Scissor Sisters’ second album Ta-Dah reaches its 20th anniversary on September 15, 2026, marking two decades since the New York group followed its breakthrough debut with an album that produced the international hit I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’.
by Paul Cashmere
Scissor Sisters’ Ta-Dah will turn 20 on September 15, 2026, bringing the album back into focus as one of the defining pop releases of the mid-2000s. Released in 2006, the second Scissor Sisters studio album expanded the group’s disco, glam rock and pop vocabulary while producing I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’, a global chart success co-written with Elton John. Ta-Dah reached No. 1 in Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland and the US Top Dance Albums chart, establishing Scissor Sisters as an international pop act.
Ta-Dah followed Scissor Sisters’ self-titled 2004 debut, an album that had already established the New York band internationally. For the second record, the group retained control of production while bringing several notable collaborators into the recording process, including Elton John, guitarist Carlos Alomar and songwriter Paul Williams.
The album was recorded during 2005 and 2006 and released in the United States on September 15, 2006. The Australian release followed on September 16, with the United Kingdom release on September 18. Its lead single, I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’, had arrived in August and immediately became the record’s commercial centrepiece.
The song was written by Jake Shears, Babydaddy and Elton John, with Elton John also contributing piano. It became Scissor Sisters’ first No. 1 single in Australia and the United Kingdom, as well as reaching No. 1 in several other territories. In Australia, the single was certified Platinum.
‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancing’ is a response to Leo Sayer’s “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing”. The rhythm piano also references The Four Seasons “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)”.
Ta-Dah itself opened at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart and also topped the UK and Irish albums charts. In the United States, it entered the Billboard 200 at No. 19 with first-week sales of 42,000 copies. The album also reached No. 1 on the US Top Dance Albums chart.
The commercial performance extended well beyond its opening weeks. Ta-Dah was certified Platinum in Australia and accumulated multi-Platinum certifications in several European territories. In the United Kingdom, it ultimately received a five-times Platinum certification.
The album’s singles campaign continued with Land of a Thousand Words, which reached No. 19 in the United Kingdom, followed by She’s My Man, which peaked at No. 29. Kiss You Off was released in May 2007. I Can’t Decide also found a second life through digital downloads, reaching the UK chart after its use in the Doctor Who episode Last of the Time Lords.
Musically, Ta-Dah brought together the theatricality that had defined Scissor Sisters with a broader studio palette. Carlos Alomar contributed guitar and bass to several tracks, while Elton John appeared on I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ and Intermission. Additional musicians included Joan Wasser on violin, Van Dyke Parks on string arrangements and a brass section on several recordings.
The album was received positively overall, although the critical response was not unanimous. Its aggregate Metacritic score was 71 from 30 reviews, placing it in the generally favourable category. Reviews differed over whether the album represented a convincing progression from the debut or relied too heavily on the formula that had already made Scissor Sisters successful.
That debate is significant to Ta-Dah’s place in the group’s catalogue. The album did not attempt to abandon the flamboyant pop identity established by the debut. Instead, it refined it through stronger studio arrangements, classic songwriting references and an increasingly sophisticated approach to dance music.
Ta-Dah also became an important part of Scissor Sisters’ Australian history. The album reached No. 1 locally, while I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ topped the ARIA Singles Chart. Noise11’s archive records the song as the last Polydor release to top the Australian singles chart before Ellie Goulding’s Love Me Like You Do in 2015.
Scissor Sisters would continue with Night Work in 2010 and Magic Hour in 2012 before entering a hiatus. Noise11 reported in 2012 that the group had indicated they were taking a break, although the members continued working independently. In 2021, Jake Shears said he wanted to make another Scissor Sisters record but that any reunion would require every member to want to participate.
The group’s catalogue has continued to attract industry interest. In 2022, Scissor Sisters signed a worldwide catalogue deal with Warner Chappell Music, covering their collection and providing a new framework for the songs to reach audiences.
Twenty years after its release, Ta-Dah remains defined by the scale of its breakthrough single but is broader than I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ alone. Its combination of disco, glam, pop and theatrical songwriting produced an album that travelled well beyond the group’s original New York club context. The 20th anniversary provides a point to reassess Ta-Dah as both a major commercial success and a key document of 2000s pop.
Tracklisting
I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’
She’s My Man
I Can’t Decide
Lights
Land Of A Thousand Words
Intermission
Kiss You Off
Ooh
Paul McCartney
The Other Side
Might Tell You Tonight
Everybody Wants The Same Thing
UK Bonus Track
Transistor
Japan Bonus Track
Ambition
Deluxe Edition Bonus Disc
Hair Baby
Contact High (Demo)
Almost Sorry
Transistor
Making Ladies
I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ (Paper Faces Remix)
Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first—Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube
Follow Noise11.com on social media:
Bluesky
Facebook – Comment on the news of the day
