By 1983, legendary rock band, The Kinks, hadn't produced a top 20 single on either side of the water in over 10 years. In the UK, they had failed to have an album chart at all since 1967, but they were enjoying reasonable success in The States with their last couple making the top 20, which they hadn't achieved there since 1965. Singles chart success however seemed a distant memory. Suddenly, Come Dancing by The Kinks was at UK#12 and US#6. This was their joint highest charting US single ever! How on earth did that happen?
Well clearly, the first and most important factor was that the band had recorded a fabulous song. In typical Ray Davies style, the lyrics are full of nostalgic storytelling. They recall childhood memories of Ray's sister going on dates, dancing at the local Palais, "where the big bands used to play." The song laments how the dance hall had been demolished to make way for a bowling alley, which in turn made way for a supermarket and finally became a car park.
The song is a tribute to Ray's sister, Rene, who on the day she bought Ray his first guitar for his 13th birthday, went out dancing and collapsed and died on the dancefloor, aged just 31. A tragic tale, yet whilst nostalgic, the song has a triumphant feel about it, especially with the key change for the final refrain. Unusually for The Kinks, the main riff was played on the keyboard, by Ian Gibbons. It's one of those riffs that is just so catchy that when you first hear it, it feels as though you've known it all your life!
Okay, so we have a great record, but The Kinks had been producing great records all through the preceding decade, with virtually no success. So what else factored in...?
Well in actual fact, when Come Dancing was first released in the UK, it became another flop. But when subsequently released in America, the fact that the band had also produced a pretty good video to accompany the single, meant that it became a regular on a new TV channel by the name of MTV. This pushed the single to its US chart success.
Then UK TV programme, Top Of The Pops, showed videos of current US chart hits, prompting demands for a UK re-release, and the rest as they say is history.
Well clearly, the first and most important factor was that the band had recorded a fabulous song. In typical Ray Davies style, the lyrics are full of nostalgic storytelling. They recall childhood memories of Ray's sister going on dates, dancing at the local Palais, "where the big bands used to play." The song laments how the dance hall had been demolished to make way for a bowling alley, which in turn made way for a supermarket and finally became a car park.
The song is a tribute to Ray's sister, Rene, who on the day she bought Ray his first guitar for his 13th birthday, went out dancing and collapsed and died on the dancefloor, aged just 31. A tragic tale, yet whilst nostalgic, the song has a triumphant feel about it, especially with the key change for the final refrain. Unusually for The Kinks, the main riff was played on the keyboard, by Ian Gibbons. It's one of those riffs that is just so catchy that when you first hear it, it feels as though you've known it all your life!
Okay, so we have a great record, but The Kinks had been producing great records all through the preceding decade, with virtually no success. So what else factored in...?
Well in actual fact, when Come Dancing was first released in the UK, it became another flop. But when subsequently released in America, the fact that the band had also produced a pretty good video to accompany the single, meant that it became a regular on a new TV channel by the name of MTV. This pushed the single to its US chart success.
Then UK TV programme, Top Of The Pops, showed videos of current US chart hits, prompting demands for a UK re-release, and the rest as they say is history.
