On “Dancing On The Wall,” MUNA Dreams Of A Fantasy & Lives In A Nightmare

No one knows how to mask the devastation of yearning and heartbreak in a euphoric pop song better than MUNA. To no one’s surprise, the band have done it again, this time with their latest single, “Dancing On The Wall.”

MUNA waste no time mapping out the series of events that led to their latest lover’s quarrel, opening the song with, “We had plans on a Saturday night / I had visions dancing in my mind, but / You're so last minute with your new excuse / Do you care at all or do I just pretend you do?” It’s an end-of-relationship realization that many people can sympathize with, though that relatability gets thrown out the window immediately with the lyric: “Bought your favorite ice cream, left it in the backseat / Just another sweet thing you let go bad.”

At this point the rose-colored glasses have been removed, the green flags have faded into red, and they finally see their partner for who they truly are. But this isn’t a song about breaking the pattern; it’s about knowing you’re in an impossibly toxic loop and choosing to ride the rollercoaster anyway. As bandmates Katie Gavin, Naomi McPherson, and Josette Maskin put it in the chorus:

“You're the wall that I keep banging my head against / I'm always saying, ‘This time, I'll get through’ / I end up with a bruise as a consequence / I know how to hurt myself on you.”

As soon as the bruises heal, it’s time to repeat the cycle with a phone call. Maybe it works out for a night or two, but when you date someone who has their walls up, sooner or later you’ll end up alone. Yet MUNA continue to dance around — or in this case, directly on top of — their partner’s emotional barriers, hence the title, “Dancing On The Walls.”

Not until the bridge does the gravity of the situation start to settle in; rather than living in the moment with their other half, MUNA are daydreaming about what they could be. As they watch the second hand make its way around the clock, they’re confronted with how much time they’ve spent waiting for this person to change — how their Cinderella story might actually be a nightmare.

“Now I'm working up a sweat / Spinning in my party dress / Stroke of midnight at the ball / I realize I'm on the wall.”

The end of the song leaves you hoping for change in behavior from the band, an answer we probably won’t get until the group’s new album of the same name drops on May 8.

“Dancing On The Wall” is available to stream now.