SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK

“SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK” is the second single from Japanese singer, songwriter, comedian and former internet personality Joji and his debut album “BALLADS 1”. Released on the 12th September 2021, the R&B track is certified Platinum in Australia and 2x Platinum in the United States.

“SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK” sees Joji compare slow dancing in the dark to that of a relationship that is no longer working. On the 18th September 2018, DJ Annie Mac chose the song as BBC Radio 1’s “Hottest Record in the World”. Joji has spoken to music website Genius.com about his inspirations and the process of creation for “SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK“:

“I was just trying to write a good song. You know what I mean? I mean, obviously I might take influence from people I know, or situations, or feelings that just like emotions that I remember from times back. But there’s no specific situation that would’ve prompted that directly. It’s just some Celine Dion shit, or something. I know Asians, we love Celine Dion, and it has the same sort of thing going on… I was cutting it in the studio. It was just me. I actually wrote it all while I was recording it. I mean, it was done intentionally. That’s how I write sometimes. I’d just sit and write by myself and then go into the booth and try things. I was writing it bit by bit, just creating it. Just what I was feeling on the fly. Usually the instrumentals give me a good idea of what’s going on. The song is someone kind of crooning, like calling out, to someone else being like, “Don’t waste my time, be with me.” Which, I’m sure a lot of people feel. You know what I mean? Don’t be lukewarm.”

– Joji, Genius.com

The music video for “SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK” was released alongside the single via Joji’s official YouTube channel. Directed by Jared Hogan, the video features Joji in a white tuxedo, stumbling through the city while smoking a cigarette, shown to have an arrow in his back. As the video continues, the audience is show that Joji is a satyr (a Greek mythical creature that is a “male nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling a horse”) with an arrow in his back. Eventually, he coughs up blood in the middle of an illuminated dance floor and collapses. As of late September 2021, the video has over 271.7 million views and 4.1 million likes.

 

Read the lyrics to “SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK” here.