Related Questions: Walk the Moon, ‘Shut Up and Dance’

By Scott T. Sterling

In our series Related Questions we get to know a song from a different view by asking the artist about not only the track itself, but anything and everything that could possibly pertain to it.

Walk the Moon first hit public consciousness at large with the 2012 hit single “Anna Sun,” an energetic blast of ’80s-inspired pop and new wave. Now the Cincinnati-based band has returned with “Shut Up and Dance,” the first track from their upcoming album, Talking is Hard. The song picks up where “Anna Sun” left off, blending catchy pop melodies with sharp songwriting and sounds that recall big ’80s radio playlists. The band’s lead singer, Nicholas Petricca, let us ask him a series of question based around the song to find out if the song’s title is applicable to his real life, his thoughts on the band Mr. Mister and what to expect from the new Walk the Moon album.

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Has a woman ever used the words ‘shut up and dance’ on you?

Yes, they have. I’m currently dating her, so…

That must be quite the story.

I’m not going to get into my personal life, but…we don’t consider ourselves to be these slick, mysterious rock stars. We’re a bunch of dorks, and this is like the dork rock anthem.

What was the lyrical inspiration behind the song, beyond the obvious?

We were inspired by these loveable songs from the ’80s like “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” (Pat Benatar) and “Jessie’s Girl” (Rick Springfield), real heart-on-your-sleeve kind of anthems. I really relate to that. There’s this girl that I like, and a couple of nights before I was messing with the song she came out with us. She was wearing a backless dress and her old sneakers, and I was super into it. Gears started turning.

Would you say a backless dress and beat-up sneakers is your favorite look on a woman?

It’s up there. Right next to a sweater and jean shorts.

Do you remember the first time you ever danced with a girl?

It was probably at my cousin’s wedding. I was five years old. I can barely remember it, but I am told that I was the center of the reception dance floor until my parents had to drag me off. So I’ve never really had stage fright about dancing in public!

What inspired the band to ask fans to submits videos of themselves dancing for the lyric video?

Walk the Moon, historically, has grown and changed and reacted all in response to our fans and the community around us. That’s how the whole vibe was born. It’s just really important to us to keep that tradition. So moving into this next stage for us, we wanted to have something that was created by the fans. It was amazing how they responded.

Are you familiar with the Aerosmith song called “Shut Up and Dance”?

I am aware of it, but I haven’t actually listened to it.

There’s a song from the Victorious soundtrack by Victoria Justice called “Shut Up and Dance.”

I also recently discovered that Paula Abdul’s greatest hits album is called Shut Up and Dance, which is really the primary inspiration.

Do you have a favorite place to go dancing or a favorite DJ?

Actually, the place that inspired some of the lyrics to “Shut Up and Dance,” was the Echo in Los Angeles, where we’re actually playing on this tour. They have a party called Funky Sole Saturdays. That’s a really great place to dance. As far as my favorite DJ, I really like this guy called Gramatik. He does a wild version of the Beatles‘ “Don’t Bring Me Down.” It’s pretty incredible.

Since you’re from Cincinnati, we have to ask: when it comes to Skyline Chili versus Gold Star Chili, which one would you tell to shut up and which one do you ask to dance?

But the song is about shutting up and dancing all at once. So I would tell them both to shut up, stop their spicy talk and dance with me. I would then go home with Skyline Chili. I grew up getting cheese coneys from Skyline, so it’s a childhood nostalgia thing, I guess. There’s nothing wrong with Gold Star, but for me, Skyline is the definitive Cincinnati chili.

You recently mentioned on Twitter that Mr. Mister is one of your all-time favorite bands. Which one of their songs is most likely to get you on the dance floor?

Oh yeah, I love that band. Probably “Kyrie.” That one or maybe the song “Black/White” (sings a few lyrics). During lunch break at rehearsal the other day we were rocking out to Mr. Mister, and I realized how similar some of the sounds are to our record. Just really big, unapologetic sounds. That’s kind of what we went for.

Considering your appreciation for Mr. Mister, what are your thoughts on The Outfield, best known for the 1986 single, “Your Love”?

I mean, that’s one of the ultimate classics, dude. That’s kind of a one-hit wonder band, isn’t it? It’s also an example of the great singers that were around at that time. I can’t squeeze my own nuts hard enough to sing that high. Although I have tried.

With “Shut Up and Dance” being a hit already, is there another song on the album that has a similar immediacy?

That is a good question. We’ve been trying to keep it on the DL. But we do have a number of new songs that we’ve played live already. There’s a song called “Spend Your Money,” which is one of our favorite ones to play live. It was one of those songs where we had a quirky lyric, but it needed something. So I started playing this riff that was similar to “Day Tripper” by the Beatles, and so it just turned into a hard rock version of that.

How would you say that “Shut Up and Dance” compares to the rest of what’s up on the band’s upcoming album?

I’m glad you asked that, because I’m really excited to say that people really have no idea what they’re in for. We wanted to come out with something that was in-your-face and staying true to our quirky indie rock pop selves. But we really explored the far corners of Walk the Moon on this record. We pretty much tried everything. We tried playing super hard and weird and dreamy and soft, everything. So the album is a lot more ferocious, and then a lot more tender in some moments.

Are you any closer to a release date for the album?

Yes, although it’s still a secret. God willing, it will be out later this year.

See Walk the Moon’s current tour itinerary here. The band has dates through the month of December.