Better When I'm Dancin'

"Better When I'm Dancin'" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor for the soundtrack to the film The Peanuts Movie, based on the popular comic strip of the same name created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz. Trainor co-wrote it with Thaddeus Dixon and co-produced it with her brother, Justin. Epic Records released it on October 14, 2015, as the first and only promotional single from the soundtrack. Backed by an instrumentation of salsa-inspired drums, the tropical song has house influences and optimistic lyrics that were inspired by Trainor's fans.

"Better When I'm Dancin'"
The Peanuts Movie characters Charlie Brown and Snoopy stand affront an orange background below the black and white text "The Peanuts Movie Meghan Trainor Better When I'm Dancin'"
Promotional single by Meghan Trainor
from the album The Peanuts Movie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
B-side"Bang Dem Sticks"
ReleasedOctober 14, 2015 (2015-10-14)
GenreTropical
Length2:56
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Meghan Trainor
  • Justin Trainor
Music video
"Better When I'm Dancin'" on YouTube

"Better When I'm Dancin'" peaked at number 76 in Australia, and at number one on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, certified Platinum in both countries. Philip Andelman directed the music video, which was released on October 14, 2015. Trainor has performed "Better When I'm Dancin'" live on several shows, including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Dancing with the Stars. It was performed during her MTrain Tour (2015).

Background and release

In July 2015, Trainor embarked on the MTrain Tour in support of her debut major-label studio album Title (2015). She accompanied herself on a ukulele and wrote "Better When I'm Dancin'" in "a short amount of time" on her tour bus.[1] She approached American record producer Thaddeus Dixon to produce the song, against the wishes of her label Epic Records. Dixon recalled that Trainor said "if Thaddeus isn't producing it, I'm not doing it", and "stuck up" for him.[2] Ultimately, Dixon ended up co-writing "Better When I'm Dancin'" with Trainor, while the latter co-produced it with her brother Justin Trainor.[3]

In an interview with People that month, Trainor revealed that she was recording the song for The Peanuts Movie soundtrack. According to her, she was approached to soundtrack the film due to her ability to write "a song about confidence".[4] An animated version of Trainor was used to promote the announcement on her Instagram account.[5] A 20-second clip of "Better When I'm Dancin'" was made available on October 9, 2015.[6] The song was released for digital download and streaming on October 14, 2015, being offered as an instant download with the soundtrack's pre-order.[7] It was released to Italian contemporary hit radio stations on October 23.[8] Trainor contributed an additional song called "Good to be Alive" to the Target edition of The Peanuts Movie soundtrack.[7] "Better When I'm Dancin'" was released as a 7" Vinyl single on February 26, 2016, with the song "Bang Dem Sticks" as its B-side.[9]

Composition

"Better When I'm Dancin'" was inspired by Trainor's fans, who "make [her] feel like a star on that stage".[11] The song is about confidence and releasing your insecurities on the dance floor, and has been described as a "classic confidence-boosting tune".[4][5] A tropical song,[10] it has a peppy beat and optimistic message, along with instrumentation of salsa-inspired drums.[12] "Better When I'm Dancin'" strays from Trainor's usual doo-wop-influenced musical style, being described as "breezy and harmless" with traces of house music.[6][10] The song is written in the key of D major with a tempo of 128 beats per minute. In the verses, the song follows a chord progression of D–D/F♯–G5–D/F♯–Em7–Asus, and Trainor's vocals span from G4 to D6 in the song.[13]

Reception

Idolator's Robbie Daw wrote that "Better When I'm Dancin'" would make listeners realize that "everything [they] thought [they] knew about Meghan Trainor was a dark and twisted lie", calling it the "most un-Meghan Trainor song we've heard so far".[6] Carolyn Menyes of Music Times stated that the song is "perfectly fitted for a children's movie but won't break much out of that space", the reason being that it is "overly cutesy".[12] Time included it in their list of the Top 10 Worst Songs of 2015, criticizing how little the lyrics relate to the Peanuts franchise and noting that their "attitude of high-spirited joy aren't (sic) matched by a blandly indifferent delivery".[14] "Better When I'm Dancin'" received a nomination for the Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original Song in an Animated Film at the 2015 Hollywood Music in Media Awards, and won the Radio Disney Music Award for Best Song That Makes You Smile at the 2016 Radio Disney Music Awards.[15][16]

"Better When I'm Dancin'" topped the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, as well as the Kid Digital Songs chart.[17][18] The song attained a Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[19] It also charted at number 93 on the Canadian Hot 100.[20] "Better When I'm Dancin'" reached number 76 in Australia, achieving a quadruple Platinum certification in the country in 2023.[21][22] Additionally, it peaked at numbers 99, 29 and 17 on Venezuela's Record Report, Pop General and Top Anglo charts, respectively, and received a Gold certification in Poland.[23][24][25][26]

Music video

Directed by Philip Andelman, the video premiered on Apple Music on October 14, 2015. It features Trainor with appearances from Snoopy, Woodstock, Charlie Brown, among other characters from Peanuts.[27] Several of Trainor's relatives traveled to Los Angeles to appear in the video, including her aunt and uncle, Lisa and Burton Toney, and their three children. Her high school friend Lily Harrington and father Gary Trainor also made cameos, while her mother filmed the making of the video.[28] In the music video, Trainor wears a red, long-sleeved dress and performs choreography at locations such as a diner and a street corner.[29] Her relatives are also featured dancing.[10][29] The beginning of the video was filmed in black and white, which changes to bright colors during shots of Trainor's family.[30]

Menyes compared the video's transition, from black and white to the "big, colorful comic world" of Peanuts, to Smallville.[12] Writing for Idolator, Mike Wass described it as "a suitably lighthearted affair", commenting that its "retro look" is similar to Trainor's previous music videos, with the singer "rocking vintage fashions and working behind the counter of an old-school diner".[31]

Live performances

Trainor performed "Better When I'm Dancin'" and "Good to be Alive" during selected shows of her MTrain Tour, such as on July 24 in Los Angeles and August 6 in Boston, prior to their release.[32][33] On November 5, 2015, she played it on Today, and the following day on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[1][34] She also performed the song on the Dancing with the Stars season 21 finale on November 24, 2015, followed by her collaboration with Who Is Fancy and Ariana Grande, "Boys like You".[35]

Track listing
  • Digital download[36]
  1. "Better When I'm Dancin'" – 2:56
  1. "Better When I'm Dancin'" – 2:56
  2. "Bang Dem Sticks" – 3:00

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[3]

  • Meghan Trainor – lead vocals, producer, programmer, recording engineer
  • Justin Trainor – producer, programmer
  • Brandon Brown – bass
  • Kendall Gilder – guitar
  • Dave Kutch – mastering engineer
  • Manny Marroquin – mixing engineer

Charts
Peak chart positions for "Better When I'm Dancin'"
Chart (2015-2020) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[21] 76
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[20] 93
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[37] 28
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[17] 1
US Kid Digital Songs (Billboard)[18] 1
Venezuela (Record Report)[23] 99
Venezuela (Pop General)[24] 29
Venezuela (Top Anglo)[25] 17

Certifications
Certifications for "Better When I'm Dancin'"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[22] 4× Platinum 280,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[38] Gold 45,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[26] Gold 10,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[39] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[19] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Release dates and format(s) for "Better When I'm Dancin'"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various October 14, 2015
Epic [36]
Italy October 23, 2015 Contemporary hit radio [8]
Various February 26, 2016 7" Vinyl [9]

References
  1. Hines, Ree (November 5, 2015). "Meghan Trainor brings her 'Peanuts' dancin' routine to Today concert series". Today. Archived from the original on May 28, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  2. Ju, Shirley (June 17, 2020). "Thaddeus Dixon - A Conversation with the Versatile Producer". Flaunt. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  3. "Credits / Better When I'm Dancin' / Meghan Trainor". Tidal. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  4. Guglielmi, Jodi (July 28, 2015). "First Look: Meghan Trainor Writing Song for The Peanuts Movie – See Her as a Cartoon Character!". People. Archived from the original on February 1, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  5. "Meghan Trainor Has Her Own 'Peanuts' Character and Song On the Soundtrack". Billboard. July 29, 2015. Archived from the original on October 12, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  6. Daw, Robbie (October 9, 2015). "Meghan Trainor's 'Feel Better When I'm Dancin'' From 'The Peanuts Movie'". Idolator. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  7. Gracie, Bianca (October 14, 2015). "'The Peanuts Movie' Soundtrack Features Meghan Trainor & Flo Rida". Idolator. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  8. "Meghan Trainor su Radio Airplay" (in Italian). Radio Airplay. October 23, 2015. Archived from the original on November 16, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  9. "Better When I'm Dancin' - Vinyl Record - Sound Stage Direct". Sound Stage Direct. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  10. Benjamin, Jeff (October 15, 2015). "Meghan Trainor Boogies With 'Peanuts' Gang in "Better When I'm Dancing" Video". Fuse. Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  11. Trainor, Meghan (October 22, 2015). "Meghan Trainor on Her Vocal Surgery and Comeback: 'I'm Singing Better Than Ever'". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  12. Menyes, Carolyn (October 15, 2015). "Meghan Trainor 'Better When I'm Dancin' Music Video: 'Peanuts' Come to Color in Happy Clip". Music Times. Archived from the original on January 3, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  13. Trainor, Meghan; Dixon, Thaddeus (2015). "Meghan Trainor 'Better When I'm Dancin'' Digital Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  14. "Top 10 Worst Songs". Time. December 1, 2015. Archived from the original on May 25, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  15. "2015 Music in Visual Media Nominees". Hollywood Music in Media Awards. November 2, 2015. Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  16. "2016 Radio Disney Music Awards: See the Full List of Winners". Billboard. May 1, 2016. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  17. "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  18. "Kid Digital Songs : Nov 7, 2015" Archived October 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  19. "American single certifications – Meghan Trainor – Better When I'm Dancin'". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  20. "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  21. "Meghan Trainor – Better When I'm Dancin'". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  22. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  23. "Record Report - Top 100" (in Spanish). Record Report. Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  24. "Record Report - Pop General" (in Spanish). Record Report. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  25. "Record Report - Top Anglo" (in Spanish). Record Report. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  26. "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2017 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  27. "Meghan Trainor Cuts a Move with Snoopy and Charlie Brown in 'Better When I'm Dancin' Video: Watch". Billboard. October 15, 2015. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  28. Friss, Gwenn (October 16, 2015). "Local singer and video star Meghan Trainor is face of #OwnYourCurves campaign". Cape Cod Times. Archived from the original on December 19, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  29. Schillaci, Sophie (October 21, 2015). "Meghan Trainor's New Music Is Inspired by Her 'Curves' and Her Dad's Killer Dance Moves". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  30. Chestang, Raphael (October 16, 2015). "Meghan Trainor Shares Behind-the-Scenes Peek at Her Music Video With the 'Peanuts' Gang!". Entertainment Tonight Canada. Archived from the original on July 11, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  31. Wass, Mike (October 14, 2015). "Meghan Trainor Busts A Move In 'Better When I'm Dancin'' Video". Idolator. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  32. Frere, Jackie (July 25, 2015). "Meghan Trainor Dazzles L.A. Crowd After Vocal Hemorrhage Recovery: Live Review". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 26, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  33. Noel, Jenna (August 7, 2015). "Concert review: Meghan Trainor's 'MTrain' tour roars mightily through Hub". The Sun Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  34. Cantor, Brian (November 6, 2015). "Meghan Trainor Performs 'Better When I'm Dancin on Fallon's 'Tonight Show'". Headline Planet. Archived from the original on June 8, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  35. "You Won't Be Able to Stop Listening to Ariana Grande and Meghan Trainor's New Song". PopSugar. November 24, 2015. Archived from the original on November 27, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  36. "Meghan Trainor: Better When I'm Dancin'". Google Play. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  37. "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  38. "Danish single certifications – Meghan Trainor – Better When I'm Dancin'". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  39. "British single certifications – Meghan Trainor – Better When I'm Dancin'". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
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