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Cover of Codes and Keys by Death Cab for Cutie — Cover: Codes and Keys

Song · Death Cab for Cutie

“Stay Young, Go Dancing” by Death Cab for Cutie

From the album Codes and Keys (2011)

“Stay Young, Go Dancing” by Death Cab for Cutie appears on 20 radio countdowns from 19 stations between 2011 and 2019. It was first released in 2011 on the album Codes and Keys. Its best result is #28 on the WEQX Top 102.7 of 2011. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #82 alternative song of 2011 and #371 of the '10s.

20countdowns

19stations

#28best position

0#1 finishes

0top 10 finishes

2011–2019years charted

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Death Cab for Cutie - Stay Young, Go Dancing [Official Video]

Video from YouTube (Death Cab for Cutie). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Stay Young, Go Dancing" closes out Codes and Keys, Death Cab for Cutie's seventh studio album, from 2011, and that spot was a deliberate choice. The band had a habit of signing off on a down note, and Benjamin Gibbard, a little self-conscious about how featherlight the song's feeling was, decided to end on it anyway. He wrote it alone for Zooey Deschanel, the actress he was married to at the time, and it's a portrait of happy domesticity. He'd since moved to Los Angeles, a city he took a swipe at in his 2001 song "Why You'd Want to Live Here", and here he recycles that old jab into something sweet.

Chris Walla produced, Alan Moulder mixed, Minna Choi arranged, and the Magik*Magik Orchestra supplied the strings. Atlantic sent it out as the album's third single that September.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year	#	Station	Countdown	of
2011	48	91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana	91X Top 91 Songs of 2011	91
2011	40	WFNX Boston, MA	WFNX Top 101 Songs of 2011	101
2011	97	CD101 Columbus, OH	CD101 Top 102 Songs of 2011	102
2011	44	92.3 WTTS Indianapolis-Bloomington, IN	WTTS Top 50 Songs of 2011	50
2011	97	107.1 The Peak Westchester County, NY	WXPK Top 107 Songs of 2011	107
2011	46	88.3 The Sting Cleveland, OH	88.3 The Sting WBWC Top 88 Songs of 2011	88
2011	28	102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany)	WEQX Top 102.7 of 2011	103
2011	76	WXPN Philadelphia, PA	WXPN Year in Review: Top 100 Songs of 2011	100
2011	73	90.5 WERG Erie, PA	WERG Top 90 of 2011	90
2011	94	Exit 97.7 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY	WEXT Top 97 of 2011	97
2011	55	KJEE 92.9 Santa Barbara, CA	KJEE Top 92 Songs of 2011	92
2011	72	89.9 WLCA St. Louis, MO	WLCA Top 89 of 2011	89
2011	52	103.1 The River Kalispell-Flathead Valley, MT	103.1 The River Top 103 of 2011	103
2011	60	WRNR 103.1 Annapolis, MD	WRNR Top 103.1 Songs of 2011	104
2011	47	KSLG Eureka (Humboldt County), CA	KSLG Top 94 Slugtracks of 2011	94
2011	34	WRSI 93.9 The River Northampton / Pioneer Valley, MA	WRSI Top 93 Songs of 2011	93
2011	50	Lightning 100 Nashville, TN	Lightning 100 Best of 2011	50
2011	73	WBRU Providence, RI	WBRU Top 95.5 Songs of 2011	96

All-time and decade countdowns

Year	#	Station	Countdown	of
2019	827	WYEP	WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019	1017
2019	827	WYEP	WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019	1099

Also listed as: Stay Young Go Dancing.

Charting alongside it in 2011

Best songs of 2011 →

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