
- ^ "British single certifications – Dizzee Rascal/Calvin Harris/Chrome – Dance wiv Me". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 April 2024.