Lyrically, the song is about coping with loneliness and moving past a lost love. David Renshaw, writing for The Fader, called the song a "veer away from gentle soul sound". Journalist Monica Mercuri of Forbes described the single as "sultry" and showing off the singer's "powerful" vocals. The latter two also handled production for the track alongside Danny D and Tim Blacksmith. The song was written by Smith, Normani, Napes and Stargate. Musically, "Dancing with a Stranger" is a disco- R&B and pop duet that contains 1980s-inspired R&B production. After talking, the two decided to work together. When Smith was writing a track with their frequent collaborator Jimmy Napes and Norwegian producers Stargate, Normani happened to be in the studio next door. The track won the Song of the Year award at the 2020 BMI London Awards, and was nominated for Song of 2019 at the People's Choice Awards, and Song of the Year at the 2020 Brit Awards.Īccording to Billboard, the collaboration happened through a chance encounter at a recording studio in Los Angeles. As of March 2021, the single was the 27th most streamed song by a female artist (Normani) in the UK. "Dancing with a Stranger" was the most-played radio track of 2019, according to Forbes. The single is certified 4x Platinum in the US, and is certified Platinum or higher in ten additional countries. The track became a commercial success, reaching number one in Mexico, Iceland, and Lebanon, number three in the United Kingdom, number seven in the United States, and the top ten in seventeen additional countries. It appears on Smith's third studio album Love Goes (2020). "Dancing with a Stranger" was released as a single by Capitol Records on 11 January 2019. Eriksen, Tor Hermansen, and produced by Stargate and Napes. It was written by Smith, Normani, Jimmy Napes, Mikkel S. " Dancing with a Stranger" is a song by British singer Sam Smith and American singer Normani. He has won four Grammy awards, an Oscar, a Golden Globe, three Billboard Music Awards, a BET Award and six MOBO Awards, among others.2019 single by Sam Smith and Normani "Dancing with a Stranger" Already a three-time BRIT winner, Smith is nominated in the British Male Solo Artist category this year. ‘Dancing With A Stranger’ is the first new music from Smith in 2019 and follows his summer 2018 global hit with Calvin Harris, ‘Promises.’ Smith will perform with Harris on 20 February at the BRIT Awards, which will be live streamed on YouTube. Hailing it as a “Song You Need to Know,” Rolling Stone described it as “deliciously retro” and noted, “Their soulful, understated delivery suggests a moody narrative of two people looking to get an ex off their mind, falling into the arms of someone exciting, nameless and new.”Ĭalling it “one of the first genuinely great songs of 2019,” Idolator noted, “They expertly capture the frustration and loneliness of heartbreak, bottling it and presenting it as something both deeply personal and infinitely relatable.” Entertainment Weekly observed, “Sam Smith and Normani have teamed up to soundtrack your weekend festivities.” Released in January by Capitol Records, ‘Dancing With A Stranger’ has already racked up over 100 million cumulative streams worldwide and – at the time of writing, has moved back up to No. The collaboration between the two came about through a chance encounter at the studio in LA as Smith was writing with pop legends Stargate and Jimmy Napes, Normani was in the studio next door and with both artists being long-term fans of each other it was a no-brainer for her to team up with Smith to create the new track. In its regular incarnation, ‘Dancing With a Stranger’ is a smooth slice of sultry, R’n’B influenced pop. Stripped back and slowed down, the latest incarnation of the lovelorn jam puts the pair’s vocals to the forefront. Having climbed to #3 in the UK and #26 in the US, the song has been gifted a fresh boost by way of a newly released acoustic version.