Milky Chance Covered Tones And I’s ‘Dance Monkey’ And It Was…Interesting

‘Dance Monkey’ by Tones and I is such a distinctive song that it’s kinda hard to reimagine. Need proof? Look no further than Milky Chance’s bizarre attempt to do so on Like A Version today.

See, ‘Dance Monkey’ is simple, distinctive, and direct. It doesn’t make sense to fool around with it. Making it sad and slow is just kinda ridiculous; speeding it up or turning it into a thrash metal ditty only more so. It’s the way that it is for a reason — because that song, with that arrangement, has an internal logic that you simply can’t disrupt.

Try telling that to Milky Chance. The German-based folk-pop crew — best known for their smash hit ‘Stolen Dance’ — have appeared on Like A Version a couple of times now. And at every appearance, they’ve tried the same trick: taking an immensely popular song and fudging with its formula.

That worked when they flipped Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake it Off’ and Nelly Furtardo’s ‘I’m Like A Bird’. But ‘Dance Monkey’ is different from those songs, and attempts to turn it into a weirdo, sloppy, slowed-down ballad make about as much sense as turning ‘Tears in Heaven’ into a trap-influenced banger.

Anyway, kudos, I guess, to Milky Chance for trying. The whole point of Like A Version is to swing for something different and unusual, and the best covers always have a bold reinvention at their heart. This thing is just…well…

I mean, just listen to it, and see what you think: