Dancing With A Stranger

“Dancing with a Stranger” is the first duet between pop sensation Sam Smith and Normani, who was a former member of female pop group “Fifth Harmony”.

In an interview with Zane Lowe, Smith told the radio host about how the collaboration came together. “I was with StarGate […]when she [Normani] came in that day [ …]. I said to her ‘Do you want to hear the song?’ […]. She’s special […] she just jumped on the song there with me and she sang it and it was perfect.” Smith also took to his Instagram to post a video about the song. ““I want to share my feelings with you … this song, of all my songs, when I wrote it … was a healing moment. It’s simple, but what I was feeling at the time was as deep as I’ve ever felt. I don’t feel that way now. I’m in a very different place now.” The track focuses on a individual trying to get over their past lover by “dancing with a stranger”, and “still thinking ‘bout the things you do”. The chorus also emphasizes that dancing with a stranger is a mistake, with Smith and Normani blaming their ex-lovers: “Look what you made me do, I’m with somebody new”.

The music video was directed by Vaughan Arnell and was released on the 29th January 2019. It follows both Smith and Normani in a large modern and fairly cold house, with Smith using futuristic technology to go on dating apps to find someone new. Normani mainly dances in the music video, the two rarely coming together, but seem to be in the same house. Since it’s upload in January, the music video has over 251 million views and almost 1.5 million likes.

Release Date: 11th January 2019

Songwriter/s: Sam Smith, Jimmy Napes, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Hermansen, Normani Kordei

Producer/s: Stargate, Jimmy Napes, Tim Blacksmith, Danny D

Label: Capitol

Music Video Release Date: 29th January 2019

Music Video Director: Vaughan Arnell

Music Video Producer: Sue Caldwell

Chart Rankings & Certifications: In its year of release, the track went to #1 in: Mexico and Iceland, as well as making its way to Scotland, Romania and Australia and New Zealand. The song went to #3 in the UK Singles Official Charts Company and #7 in the US Billboard Charts. “Dancing with a Stranger” received Gold certification in Belgium, Denmark, Italy and United Kingdom, as well receiving Platinum in Canada and New Zealand, but receiving double Platinum certification in Australia.