The Safety Dance is a song by the Canadian new wave band Men Without Hats. The song was released in 1982 as the second single from their debut album, Rhythm of Youth. It was their biggest international hit, reaching number three in Canada and the United States, and number six in the United Kingdom. The song was written and sung by lead vocalist Ivan Doroschuk, who described it as a celebration of freedom of expression and personal freedom.
The song is distinctive for its synthesizer-based arrangement, which features a four-note riff played on a Fairlight CMI and a vocoder vocal part. The song's title and lyrics refer to a dance that originated in the early 1980s, The Safety Dance. This dance was used by fans at concerts as a way of expressing themselves in a safe, non-threatening manner.
The Safety Dance was a massive success for Men Without Hats. It was the first song to cross over from the new wave genre to the top 40 on both sides of the Atlantic. It was certified gold in Canada and the United States, and is one of the most recognizable songs of the 1980s. The song has been featured in numerous movies, television shows, and commercials.
The Safety Dance Music Video
The music video for the Safety Dance was filmed in Los Angeles in 1982. The video features the band walking through a park, with the song's lead singer, Ivan Doroschuk, dressed in a jester's costume and performing the safety dance. The video was directed by Australian film director Dean Factor, who also directed videos for artists such as Duran Duran, Peter Gabriel, and Talking Heads. The video was heavily played on MTV and became one of the most iconic music videos of the 1980s.
The Safety Dance Lyrics
The lyrics of the song are about celebrating personal freedom and expressing yourself. The chorus of the song, "We can dance if we want to, we can leave your friends behind", has become a popular catchphrase.
The lyrics of the song are as follows:
"We can dance if we want to
We can leave your friends behind
Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance
Well they're no friends of mine
Say, we can go where we want to
A place where they will never find
And we can act like we come from out of this world
Leave the real one far behind
And we can dance
We can dance
Everything's out of control
We can dance
We can dance
We're doing it from wall to wall
We can dance, we can dance
Everybody look at your hands
We can dance, we can dance
Everybody take a chance
We can dance, we can dance
Everybody's doing it
Do the safety dance"