"The Safety Dance" is a song by the Canadian new wave/synth-pop band Men Without Hats, released in 1982. It hit #3 on the U.S. charts the following year. The song was written by lead singer Ivan Doroschuk after he had been kicked out of a club in Ottowa for “pogo dancing,” a bouncy dance that was a precursor to mosh dancing. Why do people have such a problem with dancing? And why did “The Hats” decide to set their music video in old-timey England around a maypole? We may never know, but...
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"The Safety Dance" is a song by the Canadian new wave/synth-pop band Men Without Hats, released in 1982. It hit #3 on the U.S. charts the following year. The song was written by lead singer Ivan Doroschuk after he had been kicked out of a club in Ottowa for “pogo dancing,” a bouncy dance that was a precursor to mosh dancing. Why do people have such a problem with dancing? And why did “The Hats” decide to set their music video in old-timey England around a maypole? We may never know, but...
In this episode, we discuss the racist background of the 1983's Puttin' on the Ritz. While it was something of a novelty song when Dutch singer Taco Ockerse took it to number 4, it has a big backstory. It was originally written by great American songwriter Irving Berlin in 1927 and popularized by the likes of Fred Astaire. What was a song from the ’20s doing on the charts in the ’80s? Mel Brooks may have something to do with it. To learn more about Irving Berlin: https://www.songhall.or...
Sick Burns!: An 80's Podcast
"The Safety Dance" is a song by the Canadian new wave/synth-pop band Men Without Hats, released in 1982. It hit #3 on the U.S. charts the following year. The song was written by lead singer Ivan Doroschuk after he had been kicked out of a club in Ottowa for “pogo dancing,” a bouncy dance that was a precursor to mosh dancing. Why do people have such a problem with dancing? And why did “The Hats” decide to set their music video in old-timey England around a maypole? We may never know, but...
