Dance, Dance (Fall Out Boy song)

"Dance, Dance" has been described as an alternative rock, pop-punk,^[1] and emo song.^[2] It was written in the key of B Minor.^[7]

"Dance, Dance" has received critical acclaim, and is widely considered one of Fall Out Boy's greatest songs. In 2015, Billboard ranked the song number two on their list of the 10 greatest Fall Out Boy songs,^[8] and in 2021, Kerrang ranked the song number one on their list of the 20 greatest Fall Out Boy songs.^[9] Rolling Stone ranked the song No. 39 on their Best 100 Songs of 2006 list.^[10]

In the United States, the song peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 2006,^[11] becoming the band's second consecutive top ten hit song on the chart following "Sugar, We're Goin Down". It was a crossover hit as it simultaneously went top five on both Alternative (No. 2) and Pop (No. 5) radio. The track also reached No. 6 on the now-defunct Pop 100. It was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),^[12] and has sold 3,226,000 copies in the US as of February 2014.^[13] It was certified 3× platinum in 2014, the band's second song to reach that plateau.

In the United Kingdom, "Dance, Dance" peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Fall Out Boy's second consecutive top ten hit song in Britain following "Sugar, We're Goin Down". On August 7, 2020, "Dance, Dance" was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for 600,000 sales and streams.^[14]

The music video was directed by Alan Ferguson and was filmed at Salesian High School in the New York City commuter town of New Rochelle, Westchester County, New York.^[15] It features the band members performing at a homecoming dance, and simultaneously attending as nerdier versions of themselves, overcoming the mocking discretions by the popular students, with cameos made by Ben Jorgensen of Armor for Sleep and Travie McCoy of Gym Class Heroes. The video starts with a scene reminiscent of the beginning of "A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More "Touch Me"", with the ending scene of Pete dancing a parodyof Revenge of the Nerds.^[16]

The video plot continues in the "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" video, with the school dancers as cardboard cutouts. The picture on the back of the book that Andy Hurley is reading during the scene where he is on the bleachers is also on the album From Under the Cork Tree.

The black-and-green-striped jacket Patrick wears in the video can be seen in the music video for Fall Out Boy's song "What a Catch, Donnie". Pete's date in that video is one of the attendees at his funeral in this video. She is kissing the boy of the music video for "Sugar, We're Goin Down". Katrina Bowden, best known now as Cerie in the television series 30 Rock, appears in the video as a dancer who engages Stump; along with Ben Jorgensen who married Bowden in 2013 and divorced in 2020.

Lyrics were written by bassist and backing vocalist Pete Wentz; music was composed by Fall Out Boy.

CD 1:

1. "Dance, Dance" – 3:00
2. ""It's Not a Side Effect of the Cocaine, I Am Thinking It Must Be Love"" – 2:11

CD 2:

1. "Dance, Dance" – 3:00
2. "A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More "Touch Me"" – 2:49

7-inch vinyl:

1. "Dance, Dance" – 3:00
2. "Sugar, We're Goin Down" (Zane Lowe Session – London 2006) – 3:49

This song has been included in multiple video games; Burnout Revenge, Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova for the PS2 in North America,^[42] Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, Juiced: Eliminator, Madden NFL 06,^[43] Rock Band 3, Rock Revolution, SingStar Pop Hits, SingStar Rocks! in North America, and as downloadable content for Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore 2 for the PS3.^[44] It also appeared on the Brazilian and Argentinian version of Infinity on High, which is From Under the Cork Tree's 2007 follow-up. Wentz prevented Kidz Bop from singing this song on Kidz Bop 10 because of the sexual overtones to the song.^[45]