"Dancing in Circles" is the title of a song recorded by American country music group Love and Theft

Love and Theft (band)

Love and Theft, an American country music duo, is composed of Stephen Barker Liles and Eric Gunderson, both of whom sing lead vocals and play guitar. Love and Theft originally formed as a trio, along with Brian Bandas , in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006...

. Co-written by band member Stephen Barker Liles with Robert Ellis Orrall

Robert Ellis Orrall

Robert Ellis Orrall is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Signed to RCA Records in 1980, Orrall debuted that year with the album "Fixation". His first Top 40 single was "I Couldn't Say No", a duet with Carlene Carter...

 and Roger Springer

Roger Springer

Roger Springer is an American country music artist. Springer's only single as a solo artist, "The Right One Left," was released in 1992 on MCA Nashville and peaked at #69 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.In 1998, Springer formed the country music trio Springer! with Shara...

, it is the second single released from the band's debut album, World Wide Open

World Wide Open

-Love and Theft:*Brian Bandas – vocals, piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar*Eric Gunderson – vocals, acoustic guitar, bass guitar*Stephen Barker Liles – vocals-Additional musicians:*Mike Brignardello – bass guitar*Tom Bukovac – electric guitar...

. The song is the final single to include founding member Brian Bandas, who left the band in January 2011.

Content

"Dancing in Circles" is a mid-tempo song mostly accompanied by mandolin

Mandolin

A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...

, with fiddle

Fiddle

The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...

 fills. Featuring Stephen Barker Liles on lead vocals, the song's narrator wants people to get along, and "share this world together" as sisters and brothers, instead of "dancing in circles" (i.e. fighting and war

War

War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...

).

Reception

Dan Milliken of Country Universe gave the song a B- rating. He called the song "a Contemporary Christian-styled waltz with a few nice thoughts for humankind." "Dancing in Circles" was also described favorably by Roughstock critic Matt Bjorke, who said that "the song fits in well for both the softer fall/winter vibe at country radio while also featuring a message that is universal and questions why humanity does the things that we do to each other."

Chart performance

"Dancing in Circles" debuted at number 59 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs

Hot Country Songs

Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...

chart dated December 12, 2009, and reached a peak of number 25 in March 2010.

Chart (2009-2010)	Peak position