Levitating

The harmony of "Levitating" is deceptively simple — a single four-chord loop sustains the entire track. What makes it distinctive is the Dorian IV (E major in B minor), a hallmark of disco and funk harmony that prevents the minor key from sounding melancholic. This modal borrowing connects the song to its 1970s disco ancestors while the relentless circular motion of the progression creates the weightless, perpetual-motion feel that matches the song's theme. The lack of harmonic variation between sections is a deliberate production choice: the arrangement, synth layers, and vocal dynamics carry the structural weight, freeing the harmony to act as a groove foundation rather than a narrative device.

After settling on Future Nostalgia as her album title, Dua Lipa worked backwards to define the sound she wanted. "Levitating" was one of the first tracks written for the project and was built around a Roland VP-330 synthesiser sample played by Koz. Lipa wrote it with Clarence Coffee Jr., Sarah Hudson, and Koz, channeling the escapist joy of falling in love into space-themed imagery. Canadian actor Mike Myers and his Austin Powers films provided inspiration for the song's retro-futuristic vibe.

"Levitating" blends electro-disco grooves, space-themed lyrics, and a Roland VP-330 synth hook into one of the most enduring pop songs of the 2020s. Released on Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia album, it spent 77 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, earned RIAA Diamond certification, and topped the 2021 year-end chart without ever reaching number one weekly — a feat not seen since 2001.