Each day seems to hold a different set of music for me. But most recently “Dance Alone” by Gunnar Gehl has been on repeat. Chances are, if you have seen me in the last week, this song has been playing in my head. I only discovered his music about three weeks ago, but when I heard his most recent song released on March 12, I knew I had to include it in this series.
Gehl began surfacing in 2018 and gained a huge fan base after his hit of 2020, “For Your Love.” Adding to his success is his most recent release, “Dance Alone” where his rich vocals soar over the soft piano and simple guitar, giving listeners plenty of time to fall into his lyrics. Gehl tells the painful story of unrequited love and the almost too relatable experience of having to witness your ex with someone new at a party. Although lyrically it is sad and emotional, musically it is still upbeat and energetic with rising tensions.
Keep scrolling to read more about my most recent obsession, “Dance Alone”:
Verse One:
I told myself that I’d be fine
That seeing you won’t be a problem
I believed in my own lies again
Don’t know why I do it, why I
The piano intro sets the tone of the song and is followed by incredibly sad lyrics accompanied by an upbeat chorus. As soon as I heard the beginning piano notes, I knew it was going to be a difficult listen. The first verse hits home and is written almost as a confession, both to himself and his ex. He tries to reassure himself that things will be fine but a part of him knows how it will play out. Gehl perfectly portrays the impossible feeling of seeing someone from your past and how seeing them can push you backwards even further. He clearly goes into the situation positively, but it seems as if he has gone through this before, or something similar, as he softly sings, “I believed in my own lies again.” The circular motion of the relationship is mimicked in the roundabout question to himself, “Don’t know why I do it, why I?”.
Pre-Chorus:
The only reason I was late to the party
Is I’m afraid to see you with somebody else
I’m two in, I’m three in, I think imma lose it
I don’t want you to see me going through this hell
Gehl belts out the pre-chorus which creates a huge build up to the hard truth of the chorus. The rhythm produced by the syllables adds to the overall tension and makes for an upbeat tone that contrasts with the lyrics. The piano dances around his words and fades into the background while also adding beautiful layers to the sound. Gehl admits that he was late to the party because of the eternal struggle within him. He makes it clear that seeing his ex has pushed him to the breaking point as he yells, “I think imma lost it”. On the outside he seems to look relatively calm, but inside he’s struggling with what is in front of him. While trying to conceal his current pain and jealousy he attempts to appear happy and unbothered. He furthers this attempt by drinking the guilt away and drowning out the images in front of him.
Chorus:
I only wanna see you dancing if you dance alone
I only wanna see you smiling if you’re going home with me
Before you go on and on ‘bout moving on
Keep going round in circles
I only wanna see you dancing if you dance alone
Gehl starts out slow and gradually builds towards the harsh reality of his jealousy and spite. The piano quiets and it allows for his voice to be the main focus. At this point, he clearly lays out his feelings, which contrast with his earlier lines filled with uncertainty. Up until the chorus he seems to be going back and forth with his feelings; now he states them outrightly. The patterns Gehl creates mimic the actual events of realization; first things seem fine and then reality sets in and things rapidly fall apart. Jealousy and regret fill him as he admits, “I only wanna see you dancing if you dance alone” as he continues the circular motion in the line prior. The repetition within the lyrics clearly takes the listener in circles, just as his past relationship did.
Verse Two:
Now I’m walking through the door
You pretend that you don’t notice
What a shame that you’re a stranger now
The only one that knows me, one that knows
Gehl portrays the moment he arrives at the party and he points at his ex’s poor attempts at ignoring him. It seems as if there is some force that connects both even if that tie has been severed over time. My favorite line is in this verse as he sings, “What a shame that you’re a stranger now / The only one that knows me, one that knows”. His voice grows increasingly more desperate as he sings this line. The regret and fear are almost overwhelming as he builds to the pre-chorus.
Outro:
I only wanna see you dancing if you dance alone
I only wanna see you smiling if you’re going home with me
Before you go on and on ’bout moving on
We’re going round in circles
I only wanna see you dancing if you dance alone
I only wanna see you dancing if you dance alone
If you dance alone, alone, alone
If you dance alone, alone, alone
I only wanna see you dancing if you dance alone
For the first time in the song, the music seems to match his tone and energy as both peak at the same time. Both build together and create a beautiful sound as Gehl fully acknowledges his thoughts. This song seems to dance around the truth and only in the chorus does he allow his truest feelings out. The repetition of the lines calls even more attention to the emotions held by Gehl. Towards the end of the outro his voice quiets as he seems to finally realize and settle on his emotions. This clearly emphasizes his true feelings that sometimes seem too hard to admit.
I wrote this article with the song playing the whole time and it was quite difficult. This song almost makes it too hard to multitask as it is too distracting and beautiful to be ignored. You have been warned—listening to this song makes it difficult to do anything else, and I love it for that same reason. I promise you will not dance alone while this song plays. GO STREAM “DANCE ALONE.”