Dance Off

"Dance Off"
"Dance Off"
Single by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Idris Elba and Anderson .Paak
from the album This Unruly Mess I've Made
Released	February 25, 2016
Genre	Hip hop; comedy hip hop;
Length	3:49
Label	Macklemore LLC
Songwriters	Ben Haggerty; Ryan Lewis; Idris Elba; Joshua Karp; Brandon Anderson; Josh Dobson; Sam Wishkoski; Tyler "XP" Andrews;
Producer	Ryan Lewis
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis singles chronology
Idris Elba singles chronology
Anderson .Paak singles chronology
Music video
	"Dance Off" on YouTube

"Dance Off" is a song by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring British actor and musician Idris Elba and fellow American musician Anderson .Paak, released in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and selected European countries on February 25, 2016 as the second single from the duo's studio album This Unruly Mess I've Made (2016).

Background and release

Following the large success of the duo's debut album The Heist (2012), Macklemore revealed the This Unruly Mess I've Made release with an Instagram post on January 15, 2016.^[1] "Dance Off" was released as second single of the album on February 25, 2016, succeeding "Downtown".^[1]

Music video

The song's music video was uploaded to Ryan Lewis's YouTube, now known as Macklemore LLC, channel on May 17, 2016. It was directed by Lewis & Jason Koenig.^[2]

Critical reception

The song received positive reviews from music critics. Killian Young said that "Dance Off" makes nod to the pillars of hip hop culture: rapping, DJing, tagging, breakdancing and piano groove.^[3] David Turner of MTV said that "Dance Off" sounds like rolling into the morgue by the 27th second, when the song says "I grab my ankle and pull it up / And do that thing where I move my butt".^[4] Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic commented that the song sounds like the director Vincent Price in "Thriller" (of Michael Jackson), and said that Macklemore "frets about the adequacy of what's between his legs. In his world, music does not help you transcend your insecurities—it heightens them.".^[5]

Chart performance

In Australia, "Dance Off" entered the Australian Singles Chart at number twenty one on March 7, 2016.^[6]

Track listing

Digital download^[7]
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Dance Off" (featuring Idris Elba and Anderson Paak)	3:49

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2016)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[8]	7
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)^[9]	17
France (SNEP)^[10]	137
Ireland (IRMA)^[11]	59
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[12]	29

Year-end charts

Chart (2016)	Position
Australia (ARIA)^[13]	88
Australia Urban (ARIA)^[14]	12

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)^[15]	Platinum	30,000^‡
Australia (ARIA)^[16]	Platinum	70,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format
Australia	February 25, 2016^[6]^[17]	Macklemore LLC	Digital download

References

^ ^a ^b Spanos, Brittany (January 15, 2016). "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Announce new album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS - DANCE OFF (FEAT. IDRIS ELBA) OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO. YouTube.
^ "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – This Unruly Mess I've Made". Consequence of Sound. August 27, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
^ "Macklemore Fights White Privilege (And Loses)". MTV. August 27, 2015. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
^ "This Unruly Mess I've Made uses novelty rap to disguise self-loathing, barely". The Atlantic. August 27, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
^ ^a ^b "Lukas Graham make it a hat-trick with '7 Years'". ARIA. September 21, 2015.
^ "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Idris Elba and Anderson.Paak – Dance Off". iTunes. August 27, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
^ "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Anderson .Paak, Idris Elba – Dance Off". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
^ "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Anderson .Paak, Idris Elba – Dance Off" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
^ "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Anderson .Paak, Idris Elba – Dance Off" (in French). Le classement de singles. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
^ "Chart Track: Week 16, 2016". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 4, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles 2016". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
^ "ARIA Top 50 Urban Singles 2016". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
^ "New Zealand single certifications – Macklemore And Ryan Lewis feat. Idris Elba And Anderson .Paak – Dance Off". Radioscope. Retrieved April 8, 2025. Type Dance Off in the "Search:" field.
^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2016 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
^ "Dance Off (Ft. Idris Elba & Anderson .Paak)". Hip Hop Engine. August 27, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.

[Macklemore_and_Ryan_Lewis_announce_date_of_second_album-1] Spanos, Brittany (January 15, 2016). "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Announce new album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 27, 2016.

[2] Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS - DANCE OFF (FEAT. IDRIS ELBA) OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO. YouTube.

[3] "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – This Unruly Mess I've Made". Consequence of Sound. August 27, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.

[4] "Macklemore Fights White Privilege (And Loses)". MTV. August 27, 2015. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2015.

[5] "This Unruly Mess I've Made uses novelty rap to disguise self-loathing, barely". The Atlantic. August 27, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.

[aria-6] "Lukas Graham make it a hat-trick with '7 Years'". ARIA. September 21, 2015.

[release-7] "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Idris Elba and Anderson.Paak – Dance Off". iTunes. August 27, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.

[sc_Australia_Macklemore_&_Ryan_Lewis_feat._Anderson_.Paak,_Idris_Elba-8] "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Anderson .Paak, Idris Elba – Dance Off". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 26, 2016.

[sc_Flanders_Tip_Macklemore_&_Ryan_Lewis_feat._Anderson_.Paak,_Idris_Elba-9] "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Anderson .Paak, Idris Elba – Dance Off" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved April 1, 2016.

[sc_France_Macklemore_&_Ryan_Lewis_feat._Anderson_.Paak,_Idris_Elba-10] "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Anderson .Paak, Idris Elba – Dance Off" (in French). Le classement de singles. Retrieved April 14, 2016.

[sc_Ireland_-11] "Chart Track: Week 16, 2016". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 23, 2016.

[12] "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 4, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.

[13] "ARIA Top 100 Singles 2016". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 6, 2017.

[14] "ARIA Top 50 Urban Singles 2016". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 6, 2017.

[New_ZealandMacklemore_And_Ryan_Lewis_feat._Idris_Elba_And_Anderson_.PaakDance_OffsingleCertRef-15] "New Zealand single certifications – Macklemore And Ryan Lewis feat. Idris Elba And Anderson .Paak – Dance Off". Radioscope. Retrieved April 8, 2025. Type Dance Off in the "Search:" field.

[AustraliasingleCertRef-16] "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2016 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 12, 2021.

[17] "Dance Off (Ft. Idris Elba & Anderson .Paak)". Hip Hop Engine. August 27, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.

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v t e Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Macklemore Ryan Lewis
Studio albums	The Heist (2012) This Unruly Mess I've Made (2016)
Singles	"Wings" "Can't Hold Us" "Same Love" "Thrift Shop" "White Walls" "Downtown" "Dance Off" "Brad Pitt's Cousin"
Featured singles	"Arrows"
Promotional singles	"White Privilege II"
Related articles	Discography Awards and nominations

v t e Anderson .Paak
Discography
Studio albums	Venice (2014) Malibu (2016) Oxnard (2018) Ventura (2019)
Collaborative EPs & albums	Link Up & Suede (2015) Yes Lawd! (2016) An Evening with Silk Sonic (2021) Why Lawd? (2024)
Singles	"Suede" "Bubblin" "Tints" "Leave the Door Open" "Skate" "Smokin out the Window" "Love's Train" "After Last Night" "Gangsta"
Featured singles	"Dance Off" "Dang!" "RNP" "Coast" "Two Tens" "Too Bad" "Play This Song"
Other songs	"Medicine Man" "Still Life"
Related	NxWorries Silk Sonic

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