SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Meg Schmidt's signature song is a Top 40 track that could have been written for her.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SHUT UP AND DANCE")
WALK THE MOON: (Singing) Oh don't you dare look back, just keep your eyes on me. I said, you're holding back. She said, shut up and dance with me. This woman is my destiny...
SIMON: "Shut Up And Dance" by Walk The Moon. She heard it everywhere in 2015 as she got ready for her wedding to Nathan Flower (ph). They loved each other but knew their families were different. Schmidt's were the kind of people who heard dance music and tapped their toes as they sat.
MEG SCHMIDT: I think you could say that we maybe are a little shy. And the joke that we always make is that we are very German. Kind of have a stiff upper lip, just yeah, very kind of serious thinkers.
SIMON: But Nathan's family, the Flowers...
SCHMIDT: They go to a wedding - they are dancing from the instant the music starts to the time the night ends. I mean, they go all out. And that's his immediate family, his aunts, his uncles, even his grandpa.
SIMON: That difference became a problem as Meg and Nathan planned their own wedding.
SCHMIDT: And one of the things I said is like, you know, I'm a little uncomfortable dancing and, you know, I just - I'm not sure how I feel about that. And Nathan was really kind of disappointed. He loved me, and he loved dancing, and he wanted to dance with me on our wedding day.
SIMON: Then Meg had an idea. She could plan a dance that included her that she could use to surprise Nathan. She enlisted some friends. They rehearsed for weeks and at the wedding reception...
SCHMIDT: The dancing started and then my father-in-law was actually the DJ so he kind of waited for the right time and he started "Shut Up And Dance."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SHUT UP AND DANCE")
WALK THE MOON: (Singing) We were victims of the night. The chemical, physical, kryptonite...
SIMON: Meg began to move, three steps to the right, to clap and twist, then she was jumping.
SCHMIDT: Nathan got into it. He instantly caught on. And he was smiling like nothing in the world.
SIMON: Of course, the Flower family followed, but the Schmidt's stayed seated until...
SCHMIDT: I was just like, no, this is my moment here. This is my day. I want them here enjoying this with me. So I grabbed their hands. I said, oh, guys, no, you're doing this. I'm doing this. You guys can do this with me, too.
SIMON: So Meg Schmidt pulled her stiff-upper-lip family into the middle of the dancefloor.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SHUT UP AND DANCE ")
WALK THE MOON: (Singing) She took my arm. I don't know how it happened. We took the floor and she said, oh, don't you dare look back. Just keep your eyes on me. I said, you're holding back. She said, shut up and dance with me...
SCHMIDT: And it was - I don't know - like, those moments in your life that are just so happy. I mean, that's just the only word you can use to describe it. It's just happy. And I looked around, and everyone in my family was there. And everyone in my new family was there, and we were all happy to shut up and dance, which was exactly the lines that I needed to hear at that moment. Just, Meg, shut up and dance.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SHUT UP AND DANCE")
WALK THE MOON: (Singing) Oh don't you dare look back. Just keep your eyes on me. I said you're holding back...
SIMON: What about today, when there's no DJ or guests in sight?
SCHMIDT: Well, a glass of wine helps. But no, I love dancing now - and every time it comes on a playlist, it's kind of a message to just get out of your comfort zone, try that new scary thing. It's a really special moment for us every time we hear it.
SIMON: Meg Schmidt of Grand Rapids, Mich., sharing her signature song, Walk The Moon's "Shut Up And Dance."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SHUT UP AND DANCE")
WALK THE MOON: (Singing) This woman is my destiny. She said, ooh, shut up and dance with me. Ooh, shut up and dance with me. Ooh, shut up and dance with me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
