Evacuate the Dancefloor (song)

Writing and inspiration

Group member Yanou and frequent collaborator Allan Eshuijs wrote the song together at a studio session, with Manuel Reuter taking care of putting the track production together.

Seen as being counter-intuitive for what is a dancefloor-bound song, Eshuijs told HitQuarters that he and Yanou chose the title phrase because they simply wanted to say something a bit different. Having decided the hook line should be "something-something-dancefloor", they managed to complete the phrase by Googling for "nice words and weird combinations of words". They then built the story of the song around it.

Critical reception

The song received positive reviews from music critics. Music House wrote that the track builds "on the Europop sound Cascada pioneered" and described it as a "playful, sexy pop stomper that brings R&B, slinky soul and rap to the group's table for the first time. The track is still a euphoric, arms-in-the-air dancefloor anthem, but this time, its moves are more sophisticated, its sonic tricks cleverer and vocalist Natalie Horler's vocals both more personal and powerful than ever." Digital Spy added that the song is "a bit different from the Eurodance throbathons of old. To our ears, 'Evacuate The Dancefloor' sounds like a mix of Lady GaGa, recent Britney and S Club 7's 'Don't Stop Movin'." DJ Ron Slomowicz of About.com stated: "Known for their uptempo europop singles clocking in at over 140 BPM like 'Everytime We Touch' and 'What Hurts the Most,' Cascada has gone a completely different route with 'Evacuate the Dancefloor.' With a Lady Gaga-like production style and a guest rap from German rapper Carlprit, the song is instantly catchy and will no doubt be embraced by lovers of commercial dance music.

During an interview, lead singer Natalie Horler commented on the single saying "We have definitely developed the Cascada sound." "With Evacuate The Dancefloor, we've taken all we learnt over the last few years and moved on. It's refreshing and fun. I love R 'n' B and I've always had a soulful voice, but I didn't have much opportunity to show that off. This song is more of a challenge for me to sing. I can't wait to take it to the clubs. People's jaws are going to hit the floor when they hear it."

Comparison to Lady Gaga

Being that "Evacuate the Dancefloor" is predominantly electropop rather than one of the group's regular Eurodance anthems, some critics have compared it to Lady Gaga's sound, while other critics have compared the song to Miley Cyrus's "Party in the U.S.A." in terms of music structure and lyrical content. In an interview with David Balls of Digital Spy, Horler insisted that the song was written before May 2008, stating:

I don't like the term rip-off because it's a bit negative. We started the album [in early to mid 2008] and 'Evacuate' was one of the first songs that we recorded when Lady Gaga wasn't even around. Someone told me they read on the Internet that we actually inspired her. I don't know if it's true, but that would be amazing. We've been around for a long time and we've worked hard for our success, so there's no reason for us to throw away everything that we're respected for. You do evolve and progress and we're very proud of what's come of it.

Co-writer Allan Eshuijs said that Cascada moved from their trademark anthemic Eurodance sound towards electropop because with sales of their second album, Perfect Day, marking a downward turn they decided they had to break from their formula and come up with something different.

Chart performance

"Evacuate the Dancefloor" made its chart debut on the Irish Singles Chart for the week ending 25 June 2009 and peaked at number two. The song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart for the week ending 11 July 2009, becoming the group's first UK chart-topper, beating Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" to the top spot in the week after his death. It remained at the top in the United Kingdom for two weeks. The song debuted at number three and peaked at number two in New Zealand. It was certified gold in the country after eight weeks on the chart, selling over 7,500 copies. The song also debuted on the German Singles Chart at number six and peaked at number five. The song debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number eighty and peaked at number twenty-five. On the US Billboard Hot Dance Airplay chart, the single went to number one on its 26 September 2009 issue, giving the act their third number-one single on the chart (following 2006's "Everytime We Touch" and 2008's "What Hurts the Most").

Music video

The music video was supposed to premiere on the evening of 17 May 2009 on the Clubland website, but this was postponed due to reported problems in the transportation of the film from Los Angeles to the UK. The video finally premiered the next day on 18 May. On 3 August 2010, the video received a nomination for Best Dance Video at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards.

The video shows Horler, sporting a dress with a Siouxsie Sioux print, singing in front of lights in a club and surrounded by partygoers. It then shows dancers on a dance floor with Horler singing in front of open doors and people dancing in the background. Carlprit appears singing on some seats before the camera goes back to Horler and the dancers while occasionally showing Carlprit singing the backing vocals. It finishes with Horler singing on a spinning set of seats surrounded by the dancers.