"All She Wants to Do Is Dance" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Don Henley | ||||
from the album Building the Perfect Beast | ||||
B-side | "Building the Perfect Beast" | |||
Released | February 1985 | |||
Recorded | 1984 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:28 (album) 4:23 (remix edit) | |||
Label | Geffen | |||
Songwriter(s) | Danny Kortchmar | |||
Producer(s) | ||||
Don Henley singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Audio sample | ||||
"All She Wants to Do Is Dance" is a song written by Danny Kortchmar and performed by Don Henley, co-lead vocalist and drummer for Eagles. It was released as the second single from Henley's second studio solo album, Building the Perfect Beast (1984), and was Henley's sixth solo single overall. It was one of Henley's most commercially successful singles, peaking at No. 9 on Billboard Hot 100 and also became his third song to top the Top Rock Tracks chart. [2]
The song critiques the US intervention in Central America, particularly in the then-ongoing Contra War [ broken anchor ], in which the Reagan administration funded the right-wing rebel group Contras to overthrow the socialist Sandinista National Liberation Front government in Nicaragua.
Backing vocals for the song was provided by Patty Smyth of the band Scandal, and Martha Davis, lead singer of the Motels. [3]
When Kortchmar was asked about the song, he said, "I had the groove and the music going. That record was made back when the technology had just started to really take over in music. I had one of the first Yamaha DX7s, which was a keyboard that was used a ton in the '80s, but we ended up luckily getting one of the first ones in the United States. It's a synthesizer keyboard, and I used it to get that sound that you hear the record starting with." [4]
The commercial U.S. 7" vinyl version has a slightly different intro than the LP version from Building the Perfect Beast.
This was Henley's attempt at a protest song. When Kortchmar was writing the lyrics, he drew on two specific books for inspiration:
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)
The Ugly American by Eugene Burdick and William Lederer (1958)
Some very introspective words stood in contrast to a deliciously danceable tune. It explores the idea of escapism and the desire for temporary pleasure and distraction, in the midst of chaos and social injustice around the world. The song addresses various themes including political corruption, rebellion, and the search for excitement and romance.
The song is a scathing takedown of American political apathy and governmental gun-running; it paints a picture of Americans focusing on their own selfish needs amid the Iran-Contra affair of the Reagan administration, and it features allusions to gun-running, and the corrupting influence of money and drugs. The lyrics are often interpreted as a critical observation of the rebel side of youth culture in America -- kids more interested in partying than in their professed aims to change the world. The mid-Reagan years were seen as a period where -- to twist an old metaphor -- Rome fiddled while Nero burned. Every (American) generation has had this said of their own protest movements, from the Yippies of the 1960s to 4chan's "Anonymous" in the early 2000s. Despite this backdrop, there is a woman who only seeks to dance and enjoy herself, emphasizing the desire for temporary relief and entertainment, amidst difficult circumstances.
World events at the time are referenced in the song's lyrics:
They’re pickin’ up the prisoners / and puttin ’em in a pen...
Molotov cocktail, the local drink / They mix ’em up right in the kitchen sink...
Crazy people walkin’ 'round with blood in their eyes...
Wild-eyed pistol wavers who ain’t afraid to die...
Well the government bugged the men’s room / in the local disco lounge
To keep the boys from sellin’ / all the weapons they could scrounge
...and we Americans still have the inclination to do NOTHING. We know there are problems out there -- shady dealings still take place, and Americans might even be in danger -- but too many of us say nothing and do nothing, so we can stay absorbed in our own little worlds, fat and happy, oblivious to crimes, danger, and/or human rights violations. Henley exudes a frustration that so many of us are willing to do nothing -- unless it affects us directly.
The final verse takes a more personal perspective, as the protagonist narrates their departure by flight. They barely make it to the airport, with the people shouting not to return. Despite the negative sentiment, the protagonist suggests that if they were to come back, they'd bring more money. This line could be interpreted as a commentary on the desire for materialistic indulgence and the pursuit of pleasure, overriding social and political consequences. The song ends with these lyrics:
Never mind the heat / comin’ off the street
She wants to party / she wants to get down
All she wants to do is dance / And make romance
All she wants to do is dance
Although it was a protest song, it was also ironically a huge dance hit... and very few Americans noticed the protest nature of the song in the first place.
John Leland from Spin magazine wrote "...this mother whomps from the git with punchy electronic drums and a mix that keeps one foot off the ground for a full seven-and-a-half minutes. Henley's post-hedonist vision of apocalypse is twisted." [5]
Chart (1985) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian (Kent Music Report) [6] | 22 |
Canadian RPM Top Singles [7] | 13 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [8] | 9 |
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play [9] | 10 |
U.S. Billboard Top Rock Tracks [10] | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles [11] | 65 |
Year-end chart (1985) | Rank |
---|---|
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard) [12] | 97 |
The single "All She Wanna Do Is Dance" by David Guetta and Niles Mason uses samples of this song.
I Can't Stand Still is the debut solo studio album by American musician Don Henley, drummer and co-lead vocalist for the Eagles. It was released in August 1982 by Asylum Records. Henley, Danny Kortchmar and Greg Ladanyi produced the album. I Can't Stand Still achieved gold status, and peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard 200 and at the same position on the UK Albums Chart. Three singles were released from the album, including the hit "Dirty Laundry", which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Henley's best-selling single. The title track "I Can't Stand Still" reached No. 48 and the track "Johnny Can't Read" reached No. 42 on the charts.
Building the Perfect Beast is the second solo studio album by American rock singer Don Henley, released on November 19, 1984, by Geffen Records. A commercial and critical success, it is generally regarded as the culmination of the smoother, more adult-oriented sound of Henley's solo work.
The End of the Innocence is the third solo studio album by Don Henley, the co-lead vocalist and drummer for the Eagles. The album was released in 1989, on Geffen Records, and was his last release on that label. It was also his last solo album before reforming the Eagles and it would be eleven years before he released another solo project, 2000's Inside Job.
Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits compilation album by American singer-songwriter Don Henley, released in 1995. The album was the first compilation album released by Henley and it covered hits from all three of his solo albums throughout the 1980s. The album features three new songs, "The Garden of Allah", "You Don't Know Me at All", and Henley's cover of "Everybody Knows". The collection peaked at No. 48 on the charts and reached platinum status. "The Garden of Allah" reached No. 16 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
"The Boys of Summer" is a song by American musician Don Henley. The lyrics were written by Henley and the music was composed by Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was released on October 26, 1984, as the lead single from Henley's album Building the Perfect Beast. It reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US, number one on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart, and number 12 in the UK Singles Chart.
"Handy Man" is a song written by singer Jimmy Jones and songwriter Otis Blackwell. Recordings by Del Shannon and also The Sparks Of Rhythm list Charles Merenstein as a co-writer, as does BMI. The Sparks Of Rhythm version on the Apollo 541 single version released in 1959 credits Andrew Barksdale and Merenstein as writers omitting Jimmy Jones. The song is noted for Jones singing "Come-a, come-a come-a come-a, come come-a, yeah" lyrics, which are heard at the beginning as well as in the coda of the song, before the song's fade.
"New York Minute" is a song written by Don Henley, Danny Kortchmar, and Jai Winding. Henley originally recorded it for his 1989 album The End of the Innocence. The track features Pino Palladino on fretless bass, Toto members David Paich, who played piano and wrote the string arrangement, and Jeff Porcaro on drums. It also features Take 6 on background vocals.
"Not Enough Love in the World" is a soft rock song written by Don Henley, Danny Kortchmar, and Benmont Tench. The lyrics describe a rocky relationship, with the singer proclaiming he's still in love. It is rumored that it was about Henley's relationship with Stevie Nicks, but their relationship only lasted a year.
Farewell 1 Tour: Live from Melbourne is a double DVD by Eagles, released in 2005. It was filmed in Melbourne, Australia at the Rod Laver Arena on November 14, 15 and 17, 2004, featuring two new songs.
"Fire Lake" is a song written and recorded by the American musical artist Bob Seger. He had planned to record "Fire Lake" for his 1975 album Beautiful Loser, but the track was not finished. The song had been partly written years before, in 1971, and was finally finished in 1979 and released in 1980 on Seger's album Against the Wind. The single reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. A live version of the song appeared on the album Nine Tonight, released in 1981.
"New Kid in Town" is a song by the Eagles from their 1976 studio album Hotel California. It was written by Don Henley, Glenn Frey and J.D. Souther. Released as the first single from the album, the song reached number one in the U.S. and number 20 in the UK. The single version has an earlier fade-out than the album version. Frey sings the lead vocals, with Henley providing the main harmony vocals. Randy Meisner plays the guitarrón mexicano, Don Felder plays electric guitars, and Joe Walsh plays the electric piano and organ parts. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices.
"Dirty Laundry" is a song written by Don Henley and Danny Kortchmar from Henley's debut solo studio album I Can't Stand Still, (1982). The song reached number 1 on the Billboard Top Album Tracks chart in October 1982 prior to being issued as a 45 rpm single. Lyrically, the song describes mass media sensationalism.
"Heartache Tonight" is a song written by Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bob Seger and J. D. Souther, recorded by the Eagles and features Glenn Frey on lead vocals. The track was included on their album The Long Run and released as a single in 1979. It reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in November of that year and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America representing one million copies sold. It was the Eagles' final chart-topping song on the Hot 100.
"Lyin' Eyes" is a song written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey and recorded in 1975 by the American rock band Eagles, with Frey singing lead vocals. It was the second single from their album One of These Nights, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 8 on the Billboard Country chart. It remained their only top 40 country hit until "How Long" in 2007–2008.
"James Dean" is a song written by Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Jackson Browne, and J. D. Souther, and recorded by the American rock band Eagles for their 1974 album On the Border. It was the second single released from this album, reaching number 77 on the U.S. pop singles chart.
"Sunset Grill" is a song by American rock musician Don Henley from his second solo studio album Building the Perfect Beast (1984). The song peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart in January 1985. Released as the fourth single from the album in August 1985, it peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1985.
"Johnny Can't Read" is the first solo single released by American rock singer Don Henley, included on his debut solo studio album I Can't Stand Still (1982). His then partner, former actress Maren Jensen, performs backing vocals.
"The Heart of the Matter" is a song recorded by American rock singer Don Henley from his third solo studio album, The End of the Innocence (1989). Written by Henley, Mike Campbell, and J. D. Souther and produced by Henley, Campbell, and Danny Kortchmar, the song was released as the album's third single, reaching No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks in early 1990.
"Shower the People" is the opening track on James Taylor's 1976 album In the Pocket.
The Very Best of Don Henley is the second greatest hits compilation album by Don Henley, released in 2009 and his first release since Inside Job in 2000. A deluxe version containing extra bonus tracks plus DVD material is also available. The first 10 songs are in the same order in which they appear on Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest Hits.