“Dance Monkey” is a song by Australian singer Tones and I, released on May 10, 2019. The song is part of her debut EP, “The Kids Are Coming.” It falls under the electropop genre and was produced and mixed by Konstantin Kersting.
The song quickly gained popularity and topped the charts in over 30 countries, including Australia, the UK, and several European nations. It reached the top ten in many other countries, including the United States. “Dance Monkey” broke several records, including the most weeks at number one on the Australian Singles Chart and the most weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart by a female artist.
The music video for “Dance Monkey” was directed by Liam Kelly and Nick Kozakis and was released on June 24, 2019. The video shows Tones and I dressed as an elderly man who sneaks out of a care home with his friends to have a dance party at a golf course. The video is playful and fun, showing aged friends enjoying and dancing.
In “Dance Monkey”, Tones and I reflect on her experience as a street performer, or busker, in Australia. She wrote the song sharing her experience about the pressure she felt to constantly entertain people on the street. Her fans continued to ask her to dance for them and so she came up with the song “Dance for me, dance for me, dance for me, oh-oh-oh.” The song is about the excitement of dancing for her fans each time they need her to.
Lyrics for Dance Monkey by Tones And I
They say, “Oh my God, I see the way you shine
Take your hands, my dear, and place them both in mine”
You know you stopped me dead while I was passing by
And now I beg to see you dance just one more time
Ooh, I see you, see you, see you every time
And oh my, I, I like your style
You, you make me, make me, make me wanna cry
And now I beg to see you dance just one more time
So they say
“Dance for me, dance for me, dance for me, oh-oh-oh
I’ve never seen anybody do the things you do before”
They say
“Move for me, move for me, move for me, ayy-ayy-ayy
And when you’re done, I’ll make you do it all again”
I said, “Oh my God, I see you walking by
Take my hands, my dear, and look me in my eyes”
Just like a monkey, I’ve been dancin’ my whole life
But you just beg to see me dance just one more time
Ooh, I see you, see you, see you every time
And oh my, I, I like your style
You, you make me, make me, make me wanna cry
And now I beg to see you dance just one more time
So they say
“Dance for me, dance for me, dance for me, oh-oh-oh
I’ve never seen anybody do the things you do before”
They say
“Move for me, move for me, move for me, ayy-ayy-ayy
And when you’re done, I’ll make you do it all again”
They say
“Dance for me, dance for me, dance for me, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
I’ve never seen anybody do the things you do before”
They say
“Move for me, move for me, move for me, ayy-ayy-ayy
And when you’re done, I’ll make you do it all again”
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh, ah-ah, ah-ah
They say
“Dance for me, dance for me, dance for me, oh-oh-oh
I’ve never seen anybody do the things you do before”
They say
“Move for me, move for me, move for me, ayy-ayy-ayy
And when you’re done, I’ll make you do it all again”
They say
“Dance for me, dance for me, dance for me, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
I’ve never seen anybody do the things you do before”
They say
“Move for me, move for me, move for me, ayy-ayy-ayy
And when you’re done, I’ll make you do it all again
All again”
Play Dance Monkey by Tones And I
Dance Monkey by Tones and I is a song with a lasting impact on the music industry. Dance Monkey has won Best Pop Release at the ARIA Music Awards of 2019, Song of the Year at the APRA Music Awards of 2020, and Independent Song of the Year at the AIR Awards of 2020. The song also became the first by a female artist to reach 3 billion streams on Spotify.
Download Dance Monkey by Tones And I