I was listening to Pandora and the song “Shut up and Dance” by Walk the Moon came on. I do like that song. Whenever I hear it, images from the video I’d seen in the past play in my head, the dancing and music shimming together through me even as I sit at my desk.

I scooched over to my computer and found it on YouTube. As it played, I wondered, beyond the catchy tune, the fast beat, and the swirling movement, why am I so captivated by it? I do like music that can engage me like this one, but there was something more. I searched online and found the lyrics, this time reading them as the video played. I thought to myself, Is it in the words or the dancing? Maybe the music? Humm.

I played the video again, concentrating on the two characters from the song. The woman was stylish, engaged with the music, working to draw the guy into the dance. And the guy, he wasn’t in sync with the scene at all, instead he was all caught up in himself. He looked unsure as to what was happening, but eventually was game to engage. Turning his eyes to the woman, he looked awed by her, but seemed to miss her alluring subtleties. No, I thought to myself, that wasn’t what drew me to the song.

The video continued and the guy becomes distracted by the lights and sounds and movement of the dance floor as the woman circled him saying “Oh, don’t you dare look back, just keep your eyes on me.” She’s challenging him to let go of previous encounters, his past baggage, and to stop over-thinking. She wanted his ‘eyes on her’, to see her. Ok… that’s closer to why I’m drawn to it.

Towards the song’s end he finally focuses in and sees her. Yet his retort, wanting her to come closer to him, is still from the head, not heart. “You’re holding back,” he sings. (I want to smack this guy by now.) So, she tries again, singing the song title now as an impassioned command “Shut up and dance with me!”.

Ah, that’s it, that’s what drew me. The woman understood the many layers of connections of head and heart. She knows how to use body, movement, and expressions to cut through to him. She uses them all to draw him in, finally catching his full attention and pulling him into her world. And then, wow, does he get it. He sync’s up with her, their eyes connecting, bodies aligning, smoothly engaging the music and each other as they dance.

I suppose their interaction could work either way, the woman drawing the man or vise-versa. Nah, I muse, us men usually get caught in our heads.

So, have patience, ladies. We need your presence and persistence and patience — all of those. And we do want to connect with you, engage with all of who you are. Only, we may need a big nudge to get us to stop and re-focus so we can see you.