Prior to forming The Midnight, Tyler Lyle and Tim McEwan were both established musicians. Lyle was an indie-folk singer-songwriter based in the state of Georgia and gained initial notability with several self-released titles, becoming regionally and nationally known. McEwan was a drummer and producer based in Denmark, later becoming a member of the Danish production group Deekay who has written and produced songs for many popular artists.
The pair met for the first time in 2012 at a songwriter’s workshop in North Hollywood organized by Katie Donovan, Lyle’s A&R representative at the time. Prior to meeting, McEwan had listened to some of Lyle’s previous work and liked Lyle’s folk sound. Despite differing musical backgrounds, they bonded over a mutual love of 80s rock and began to write songs together. After initially struggling to define their sound, McEwan suggested that they compose songs in the synthwave style. McEwan had prior exposure to the burgeoning genre and was inspired by the movie Drive. The first song they wrote together as a duo was WeMoveForward, which was included on their debut EP Days of Thunder.
STYLE AND WORKFLOW
For most of their career, The Midnight has created a strong and distinct synthwave sound in their music - Tim McEwan once described the band's early albums “as if Miami Vice had a baby with a John Hughes movie”. However, McEwan has continuously expressed a desire to evolve the synthwave genre and not be confined by it. Tyler Lyle has stated several times that the band's philosophy when composing is “combine, not confine”. Influences of genres such as lo-fi, soft rock, trance, and vaporwave can be heard on Monsters, and Lyle's musical background has brought influences of indie folk and Americana to the band's sound as well. Regarding the merging of their individual talents and styles, Lyle has said:
It’s rock and roll with synthesizers. Tim has a keen ear for production, and I can write songs that fit comfortably within the tradition of 20th century classic pop songwriting. Somewhere in the middle things get interesting.
McEwan employs various digital synths in his production, including Serum, Diva, TAL-U-NO-LX, Spire, and Roland Cloud's Jupiter 8 and Juno 106. In mid-2020, he mentioned that his favorite synth to use at the time was U-He's emulation of Prophet-5, known as Repro 5. McEwan has stated that he commonly begins with presets and then tweaks them to his liking. KONTAKT is used for sampling.
Both McEwan and Lyle use Logic Pro on macOS as their primary Digital Audio Workstation (DAW).Universal Audio interfaces are used to capture their sounds, which are then processed using UAD plugins. Using the same utilities makes it easier for them to share session files as a significant amount of their work is done remotely, due to living in different areas of the US. However, they will usually get together in the same room a few times during a release's production and will often write and record together while on tour. A release's sound and overall direction are generally created by the two bouncing ideas off each other - McEwan will send Lyle a rough track or beat, which Lyle will then think of lyrics and a title that would go good with the beat, after which McEwan will further build and produce the track. McEwan has stated that the production of a typical The Midnight album takes around three to six months, “from the early gestating part to finish”.
Production and drums are handled by McEwan, with Lyle providing guitar, lyrics, and vocals. Lyle has stated that he writes on a daily basis, and many lyrics come from a large number of fragments he keeps stored in Evernote. Most of the remaining instrumentation is digital, but on occasion songs (including most with saxophone and guitar solos) will at first have digital instruments that are then outsourced to other musicians to play live on the track. Thomas Edinger has been the primary saxophone player for The Midnight's releases, and McEwan's brother Oliver has frequently played bass for the band as well.
For live performances, various setups have been used by the band. Lyle stated that the Spring 2019 tour utilized an Ableton rig, with McEwan using an SPD SX sampling pad and MIDI controller. Lyle ran his guitars through a Kemper profiling amp, and he also used an OP1 for certain synth moments and pads.
Dance With Somebody
The Midnight Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Friend of mine
I have no arrows
But I got time
All your sorrow
Keeps you glued to your seat
Can we get you out of your head
And into your feet
It's just that some dance partners need a dance partner too
Is that you?
(Some dance partners need a dance partner too)
(Is that you?)
Life's too short to dance by yourself
Could I get you to dance with somebody
Dance with somebody, dance with somebody
Not by yourself
Life's too short to dance by yourself
Could I get you to dance with somebody
Dance with somebody, dance with somebody
Not by yourself
Take off your armor
Let down your hair
You could sit on your hands
Or you could get closer, if you dare
And it's not that the rest of us don't have to fight
For every bit of love, and every bit of light, tonight
It's Friday night
(Some dance partners need a dance partner too)
(Is that you?)
Life's too short to dance by yourself
Could I get you to dance with somebody
Dance with somebody, dance with somebody
Not by yourself
Life's too short to dance by yourself
Could I get you to dance with somebody
Dance with somebody, dance with somebody
Not by yourself
Life's too short to dance by yourself
Could I get you to dance with somebody
Dance with somebody, dance with somebody
Not by yourself
Life's too short to dance by yourself
Could I get you to dance with somebody
Dance with somebody, dance with somebody
Not by yourself
By, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by
By, by, by, by, by
By, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by
By yourself
By, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by
By, by, by, by, by
By, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by
By yourself
Life's too short to dance by yourself
Could I get you to dance with somebody
Dance with somebody, dance with somebody
Not by yourself
Life's too short to dance by yourself
Could I get you to dance with somebody
Dance with somebody, dance with somebody
Not by yourself
Life's too short to dance by yourself
Could I get you to dance with somebody
Dance with somebody, dance with somebody
Not by yourself
Life's too short to dance by yourself
Could I get you to dance with somebody
Dance with somebody, dance with somebody
Not by yourself
By, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by
By, by, by, by, by
By, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by
By yourself
By, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by
By, by, by, by, by
By, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by
By yourself
In "Dance With Somebody," The Midnight encourages someone who is feeling stuck in their own head to let go of their armor and dance with others. The song suggests that while dancing, they may lose themselves in the moment and forget the heaviness that they are carrying. The lyrics are a call to help someone come out of their shell and enjoy themselves with company. The singer offers to be their partner and help them enjoy the present moment without dwelling on their sorrows.
The song carries a positive and hopeful tone, emphasizing that life is too short not to enjoy every moment. The song is particularly relevant for anyone who needs a break from their daily struggles and is looking for some company to lift their spirits. The Midnight's "Dance with Somebody" serves as an invitation to experience the joy of being in the present moment rather than being consumed by one's worries.
Line by Line Meaning
Take off your armor
Stop putting up defenses and barriers.
Friend of mine
Addressing someone as a friend rather than a stranger to create a sense of familiarity.
I have no arrows
I am not here to hurt you.
But I got time
I have time and patience to help you.
All your sorrow
All the negative emotions holding you back.
Keeps you glued to your seat
It's keeping you stuck where you are.
Can we get you out of your head
Can we distract you from your thoughts for a moment?
And into your feet
Can we get you to focus on dancing and not your problems?
And it's not that the rest of us don't have the blues
We all have our problems and sadness.
It's just that some dance partners need a dance partner too
Some people need a companion to help them through their issues.
Is that you?
Are you one of those people who could use a dance partner?
Life's too short to dance by yourself
Don't let precious time pass you by while you are alone.
Could I get you to dance with somebody
Can I persuade you to dance with another person?
Dance with somebody, dance with somebody
Enjoy dancing with someone else.
Not by yourself
Not alone.
Let down your hair
Stop being so uptight.
You could sit on your hands
You could choose to do nothing.
Or you could get closer, if you dare
Or you could take a chance and get closer to someone.
And it's not that the rest of us don't have to fight
We all have to struggle.
For every bit of love, and every bit of light, tonight
To find love and happiness.
It's Friday night
A time to loosen up and enjoy yourself.
By, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by, by
Repetition of 'by' to emphasize the shortness of life and the importance of connecting with others.
By yourself
Alone.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Tim McEwan, Tyler Lyle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@zankopac
Take off your armor, friend of mine
I have no arrows, but I got time
All your sorrow, you keep glued to your seat
Can we get you out of your head and into your feet
And its not that the rest of us don’t have the blues
Its just that some dance partners need a dance partner too
Is that you?
Life’s too short to dance by yourself
Gotta get you
Dance with somebody
Dance with somebody
Dance with somebody
Not by yourself
Life’s too short to dance by yourself
Gotta get you
Dance with somebody
Dance with somebody
Dance with somebody
Not by yourself
Take of your armor, let down your hair
You could sit on your hands or you could get closer if you dare
And its not that the rest of us don’t have to fight
For every bit of love and every bit of vibe tonight
Is Friday night
Some dance partners need a dance partner too
Is that you?
Life’s too short to dance by yourself
Gotta get you
Dance with somebody
Dance with somebody
Dance with somebody
Not by yourself
@buttman12954
Take off your armor
Friend of mine
I have no arrows
But I got time
All your sorrow
Keeps you glued to your seat
Can we get you out of your head
And into your feet
And it's not that the rest of us don't have the blues
It's just that some dance partners need a dance partner, too
Is that you?
[Pre-Drop]
Some dance partners need a dance partner, too
Is that you?
[Drop]
Life's too short to dance by yourself
Could I get you to dance with somebody
Dance with somebody, dance with somebody
Not by yourself
Life's too short to dance by yourself
Could I get you to dance with somebody
Dance with somebody, dance with somebody
Not by yourself
[Verse 2]
Take off your armor
Let down your hair
You could sit on your hands
Or you could get closer, if you dare
And it's not that the rest of us don't have to fight
For every bit of love, and every bit of light, tonight
This Friday night
[Pre-Drop]
Some dance partners need a dance partner, too
Is that you?
[Drop]
Life's too short to dance by yourself
Could I get you to dance with somebody
Dance with somebody, dance with somebody
Not by yourself
Life's too short to dance by yourself
Could I get you to dance with somebody
Dance with somebody, dance with somebody
Not by yourself
Life's too short to dance by yourself
Could I get you to dance with somebody
Dance with somebody, dance with somebody
Not by yourself
Life's too short to dance by yourself
Could I get you to dance with somebody
Dance with somebody, dance with somebody
Not by yourself
[Saxophone Solo]
By-By, By-By, By-By, By-By-By-By-By
By yourself
By-By, By-By, By-By, By-By-By-By-By
By yourself
[Drop]
Life's too short to dance by yourself
Could I get you to dance with somebody
Dance with somebody, dance with somebody
Not by yourself
Life's too short to dance by yourself
Could I get you to dance with somebody
Dance with somebody, dance with somebody
Not by yourself
Life's too short to dance by yourself
Could I get you to dance with somebody
Dance with somebody, dance with somebody
Not by yourself
Life's too short to dance by yourself
Could I get you to dance with somebody
Dance with somebody, dance with somebody
Not by yourself
[Outro]
By-By, By-By, By-By, By-By-By-By-By
By yourself
By-By, By-By, By-By, By-By-By-By-By
By yourself
@PiggyWiggyPoo
My life has seriously improved greatly since the Midnight has been in it
@ZockAmigo
Jay so true
@awesomebruce6555
Mine too even though its crazy right now i just get lost in this music and just know things will get better be the light in all this darkness i was always taught 😊✌
@Kazashimo1
Same here Jay!
@professordaihard3571
Absolutely!
@JabbatheBen
Absolutely agreed
@Novarcharesk
Every Midnight song, everyone's like '... When's the sax coming?'
@432HertzStreet
check the 432Hz version of this out on my chan <3 what an amazing song
@danilocalic797
2:26 there it is
@johnferszt174
its a sickness..a saxually transmitted disease