Released 21 Years Ago: Better Off Alone – Alice Deejay

‘Better off Alone’ is a Eurodance track produced in the late 90s by super group, Alice Deejay. The Alice Deejay project was created by Wessel van Diepen, Dennis van den Driesschen, Sebastiaan Molijn and Eelke Kalberg in collaboration with DJ Jurgen. Although the vocal track didn’t release until July 18, 1999 the instrumental was actually released on Violent Records in 1998 by DJ Jurgen. The vocals are provided by lead singer Judith Anna Pronk; inspired by the breakup of a member from the group who provided the iconic lyrics. 

That being said, there aren’t many lyrics in the song only consisting of 7 words: “Do you think you’re better off alone?”. The rhythm and tone set by the lyrics make it very appealing and catchy which would explain why it was voted Number 3 on the top US Dance Club Songs (Billboard). 

The track has since then become one of the most iconic singles in dance music history leaving behing a legacy in Eurodance genre. It has been featured on Billboard’s “Best Pop Songs of All Time’ list and blessed by remixes from numerous award-winning producers. One of the most popular reworks done by David Guetta brought the sound to mainstream levels in 2013. The rework named ‘Play Hard’’ featured vocals from Ne-Yo and Akon and a sample of the original synthesizer riff from ‘Better off Alone’. 

Even 21 years later it is quite impossible to attend a festival and avoid the many variations of the song. The reason it is played so often is because the lyrics and melody are easily recognizable to the ear. The vocals were an amazing idea to include because they created the track perfect to sing along to.