How Dua Lipa & Mark Ronson Created 'Dance the Night' for 'Barbie' | Behind the Song

Join us as we dive into the process of how Dua Lipa and Mark Ronson created 'Barbie's' smash hit, 'Dance the Night'. In this exclusive behind the song video, the two break down the various musical layers that craft the dance track of the year.
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[@ScottThePisces]

Can we get more song breakdowns like this with both the artist and producer?!!

[@MarinaAndTheDevil]

Yes yes yes!

[@karlox4038]

this is only for the oscars. pray next time that a huge comercial movie get the chance to win an oscar with both it's soundtrack and production.

[@dparker4765]

It's a special breed of producers who would do this, because guys like Mark Ronson are artists in their own right and it's more like asking two artists about a collaboration

[@kaiquebrandao6576]

PLEAAAAASE

[@christinafazeera740]

​@@karlox4038and grammy too. voting windows started this week until new year

[@_monamono_2382]

Ngl, Variety has been feeding us a legit quality content recently, and i’m enjoying every single bit of it👏

[@variety]

;)

[@TheEbo34]

Just make this a series at this point like actors on actors! this is tremendous content an insight @@variety

[@artisans8521]

This is so good, we'll done variety.

[@christinafazeera740]

we're now getting into award seasons so yeah...

[@Orangeflava]

Unnecessary to say "ngl". That gets WAY overused lately. Just make your statement

[@santhymx]

I know this video is targeted for a commercial audience, but man as an audio engineer student I'd love to see that vocal chain, like DAMN those vocals are so perfectly recorded and sound huge on their own!

[@KarlaJuneMarieOcampo]

As a singer myself I feel the same! Like her vocal sound is already so full on it’s own I’m wondering if it was a double take or compd vocals 😊

[@juliekrol]

That’s with pitch correction…not a real vocal take 😂

[@louisr5708]

@@juliekrol sorry disagree - pitch correction is exactly that... it corrects pitch. It doesn't add 'fullness' or a 'huge' sound, it doesn't replace the work of an engineer or change the natural character of a voice.

[@KarlaJuneMarieOcampo]

@@louisr5708 this is so true! You may have perfect pitch but if you can’t do or have the certain sound quality or vocal placement needed for a song, that’s something a computer program can’t cheat 🤭

[@bigdoghat3827]

I love the sound of this track too and it was great to come across this video. Wiki says it was mixed by Serban Ghenea. This guy has compiled a youtube video about Ghenea's vocal chain or at least what he thinks it is based on different bits of info. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpvOkICtZpZ8q8k You can also get a similarly present vocal sound by using the old trick of an 1176 compressor followed by an LA-2A compressor. You can absolutely smash a lead vocal with an LA-2A, it pins it to the front of the mix but doesn't sound overly compressed. The 1176 is first in the chain set to knock down the faster, louder peaks by a few dB because the LA-2A is too slow to catch those and will still be releasing before the next fast, big peak comes in. Then with the signal smoothed out by the 1176, the LA-2A does a really nice job of the main compressor in a really organic sounding way. Maybe you already know this trick but if not, it's a good one. I love the Universal Audio LA-2A silver for this, it's an amazing sounding vocal compressor and right now it's on sale at Plugin Boutique for $29. You get 3 LA-2A's, one of them being the LA-2A Silver which has the ideal release time for vocals. The cheapest I've ever seen these things go for by a mile. I think I paid $129 for mine and that was after stalking them on various holiday sales for a couple of years. Usual price is $299 :) Universal Audio has now started selling some of their plugins in the "Native" format, meaning you don't need to own their hardware to run them. The LA's are one of the Native releases.

[@SamBryans128]

Dua's purposeful breaking of her voice on the word "hair" is such a great touch. She's bringing the inner turmoil of Barbie to the surface.

[@JohWong]

After watching the movie you realize how much foreshadowing this song crams into a banger. Props to dua and ronson for slipping all those bits in while making it such a catchy song.

[@rahuldhargalkar]

Well said

[@flaviuswestfall1718]

dua's vocals are unbelievable

[@gaila.9852]

Really?

[@laurenh6668]

​@gaila.9852 yes, 6:44 alone answers that

[@gaila.9852]

@@laurenh6668 There are countless-and I mean countless-other people who can do that. I do not understand how that qualifies as “unbelievable.”

[@klaxoncow]

@@gaila.9852 Nah, sorry, you're just wrong there. There's amazing vocal control going on in that section. Condolences on your apparent inability to even hear that.

[@gaila.9852]

@@klaxoncow Condolences on your apparent inability to even acknowledge that many others, known and unknown, can match your fave’s vocals. What a shame it must be to not understand that.

[@Hifirrrr]

I really love that they chose Dua for this song. Knowing she did ultimate save the pop music with Future Nostalgia, shes really the princess of modern disco pop. Can't wait for more of her!

[@gregbailey45]

I'm 76 yo and fell in love with Dua bcoz of this track. It's amazing and she's brilliant

[@martijn_yt]

I am actually a bit surprised that from this video it appears that it was just Mark Ronson that thought of her and send her an app :)

[@DSCropper66]

Dua's the princess because Kylie's the queen, right?

[@SummerBeelut-xi1rq]

@@martijn_ytthey have previously collaborated so no surprise that Mark Ronson would pick her for this project.

[@robbiesmoonmusic]

It’s crazy that the choreography was made long before the song was made that they were “dancing” to in the movie. That would be such a challenge to write!

[@vivsevs1087]

I always thought the music came first for this scene/song! That fact totally blew my mind

[@olgalucianaranjo7987]

For my taste Dua doesn’t get enough flowers as a vocalist. She is amazinggg ❤

[@westcoastavenger]

My second favorite artist behind Taylor. Dua is incredible. Great live show too

[@cesnav7593]

That’s cause Dua is recently considered a great vocalist. During her live performances, from her first album, she wasn’t spectacular vocally. Her vocals and her dancing have greatly improved. I’ve been a fan since the beginning and I’m glad to see her progression!

[@normanfooteii5300]

One of the baddest, most consistent in the game. Like HOUDINI is everything!!!

[@SideEyeee_]

@@westcoastavengertaylor is mid.

[@oreochocolate_lavacake9960]

​@@cesnav7593Yes, I agree with you she's come such a long way, especially with lions & tigers & bears

[@Jawnson]

I had NO idea there was a acoustic guitar underneath all the layers. It really beefs up the chorus. Please more breakdowns, I've learned a ton watching this!

[@jontyhall]

I had the same reaction, but it explains a lot!

[@Josh-wu7kz]

Firstly it’s an electric guitar not an acoustic. Secondly in the movie version of the song the electric guitar is used throughout the whole song and in my opinion makes it a lot better. I have no idea why it was removed and why the single and the move versions are different, no one seems to have noticed.

[@Jawnson]

@@Josh-wu7kz First of all watch the video and carefully listen to what Mark is saying. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2G3e6eLZ75jqZIsi=0NgUQ_XtLEacZ50l&t=353 FYI, I know the difference between an acoustic guitar and a electric guitar smh.

[@Josh-wu7kz]

@@Jawnson I thought you were referring to the bit at the end. Still I don’t understand why the electric guitar was removed in the single, it made the song better imo

[@Leftatalbuquerque]

ABBA were still using acoustic guitars as far as the Voulez Vous album. Now, the Bee gees and CHIC were doing incredible things with electric, the "chicken scratch" being the most identifiable Disco sound.

[@iamfilipinas]

Her voice is so luxurious like velvet. That feels almost as good as Sade’s tone

[@arnolt2590]

Oh please you can t compare with a Queen like Sade

[@therealkpat]

Your observation is correct

[@Ebow00]

Dua's voice just commands authority. You can hear it clearly on the solo vocals in this one

[@robinfr93]

These are mastering stems, which means they’re already mixed. So multiple layers and effects are already applied and merged. But yeah the girl can definitely sing and has a great timbre and control on her voice.

[@serahbay8864]

Mark Ronson is an unsung legend of the music world for the past two decades. together with Dua's gorgeous vocals and style, what a match made in heaven

[@lexis4490]

Mark Ronson may be one of the GOATs in music.

[@Elefantibus]

Underated comment!

[@gabrielacisneros9936]

I really love the effort they put into this, every detail, and how the song describes perfectly what happens to Barbie and us as humans. like "when my world shakes i feel alive" is a wonderful lyric for me. I hope they win the Golden Globe and get nominated for an Oscar.

[@Jozigirl93]

Shout out to the cast for preforming that to a click track! And these two for making it seem like it was always there!

[@TheJttv]

Blew my mind.

[@cassjane3]

Amazing.

[@TunnelJumper]

Do you find it difficult to perform to a click? I've refused to play or learn a song without one for many years now!

[@Josh-wu7kz]

How do you know they were dancing to a clock track?

[@jimbarrett5462]

@Josh-wu7kz - In this video, Mark explains that the production team requested a click track while he was still writing the song - Just so that they could actually shoot the scene in the correct tempo before the song was even finished being written. That is how Dua was writing lyrics while watching the actual footage for the scene. They had the tempo, so they could shoot it - But the song did not actually exist yet.

[@rocco3605]

It’s so amazing to see everything broken down; some bits you might only notice when they’ve been separated from everything else but that just gives you a deeper appreciation for how it all comes together to make something perfect. 3:09 I love how casually he says “and then I came up with this string line” before proceeding to play the most fire thing ever.

[@drewrayg]

It's an incredible song. The Barbie soundtrack one of the best film soundtracks this year.

[@smit5590]

I admire Dua Lipa. I love nothing but her kindness, humility, gentleness, calmness, positivity, and intelligence.♥️♥️🥰🥰

[@juniorchavesopicassodeyahu988]

Me too. I love her kindness, humility, gentleness, calmness, positivity and intelligence, reasons why I am truly in love with Dua Dua and I know can we meet up, and I don't care about the haters opnion because of that I don't listen to them anymore 😊😍❤️

[@Hifirrrr]

Yes, Dua brings to much of positivity!

[@juniorchavesopicassodeyahu988]

@@Hifirrrr Dua Dua is caring and humble. I can see it in her face and eyes. I love her positivity and vibes because of that I like her as a person and I truly love her too. I never see her as a celeb anymore. She is caring to everyone

[@davidtrig]

Is she preggo😮

[@gregbailey45]

@@davidtrig not yet. Go for it!

[@laurabraus]

Can we talk about how the actors and actresses were not hearing this song when they filmed that scene but somehow danced to it perfectly

[@thespankmyfrank]

They probably had BPM to go off, but yeah, that is certainly interesting. The choreo being done before the song seems unusual but it's probably done more often than we realise.

[@juliah4184]

right?? i'm so impressed that the song was ready after they recorded those dance scenes. Both dua and the dancers made a create job, cause it maches perfectly

[@devindealwis863]

Dummy track

[@SanaIsGay]

They were basically rehearsing and dancing to an early instrumental of the song, so they had they bpm and overall vibe already.

[@kristofkubina4105]

Maybe i misunderstood but i thought the film crew had a demo without vocals for shooting then they (Dua and Mark) wrote the lyrics and finished the song based on the video. I don’t think thats very unusual, though still cool (but i must admit i was never even near to this level of a production)

[@wgreenman74]

Her vocals always print so well.

[@crocadoodle7101]

Dua Lipa seems so proud of this song, yet low key and humble at the same time. Such a great song and a beautiful voice.

[@manuelorozco7760]

I almost regretfully avoided the song until the movie came out. And when I saw it, I didn’t want the disco scene to end! I looked up the music video the next day. I love Dance The Night! Congrats on the Golden Globe nomination!

[@cczwhite]

I will never get over how cool Mark Ronson's speaking voice is❤😅

[@BatmanHQYT]

he sounds high lol

[@bluetreacle]

sounds like andy wornhol

[@TSquare7741]

@@BatmanHQYTmy thoughts exactly!👍

[@amasim86]

Shame he lost his British accent

[@lucyservo6574]

Mark is so clever, I love this breakdown!! And dua adds her magic to make this a SONG. love it

[@Sotangy247]

Due Lipa's a stunning singer, with a stunning voice, and Mark's a great producer- track writer. Great video

[@RetroCrisis]

This breakdown of the music was fantasic. Please do more of these. I love how Mark brokedown each of the layers of the music. So interesting.

[@robwhitmore3040]

If you haven't already, you should check out his TED talk about samples in music. Different topic but I could listen to his chilled, effortless expertise for hours.

[@Tonnidas]

This is why Dua Lipa is a Grammy winner

[@jamshedmurtazaev3303]

When these both work together make sure that song will be masterpiece

[@jupap24]

Yea that string line is IT

[@KaryanMendoza]

"DUAlity" that should be an album for Dua

[@levitorating]

i think it's incredible to see these processes in the creation of music, to hear the different parts of the instrumentals, hidden sounds ✨️

[@azaelemoro]

I can't even imagine how great it could be to produce songs this good!

[@gladysalvarez9849]

I hope they win awards for this song it's such a bop ❤

[@Greg_Nieves]

Listening to people talk about their passions never gets old

[@yisalin-ting7251]

The song is so so fun and glamorous. Dua’s vocals are amazing.

[@erikthaos7178]

Mark already has an Oscar. He worked with Lady Gaga in the song Shallow that won the Oscar back in 2018. This will be his second

[@jamshedmurtazaev3303]

insha'Allah

[@pablodeargentina]

Talent, talent everywhere !

[@hydrofuturaa]

Mark is a musical genius and dualipa is so talented and beautiful!

[@jamshedmurtazaev3303]

Dua lipa is a real icon

[@ren5814]

this song is literally amazing, everything on it. every little detail and the vocals wow, that oscar is yours!

[@The_official_jaijai]

Dua loves a clap moment in her songs I’ve noticed and I love it!! ❤❤

[@adrianoa4305]

i would watch a song breakdown from every f* song of dua's discography. plus she and mark are an iconic duo... the world's most prestigious producer + the world's biggest popstar = timeless BOP

[@dominicbugattiofficial]

Seeing these parts... especially the bass... makes me realise that this guy is NOT overrated! Great workshop video :)

[@ProdigyHighlights]

I didn't know much about Dua Lipa or that she was a "huge star". I just accidentally heard the song on Spotify while listening with headphones. I had to stop and bookmark it. I've since discovered all her songs are actually really well-composed. All the layering, chord progressions, great harmonies, and the songs are "tight" like a classic 1960's pop hit. Zero fat on her songs. There's a big difference between this song and every other pop song out there today, miles of difference.

[@leahnewyork]

I agree with you, and other than your "actually", I approve of your msg. Welcome late to the Dua Lipa appreciation party.

[@ghalibmehmood8691]

Can't wait for the first live performance!

[@adelaferreira4575]

Most people don’t realized the huge amount of work it takes for just one song to be made specially a good song like this one ! Love the song and the singer and producer great teamwork !

[@AA-qb7ni]

This song can really make anyone dance and feel good. I love it!!

[@lucastperez]

So cool to hear each part solo'd. I play this song sometimes on my bass, and I just realized here (around 4:10) that a note I used to play is actually played one octave higher 😄 I mean, just little details.

[@The3gg]

I love how music like this comes from a star and a quirky sevant in the background

[@3dwerwulf]

Dua so proud of her song hahah i love her so so much 💖

[@mrxman581]

It's fascinating hearing how musicians create their art, and all the technology involved today. Thanks.

[@lisad.2390]

Unbelievable talent between these two. So fascinating to hear all the layers and textures of the song that I hadn’t noticed before, but will now. Isolating all the instruments separately and then her vocals… wow, she sounds incredible. Amazing content!

[@davidrahnis7341]

That's cool. I like how they both seem to recognize that they're creating something fun and not taking themselves too seriously on the song.

[@MaraCares]

Barbie wasn't lying when she called this song "bespoke"

[@simpleplanfan011]

I enjoyed this breakdown so much. There were so many parts of this song that I missed and I’ve listened to it so much. I appreciate how much work they put into this!

[@SeaYou17]

Song of the year for sure. Pop music at its finest. I loved it instantly at first listen and had to replay it again.

[@bjornjohansen5397]

I really hope this song gets an Oscar nomination! Dua could open the show with a performance!

[@MarinaAndTheDevil]

More Behind The Song please! Love these 💗

[@j610j]

Give Dua that Oscar nomination!

[@jksr127]

This is hands down my favorite song ever. The violins and unusual but incredibly good sounding chord progression make it a unique and perfect masterpiece. Thanks Dua, Mark and everyone involved!

[@JoeyRetro]

Dua and Mark could not have made a better track for the movie. Their genius shines throughout this song, because of the limitations of the click track they had to work within that framework.

[@JilleneLuce]

what amazes me is that in the movie they were all dancing around to a song which did not yet exist, and then these two made the song. Quite cool!

[@TheFunofMusic]

Dua-lity "duality" --- classic one, nice one, Dua!

[@ThePolymation]

Love these type of insights, you can learn so much about the song making process. It's very complex but it all comes together so well.

[@galaxylucia1898]

I haven’t deliberately listened to Dua Lipa before this song, but this BTS breakdown with Mark and her was awesome. I am actually obsessed with the song, the dance scene, everything!!!😂 She really has a wonderful crisp tone, a lovely voice. Really hope they win the Grammy with this. It’s such a wonderfully upbeat song!

[@user-cr3td7zv6x]

Love how even when he's just soloing 1 or 2 tracks, she instantly just lights up, basking in the groove. Feelin the music properly 🎉

[@747lch]

she's so proud!

[@strat002]

Also, the sound of the bass on its own is absolutely ridiculous. So fucking good

[@SuperDrummerJay]

Love this breakdown. Spent some time doing amateur audio arts and studio production in college, so it's really interesting to get a glimpse of how the pros are currently approaching songwriting and music production. Thanks so much!

[@norijean3279]

They need an Oscar for this!!! 🙏🏻 👑

[@benjaminthorpe7990]

An Oscar for the movie or a Grammy for the song? Definitely deserves a Grammy!

[@norijean3279]

@@benjaminthorpe7990 An Oscar for the Best Original Song! And a Grammy too.

[@benjaminthorpe7990]

Yesss! I like your thinking! ✌️

[@beckstar78]

maybe if it's a tie between i'm just ken and this

[@TheSkinnyZ]

Loved this breakdown! Such a great team, these two!

[@sergio_grez]

wow! that section with only the vocals sounds marvelous! Those harmonies filling those short spaces along with the main track sound amazing!

[@MartiMarc]

Variety editors and producers... Y'all are invited to the cookout this year.

[@treym1966]

The string line is what gets me… man.

[@leahnewyork]

Thanks channel for the excellent "break it down" content. I have an endless appetite for this and would also appreciate even more musical technicalities to be revealed.

[@officialsimonharris]

Well what can you say, both Mark and Dua are massive talents

[@lazaromurad322]

I LOVE the string line! I love love love it

[@delmaxfield860]

A fantastic musical creation. LOVE the strings and underlying sophistication and the best instrument of all, the magnificent voice of Dua Lipa!

[@Gr4cchus]

One of my favorite bass lines of all time

[@MrsRosencranz1]

I hear Donna Summers MacArthur Park extended version in the instrumentals. Took a few listens to remember it. The audacious vibe of both are present. It's not the notes but the crazy energy and the layering. Great song Mark. Yanked me back to the dance floor.

[@riverreasteve]

Absolutely fascinating that they started with just a click track first that the actors danced to and a video was recorded. Then Dua and Mark put a beat, melody, strings, lyrics etc etc to the video! Amazing! I would never have thought of that!

[@bengrillet]

What a partnership they are - two of the greatest creative talents in pop history right there, in perfect harmony 😊

[@joemattis9601]

Really like this breakdown of how the song was created. Please more of these

[@amandad6513]

Love this video. So cool to see artists talking about their creative process 💃💜

[@romayojr]

both amazing artists - so cool to watch how a masterpiece gets created like this

[@raail]

é tão bom ver um behind the song de uma música tão boa, queria que todos os artistas fizessem isso

[@herschell64]

It really matches the action onscreen and what Barbie is going through at that point in the movie, I think that's why I love the song so much

[@jbkrobin]

The channel is so underrated.

[@hicks78]

Best in the business getting to collaborate on such a heartfelt project, y’all made magic ❤

[@BasedHadrian]

Dua is everything

[@RobAlfieInostrozaLindley]

Hopefully with this, people can stop saying producers are just laying pre made beats or just pressing buttons. It takes a lot to make a hit (most of the time) and the production, mastering of the track etc...

[@berkborke]

07:05 her self awareness for 'diamonds under my eyes' part is fantastic, she's cool. 😂❤

[@shouldent]

The most amazing thing is that the scene was shot before the song!

[@Deidra74]

You will never know how much I love this song 💕 Thank you so much!

[@jonoevansiom]

Love seeing videos like this, great to see how a song looks in production, all of the layers that create the final edit. Mark Ronson is a genius and Dua Lipa is an amazing singer, big fan of her music!

[@mredgarfriendly9001]

She is just a joy to listen to and look at. Always gets me in a good mood.

[@moisesrodriguezcruz3471]

pleaseeeee more of theseeeeee!!! so so good, and it’s delicious to learn more about the creative process from both the artist and producer!!

[@vc1188]

“Delicious” is the perfect word to describe this!!

[@Shaun_M13]

12.03 - all these things are so exciting’ with deadpan expression haha. Very cool video

[@Simonewhitesim-1music]

Seeing they put in the work and Dua's Personality come through is refreshing. Nice work.

[@drewgarcia146]

Some part of this sounds like one of Duas old songs so much