This number 1 club hit was first recorded on the Dictaphone on writer Benny Blanco’s little brother’s cell phone. Benny Blanco first had the idea for the song while he was on a treadmill.
The song was co-written by today’s singer and produced by Benny Blanco, who among others, were responsible for a string of global hit records, like Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You" and Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl."
The singer of today’s song took Blanco’s dictaphone treadmill idea and ran with it. He explained that he woke up in the middle of the night with the lyrics to this song in his head, raced downstairs in his underpants, and started writing the song. “The song...is about when you go to the club and when you go to a party and when you’re just going out you got to feel like, ‘I’m just gonna explode.’
It was THAT imagery which caused some concern that this song wouldn't get airplay because of references to blowing stuff up, but listeners didn't associate the song with that kind of explosion as feared and the song went to Number 2 in the US and number one in the UK in 2010.
The title of today’s song is a common one. Artists like Lorde, Demi Lovato, and AC/DC have all named songs after this explosive. Today’s though was the most successful on the Billboard Charts. That is until K-Pop Superstars BTS dropped their song of the same name and clocked 101 million Youtube views in 24 hours and debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song takes place in a club, but it's mostly about dancing and having a good time - there are no specific references to drinking, hooking up, or other club-related activity.
This makes the song suitable for all ages and all activities, hence, its status as an all-purpose party track. It is extremely popular at weddings.