"Dancing in the Dark" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Single by Kim Wilde | ||||
from the album Catch as Catch Can | ||||
B-side | "Back Street Driver" | |||
Released | 24 October 1983 | |||
Recorded | 1983 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:44 5:24 (12" Remix) | |||
Label | RAK | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | Ricky Wilde | |||
Kim Wilde singles chronology | ||||
|
"Dancing in the Dark" is a 1983 song by English pop singer Kim Wilde, released as the second single from her third studio album, Catch as Catch Can (1983). The song marked a change in direction for the singer, with more of a dance-oriented style than her earlier work. It did not meet with the success of previous singles, only just scraping into the UK Top 75. Its peak at No. 67 was Wilde's lowest chart showing up to this point and would remain so until 1990's "Time". [1] The single remains Wilde's final UK release with her original record label, RAK Records.
The track was written by Nicky Chinn and Paul Gurvitz, making it only the second track Wilde recorded not written by her father and brother (the latter did, however, receive production credits). It was remixed by Nile Rodgers for the extended 12" release, which also included an instrumental version of the song. The B-side of the single was "Back Street Driver", an outtake from the Catch as Catch Can (1983) album sessions. A promotional music video was made for the single, which featured Wilde dressed in black and performing the song to camera, backed by a silhouetted male dancer. "Dancing in the Dark" received mixed reviews in the press, as did the album, with some commenting on the song's risqué lyrics, which detail a romantic encounter with a stranger. [2]
Although it did make the top 30 in a number of European countries, Wilde considered this her "rock bottom" and was unhappy with the song. [3]
"No-one expected that 'Dancing in the Dark' would do so badly. Every Monday I woke up in fear and asked my record company if the record had made the charts yet. They reacted coldly. Kim Wilde had disappointed her entourage. And I lost my self-confidence. No, it wasn't really a good song. My brother and father went through a less creative period. They own up to that now. And it can't be a success every time, of course. I still thought I'd failed though." [4]
Chart (1983) | Peak position |
---|---|
Denmark (IFPI) | 3 |
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) [5] | 9 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) | 9 |
UK Singles (OCC) | 67 |
West Germany (Official German Charts) | 26 |
The song was also recorded in 1983 by Dutch-based singer Tony Sherman (nl) and released as a single. In 1985, it was recorded by Stacey Q on her debut album.
Kajagoogoo were a British new wave band, best known for their 1983 hit single "Too Shy", which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, and the top 10 in numerous other countries.
The Fatback Band is an American funk and disco band that was popular in the 1970s and 1980s. The Fatback Band is most known for their R&B hits, "(Do the) Spanish Hustle", "I Like Girls", "Gotta Get My Hands on Some (Money)", "Backstrokin'" and "I Found Lovin'". Their 1979 single "King Tim III " is generally considered the first commercially released hip hop single.
Kim Wilde is an English pop singer. She first saw success in 1981 with her debut single "Kids in America", which peaked at No. 2 in the UK. In 1983, she received the Brit Award for Best British Female solo artist. In 1986, she had a UK No. 2 hit with a reworked version of the Supremes' song "You Keep Me Hangin' On", which also topped the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1987. Between 1981 and 1996, she had 25 singles that charted within the Top 50 of the UK Singles Chart. Her other hits include "Chequered Love" (1981), "You Came" (1988), and "Never Trust a Stranger" (1988). In 2003, she collaborated with Nena on the song "Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime", which topped the Dutch and Austrian charts.
Kim Carnes is an American singer and songwriter born and raised in Los Angeles. She began her career as a songwriter in the 1960s, writing for other artists while performing in local clubs and working as a session background singer with the famed Water Sisters. After she signed her first publishing deal with Jimmy Bowen, she released her debut album Rest on Me in 1971. Carnes' self-titled second album primarily contained self-penned songs, including her first charting single "You're a Part of Me", which reached No. 35 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in 1975. In the following year, Carnes released Sailin', which featured "Love Comes from Unexpected Places". The song won the American Song Festival and the award for Best Composition at the Tokyo Song Festival in 1976.
"You Keep Me Hangin' On" is a song written and composed by Holland–Dozier–Holland. It was first recorded in 1966 by American Motown group the Supremes, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100. American rock band Vanilla Fudge released a cover version in June the following year, which reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100. Wilson Pickett recorded it in 1969. English singer Kim Wilde covered "You Keep Me Hangin' On" in 1986, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1987. In the first 32 years of the Billboard Hot 100 rock era, "You Keep Me Hangin' On" became one of the six songs to reach number one by two different musical acts. In 1996, American country singer Reba McEntire's version reached number two on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The BBC ranked the Supremes' original song at number 78 on The Top 100 Digital Motown Chart, which ranks Motown releases by their all-time UK downloads and streams.
"Dancing in the Street" is a song written by Marvin Gaye, William Stevenson, and Ivy Jo Hunter. It first became popular in 1964 when recorded by Martha and the Vandellas whose version reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart. It is one of Motown's signature songs and is the group's premier signature song.
Martha Elaine Wash is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and producer. Known for her distinctive and powerful voice, Wash first achieved fame as half of the Two Tons O' Fun, who sang backing vocals for the disco singer Sylvester including on his signature hit "You Make Me Feel ". After gaining their own record deal, they released three consecutive commercially successful songs which all peaked at number two in the dance charts. The duo was renamed The Weather Girls in 1982 after they released the top-selling single "It's Raining Men", which brought them to mainstream pop attention. The Weather Girls released five albums and were heavily featured on Sylvester's albums.
Full Force is an American music group of hip hop and R&B singers and producers from Brooklyn, New York.
Norman Washington "Junior" Giscombe is an English singer-songwriter often known as Junior who was one of the first British R&B artists to be successful in the United States. He is best known for his 1982 hit single, "Mama Used to Say".
"If I Can't Have You" is a disco song written by the Bee Gees in 1977. The song initially appeared on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack in a version by Yvonne Elliman, released in November 1977. The Bee Gees' own version appeared a month later as the B-side of "Stayin' Alive".
"Kids in America" is a song recorded by English pop singer Kim Wilde. It was released in the United Kingdom as her debut single in January 1981, and in the United States in spring 1982, later appearing on her self-titled debut studio album. Largely inspired by the synth-pop style of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) and Gary Numan, the song reached number two on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks and number one in Finland and South Africa, and charted in the top 10 of many European charts as well as Australia and New Zealand. In North America, the song reached the top 40 in Canada and the United States. It was certified gold in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia and Sweden; and has sold over three million copies worldwide. The song has been covered by many artists from different genres.
"It's Here" is a song by English singer-songwriter Kim Wilde, released as the first single from her seventh album, Love Moves (1990), and is also her first release of the new decade. Wilde was the most charted and biggest-selling British female soloist of the 1980s, and had ended that decade with the release of her biggest-selling album, Close, and its accompanying string of hit singles. Although the new single and album did not match that success, "It's Here" became a moderate hit in some countries. Both the single and its B-side, "Virtual World" were extended for the 12" and CD-single formats.
"Breakin' Away" is a song by British singer Kim Wilde, released in September 1995 as the first single from her ninth album, Now & Forever (1995). Wilde had initially made her name in the 1980s as the highest-selling British female soloist of that decade. She had also earned some degree of success in the early 1990s. "Breakin' Away" was released both in its original form and as several different extended remixes on the 12" and CD-single formats. On the CD-single and cassette single, a song called "Staying with My Baby" was also included. This track was somewhat exclusive as it was only included on the Japanese issue of the Now & Forever album.
Kim Wilde is the debut studio album by English singer Kim Wilde, released on 29 June 1981 by Rak Records. Fronted by the top 10 singles "Kids in America" and "Chequered Love" and greeted with a generally positive response from critics, the album launched Wilde into stardom and remains one of her most popular recordings.
Catch as Catch Can is the third studio album by Kim Wilde, released in autumn 1983. The album was not released in North America, neither were any of the singles.
Teases & Dares is the fourth studio album by the English pop singer Kim Wilde, released on 5 November 1984 by MCA Records. The song "Is It Over" is featured in the film Fletch (1985). All three singles were also released as picture discs, her only releases to ever be made into them.
Another Step is the fifth studio album by English pop singer Kim Wilde, released on 3 November 1986 by MCA Records. The album contained her comeback worldwide hit "You Keep Me Hangin' On", which reached No. 1 in the US, as well as the UK top 10 hit "Another Step " and "Say You Really Want Me".
Precious Wilson is a Jamaican soul singer.
"Shake Your Head" is a song by American pop rock group Was. It was originally released in 1983 by Geffen on their second album, Born to Laugh at Tornadoes (1983). In 1992, it was re-recorded and remixed by house music producer Steve "Silk" Hurley, and features actress Kim Basinger alongside a re-recorded Ozzy Osbourne on vocals. It appears on the group's third compilation album, Hello Dad... I'm in Jail (1992), and was released as a single in June 1992 by Fontana.
"Let's Dance" is a 1962 hit single by Chris Montez, written and produced by Jim Lee.