‘It burrows into your bones’: how Dancing on My Own became pop’s ultimate sad banger

Since its 2010 release, Robyn’s downbeat hit has influenced Charli xcx and Taylor Swift, soundtracked films and TV shows, and been yelled in unison at club nights. What’s the secret of its longevity?As the flirtation first begins to build between CEO Romy (Nicole Kidman) and her twentysomething intern Samuel (Harris Dickinson) in the recent erotic thriller Babygirl, the two find themselves at opposite ends of a dancefloor. Romy pulls away from her husband and stares – pouting – at Samuel, who embraces another woman, a familiar staccato beat pulsing out around them. “I’m in the corner, watching you kiss her,” the lyrics narrate. “I’m right over here, why can’t you see me?” It’s the perfect needle drop, conveying Romy’s desire but also her sense of alienation. Gladly for her, their torrid affair begins nonetheless, and soon the pair are throwing shapes at a sweaty techno rave.The song that plays is, of course, Dancing on My Own by Robyn, from her Body Talk Pt 1 album, a tune so familiar by now that I felt a Pavlovian urge to start caterwauling along in the cinema. Fifteen years on from its original release in April 2010, the track has established itself as pop’s great modern “sad banger”, in the vein of classics such as Donna Summer’s Last Dance and I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor. Like those tracks it is a song that gets you up and moving, while breaking your heart into several tiny pieces. Continue reading...

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