The Story Of A Harry Houdini Trick That Became A Viral Dua Lipa Song

NDTV

6 days ago

New Delhi:
"Catch me or I go Houdini." On paper, it sounds like the kind of daring ultimatum Harry Houdini himself would've uttered before disappearing from a straitjacket in midair.
But in 2023, these words belonged not to the legendary illusionist but to pop star Dua Lipa, who turned Houdini's legacy into a thumping, viral, neon-lit dance anthem about red flags, independence and the seductive art of escape.
And perhaps there's no better day to revisit this unlikely cultural crossover than today, Houdini's birthday, a date that celebrates the man who spent his life dodging death, defying physics and eventually, decades later, inspiring some of the biggest music artists in the world.
Who Was Harry Houdini, And Why Couldn't The World Escape Him?
Born Erik Weisz in Hungary on March 24, 1874, Harry Houdini was no ordinary magician. He wasn't content with sleight of hand or vanishing coins; Houdini craved the impossible.
By the early 1900s, he had made a name for himself as the master of death-defying escapes: wriggling free from handcuffs, jail cells, milk cans filled with water, straitjackets while suspended upside down, and even coffins.
His most iconic trick? The Chinese Water Torture Cell, a nightmare-inducing stunt where Houdini was shackled and lowered headfirst into a water tank. With the clock ticking and death looming, he would escape, every single time, leaving the audience gasping, sweaty-palmed and completely bewitched.
But Houdini's greatest magic trick wasn't the escape itself, it was his ability to symbolise freedom, mystery and self-mastery. For over a century, his name became shorthand for slipping away from danger, expectation, and yes, bad relationships. And that's where Dua Lipa comes in.
How Dua Lipa Turned Harry Houdini Into A Pop Persona
In November 2023, Dua Lipa kicked off a new musical era with the release of her single Houdini, the first track from her third album, Radical Optimism. Clocking in as a "psychedelic club track," the song was more than just a catchy chorus.
"Tell me all the ways you need me / I'm not here for long / Catch me or I go Houdini."
Written with a powerhouse team that included Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, Caroline Ailin and Tobias Jesso Jr, Houdini marked a sonic shift for Dua: darker, funkier, more self-aware. According to her, the song was the anchor for the entire album.
"We wrote two songs, one after the other, and 'Houdini' was one of them," Dua told Hits 1 LA, adding, "And I was like, 'Okay, I feel like now I know exactly what this album's gonna be and what it's gonna sound like.'"
In interviews, she revealed how the song was written "in diary form," inspired by the personal high of knowing when to leave. The metaphor of Houdini became a symbol of ghosting with grace - of trusting your gut, seeing the red flags, and poof, vanishing.
Her personal red flags? "Chewing with your mouth open and ankle socks," she laughed.
The "Hou-tini" Craze
The song's impact wasn't confined to streaming charts; it exploded online in wild, creative ways. Fans flocked to Harry Houdini's actual grave, performing choreographed renditions of the track, turning cemeteries into TikTok sets.
One such clip, captioned "RIP Harry, you would've loved Dua Lipa", racked up over 2.7 million views, catching the attention of MTV, brands like PureWow and even Playboy's Holly Madison.
Even Dua herself joined in, DJing a release party at LA's famed Houdini Estate, where she danced with fans and soaked in the surreal connection between her modern pop persona and a 20th-century magician's ghost.
In an interview with Audacy, she explained, "You're figuring out what you like, what you don't like, what you deserve... and then choosing when to stay and when to 'Houdini,' essentially."
Other Artists Who've Gone 'Houdini'
Dua isn't the only one who's found artistic magic in Houdini's name. Over the decades, Houdini has appeared as a metaphor in music that spans genres, moods and eras.
Eminem's 2024 track Houdini from The Death of Slim Shady reintroduces the rapper's controversial alter-ego with the line, "For my last trick, I'm about to reach in my bag, bruh."
A chaotic, cartoonish video follows, filled with callbacks to his earlier career and plenty of punchlines that land like brass knuckles.
Foster the People's 2012 hit Houdini used the metaphor for industry burnout and self-erasure, especially in the music video, where the band dies in a freak accident but continues to perform through illusion.
Kate Bush's haunting 1982 ballad Houdini flips the script entirely. Told from the perspective of Houdini's wife, Bess, it paints the anguish of watching your partner chase death every night: "Everybody thinks you'll never make it / But every time, you escape."
Each of these artists channelled something different: rage, love, vulnerability, bravado, but Houdini remained the through-line: an idea, a mask, a myth.
Magic In Modern Form
The brilliance of Dua Lipa's Houdini lies in how seamlessly it bridges past and present. The vanishing act, once a literal escape from chains, becomes emotional survival in the age of red flags and read receipts.
Houdini once escaped from locked boxes thrown into rivers. Today's woman escapes from relationships with no emotional reciprocity.
The music video, which Dua shot over two 12-hour days, shows her sweating it out in a rehearsal hall, caught between mirrors and movement. "It was so fun, though," she said. She added, "A lot of bruises, a lot of sweat, a lot of dancing."
Sounds like Houdini would've approved.
The Final Word
Harry Houdini died on October 31, 1926, just days after performing with a ruptured appendix. His death remains wrapped in its own folklore; some say it was the result of a surprise punch to the stomach, others insist it was just bad timing and stubbornness. But death couldn't stop Houdini. And clearly, neither can time.
On his birthday, it's oddly perfect that a pop banger keeps his name alive, not in the wings of a vaudeville stage, but through dance floors, playlists, viral reels and lyrics that dare us to disappear before we're diminished.
Because whether you're in chains or chasing closure, the message remains the same: "Catch me or I go Houdini."
And just like that, she's gone.