Songfacts®:

• When Vanessa Williams won the Miss America pageant in 1984, she sang "Happy Days Are Here Again" for the talent portion, but the lady can also dance (her voiceover on pageant: "Vanessa's musical talent isn't limited to singing. She's an accomplished French horn player, pianist and dancer"). In 2024, the 61-year-old Williams showed that she still had her dance moves and her chops with "Legs (Keep Dancing)." She's not just still standing, she's the best she's ever been.
• The hook lyric comes from Diahann Carroll's 2008 memoir The Legs Are The Last To Go. Carroll, who died in 2019, was a highly acclaimed singer and actress who inspired Vanessa Williams. In 2000, Carroll played Williams' mother in a movie called The Courage To Love, which Williams produced.
  
  In Carroll's later years (she was 84 when she died), she often talked about how her beauty had faded but her legs were still strong, giving her the power to keep moving forward. In this song, Williams turns Carroll's words into an anthem of ageless confidence.
• "Legs (Keep Dancing)" is the first new Vanessa Williams song in 15 years - since her 2009 album The Real Thing. After a controversy that led to giving up her Miss America crown in 1984, Williams launched her singing career in 1988 with the single "The Right Stuff," a #1 Dance hit. But she really made her mark with ballads like "Save The Best For Last" and "Colors Of The Wind." In the '00s she focused on acting, with roles on Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives. "Legs" is a triumphant return to her breakthrough as a dance-pop singer.
• In the music video, Williams shows off her impressive dance moves and equally impressive legs. It got a lot of attention online, with viewers thrilled to see the musical return of Williams.
• "Legs (Keep Dancing)" was written by Kjersti Long, Chantry Johnson and Kipper Jones, with Johnson producing. Kjersti Long is a young singer-songwriter, but Johnson and Jones are more seasoned. Jones was on board back when Williams launched her singing career: He co-wrote "The Right Stuff" and convinced her to record it - Williams wasn't sure she could pull off the dance diva thing. They became good friends, and Williams landed another hit with a Kipper Jones song in 1991: "The Comfort Zone."
  
  Jones shows up in the video for "Legs" - look for him in the limo wearing a bowtie.
• Kipper Jones told Songfacts how this track came together: "The whole concept for 'Legs' was Vanessa's idea. She wanted to pull from legendary actress, singer, dancer, icon Diahann Carroll's memoir, titled The Legs Are The Last To Go. She also shared the idea with myself, as well as producer Chantry Johnson, and songwriter, Kjersti Long. She didn't know whether it was the title of the song or the lyric or whatever. I didn't find that unusual at all. That is also how we came up with 'The Comfort Zone' back in 1991.
  
  Chantry came up with this wonderful upbeat musical production, and Kjersti had a brilliant lyrical start with 'Still here, still standing, still kicking / In fact, I'm the best I've ever been,' as well as the beginning of the chorus. Those two things set stage for the feel of the song. Where I came in is both personalizing it for where Vanessa is today, and also ensuring that it was appropriate for a 60-year-old woman to sing.
  
  The magic of the song, in my opinion, is it's a celebration of empowerment for women, but can apply to anyone. I believe that's the mark of a great song - anyone can find themselves in it and inspired by it."