The Dancing Queen’s Tracklist
The Past
Tom and Jerry? 0:00-0:21
Les choristes – Bruno Coulais & Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc 0:22 – 1:25
Thunder – Imagine Dragons 1:26 – 2:15
Dirty Paws – Of Monsters and Men 2:16 – 5:51
On the Inside – Young Mister 5:52 – 8:14
The Present
Quote from Hannibal, 8:15 – 8:20
Saturn – Sleeping At Last 8:21 – 11:15
Dancing Queen – ABBA 11:16 – 13:17
The Call – Regina Spektor 13:18 – 14:57
The Future
Mountain Sound – Of Monsters and Men 14:58 – 17:39
Quote from The Three-Body Problem, 17:40 – end
In a heartfelt effort to honor their cultural roots, the dancing queen finds themselves navigating the complex feelings of belonging in American society. With a unique use of sound effects, they express their emotions by surrounding loss while boldly showcasing their resilance. Embracing life & joy, this teenager is willed with hope and determination.
Click Below to Follow Along with the Dancing Queen's Music Analysis
The Dancing Queen's Past
Not wanting to forget their culture and their country, this teen is conflicted about trying to figure out where, and if, they fit in America. What starts with a Tom & Jerry cartoon sound of a hammer hitting the foot followed by a menacing laugh fades into a gentle song about leaving behind their old life
Geamins oubliés égarés, (See you on your way, lost)
Donne leur la main, (forgotten kids, give them a hand)
Pour les mener, (to lead then, towards another)
Vers d’autres lendemains (tomorrow)
The vocals and instruments are gently sung by a young child accompanied by a choir and string instruments. As the song ends, the listener is left with images of a childhood that ends too soon but also one that was filled with hope –
Bonheurs enfantins,
trop vite oubliés effacés ((childhood happiness)
Une lumière dorée brille sans fin tout au bout du chemin (forgotten too soon, erased, a golden light shines endlessly at the end of the path).
As the past continues, we hear,
there wanna leave my own life behind,
Not a “Yes, sir,”
not a follower,
Fit the box,
Fit the mold,
Have a seat in the foyer,
Take a number, I
was lightning before the thunder.
The volume is cranked up for the entire song as if to defiantly shout that I may have left my country but not my culture. The immigrant experience of early struggles is reflected in Monsters and Men’s Dirty Paws –
So for a while,
Things were cold,
They were scared down in their holes,
The forest that once was green,
Was colored black by those killing machines
Unlike other CIABs, the dancing queen plays the song in its entirety, without any effects, to allow the listener to experience their life—to get wrapped up in the movies. Finally, the past ends with a slow, piano-heavy ballad about missing time and wondering where all the memories went. Where did the time go? How did we get here?
The Dancing Queen's Present
The present is greeted with a quote from Hannibal Lecter that fades in from a quieter level and grows into the same volume as the past
Without death, we’d be at a loss.
It’s the prospect of death that drives us to greatness.
The present transitions into Saturn by Sleeping At Last, which begins with the lyrics
You taught me the courage of stars before you left,
How light carries on endlessly,
even after death,
With shortness of breath,
You explained the infinite,
And how rare and beautiful it is even to exist
which is sung in earnest, whose weight is felt through piano, strings, percussions, and shivering vibraphone. The song builds into a reverberating set of vocals/sounds that begin to echo and eventually overlap each other (not through any effect by the teen but rather by the band itself)
I’d give anything to hear you say it one more time,
That the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes
before dropping the floor on the listener by reverting to the sole, quiet vocal
With shortness of breath,
I’ll try to explain the infinite,
And how rare and beautiful
it truly is that we exist.
The music suggests the feeling of transformation. This is further emphasized by pairing with Abba’s Dancing Queen, a song within culture tied to joy and friendship
Feel the beat from the tambourine,
oh yeah,
You can dance,
You can jive,
Having the time of your life,
A reverberation is added at the end of the song to help the listener transition into Regina Spektor’s The Call from the film The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. The teen uses this song to end their present life chapter by showing no regret or remorse about losing the present, as there is
No need to say goodbye,
You’ll come back,
When it’s over,
No need to say goodbye.
The Dancing Queen's Future
The future is optimistic as it is loud. What begins with:
So I packed my things and ran,
far away from all the trouble
and continues with the realization that they have been fortunate with their past as:
Some hid scars, and some hid scratches,
It made me wonder about their past,
And as I looked around,
I began to notice,
That we were nothing like the rest.
The song’s imagery suggests a life with a future still ahead of themselves, with someone they love to share their future with someone they will bond with, and with whom they will share similar ideas and experiences. The dancing queen”s CIAB ends with a quote from the teen.
Every era puts invisible shackles on those who have lived through it,
and I can only dance in my chains.
The invisible shackles refer to their immigration experience
and how it will always be a part of them
and how they will be perceived.
Anything that may tie the teen down, will not eliminate the joy and happiness in their life.
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