"Dangerous" is a song written and performed by British singer–songwriter Sarah Joyce, known by her stage name as Rumer, for her third studio album '' Into Colour'' (2014). It was released on 22 September 2014 and differs from most of her songs for its
disco
Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
style and upbeat tone. The song was well received by
critics
A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governme ...
and peaked at number 36 on the
Japan Hot 100
The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by ''Billboard Japan'' and Hanshin Contents Link since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thursday ...
.
Composition
Joyce explained that "Dangerous" was about her fear of re-entering the music industry following
bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder (BD), previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of Depression (mood), depression and periods of abnormally elevated Mood (psychology), mood that each last from days to weeks, and in ...
,
post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a Psychological trauma, traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster ...
and
ADHD
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple ...
, only translated to a love song: "I had so much resistance to going back into writing and performing publicly again that I realised I wasn't going to be able to break through it until I literally wrote a song about the resistance itself." She songs on the song, "It's taken me a long time to feel better babe / I've only just begun to feel my heart again." Helen Brown, a writer for ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'', suggested the line "You want me to let go/ You want me to lose control/ But I don't want to lose control," was a response to "critics who find her too smooth and safe." Musically, "Dangerous" is an
uptempo
A variety of musical terms is encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special musical meanings ...
,
1970s-inspired
1970s nostalgia is nostalgia for certain aspects of the 1970s. 1970s retro is Retro style, retro related to the 1970s.
Media
67% of baby boomers, born between 1958 and 1963, had nostalgia for media from the 1970s in twelve markets in 2023.
Music ...
disco-pop
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describes ...
track that includes strings,
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
-esque bass, and a
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
guitar section in its instrumentation, and the song differs from most of her music for being upbeat and disco-tinged.
Critical reception
''Glasswerk'' called "Dangerous" an "instant classic." Tom Ingham praised Joyce's vocal performance as her "most colourful and charged" to date. ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.
In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'' critic Paul Mardles, labeling most of '' Into Colour'' as "flat" and "forgettable," found "Dangerous" to be the album's most memorable track for its disco style. Writer Paul John, however, criticized it for being a "slightly dishonest representation of the remainder of the album," but nonetheless called it "a wonderful song in and of itself." ''
The Daily Express
The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...
The Daily Express
The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...
''. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
Music video
On 15 October 2014, a video for the song "Dangerous" was released. Directed by Anthony Byrne and produced by Jess Bell, the video depicts a manager for a ballet company who crushes on a male ballet dancer.Knight, David (15 October 2014) "Rumer 'Dangerous' by Anthony Byrne" ''Promo News''. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
Personnel
Adapted from the liner notes of '' Into Colour'':
*Written and sung by
Sarah Joyce
Sarah Joyce (born 3 June 1979), better known by her stage name, Rumer, is a Pakistani-British singer-songwriter. Supported by leading music industry figures including Burt Bacharach, Elton John, Carly Simon, and Jools Holland, Rumer was nominat ...
*Backing vocals by Porter Carroll and Sharon Bryant
*Production, writing, arrangement, conducting, bass, piano, organ, percussion, additional programming, and engineering by Rob Shirakbari
*Also written by
Rick Nowels
Richard Wright Nowels Jr. (born March 16, 1954) is an American songwriter and record producer. He has co-written and co-produced over 90 hit singles with multiple artists,Stephen Bishop
*Recorded at
Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios is a recording studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. It was commissioned by rock musician Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and designed by architect John Storyk and audio engineer Eddie Kramer. It was completed by 1970. Hendrix ...
and Frisbie Studios in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, Water Studios in
Hoboken
Hoboken ( ; ) is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and is the site of Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's popula ...
,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, and
RAK Studios
RAK Studios is a recording studio complex, with residential facilities, used by Rak Records, and located near Regent's Park in central London, England. It was founded in 1976 by English record producer Mickie Most.
History
The RAK complex res ...
in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
*Alto saxophone by Lisa Graheme
*Baritone and tenor saxophone by Derek Nash
*Bass by Zev Katz
*Cello by Dave Daniels, Ian Burdge, Martin Loveday, and
Richard Harwood
:''Richard Harwood is also the assumed name of National Front member Richard Verrall (political writer), Richard Verrall.''
Richard Craig Harwood (born 8 August 1979) is a British cellist.
Biography
Richard Harwood was born in Portsmouth, ...
*Drums and percussion by
Ash Soan
Ashley Soan (born 11 December 1969) is a British drummer. He is currently playing with Snow Patrol and Tori Amos. He has previously played live with Seal, Van Morrison, Bryan Adams, Sinéad O’Connor, Marianne Faithfull, Squeeze, The Wate ...
*Guitar by
Paul Pesco
Paul Pesco (born May 13, 1959) is an American session guitarist, singer-songwriter, film score composer and record producer.
Biography
Pesco was born in Canandaigua, New York, to a Sicilian father (an opera singer and voice instructor) and ...
*Trombone by Winston Rollins
*Trumpet by Chris Storr and Martin Shaw
*Viola by Bill Hawkes, Bruce White, Maxine Moore, and Nick Barr
*Violin by Alison Dods, Chris Tombling, Emlyn Singleton, Everton Nelson, Ian Humphries, Magnus Johnstone, Mark Berrow, Matt Ward, Natalia Bonner, Patrick Kiernan, Rita Manning, and Steve Morris
*Strings recorded and engineered by Geoff Foster
*Mixed by Michael H. Brauer at Electric Lady Studios
*Assistant mixing and
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...
engineering by Mark Bengtson
*Also engineered by Mike Horner, Richard Woodcraft, Sean Kelly, John Horne), and Steve Vealey
*Mastered by
Bob Ludwig
Robert Carl Ludwig (born December 11, 1944), is a retired American mastering engineer. He mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists, including Led Zeppeli ...