When it comes to tunes that capture the vibe of social distancing, Billy Idol’s “Dancing With Myself” is one that immediately comes to mind. On Thursday night’s Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots performed the song with “at-home instruments,” and got the man himself to join them.
While in isolation, Fallon and the members of The Roots have been tackling a number of songs with makeshift instruments from their respective homes, in the vein of their regular “Classroom Instruments” sessions. The “Dancing With Myself” performance started out with just Fallon and The Roots on the first verse and chorus, before Idol joined in for the rest of the song.
Among the unique at-home instruments, The Roots’ Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter banged a spatula against a blender, while Questlove used a food turner and a pair of tongs on various objects. Throughout the Brady Bunch-style performance video, there’s footage of everyday people dancing at their homes, as well.
Idol brought up the energy level with his “sweat, sweat, sweat” line toward the end of the performance, with an ecstatic Fallon dancing and singing along.
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fallon has been filming the Tonight Show from his home, while interviewing his guests through video conferencing apps. He and Questlove recently fanboyed out while speaking with Beastie Boys’ Mike D and Ad-Rock about their new documentary, Beastie Boys Story.
