Dancing with Myself
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2010) |
| "Dancing with Myself" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Gen X | |
| from the album Kiss Me Deadly | |
| Released | October 1980 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:45 (album version) 3:30 (7" version) 4:06 (12" version) |
| Label | Chrysalis |
| Songwriter(s) |
|
| Producer(s) | Keith Forsey |
| "Dancing with Myself" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Don't Stop | ||||
| Released | March 1981[3] | |||
| Recorded | 1980 (remixed in 1981) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:50 (album version) 3:19 (single version) 6:05 (12" version) | |||
| Label | Chrysalis | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Keith Forsey | |||
| Billy Idol singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Dancing with Myself" on YouTube | ||||
"Dancing with Myself" is a song by the
Hot Dance Club Play chart. Nouvelle Vague covered the number in 2006 and released it on their album, Bande à Part
.
Theme
The inspiration for the song occurred during a tour of Japan by the English
discotheque dancing with their own reflections in mirrored walls rather than with one another.[6]
Production
The song was written and first recorded by Generation X during demo sessions in mid-1979 at
AIR Studios in London in mid-1980, the song was re-recorded for commercial release as a single. The guitar parts of the song were a mix of the playing of three guitarists with distinctively differing styles, viz. Steve New playing the lead, Steve Jones playing rhythm, with another layer being added by Danny Kustow.[8] On commercial sales in October 1980 as a pre-release single from the new band's forthcoming long-player Kiss Me Deadly
(1981), "Dancing with Myself" was a retail failure, reaching only number 62 in the UK Singles Chart.
In 1981, Idol, now a solo artist after Gen X had broken up, had Forsey remix the record for its release as a single in the United States, fading down the guitar(s) and
Don't Stop EP
.
Music video
For the 1981 United States single release a music video for use on the newly launched MTV was made, directed by Tobe Hooper, with Idol in a scenario drawn from the 1971 cinema film The Omega Man, playing a lone figure in a post-apocalyptic cityscape besieged upon a skyscraper rooftop by partying mutant street-waifs.[7]
Cover art
The portrait image of Idol on the cover of the 1980 release was photographed by Iain McKell.
Formats and track listings
Gen X release
7″: Chrysalis – CHS 2444 (UK)
- "Dancing with Myself" (3:30)
- "Ugly Rash" (4:30)
12″: Chrysalis – CHS 12 2444 (UK)
- "Dancing with Myself" (4:06)
- "Loopy Dub" (5:08)
- "Ugly Dub" (3:05)
12″ Chrysalis – CHS 2488 (45 rpm)
- "Dancing with Myself"
- "Untouchables"
- "Rock On"
- "King Rocker" (produced by Ian Hunter)
Billy Idol release
7″: Chrysalis – CHS 2488 (US)
- "Dancing with Myself" (3:19) [Labelled as "Billy Idol featuring Generation X"]
- "Happy People" (4:23)
7″: Chrysalis – IDOL 1 (UK – 1983)
- "Dancing with Myself" (3:19) [Labelled as "Billy Idol featuring Generation X"]
- "Love Calling (Dub)" (5:33)
12″: Chrysalis – IDOLX 1 (UK – 1983)
- "Dancing with Myself" (6:05) [Labelled as "Billy Idol featuring Generation X"]
- "Love Calling (Dub)" (5:33)
- "White Wedding" (8:20)
- "Hot in the City" (5:20)
- "White Wedding" is the 12" Shotgun mix,[clarification needed] but not labelled as such.
Charts
Gen X version
| Chart (1980-1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
UK Singles Chart[9]
|
62 |
Billy Idol version
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[10]
|
27 |
| U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
|
102 |
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
RIANZ New Zealand Singles Chart
|
9 |
| Canada Top 50 Singles (RPM) | 39 |
Appearances in popular culture
 |
- Swedish rock-reggae band Dag Vag released a Swedish version of the song called "Dansar med mig själv" on their fourth LP 7 lyckliga elefanter in 1982.
- Belgian rock band De Kreuners released a Dutch version of the song called "Ik dans wel met mezelf" in 1982.
- Used in Can’t Buy Me Love (1987 film).[11]
- A cover version by Blink-182 was featured on the compilation album Before You Were Punk[12] and on Taylor Steele’s Loose Change film soundtrack.
- Used in the soundtrack of Gia (1998).[13]
- A cover version by the Donnas was used in Mean Girls (2004) soundtrack,[14] as well as the episode "God U." from the 2023 series Gen V.
- In 2019, the song was re-arranged and covered by Postmodern Jukebox featuring Chloe Feoranzo. The video has more than two million views on YouTube.[15]
- In 2024, the song was re-arranged and covered by Maren Morris and released as a single.
References
- ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Don't Stop - Billy Idol | Songs, Reviews,Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ^ Osterberg, Christopher (29 June 2022). "A survivor of rock'n'roll's extreme lifestyle". The Budapest Times. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
"Dancing with Myself" defined him as a member of the glam rock contingent made popular by music videos in that decade.
- ^ "Billy Idol and Gen X - Dancing with Myself". 45cat.com.
- Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved 20 February 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Billy Idol explaining the song's origin, Billy Idol Unplugged (2001), (1.11. mins).
- ^ a b Idol, Billy (2014). Dancing with Myself. Simon & Schuster.
- ^ Interview with Tony James, April 2002, for the Generation X Anthology (2003).
- ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Billy Idol | Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 18 July 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ^ "Can't Buy Me Love (1987)". IMDb. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ ""Before You Were Punk [1997] - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
- ^ "Gia (1998) Soundtracks". IMDb. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ^ "Mean Girls (2004) Soundtracks". IMDb. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ^ "Dancing With Myself - Postmodern Jukebox Billy Idol Cover ft. Chloe Feoranzo". YouTube. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
