Blast from the Past: The Song is Also a Dance

You know 'em, you love 'em. Songs that have their own dance. Not all were what you'd call dance crazes, but most were. Some are flat-out embarrassing. One was included in last week's "Novelty Hits" installment, but simply couldn't be left off here. Most can be done by most anyone, some are a little trickier. Get your dancin' shoes on, and join me!

1. Walk the Dinosaur by Was (Not Was) (1989) - This one breaks down the steps for you, in case you want to dance along. It went to #7 on the pop chart.
2. Stand by R.E.M. (1988) - Strictly speaking, not a dance. But the dance in the video was emulated on dance floors anyway. One of R.E.M.'s peppier numbers, it hit #6.
 

3. Vogue by Madonna (1990) - This song did not inspire the dance, but it sure dragged it into the mainstream. It went to #1, naturally.
4. The Hustle by Van McCoy (1975) - The quintessential 1970s song and dance. It's kind of light weight, but boy is it dripping with nostalgia.  Also #1.



5. The Electric Boogie by Marcia Griffiths (1989) - Cheese, to be sure, but nowhere near as cheesy as the next one. The dance was called "The Electric Slide," not "Boogie," and the song itself went to only #51.
6. Macarena by Los Del Rio (1992) - This is the one I mentioned that was featured last week. #1 for an absurd 14 weeks, this one is embarrassment for anyone who might sing a verse and be overheard. But since I featured this last time, this time, I'm using the video that teaches the dance.



7. Velcro Fly by ZZ Top (1986) - Not a huge hit, though it got a lot of airplay on MTV. And the dance was choreographed by Paula Abdul, before she was nationally famous. Only hit #35.
8. Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) by Beyoncé (2008) - I almost didn't feature this one, since I thought it was too recent. But guess what? It's six years old. Solidly in the past, and one of the most copied dances in that past six years too. Also a #1 tune.
 

And now that you're danced out, it's time to start a new week. Happy Monday!

Classic 80s Music: How I Learned to Dance

And here we plunge headlong into the frivolity pool, as far removed from politics as is possible. Well, maybe not, because what got me thinking about this post was the topic of stereotypes.

Some stereotypes are painfully true, others not so much. I embody one, while missing the other one completely. As a white guy, I was always a rather pathetic dancer. This is despite "the gay thing," which is supposed to endow me with rhythm. Fortunately, I had MTV at my disposal. Unfortunately, it was in the 80s. These videos all included dancing that I tried to emulate, with little success.

#1 - Walk the Dinosaur - Was (Not Was) -- I never understood the name of the band, and I never understood the lyrics of the song either. I loved the tune though, and the dancers helpfully slow down the action to show you how to do this "difficult" dance.

#2 - Stand - R.E.M. -- Yes, even this revered band had a bad 80s dance in their video, though it was probably ironic (or intended to be). In any event, I spent quite a bit of time--believe it or not!--in front of the TV trying to do that stupid little dance.





#3 - Monkey - George Michael -- George doesn't really have a "dance," here, he just has a lot of silly moves that looked so cool in the 80s. Now, um, not so much. I have to give George credit though, for showing me to move my arms around.

#4 - Velcro Fly - ZZ Top -- The band must have been so embarrassed by this video, they left the song off of their greatest hits album. Paula Abdul is responsible for getting these bearded rockers to make fools of themselves. But the song ain't half bad!