"Dancing in the Flames" is a song by the Canadian singer and songwriter The Weeknd. It was released on September 13, 2024, as a standalone single through XO and Republic Records. It was originally intended to be the lead single from the album Hurry Up Tomorrow, but was later excluded from the final track listing. The day after its release, a live version of the song was released. On September 16, 2024, an acoustic version accompanied by a music video was also released. An EP with previously mentioned versions and an instrumental and a cappella version was released the same day. The synth-pop track was met with positive reviews from music critics and debuted at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 2026, Tesfaye added the track as a bonus song to the After Hours Till Dawn Edition of Hurry Up Tommorow.

Background and composition The Weeknd first performed the song live on September 7, 2024, at his one-night-only concert in Estádio do Morumbi, São Paulo, Brazil. The song was announced on September 9, 2024, as the original lead single from his then-upcoming sixth studio album, Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025), through Apple's "It's Glowtime" event promoting the iPhone 16 Pro. The song was later omitted from the final tracklist for unknown reasons.

"Dancing in the Flames" is performed in the key of D major in common time with a tempo of 117 beats per minute. The Weeknd's vocals span from F4 to B5 in the song.

Critical reception The song was well received by music critics. Alexis Petridis from The Guardian gave the song four out of five stars, commenting the singer "revisits his usual theme of nihilistic love and his beloved palette of 80s synths, but it's melodically solid and there are some tweaks to the formula". Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine wrote that the song "marks a turn back toward a lighter pop sound", in which "the singer once again associating romantic longing with the risk of physical danger".

Music video A behind-the-scenes look at the music video was first shown at Apple's iPhone 16 launch event on September 9, 2024. The music video was shot entirely on the iPhone 16 Pro, and is directed by Anton Tammi, who previously directed the video for "Blinding Lights".

Track listing Streaming/digital download – single "Dancing in the Flames" – 3:40 "Dancing in the Flames" (acoustic) – 3:28 "Dancing in the Flames" (live from São Paulo) – 5:12 "Dancing in the Flames" (instrumental) – 3:42 "Dancing in the Flames" (a cappella) – 3:24

Credits and personnel Credits adapted from Tidal. The Weeknd – vocals, songwriting, production Max Martin – songwriting, production Oscar Holter – songwriting, production Şerban Ghenea - studio personnel, mixing Dave Kutch – studio personnel, mastering Mike Dean – mastering Eric Eylands - studio personnel, engineering Sage Skolfield - studio personnel, engineering Sam Holland - studio personnel, engineering

Charts

Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for "Dancing in the Flames" Chart (2024–2025) Peakposition Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA) 2 Bulgaria Airplay (PROPHON) 4 Canada AC (Billboard) 6 Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard) 7 Canada Hot AC (Billboard) 6 Croatia International Airplay (Top lista) 4 Greece International Streaming (IFPI) 6 Hungary (Editors' Choice Top 40) 12 Iceland (Tónlistinn) 17 India International Streaming (IMI) 4 Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan) 2 Latvia Airplay (LaIPA) 6 Latvia Streaming (LaIPA) 11 Lebanon (Lebanese Top 20) 8 Lithuania (AGATA) 14 Lithuania Airplay (TopHit) 4 Luxembourg (Billboard) 16 Malaysia (Billboard) 21 Malaysia International Streaming (RIM) 18 Philippines (Philippines Hot 100) 88 Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100) 25 Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100) 43 Romania Airplay (TopHit) 27 San Marino Airplay (SMRTV Top 50) 2 Serbia Airplay (Radiomonitor) 1 Singapore (RIAS) 11 Slovenia Airplay (Radiomonitor) 8 South Korea (Circle) 43 South Korea Download (Circle) 84 Turkey International Airplay (Radiomonitor Türkiye) 7 Venezuela Airplay (Record Report) 80 Venezuela Anglo Airplay (Monitor Latino) 2

Monthly charts + Monthly chart performance for "Dancing in the Flames" Chart (2024) Peakposition Belarus Airplay (TopHit) 12 CIS Airplay (TopHit) 2 Estonia Airplay (TopHit) 8 Kazakhstan Airplay (TopHit) 7 Latvia Airplay (TopHit) 1 Lithuania Airplay (TopHit) 4 Paraguay Airplay (SGP) 21 Romania Airplay (TopHit) 30 Russia Airplay (TopHit) 4 Slovakia (Rádio Top 100) 21 Ukraine Airplay (TopHit) 76

Year-end charts + 2024 year-end chart performance for "Dancing in the Flames" Chart (2024) Position Belarus Airplay (TopHit) 114 CIS Airplay (TopHit) 45 Estonia Airplay (TopHit) 74 Kazakhstan Airplay (TopHit) 194 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 71 Romania Airplay (TopHit) 136 Russia Airplay (TopHit) 67

+ 2025 year-end chart performance for "Dancing in the Flames" Chart (2025) Position Argentina Anglo Airplay (Monitor Latino) 75 Belarus Airplay (TopHit) 171 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) 172 Canada (Canadian Hot 100) 95 Canada AC (Billboard) 7 Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard) 19 Canada Hot AC (Billboard) 7 CIS Airplay (TopHit) 56 Kazakhstan Airplay (TopHit) 141 Romania Airplay (TopHit) 137 Russia Airplay (TopHit) 88 US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard) 43 US Pop Airplay (Billboard) 32 US Rhythmic Airplay (Billboard) 44

Certifications

Release history + Release history and formats for "Dancing in the Flames" Region Date Format Label Various September 13, 2024 Italy Radio airplay Universal United States CD September 17, 2024 Contemporary hit radio

References