Songs About Dancing

I’m sure there are loads of these, but my investigation into the Pogues’ Fairytale of New York got me thinking about what happens when we dance. It can be a drunken leap around, the usual Saturday night getting wrecked for many, but dancing can be a celebration, it can be a bond, it can be an art form, it can be lots of things that are beyond words.

This is a clip of two of the greatest dancers ever – Cyd Charisse and Fred Astaire from the movie Bandwagon, with ‘Dancing in the Dark’

This is the song you were probably expecting above. I remember when the video for Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing in the Dark’ came out.  Someone complained that the  same girl [ie a very young Courtney Cox] was pulled out the audience and was surprised every time. Probably got the idea from Fox news. doh!

Here’s Amy Macdonald’s version of the same song. She has a great voice, and it is interesting to see this version with the German Philharmonic orchestra:

There were some great vocal harmony groups in the 1960s, but the Mamas and the Papas produced some wonderfully joyful pop songs and Mama Cass has such a great voice.

Sting gets a lot of flack over his campaigning and lifestyle choices, but this is a poignant song about how people cope with loss. This is in Argentina, with Peter Gabriel and Brandford Marsalis. Poor quality visuals, but full points for singing it in Spanish. Dancing for justice:

“Singin’ in the Rain” is not strictly a song about dancing, but in reality, it is the ultimate example of it. The first time I returned from Glastonbury festival I was dropped off on drizzly Cheltenham Road round midnight. A couple came out of a kebab shop. He started whistling the opening then dancing in the gutter with his umbrella. His girlfriend was so embarassed, but it showed how iconic this song is. Gene Kelly is largely credited with taking dance onto the streets. Has anyone ever captured the first moments of romance so well? When was the last time you saw a street so empty of traffic?