"Slow Dancing in the Dark" is a song by Japanese-Australian singer-songwriter Joji from his debut album, ''

Ballads 1 ''Ballads 1'' is the debut studio album by Japanese-Australian singer-songwriter Joji (musician), Joji. It serves as a follow-up to the previous year's ''In Tongues (EP), In Tongues'' (his first project as Joji) and ''Pink Season'' (his only albu ...

'' (2018). The song was released on 12 September 2018, as the album's second single, and was written and produced by Joji and

Patrick Wimberly Jonathan Patrick Wimberly (born May 29, 1983) is an American record producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and mixing engineer best known as being one-half of the synth-pop duo Chairlift. The band parted ways in 2017 so Wimberly a ...

Background and promotion

Joji first showcased the track for the first time during a live performance in May 2018, which caused the creation of bootleg versions, reworks, and covers to be released before the song's official release. It was then officially released as the second single from his debut studio album, ''

'', on 12 September 2018, alongside the album's release date.

Music video

A music video for the song was released on the same day as its release, on 12 September 2018, and was directed by Jared Hogan.

Synopsis

The video features Miller in a white tuxedo smoking a cigarette and stumbling through city streets at night in emotional anguish. Later in the video, he is revealed to be a

satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr (, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( ), and sileni (plural), is a male List of nature deities, nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exaggerated erection. ...

with an arrow in his back. He coughs up blood while splayed on an illuminated dance floor. He eventually collapses in a pool of blood. The final frame is used in the song's cover artwork. The video's visual style has been compared to that of director

David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. Often described as one of the preeminent directors of his generation, David Fincher filmography, his films, of which most are psychological thrillers, have collectiv ...

Remixes

An acoustic remix of "Slow Dancing in the Dark" was released as a single on 18 October 2018. It features Miller singing over a solo piano backing played by co-producer Carol Kuswanto. Remixes of the song by

Mr. Mitch Miles Ian Mitchell, better known as Mr. Mitch, is a British grime record producer from London. He was a founding member of ''Boxed'', a club night and label formed in 2012 with Oil Gang, Logos and Slackk. He has released music on numerous labels ...

and Loud Luxury were released on 9 November 2018.

Usage in media

A microwave-like 'ding' sound effect present in the song's pre-chorus spawned an

internet challenge Internet challenges are a popular phenomenon on the Internet, encompassing a wide range of videos in which individuals record themselves performing specific actions or tasks, often daring others to do the same. These challenges have become a signif ...

on short-form video service

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

in 2019 known as the "Microwave Challenge". In the challenge, people were asked to spin themselves around while sitting on the floor, imitating food spinning in a microwave.

Personnel

;Original version Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

. * George Miller – songwriting, vocals, arrangement *

– production, recording, mixing, arrangement * Francisco "Frankie" Ramirez – recording * Chris Athens – mastering ;Acoustic Remix Credits adapted from

. * George Miller – production, songwriting, arrangement * Patrick Wimberly – production, arrangement * Carol Kuswanto – production * Francisco "Frankie" Ramirez – mastering, mixing, recording

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2018 songs 2018 singles Joji (musician) songs Sentimental ballads Song recordings produced by Patrick Wimberly Contemporary R&B songs 88rising singles