Dancing in the Flames


"Dancing in the Flames" is a song by the Canadian singer and songwriter The Weeknd. It was released on September 13, 2024, as a standalone single through XO and Republic Records. It was originally intended to be the lead single from the album Hurry Up Tomorrow, but was later excluded from the final track listing. The day after its release, a live version of the song was released. On September 16, 2024, an acoustic version accompanied by a music video was also released. An EP with previously mentioned versions and an instrumental and a cappella version was released the same day. The synth-pop track was met with positive reviews from music critics and debuted at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Background and composition

The Weeknd first performed the song live on September 7, 2024, at his one-night-only concert in Estádio do Morumbi, São Paulo, Brazil. The song was announced on September 9, 2024, as the original lead single from his then-upcoming sixth studio album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, through Apple Inc.'s "It's Glowtime" promotional event promoting the iPhone 16 Pro. The song was later omitted from the final tracklist for unknown reasons.
"Dancing in the Flames" is performed in the key of D major in common time with a tempo of 117 beats per minute. The Weeknd's vocals span from F4 to B5 in the song.

Critical reception

The song was well received by music critics. Alexis Petridis from The Guardian gave the song four out of five stars, commenting the singer "revisits his usual theme of nihilistic love and his beloved palette of 80s synths, but it's melodically solid and there are some tweaks to the formula". Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine wrote that the song "marks a turn back toward a lighter pop sound", in which "the singer once again associating romantic longing with the risk of physical danger".

Music video

A behind-the-scenes look at the music video was first shown at Apple's iPhone 16 launch event on September 9, 2024. The music video was shot entirely on the iPhone 16 Pro, and is directed by Anton Tammi, who previously directed the video for "Blinding Lights".

Track listing

Streaming/digital download – single
  1. "Dancing in the Flames" – 3:40
  2. "Dancing in the Flames" – 3:28
  3. "Dancing in the Flames" – 5:12
  4. "Dancing in the Flames" – 3:42
  5. "Dancing in the Flames" – 3:24

    Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.
  • The Weeknd – vocals, songwriting, production
  • Max Martin – songwriting, production
  • Oscar Holter – songwriting, production
  • Şerban Ghenea - studio personnel, mixing
  • Dave Kutch – studio personnel, mastering
  • Mike Dean – mastering
  • Eric Eylands - studio personnel, engineering
  • Sage Skolfield - studio personnel, engineering
  • Sam Holland - studio personnel, engineering

    Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Argentina Anglo Airplay 75
Belarus Airplay 171
Belgium 172
Canada 95
Canada AC 7
Canada CHR/Top 40 19
Canada Hot AC 7
CIS Airplay 56
Kazakhstan Airplay 141
Romania Airplay 137
Russia Airplay 88
US Adult Pop Airplay 43
US Pop Airplay 32
US Rhythmic Airplay 44

Certifications

Release history