Warm, wistful, and beautifully intoxicating, James Smith’s “Dancing with You (Baby)” channels the glow of romance into a soul-stirring, smoldering reverie of memory, love, and longing – cementing the East Londoner as a timeless voice on the rise, an old-soul craftsman whose musicianship and effortless ache set him apart.

 follow our Today’s Song(s) playlist

Stream: “Dancing With You (Baby)” – James Smith

It was a love of a different kind – now loneliness is a friend of mine…

* * *

The first time you heard that opening guitar line – warm, slow-burning, and soaked in longing – you feel like you’re stepping into a faded photograph.

“Dancing with You (Baby)” pulls you in instantly, wrapping memory and melody into something rich, raw, and utterly immersive. It’s bluesy and nostalgic, tender and turbulent. And James Smith, a man blessed with what must be one of the most common names in the entire Western Hemisphere, sets himself unmistakably apart: His voice aches with raw emotion as he dwells in the shadows of what was, caught in a spell of yearning he can’t quite shake.

It was a love of a different kind
Now loneliness is a friend of mine
I’m looking back on the summer nights
When life felt so much better

Dancing with you baby
Oh I just can’t quit remembering
The way that you move baby
Back when we used to feel
So alive
Feel like I’m just wasting all my time
Not dancing with you baby
Dancing with you baby

Smith’s first release since last year’s critically acclaimed debut Common People, “Dancing with You (Baby)” feels like both a continuation and a bold step forward. “It’s a track I’ve sat on for a couple of years now,” Smith tells Atwood Magazine. “I wrote it specifically about a time a couple of summers ago, when my partner and I would dance around the kitchen with the radio on. It’s pretty on-the-nose lyrically! This track is a nostalgic look back on the ‘honeymoon period’ and how nothing really matters when you first fall in love.”

That sentiment pulses through every lyric. “Stumbling around on the kitchen floor to our favourite song on the radio. No there was nothing that could break us when our heartbeats moved together.” Smith captures the glow of young love in vivid detail, balancing the rush of memory with the ache of distance. “Oh I just can’t quit remembering the way that you move, baby. Back when we used to feel so alive.”

Stumbling around on the kitchen floor
To our favourite song on the radio
No there was nothing that could break us
When our heartbeats moved together

Now every time that I close my eyes
I’m transported to that peace of mind
I keep ’em shut ’cause I wish that I
Could stay right here forever

Musically, the song is a masterclass in restraint and warmth. That lead guitar – clean and expressive – carves out a space somewhere between Fleetwood Mac and John Mayer, two of Smith’s biggest influences (and, it just so happens, two of my favorite artists. Coincidence? I think not). “I’d actually say that Continuum and Rumours are both on my desert island discs haha!” he says. “Continuum is so perfectly recorded and was definitely a reference for this record.”

Fittingly, the song was recorded live in one take at London’s legendary Konk Studios. “I didn’t really have an approach with the song initially – it sort of just came to me one morning whilst I was playing around on my guitar. However, I think when it came to the recording process,” Smith recalls. “I knew that I wanted to produce the track in a proper studio (and not my little room in North London). So for this song and the rest of my new album, I went and spent some time at Konk Studios – which is the most magic place on Earth. It was founded by the Kinks, and some huge, huge records have been recorded there. ‘Dancing with You’ ended up being one live take in the studio – and I’m super, super proud of how old school and cool it was to record like that!”

Dancing with you baby
Oh I just can’t quit remembering
The way that you move baby
Back when we used to feel
So alive
Feel like I’m just wasting all my time
Not dancing with you baby
Dancing with you baby

Ten months on from Common People, Smith says this new song represents both a quick return and a creative evolution. “Less than a year and I’m back in the game already!” he laughs. “I absolutely love that record, but it feels like a different me. I started writing those songs in my early twenties and I’m pushing 27 now. But it was a real labour of love and opened a lot of doors for me. I was also able to tour Europe with that album at the start of the year, and that was one of the best experiences of my life, so I’m super grateful for it.”

He continues, “I wanted to make a quick ‘comeback’ because I have SO much music. I’m constantly writing and producing songs, so it only feels right to put them out. And album 2 is a huge step up from album 1.”

There’s an intimate ache to “Dancing with You (Baby)” – the kind that doesn’t shout to be heard, but makes you lean in. It’s gentle, yet dramatic; grounded, yet soaring. A love song and a lovesick song all in one. “I’d say it can exist as both,” Smith reflects. “I’d hope that listeners can feel the effort that goes into creating real music with real musicians through real studio equipment! This isn’t no AI / Laptop music. It’s super complicated, but obviously sounds really simple. I’m trying to do things old school and be true to the singer/songwriters that came before me.”

With its timeless production, soul-stirring tone, and aching honesty, “Dancing with You (Baby)” stands tall among the year’s best.

And as Smith himself puts it – with a wink wink, nudge nudge – “I’m an East Londoner with a lot about me – I write and produce and mix all my own music, and I’m not cocky, but I reckon I’m gonna be f*ing massive in a couple of years.”

Say no more – we’re inclined to agree. A modern classic in the making, “Dancing with You (Baby)” is as good as it gets – and months out from its initial release, we’re still stuck on that dreamy, radiantly beautiful guitar line. Get to know James Smith in our interview below, and stay tuned for more to come from this singular, stunning artist to watch!

Dancing with you baby
Oh I just can’t quit remembering
The way that you move baby
Back when we used to feel
So alive
Feel like I’m just wasting all my time
Not dancing with you baby
Dancing with you baby

— —

:: stream/purchase Dancing With You (Baby) here ::

:: connect with James Smith here ::

— —

Stream: “Dancing With You (Baby)” – James Smith

A CONVERSATION WITH JAMES SMITH

James Smith: “Dancing With You” is a track I’ve sat on for a couple of years now. I wrote it specifically about a time a couple of summers ago when me and my partner would dance around the kitchen with the radio on. It’s pretty on-the-nose lyrically! This track is a nostalgic look back on the ‘honeymoon period’ and how nothing really matters when you first fall in love.

James Smith: Thank you so much! I mean both of those artists are huge inspirations of mine. I’d actually say that the Continuum album from John Mayer and Rumours are both on my desert island discs, haha! Continuum is so perfectly recorded and was definitely a reference for this record. I didn’t really have an approach with the song initially, it sort of just came to me one morning whilst I was playing around on my guitar. However, I think when it came to the recording process. I knew that I wanted to produce the track in a proper studio (and not my little room in North London). And so for this song and the rest of my new album – I went and spent some time at Konk Studios which is the most magic place on earth. It was founded by the Kinks (another favourite band of mine) and some huge, huge records have been recorded there. So that was a real fun experience. “Dancing With You” ended up being one live take in the studio – and I’m super, super proud of how old school and cool it was to record like that!

James Smith: I know! Less than a year and I’m back in the game already haha! I mean, I absolutely love that record, but it feels like a different me. I started writing those songs in my early twenties and I’m pushing 27 now. But it was a real labour of love and opened a lot of doors for me. I was also able to tour Europe with that album at the start of the year and that was one of the best experiences of my life! So I’m super grateful for it.

James Smith: I wanted to make a quick ‘comeback’ after the first album because I have SO much music. I’m constantly writing and producing songs, so it only feels right to put them out. Also, I want to be an artist with a lot of albums under his belt. And album two is a huge step up from album 1.

James Smith: I’d say it can exist as both a love song and a lovesick song.

James Smith: I’d hope that listeners can feel the effort that goes into creating real music with real musicians through real studio equipment! This isn’t no AI / Laptop music. It’s super complicated, but obviously sounds really simple. I’m trying to do things old school and be true to the singer-songwriters that came before me. And saying all this, I can definitely feel that people are resonating with the sound!

James Smith: I’m an East Londoner with a lot about me – I write and produce and mix all my own music, and I’m not cocky, but I reckon I’m gonna be f*ing massive in a couple of years!

— —

:: stream/purchase Dancing With You (Baby) here ::

:: connect with James Smith here ::

— —

Stream: “Dancing With You (Baby)” – James Smith

— — — —

Connect to James Smith on
Facebook, 𝕏, TikTok, Instagram

Discover new music on Atwood Magazine

 © Jonathan Tomlinson

:: Today’s Song(s) ::

 follow our daily playlist on Spotify

:: Stream James Smith ::