Let’s Dance is the first single and titular track from David Bowie’s 1983 album Let’s Dance. It is the second featured song here from the album after the previous entry – Modern Love. As I have remarked before, it has taken me years to warm to and appreciate the music of David Bowie (especially his 80’s material) including today’s featured track. My regard for this funk, post disco sound had never been high especially when it was popular, but now I appreciate Bowie’s sound more than ever. I hope I am able to explore more of his expansive discography in the following years.
I saw an interview-documentary on him on the Film and Arts channel. It was my second viewing of it and his interpretation of his ‘own’ artistry and delivery style was captivating. He’s a very eloquent speaker and someone who sounds as fascinating in interview format as they do on stage. There are few singer-songwriters who I value listening to interpreting their own music, but David Bowie is definitely one of the exceptions.
Let’s Dance was a direct shift from the post-punk and art rock sound Bowie experimented with on his 1980 album Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) to a funk, post-disco, and dance pop sound. This stylistic change aligned Bowie with the popular music of the ‘80s and led to Let’s Dance becoming one of Bowie’s biggest-selling tracks. It topped the charts in the UK, the US, Ireland and New Zealand, and reached #2 in Austria, Australia and Germany.
[Verse 1]
(Let’s dance) put on your red shoes and dance the blues
(Let’s dance) to the song they’re playing on the radio
(Let’s sway) while colour lights up your face
(Let’s sway) sway through the crowd to an empty space
[Chorus]
If you say run, I’ll run with you
And if you say hide, we’ll hide
Because my love for you would break my heart in two
If you should fall, into my arms and tremble like a flower
[Refrain]
(Let’s dance)
(Let’s dance)
The following information was cherry-picked from the Wikipedia page below:
Let’s Dance was recorded in late 1982 at the Power Station in New York City. Co-produced by Nile Rodgers of Chic, it was recorded in late 1982 at the Power Station in New York City. With the assistance of engineer Bob Clearmountain, Rodgers transformed the song from its folk rock origins to a dance number through studio effects and new musicians Bowie had yet to work with. Bowie hired then-unknown Texas guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, who added a blues-edge. Bowie has said that the original demo of the song was “totally different” from Nile Rodgers’ arrangement.
The music video for Let’s Dance below was directed by David Mallet in March 1983 in Australia at a bar in New South Wales and at the Warrumbungle National Park. Bowie chose to include residents of the town of the bar, most of whom had no knowledge of who David Bowie was or why they were shooting a video. The video includes multiple references to the Stolen Generations, which were the Aboriginal children who were forcefully removed from their families by Australian government agencies of the British settlers. These references constitute part of the several statements by Bowie featured on the album concerning the integration of one culture with another.
References:
1. Let’s Dance (David Bowie song) – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Nile Rodgers can do no wrong in my opinion, he has worked with all the ‘greats’. Nice.
It appears so even according to Bowie when one considers the outstanding success he had with it:
He said that the original demo of the song was “totally different” from Nile Rodgers’. Apart from arrangement.
Other than that I believe I’m unfamiliar with Rodgers impact, but I take your informed word for it.
Hi Matt, yes Nile Rodgers is a very respected composer and producer. He has worked with many big artists such as Bowie of course, Madonna, Mick Jagger, Diana Ross! He formed the band ‘Chic’ in 1977 (dance music) that sort of thing. Great composer!
Love Bowie. He was truly one of a kind….
His artistry, brand of music and informed opinions are definitely missed aren’t they?
For sure. His music is so varied. Like a chameleon lol…..
I’ve always liked Bowie but my generation…some of them acted like they never heard of him when this came out. Because of my sister I knew many of his songs like Changes and the Ziggy thing. I liked his 70s era more but I did like this album. I liked this song and Modern Love also.
Your sister acted like a portal to his music. I came to his music in my young adulthood when I saw a history of rock episode and they presented songs from his glam-rock phase which I immediately liked and they touched upon his relation with another icon right up your alley Mick Jagger. From there my appreciation of his music has come to me in baby steps. Music like this track I didn’t warm to initially, but now I consider them masterstrokes of that epoch. ‘Modern love’ I like the most from this era, but I need to listen to a lot more which I have someone lying around the house. Haha
Speaking of Jagger, you are going to get a kick out of tomorrow’s post. Cheers Max.
She did….but some of it bad bad (Osmonds) but some was good I have to admit.
I started with Ziggy and went from there…I actually remember him real time on television from when I was around 6 years old.
I’ll be looking forward to it.
That would have been awesome seeing him real time on TV. Bowie to me feels so personal as a singer and person interpreting his songs that it’s almost impossible not to admire him.
You got the gold on The Rolling Stones so its over to you. Cheers buddy.
While I prefer “glam rock era” David Bowie over anything he’s done afterwards, “Let’s Dance” is a well-crafted and pretty catchy song. I love Stevie Ray Vaughan’s lead guitar. Of course, you wouldn’t know he was even in the song based on the video! 🙂
His glam rock era I’ve glossed over and enjoy his major hits from then. It is indeed a well crafted song which I never thought I would warm to, but I was mistaken. I love how the participants in the video were largely unaware of who he was, but he did it anyway to highlight the stolen generation saga in Australian history.
Love this song, one of my favorites by Bowie, and the only album of his I still own on vinyl.
Nice Jeff. If I won a million dollars, I would buy the very best LP record player and my top 100 records on LP haha. I can dream can’t I?