Bear Dance
| "Bear Dance" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Alesha | ||||
| from the album Bigger Than God | ||||
| A-side | "Earth Song" | |||
| B-side | "This Mess We're In" | |||
| Released | August 17, 2009 | |||
| Format | CD, digital EP | |||
| Recorded | September 2008 | |||
| Genre | Alternative, electronic | |||
| Label | Ensemble | |||
| Writer(s) | Alesha, Shell Ruin | |||
| Producer | Alesha, Shell Ruin | |||
| Certification | Platinum | |||
| Alesha singles chronology | ||||
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"Bear Dance" is a song performed by British singer-songwriter Alesha. It was written and produced by Alesha and Shell Ruin for the former's sixth studio album Bigger Than God (2009). Inspired by the fallout from their 2007 single "Power Power", Alesha and Ruin wrote the track "Bear Dance" about the pitfalls of fame and power. Keeping in line with other songs from Bigger Than God, "Bear Dance" contans allusions to dystopian literature with a lyrical reference to George Orwell, as well as self-referencing Alesha's past work. "Bear Dance" was released as a single alongside a cover of Michael Jackson's "Earth Song", which was used to promote Alesha's covers album Wanderlust (2009) and a compilation album in tribute to the late entertainer.
Musically, "Bear Dance" is a mid-tempo electronic song with New Wave influences. "Bear Dance" received widespread acclaim from contemporary music critics, who praised the song as one of Alesha and Ruin's best compositions yet. Upon its release as a single, "Bear Dance" controversially entered the charts at number six; however, it miraculously rose to number one the following week, becoming Alesha's ninth number one single. The song's music video, helmed by British director Neil Gorringe, strung together a number of scenes with a central theme. One scene saw Alesha undergo electroshock therapy. Alesha performed "Bear Dance" on 2009's Apocalypse City Live tour, as well as later tours.
Background and composition[edit | edit source]
Alesha began recording her sixth studio album Bigger Than God (2009) in September 2008, when rough demos of "Apocalypse City" and "Bear Dance" were recorded. She then revised the songs with close friend and frequent collaborator Shell Ruin, who had penned Alesha's hit singles "Tsunami of the Soul" and "Disciplinary". The lyrics reference Alesha and Ruin's 2007 collaboration "Power Power", widely deemed as a trainwreck and career setback: "I have toyed with power and the power cut / I found that I liked the power far too much, and it turned to vapor." Alesha also references her previous albums Alesha Is the Queen (2007) and The Second Coming (2008) with lyrics like "The shine of my crown jewels has started to dim" and "I clutch my Jesus pieces". The album drew its title from a line in the song's chorus: "There is something bigger than God and I believe it."
"Bear Dance" was released as a single on August 17, alongside Alesha's cover of Michael Jackson's "Earth Song". The cover was recorded for a Jackson tribute album released after the entertainer's death, and it was also featured on Alesha's covers album Wanderlust (2009). For the single's B-side, Alesha recorded a cover of PJ Harvey and Thom Yorke's "This Mess We're In" with guest vocals from Ryan Dawson. Throughout the single's promotion and the preceding weeks, Alesha had been expressing erratic behavior – she drank and smoked while pregnant, eventually suffering from a miscarraige, and held her daughter "hostage" from ex-husband Ben Parker when the single initially underperformed.
Reception[edit | edit source]
"Bear Dance" received widespread acclaim from contemporary music critics. David Browne from Entertainment Weekly said the song was a "wuthering-beats melodrama that's often breathtaking." Billboard's Paul Verna described the song as "smashing". In a separate review, Larry Flick called it a "stunning foray into the realm of electronica [which] [...] underground purists and unwavering popstars will equally applaud." Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone commented positively about the "arctic melancholy" of the song. The Baltimore Sun's J.D. Considine called it a word-focused, emotionally nuanced ballad. Stephen Sears from Idolator noted that Madonna has a history of releasing albums with "killer singles" as "Frozen", and commented that "Not since 'Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train' had a Madonna ballad carried such emotional weight — and this time it was done with a new level of sonic grandeur." Jose F. Thomas from Allmusic rated the song two stars out of five, describing the song as "chilly."
"Bear Dance" sensationally entered the official singles chart at number six, breaking a streak of top-two singles effective since 2007's "The OH in Ohio"/"Candy Cigarettes". However, "Bear Dance" miraculously rose to number one on the chart the following week. Sales fell just short of 300,000 copies, selling a total of 296,127 copies. The single was certified platinum (before the digital era, 250,000 copies represented a platinum certification). In 2010, Alesha fans were asked to vote for their "Top 20 Alesha singles of all-time", by Q magazine. "Bear Dance" was allocated the number ten spot on the list.
Music video[edit | edit source]
The music video for "Bear Dance" was directed by Neil Gorringe, a British director who Alesha contact after seeing his promos for the E4 series Skins. Featuring a number of different scenes that are tied with a central theme, the "Bear Dance" video depicts Alesha crumbling underneath pressure. The video was highly publicized because Alesha had been expressing erratic behavior in recent months.
The video begins with doctors and nurses preparing Alesha for electroshock therapy. Alesha's body jolts as the music begins. At a house party, the walls begin to crack around Alesha. Walking through a corridor, light bulbs explode as she walks by them. In another scene, Alesha is at confessional, clutching her rosary so tightly that it snaps. In a grandiose living room, Alesha sits in a lavish fur coat with diamond necklaces and designer clothing. Her home is being repossessed and men are removing all of her luxurious furnishings. In another scene, Alesha lays on a bed in nothing but black underwear and a black blazer, buttoned in the centre. Her eye make-up is smeared. There are people around her, both men and women, making out in their underwear while Alesha just lays there. In the bathroom at the house party, the wallpaper is peeling, panels of tile are collapsing, and the finish is coming off a bathtub full of water. Alesha rummages through the medicine cabinet on the wall to find a bottle of medication and pours several pills into her hand and then mouth. Back to the church, Alesha is exiting confessional. As she walks out of the church's main doors, the stained glass shatters above her. Various shots of the scenes progressing carry the viewer throughout the video. The camera pans over Alesha in the various scenes, creating a seamless montage.
We see Alesha laying on the bed in a black blazer with mascara running, sitting alone in the hospital's psych ward, clutching her throat as she lays in the bathtub, holding on to her broken rosary beads as she walks away from the church, and hopelessly sitting outside her repoed apartment on her front lawn. The video shows the various locations crumbling. The walls at the house party are completely covered with cracks and the chandelier has fallen onto the ground. The window that Alesha was looking out of as she lay in the bed has totally shattered, with the wind and rain blowing inside the room. The lights in the corridor Alesha walked down are now on fire, due to the electricity. We see Alesha in an electroshock therapy session again, groggily opening her eyes after the treatment. This image fades into Alesha laying motionless in the bath, completely submerged underwater with her eyes wide open. All of the lights flicker and then burn out into darkness.
Live performances[edit | edit source]
Alesha performed "Bear Dance" during her 2009 Glastonbury set, alongside "Apocalypse City", a medley of "Shoot to Kill" and album track "Witching Hour", "Diamonds & Dollars", the Switch remix of "Fashion Kills", "Brooklyn to Brixton", a medley of "Guerrilla" and "The OH in Ohio" (remixed) and an encore of "Tsunami of the Soul" and "Disciplinary".
"Bear Dance" was performed during 2009's Apocalypse City Live tour, Alesha's third world tour in as many years and her first to use stadiums as venues. The tour told the story of a dystopian future much like the one described in the song's lyrics. The tour was broadcast on Sky1 two nights before the release of "Bear Dance". The following year, Alesha sang "Brooklyn to Brixton" in a medley with "Crucify" and "Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train" on The Reckoning, a joint world tour with Putanovska. It was performed independently at Judgment Day, a televised greatest hits concert held at Wembley Stadium in June 2010. Alesha also sang the song on 2011's Heathen Tour.
Track listing[edit | edit source]
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Artwork[edit | edit source]
CD cover
Digital EP cover
Remix EP cover
Banner
Charts[edit | edit source]
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Urapopstar Top 40 Singles Chart | 1 |
