Their song is a reaction to being told in a club that they couldn’t “pogo,” a style of pretty much jumping up and down, because it was “unsafe.” So, they could do a “safety dance.”
I love it when people try and interpret it's meaning. I've seen 2000 word essays that say its a response Thatcher's privatization policies, and the medieval setting is commentary on modern serfdom. No, they literally just want to dance, and they have a medieval setting is because they had access to a renfair.
When the blonde girl popped up in the video and you guys simultaneously stopped moving with puzzled expressions, I cracked up. A few years after this song came out, when my wife and I were dating, she was walking along a brick wall above me. She almost fell, and inadvertently did the safety dance to balance herself. I said, “hey, you just did the safety dance by accident!” And she said, “and it worked!”
The 1980s is being praised more now than it was back then for its creativity and the variety of music it provided. Glad you reviewed this particular song!
well said. agree 100%! The 80's were truly a special time. this type of music was such new and uncharted territory back then and yet everyone just went with it.
I disagree - we KNEW we were in a multimedia renaissance when 5,000 artists were moving into LA every week (and let's not forget NY and London). It went beyond music and the music video - extra tv networks, cable and satellite, film, ... even porn. Today's kids are finally catching up to what was going on in the '80s.
@Wilt Chamberlain is the GOAT My oldest second cousin got into the 80’s music several years ago when he turned 18. I was 38 back then and told him to keep listening. The best music!
You guys are hilarious! "Gimmicky, but I kind of like it", describes so much of the 80s! Loved watching you two do the "dance". If you were around in the 80s, that song is permanently ingrained in your brain.
Growing up in the 80s I hated the flippant, superficial, shallow music. Now that I’m in my 40s, I absolutely love the freedom, and joy in the music of the 80s. It was an absolute explosion of creativity that sounds so refreshing from todays music.
A thing about Big Country that few people know is that the guys in U2 were huge Big Country fans when they were starting out -- and they influenced U2's early sound.
@@twenty3enigma U2 were big fans of Stuart Adamson’s previous band, The Skids. The Edge definitely nicked a bit of his style from Stuart. Stuart was a genius. Big Country is my favorite band.
Safety Dance is why there's such love for 80s music. It was quirky in the best way. Question: Why is Jordan holding such a grudge against Rock Lobster? The B-52s are AWESOME!
yeah I was gonna say "Safety Dance" was the most 80's or prototypical 80's song ever, but "Fascination" probably edges it out. I still LOVE "Safety Dance" the most though... of any non-Metal, non-Rock, non-Punk song out there.
Men Without Hats are a Canadian new wave and synth-pop band from Montreal, Quebec. Their music is characterized by the baritone voice of their lead singer Ivan Doroschuk, as well as their elaborate use of synthesizers and electronic processing. They achieved their greatest popularity in the 1980s with "The Safety Dance", a worldwide top ten hit. For the most part a one hit wonder.
Forgive those of us from the 80s for this one, but back in the day this was the JAM!! One hit wonder...no more from these guys...wait no..Pop Goes The World is another from them
Dude.. you need to check out their lesser know stuff, especially their album Folk of the 80s, Part III or even some of their newer stuff (circa 2012ish)… this song is very poppy.. the rest of their stuff is not
We found out in the 80's that any music video is instantly made better by the presence of a maypole. In fact, anything to do with music is instantly made better and taken to a whole better level with the addition of a maypole
@@nagoranerides3150 literally Punch and Judy were less than 7 seconds of the video. There wasn't very much of any "sinister" element in the video. Nor was there a torture wheel. In a medieval festival, people might have dressed up as many different characters including the personification of Death. But that was just meant to be part of a wide panoply of characters, and was meant to have an element of farce. The whole point of a festival is not to be serious.
@@mowgli2071 The wheel on a pole you see almost immediately the video starts is for breaking people's arms and legs. It's what is referred to in the saying "breaking a butterfly on a wheel" to mean overkill. Punch and Judy are in the booth, and then we see Mr Punch running around in amongst the people with the singer looking increasingly worried. Then there's the ending. It seems to be a message about fools dancing while the world ends around them. Which is part of the message of mediaeval memento mori and depictions of death in art of the period, so the two are not contradictory.
That song is extremely HEAVILY used in the video game "Lollipop Chainsaw". Even though I was a kid when "Hey Mickey" came out , and remembered it well , now I always think of that lol
"Pop Goes The World" by them is really catchy. This takes me back to that time when dancing at clubs was fun because you could just be yourself if you wanted. There'll always be people being judgmental but blank 'em if they can't loosen up. As long as you're doing 80's unusual songs, Wall Of Voodoo's "Mexican Radio" and Timbuk 3 "The Future's So Bright (I Gotta Wear Shades)" were 2 big ones of the time. For big 80's hits, I'm surprised you haven't done Neneh Cherry "Buffalo Stance" and Animotion "Obsession", both big club hits and absolute bangers.
Pop Goes The World...the VERY FIRST CD I ever purchased for myself. A fantastic album that tells a story with many a catchy song. Yes Men Without Hats helped get Canada recognized as having some catchy talent. I still hope this channel reviews some Doug and the Slugs for some blue collar FIRE!
"Pop Goes the Word" takes me back to a summer with a super fun girl that I knew decades ago, when my stress level was fairly non-existent. Like, "did I pay my one $25.00 credit card bill?" kind of stress. Easy to fix stress.
I LOVE Pop Goes the World so much! I never knew Men Without Hats had another song and discovered it last year by accident and in a terrible time in my life. My fiancée was in the hospital where she ultimately died. To cope I created another channel called Clownboy’s Arcade and used an 8-bit version of Pop Goes the World as the intro music. The first video, the Asteroids build, was the first video I shot which was done the day she died. On my way home from the hospital I picked up the Asteroids cab from a woman who was selling it on Facebook. It really helped me through those first few days.
@@mikec3853 on the way home from the hospital after she passed I was listening to Steam Powered Giraffe, specifically their song, “The Pulls.” I wrote to them a few days after and got a very nice email back from the lead singer, David. Now it’s been LOTS of 80s music!
In the 80's, you couldn't go wrong with a music video set in medieval times, with a psycho-mental blonde chick, a midget, and an infectious dance- 80's pop tune! We loved it! The other Great "Men Without Hats" song you need to check out is "Pop Goes the World".
This video looks like it's set in around 1500s England with the pre Christian England pagen/Wican celebration of May Day going on with the Morris dancers,sheep heads all around and that Maypole etc.
Far from a one hit wonder. They had 8 albums plus an EP. I guess it depends where you live. I'm in Canada and there were several hits over the years that made it to the radio and videos on TV.
The identity of the young blonde woman dancing wildly in the Safety Dance Video remained unknown until 2013, when she was identified as Louise Court, a journalist who was editor-in-chief at U.K. Cosmopolitan. She became a director at Hearst Magazines UK in 2015. As of 2018, she is Consultant Director of Commercial Content for Time, Inc. She kept it a secret all those years because she was embarrassed by it, and thought it would hamper her career.
Oh wow! They found her! I was part of a facebook page that was looking for her way back in the late aughts. I'm absurdly thrilled to know this.😂 Hopefully, she doesn't find this embarrassing anymore. It's an iconic video for sure.
These older classic videos that were on MTV in the very early stages, 1980-1982'ish, due to British and other bands in Europe were the only ones making music videos, so heavy Europan influence....The little dance they were doing, they were for an S with their hands!!!
Guys, the band is called Men Without Hats. The pole with the ribbons is called a Maypole and the guys dfancing with bells on their legs are traditional English dancers called 'Morris Dancers' - yep it's a real thing, goes back hundreds of years and is alive and kicking today. It's all to do with fertility and spring and weird pagan rituals and stuff.
I still love this song. Reminds me of English class in school where we had to dress up in period costumes for class and got extra credit if we wore them all day. A group of us dressed like them in the video and paraded through the halls with this song blasting out of a boom box. Good times!
Our Canadian brethren from Quebec. Went to a Wedding last year, DJ played this and everyone of a certain age all started doing this dance like you two did.
I love your reactions to this song! The early 80's seemed to have a larger amount of these quirky songs than other 5 years stretches. I think the videos being on MTV during their infancy led to videos that helped with the quirky feeling to the songs.
This is one of those songs where you don't think about it, you just enjoy it. It makes you want to move, just no parameters, no worries. Do all your crazy dance moves, no judgement, because we're all dancing like crazy fools. So glad you listened to this one; it gets better the second time around, and your kids will probably enjoy it, too.
You mentioned men at work a great Aussie band from my home city Melbourne. This safety dance song is so 80s it shows just how crazy that decade was. I was a kid then.
I raise you all and lay down my cards to take the pot - Video Killed The Radio Star by The Buggles. The first song ever played on MTV and everyone knows it can't be beaten not even by Come on Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners which is definitely a close 2nd place with Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out For A Hero coming in a very respectable 3rd.
Men Without Hats was originally a punk rock band formed at the end of the disco era. People dancing to punk rock did what is called 'pogoing', basically, jumping up and down with their arms and legs flying around (much like the girl in the video). The singer was at a disco and was pogoing to the music, rather than the somewhat more uniform or 'set' dance moves (think the Hustle, the Locomotion, etc.) of the disco era and got kicked out. He went home and wrote this song, basically saying that it was safe to dance the way you feel like. Many people when they heard the song believed it to be about nuclear war (Cold War was still a thing), so in the video, the last shots were of war.
Can verify. (Due to being old enough to remember it coming out...) Always hated those set routines for certain songs. The '90s with its rise of Steps and their blend of pop and dance sets was a particular point of utter hell in my existence.
@@paulleach3612 I never had to deal with anything like that myself, aside from the Macarena routine. Places I went, people mostly just danced freeform.
Okay, this is especially for Amber, because she really gets into the quirky/strange/weird music and you both love unique band names and songs. So below is a list of some of the fun, weird songs that I think you'd really enjoy: Every one of these songs were huge hits that have become cult classics! Your subscribers will remember these songs and how they impacted their younger years. 1) Itsy Bitsy, Teeney Weenie, Yellow Polka Dot Bikini - by Brian Hyland (fun summer song) 2) One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater - by Sheb Wooley 3) The Monster Mash - by Bobby Picket (Classic Halloween song) 4) Please Mr. Custer - by Larry Verne (Comedic song about the true demise of the 7th Cavalry at the battle of Little Big Horn) 5) Alley Oop - by The Hollywood Argyles (funky song with a great beat and lyrics that will stick in your head) 6) The Mississippi Squirrel Revival - by Ray Stevens (A squirrel gets loose in church and shakes things up!) 7) The Streak - by Ray Stevens (The funniest song ever about a man running around with no clothes on) 8) It's Me Again, Margaret - Ray Stevens (probably the funnies song ever made!)
When this song first came out, I didn't know whether I liked it or not. It's been years since I heard this song and now I'm faced with a nostalgic bewilderment.
lol, the reaction, check out Wang Chung…”Dance Hall Days” another off the wall song, love the 80s. Everyone was dancing in the streets, back in the 80s, Fame, Irene Cara, even Bowie and Jagger were dancing in the streets back then haha.. it was a Flashdance to get Footloose, what a decade..
Hi Rob and Amber! I definitely think you would like the song "Never Say Never" by Romeo Void which has a female singer and a sax. It was also in the 1984 movie Reckless with Aidan Quinn and Daryl Hannah of which they have a great dance scene with this song. As a side note the movie also had songs by INXS, "The One Thing", "To Look at You", and "Soul Mistake", and of course, "Kids in America" by Kim Wilde.
Amber, if you like quirky songs, here are a few: Napoleon XIV ~ They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa! Joe Dolce ~ Shaddap You Face The Mixtures ~ Pushbike Song Cameo ~ Alligator Woman Mr.B The Gentleman Rhymer ~ No Character To Clear Jerry Reed ~ When You're Hot, You're Hot Jimmy Soul ~ If You Wanna Be Happy Millie Jackson ~ Phuck U Symphony The Monkees ~ Gonna Buy Me A Dog Biz Markie ~ Just A Friend Joe Tex ~ Skinny Legs And All / Ain't Gonna Bump No More Ray Stevens ~ Mississippi Squirrel Revival Tiny Tim ~ Do Ya Think I'm Sexy? Mac Davis ~ It's Hard To Be Humble Fishbone ~ Modern Industry Commodores ~ Captain Quickdraw Gap Band ~ I Don't Believe You Want To Get Up And Dance Rick Dees ~ Disco Duck
Put Ray Stevens at the top of this list. Every thing he put out was the funniest best you will ever find. And I choose The Streak as the next played. And for christmas start with Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer.
"Novelty" songs &/or funny songs have been quite ubiquitous throughout music history, but they have often been underappreciated. Find out about Tom Lehrer, Allan Sherman, Dickie Goodman, Ray Stevens &, of course, Weird Al Yankovic & DJ Dr. Demento, who introduced Weird Al to radio listeners in the '80s. Various groups/artists/songs to check out (some of which were big hits &/or were played on Dr. Demento's show): "The Witch Doctor"--Dave Seville "Daffy Duck Rhapsody"--Mel Blanc "Please, Mr. Gravedigger"--David Bowie "Alley-Oop"-'The Hollywood Argyles "Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron"-- Royal Guardsmen" "Boris The Spider"--The Who "Uneasy Rider"--The Charlie Daniels Band "Dead Puppies"--Ogden Edsl "Shaving Cream"--Benny Bell "I'm A Mineralist"--Nick Mason w. Carla Bley & Robert Wyatt "Valley Girl"--Frank & Moon Zappa "Emperor Of The Highway"--Todd Rundgren "The Curly Shuffle"-- Jump 'N' The Saddle Band "Detachable Penis--King Missile "The Beach Song"--The Dead Milkmen "On The Shoulders Of Freaks"-- Henry Phillips
The magic of RUclips. I was recommended your channel, and I just dove right in. Easiest sub ever! I love the wide range of music you guys highlight and with an open mind. I look forward to binging your back catalog and the new postings! 👍
There's nothing better than an 80s one-hit wonder! Going with weirdness here ... check out Mexican Radio" by Wall of Voodoo. The official video (which won't be blocked) is a MUST!
It's been said several times in the comments. But, Weird Al's parody of this with lyrics from The Brady Bunch is one of the best parodies I've ever heard: You could watch Mr. Rogers you could watch Three's Company and you can turn on Fame or The Newlywed Game or The Addams Family . . .
Waited so long for this one! The look on J's face did not disappoint. Long version on the radio every 20mins hypnotized us at the time! WANG CHUNG- "Dance Hall Days" was another of this ilk. Thank you for this long awaited reaction! Love channels! 🪂
Some great music out of Montreal! They had one other ‘hit’ - “Pop Goes the World”. Just as quirky and catchy. Montreal was actually a hotbed of Electropop back in the early ‘80’s. Another Montreal band from that era you might enjoy - The Box. Check out “Closer Together” or “L’Affaire DuMoutier”.
Speaking of Men Without Hats - since you guys are now watching movies, you should check out FEAR OF A BLACK HAT, a brilliant "mockumentary" released in 1993 written, produced, directed and co-starring Rusty Cundieff. The movie is like THIS IS SPINAL TAP but it's a Rap and Hip-Hop group that's the focus. The Group's name - NWH - is a hilarious take on Men Without Hats...you can see the movie to find out what.
OK "Pop Goes The World"... yeah... I have it in my iTunes.. but "Sideways", "I Like" and "I Got The Message" are the really good songs by Hommes Sans Chapeau lol
Here are a few more gimmicky songs: Short People by Randy Newman One Night In Bangkok by Murray Head Pop Muzik by M I Want Candy by Bow Wow Wow Da Butt by E.U. Tarzan Boy by Baltimora
Again, another great reaction! Amber had me laughing out loud. It seems that all the songs you're referring to as "gimmicky" are actually trailblazers - these are early New Wave songs (before there was New Wave) where the band just did what they want, and inspired countless others to follow. This particular song reminded those who came after to keep it pop-like and relatable, with a good beat. Rock Lobster was all about shock them with the vocals. Mr. Roboto was keep the story in it. A lesson in every song!
I was obsessed with this song when it first came out, never heard anything like it before. Was even more obsessed with the video, watched it countless times and thought the guy singing was SO HOT!! Check out their song Pop Goes The World. Very cute and catchy.
Yeah I loved this song since it came out too but "Pop Goes The World" ?... yeah... I have it in my iTunes.. but "Sideways", "I Like" and "I Got The Message" are the really good songs by Hommes Sans Chapeau lol
I'm Canadian and this was weird for me when it came out but it's catchy. Their 'On Tuesday' is hauntingly beautiful with Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull playing flute with orchestral background. I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it. Pop Goes the World is fun and Moonbeam. Glad you're testing the waters!✌🏻
you have to take the whole fam to a Renaissance fair! this song was my first experience of that. but it is a whole thing people do. and the kids and grandma had fun😂
Reactors looking confused is what it's all about...! Be it Jay + Amber, Shawn + Mel or Brad + Lex... What killed me yesterday was watching Brad and Lex impersonating each other - It was absolutely perfect...! Brad doing the Pixie (Lex) and totally flipping out while Lex doing the "Notorious Brad Sideglance Stare" without bursting out in outright laughter totally floored me - they absolutely made my day!
Now that you’ve learned The Safety Dance, you need to learn to “Walk The Dinosaur” by the band “Was (Not Was)”. You’ll be chair dancin’ the whole way through!
This is one of my family's New Years eve songs, every year it is played and we dance to it. Also on the list Van Halen's Jump, and Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond plus many others. We are going back 20 odd years when my parents were alive and we are still playing these now such happy memories
A lighthearted, goofy 80s song. Sometimes it gets on my nerves, but most of the time it's just a fun song to hear in the background. Thank you for a very fun reaction.
This is a one hit wonder band from the 80's. This song was on MTV in heavy rotation when it came out, you could see the video several times a day if you wanted to.
Just saw them in concert last night and they did Safety Dance three times throughout the concert. First time kind of stripped down, second time as on the album (this video) and the third was done as more of a ballad. Completely awesome! He sounds just the same and has great energy! During other songs he sang, he actually has a nice voice.
Kids like it. :) This song was from the early 80s, and there was kind of an explosion of medieval fantasy movies at the time. You had "Dragonslayer," "Heavy Metal," "Excalibur," "Time Bandits," "The Beastmaster," "Conan the Barbarian," "The Dark Crystal," "The Last Unicorn," "The Sword and the Sorcerer" ... and that was just in 1981 and 1982. There were about a dozen more hits in the decade, including "The Princess Bride," the Conan sequel, "Ladyhawke," "Legend," "Highlander," "The Witches of Eastwick" (modern witches), "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen," "Beetlejuice" (modern supernatural) and "Willow." I guess we can add "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" ... which is not a medieval fantasy, but it's a notable hit from the era, launching the career of Keanu Reeves.
Jay, they were really a one-hit wonder. I love the keyboard runs in this song and it's really in my top 50 playlist because it's just so bouncy and happy. Rich Blansett, below, has it right when he says it was written about not being able to "pogo" in a club. Ivan, the singer and main guy, did an interview about it. The song is definitely quirky and fun!
My private Christian high school did not allow dancing until the year after we graduated. Needless to say, this was voted our class song, as we defied this ridiculous mandate whenever possible. I think we enjoyed dancing more than most kids because it was forbidden. As a public high school teacher, I try to explain my prom experience to my students. No dancing, but instead the school acquired a mime for entertainment! 😂😂😂
PLZ PLZ do Slade- Run run away Big Country- In A Big Country Robert Clay- Smokin Gun Dire Straits - So Far Away Robert Plant - In the Mood ( Phil plays the drums in the music video but can't be seen ) ABC- Poison Arrow Depeche Mode -Strange Love ( American version) Melissa Ethridge. - Similar Features The Proclaimers - Walk 500 miles ( from the movie Benny and June starring Johnny Depp ) Peter Schilling - Major Tom R.E.M - Orange Crush Stand, It's The End of The World This One Goes Out To the One I Love Pat Benatae - Love is a Battlefield Patty Smythe - The Warrior Berlin- No More Words Missing Persons - Walking in LA Do You Hear Me, destinations Unknown Super Tramp - The Logical Song or It's Raining Again
One of those songs from the 80's that, even now at 60 yrs. I just got to get up and dance!! .Growing up in the 70's and 80's was a very good thing. Not only 'cause the music was great...but because we were always dancing (and still are!). I had a HUGE crush on the singer Ivan Doroschuk back then!
This song and video which I hadn't heard in literally decades came out in '82 and got regular airplay on MTV. I certainly remember the song and video during that whole "new wave" era which at the time wasn't my cup of tea but 40+ years later actually sounds a bit refreshing. There's a local radio station ad that uses that same melody which sounded familiar and is how I "re-discovered" it. Though not a bad song it certainly qualifies as an ear worm..
Though it didn’t have the same staying power as Safety Dance, “Pop Goes the World” was a pretty big hit for them as well. Calling them a one hit wonder is incorrect. You guys should definitely react to that one.
"Pop Goes the World" is pretty forgettable for me, but "Sideways", I Like" and "I Got The Message" are the real stand out songs by Hommes Sans Chapeau lol
I have two songs to recommend, both are by singer Harry Belafonte. The first is "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)", and the other is "Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)". I believe you'd enjoy both songs. I also recommend reviewing the 1988 movie 'Beetlejuice' which has both songs in it.
The band created this song to be danceable. It was designed not to be a "slam dance" punk song that was prevalent in the clubs in the band's hometown. It was a safe song, thus the Safety Dance.
The story goes that Ivan Doroschuk (I think I spelt that right) kept on getting thrown out of dance clubs for ‘pogoing’ with his friends which was basically just what it sounds like; jumping up and down like on a pogo stick. He wrote this song as a protest and the rest they say, is history. I watched a cool video where a musician breaks the song down musically and that is a REALLY great video, because it shows that this song is REALLY crafted. It’s not just thrown together. The layers of complexity are jaw droopping, without taking away anything from the child-like wonder the song evokes. I really encourage you to take a look at that video, called; ‘Understanding The Safety Dance’. It’s also the place where I first learned the history behind the song, which is cool because I’ve been a huge fan since it first came out in the early 80’s. I’m a child of the 60’s & 70’s, but this was a FUN song, with a really catchy rhythm and I always liked songs that were ‘different’. (‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ by the Buggles was another, from a year or three earlier)
From Montreal...love these guys. Sat and had an amazing conversation one time with Ivan (singer/song writer). Interesting guy. "Pop Goes The World" is worth checking out. *Please Check Out "Unguarded Moment" - by The Church.*
In 2021 they did a complete rework of this song called "No Friends of Mine." Instead he sings "It's safe to dance", which I think is neat. But it's in a completely different style than the original and it sounds pretty epic. I love the original but if you're going to revisit a song, props to them for making it completely different and new like an evolution instead of just some minor changes that I usually see that's not even worth doing it.
Men Without Hats was a Canadian New Wave band. This was a very popular hit for this band! It's a fun song and we all made up our own safety dance! LOL! Check out the English New Wave group, Wang Chung and their hits "Dance Hall Days" and "Everybody Have Fun Tonight"!! 💖💖
Yes it's quirky, yes it's gimmicky but I LOVE it! This song is why I bombarded you guys with requests! THANK YOU for finally reacting to it. 🙏 For another quirky but catchy 80's ditty, then may I suggest: *Trio - "Da Da Da I Don't Love You You Don't Love Me Aha Aha Aha"!* I promise you guys, you _will_ have fun with this one 😂
Hey there Jay and Amber! 👋🏾 I love your channel! ❤️ I wish you would react to "Brother To Brother" by Canadian singer/musician Gino Vannelli. The album version of the same title. His voice and musical arrangements are phenomenal! You don't know what you're missing! 😲 I promise you won't be disappointed! 👍🏾
“Somewhere in the distance when we fall in love again, the planets will be dancing as the Moon plays violin. And we’ll laugh at all the silly things we’ve both said and done, and step into forever on the bright side of the Sun.” -Men Without Hats, truly underrated
Their song is a reaction to being told in a club that they couldn’t “pogo,” a style of pretty much jumping up and down, because it was “unsafe.” So, they could do a “safety dance.”
Oh that's right!
Pogo was very underrated. Launch yourself with your hands at your sides vertically toward the ceiling then at different angles left and right
I love it when people try and interpret it's meaning. I've seen 2000 word essays that say its a response Thatcher's privatization policies, and the medieval setting is commentary on modern serfdom.
No, they literally just want to dance, and they have a medieval setting is because they had access to a renfair.
@@annablle1874 keep the politics to yourself please.
hakken!
When the blonde girl popped up in the video and you guys simultaneously stopped moving with puzzled expressions, I cracked up. A few years after this song came out, when my wife and I were dating, she was walking along a brick wall above me. She almost fell, and inadvertently did the safety dance to balance herself. I said, “hey, you just did the safety dance by accident!” And she said, “and it worked!”
Is the bands name ‘Accident’?? The safety dance by accident! Sorry, couldn’t resist! 😂😂
The 1980s is being praised more now than it was back then for its creativity and the variety of music it provided.
Glad you reviewed this particular song!
well said. agree 100%! The 80's were truly a special time. this type of music was such new and uncharted territory back then and yet everyone just went with it.
I disagree - we KNEW we were in a multimedia renaissance when 5,000 artists were moving into LA every week (and let's not forget NY and London). It went beyond music and the music video - extra tv networks, cable and satellite, film, ... even porn. Today's kids are finally catching up to what was going on in the '80s.
@Wilt Chamberlain is the GOAT My oldest second cousin got into the 80’s music several years ago when he turned 18. I was 38 back then and told him to keep listening. The best music!
@Wilt Chamberlain is the GOAT , yes indeed! I totally concur.
80s remixes at the club are the best.
You have to get the full intro, with the opening keyboards: S-A-F-E-T-Y , Safety Dance. It adds to the song.
100% CORRECT!
Hate that version
Yes, this
Yes, the 12” version.
Every time I hear this song I go straight in my head to the scene in Bio Dome when this song plays and yes I love Bio Dome
Amber doing the Safety Dance, is the gift I didn't know that I wanted, but glad for it. 🤣🤣🤣
This song was huge… it had an infectious beat and was so strange in a good way… 👍🏼
You guys are hilarious! "Gimmicky, but I kind of like it", describes so much of the 80s! Loved watching you two do the "dance". If you were around in the 80s, that song is permanently ingrained in your brain.
Makes me want them to react to "They're Coming To Take Me Away".
Fun times. Fun times, indeed!! 🥰💖
@@spirittammyk 👏👏👏
Ho ho, hee hee, ha ha...
@@spirittammyk lol yes!
Growing up in the 80s I hated the flippant, superficial, shallow music. Now that I’m in my 40s, I absolutely love the freedom, and joy in the music of the 80s. It was an absolute explosion of creativity that sounds so refreshing from todays music.
Exactly! We didn't know then what great times we were living through.
Well said. I miss the innocence, and sense of unbridled fun that wasn't specific to sex---just having a good time.
Another fun '80s song and video is Big Country's "In A Big Country". You can't go wrong with it.
A thing about Big Country that few people know is that the guys in U2 were huge Big Country fans when they were starting out -- and they influenced U2's early sound.
RIP. Good call.
@@twenty3enigma U2 were big fans of Stuart Adamson’s previous band, The Skids. The Edge definitely nicked a bit of his style from Stuart. Stuart was a genius. Big Country is my favorite band.
For sure, "In a Big Country" was a major ground breaking hit, another iconic 80's classic!
They need to react to that! An iconic piece of work.
Safety Dance is why there's such love for 80s music. It was quirky in the best way. Question: Why is Jordan holding such a grudge against Rock Lobster? The B-52s are AWESOME!
I love the B-52s, but I hate Rock Lobster.
Another 80s anthem!
Now try “(Keep Feeling) Fascination” by The Human League. It doesn’t get much more 80s than that! ❤️
Hell yeah
Definitely! Cool track! Always on all my playlists!
I think they have already reacted to that song. I know they have done "Human" and "Don't you want me."
great song. Many memories of my cousin and aunt doing this at karaoke.
yeah I was gonna say "Safety Dance" was the most 80's or prototypical 80's song ever, but "Fascination" probably edges it out. I still LOVE "Safety Dance" the most though... of any non-Metal, non-Rock, non-Punk song out there.
Men Without Hats are a Canadian new wave and synth-pop band from Montreal, Quebec. Their music is characterized by the baritone voice of their lead singer Ivan Doroschuk, as well as their elaborate use of synthesizers and electronic processing. They achieved their greatest popularity in the 1980s with "The Safety Dance", a worldwide top ten hit. For the most part a one hit wonder.
I'd say two hit wonder with "Pop Goes the World".
Forgive those of us from the 80s for this one, but back in the day this was the JAM!! One hit wonder...no more from these guys...wait no..Pop Goes The World is another from them
Oh, Yeah! I forgot about 'Pop Goes The World". Yes, Another great one of theirs!
I remember Pop Goes the World!
There was a parody by a short-lived radio station in Los Angeles: ruclips.net/video/Uq5OIIIrlr4/видео.html
Dude.. you need to check out their lesser know stuff, especially their album Folk of the 80s, Part III or even some of their newer stuff (circa 2012ish)… this song is very poppy.. the rest of their stuff is not
@@mkmstillstackin very odd video for Pop Goes the World.
Where Do The Boys Go was pretty big just before Safety Dance.
We found out in the 80's that any music video is instantly made better by the presence of a maypole.
In fact, anything to do with music is instantly made better and taken to a whole better level with the addition of a maypole
And filming the video in West Kington, Wiltshire
How about the torture wheels? And Death? And Mr Punch coming to life after beating his wife to death? This is a seriously weird and sinister video.
@@nagoranerides3150 literally Punch and Judy were less than 7 seconds of the video. There wasn't very much of any "sinister" element in the video. Nor was there a torture wheel.
In a medieval festival, people might have dressed up as many different characters including the personification of Death. But that was just meant to be part of a wide panoply of characters, and was meant to have an element of farce. The whole point of a festival is not to be serious.
@@mowgli2071 The wheel on a pole you see almost immediately the video starts is for breaking people's arms and legs. It's what is referred to in the saying "breaking a butterfly on a wheel" to mean overkill. Punch and Judy are in the booth, and then we see Mr Punch running around in amongst the people with the singer looking increasingly worried. Then there's the ending. It seems to be a message about fools dancing while the world ends around them. Which is part of the message of mediaeval memento mori and depictions of death in art of the period, so the two are not contradictory.
This is a good dance video. Out of all the gimmicky dance songs, it's hard to beat Toni Basil's 1981 MTV video of "Hey Mickey".
Oh that is a good one. I wonder if they've reacted to that one yet.
@@SleepingTiger-vlog And straight up by paula abdul
That song is extremely HEAVILY used in the video game "Lollipop Chainsaw". Even though I was a kid when "Hey Mickey" came out , and remembered it well , now I always think of that lol
@@tiernet They already reacted to straight up months ago and I don't think Paula's songs are gimmicky.
"Pop Goes The World" by them is really catchy. This takes me back to that time when dancing at clubs was fun because you could just be yourself if you wanted. There'll always be people being judgmental but blank 'em if they can't loosen up. As long as you're doing 80's unusual songs, Wall Of Voodoo's "Mexican Radio" and Timbuk 3 "The Future's So Bright (I Gotta Wear Shades)" were 2 big ones of the time. For big 80's hits, I'm surprised you haven't done Neneh Cherry "Buffalo Stance" and Animotion "Obsession", both big club hits and absolute bangers.
Pop Goes The World...the VERY FIRST CD I ever purchased for myself. A fantastic album that tells a story with many a catchy song. Yes Men Without Hats helped get Canada recognized as having some catchy talent. I still hope this channel reviews some Doug and the Slugs for some blue collar FIRE!
"Pop Goes the Word" takes me back to a summer with a super fun girl that I knew decades ago, when my stress level was fairly non-existent. Like, "did I pay my one $25.00 credit card bill?" kind of stress. Easy to fix stress.
I LOVE Pop Goes the World so much! I never knew Men Without Hats had another song and discovered it last year by accident and in a terrible time in my life. My fiancée was in the hospital where she ultimately died. To cope I created another channel called Clownboy’s Arcade and used an 8-bit version of Pop Goes the World as the intro music. The first video, the Asteroids build, was the first video I shot which was done the day she died. On my way home from the hospital I picked up the Asteroids cab from a woman who was selling it on Facebook. It really helped me through those first few days.
@@Clownboy15 sorry to hear about but it's a beautiful thing about music is how it can help us get through tragedy. I've been there
@@mikec3853 on the way home from the hospital after she passed I was listening to Steam Powered Giraffe, specifically their song, “The Pulls.” I wrote to them a few days after and got a very nice email back from the lead singer, David. Now it’s been LOTS of 80s music!
In the 80's, you couldn't go wrong with a music video set in medieval times, with a psycho-mental blonde chick, a midget, and an infectious dance- 80's pop tune! We loved it! The other Great "Men Without Hats" song you need to check out is "Pop Goes the World".
I second that, "Pop Goes the World" is just as great, if not better than this tune.
Over the hills with 10,000 men...
*little person
This video looks like it's set in around 1500s England with the pre Christian England pagen/Wican celebration of May Day going on with the Morris dancers,sheep heads all around and that Maypole etc.
No longer called midgets but Little People.
Some people like to call them a “one hit wonder” without remembering their 1987 hit “Pop Goes the World” which I also personally loved.
There's a new song: If the World Should End Today - not too bad either
Far from a one hit wonder. They had 8 albums plus an EP. I guess it depends where you live. I'm in Canada and there were several hits over the years that made it to the radio and videos on TV.
I love this song
This song will now forever be stuck in your head. Your welcome. 💕🤣
Ha! Join us, kids.
👏👏👏
That’s funny but your totally right😂
Just the most dangerous ear worm ever!
Even steel wool won’t help
This song always packed the dance floor during those 80s revival nights back in the day! God I’m old
The identity of the young blonde woman dancing wildly in the Safety Dance Video remained unknown until 2013, when she was identified as Louise Court, a journalist who was editor-in-chief at U.K. Cosmopolitan.
She became a director at Hearst Magazines UK in 2015. As of 2018, she is Consultant Director of Commercial Content for Time, Inc. She kept it a secret all those years because she was embarrassed by it, and thought it would hamper her career.
Great story
Wow...I thought she was with the band!
@@annablle1874 What the actual fuck are you talking about?
@Wilt Chamberlain is the GOAT ...it was 1982 and she was wanting a serious career...1982
Oh wow! They found her! I was part of a facebook page that was looking for her way back in the late aughts. I'm absurdly thrilled to know this.😂 Hopefully, she doesn't find this embarrassing anymore. It's an iconic video for sure.
These older classic videos that were on MTV in the very early stages, 1980-1982'ish, due to British and other bands in Europe were the only ones making music videos, so heavy Europan influence....The little dance they were doing, they were for an S with their hands!!!
Guys, the band is called Men Without Hats.
The pole with the ribbons is called a Maypole and the guys dfancing with bells on their legs are traditional English dancers called 'Morris Dancers' - yep it's a real thing, goes back hundreds of years and is alive and kicking today. It's all to do with fertility and spring and weird pagan rituals and stuff.
I still love this song. Reminds me of English class in school where we had to dress up in period costumes for class and got extra credit if we wore them all day. A group of us dressed like them in the video and paraded through the halls with this song blasting out of a boom box. Good times!
Our Canadian brethren from Quebec. Went to a Wedding last year, DJ played this and everyone of a certain age all started doing this dance like you two did.
Lol This was pretty much a given song at nearly every Canadian wedding I went to from about ‘91 to my nephew’s last year. 😁😎
"everyone of a certain age"... nicely put 😂
@@abbynormal4740 🙋🏻♀️😂
It is against the laws of physics for anyone over a certain age to NOT do the dance when this song comes on! 😄🕺💃
I love your reactions to this song! The early 80's seemed to have a larger amount of these quirky songs than other 5 years stretches. I think the videos being on MTV during their infancy led to videos that helped with the quirky feeling to the songs.
The forget that the 60s had a bunch of catchy cornball songs.
This is one of those songs where you don't think about it, you just enjoy it. It makes you want to move, just no parameters, no worries. Do all your crazy dance moves, no judgement, because we're all dancing like crazy fools. So glad you listened to this one; it gets better the second time around, and your kids will probably enjoy it, too.
You mentioned men at work a great Aussie band from my home city Melbourne.
This safety dance song is so 80s it shows just how crazy that decade was. I was a kid then.
this is possibly the mos 80's sounding 80's song ever.
I raise you a Dead or Alive - Spin Me Round
I'll see that and raise you Animotion's "Obsession".
Try Pop Goes the World by the same band
@@diaborosyuzuha9865 I counter with Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins
I raise you all and lay down my cards to take the pot - Video Killed The Radio Star by The Buggles. The first song ever played on MTV and everyone knows it can't be beaten not even by Come on Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners which is definitely a close 2nd place with Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out For A Hero coming in a very respectable 3rd.
Forty years later I still hear this song a few times a week on the radio. It has lasted the test of time to represent its era.
Men Without Hats was originally a punk rock band formed at the end of the disco era. People dancing to punk rock did what is called 'pogoing', basically, jumping up and down with their arms and legs flying around (much like the girl in the video). The singer was at a disco and was pogoing to the music, rather than the somewhat more uniform or 'set' dance moves (think the Hustle, the Locomotion, etc.) of the disco era and got kicked out. He went home and wrote this song, basically saying that it was safe to dance the way you feel like.
Many people when they heard the song believed it to be about nuclear war (Cold War was still a thing), so in the video, the last shots were of war.
Can verify. (Due to being old enough to remember it coming out...) Always hated those set routines for certain songs. The '90s with its rise of Steps and their blend of pop and dance sets was a particular point of utter hell in my existence.
@@paulleach3612 I never had to deal with anything like that myself, aside from the Macarena routine. Places I went, people mostly just danced freeform.
The Dance Police were rife in Canada, where clubbers were basically only allowed to stand in one spot on the dance floor, in case someone got injured
Okay, this is especially for Amber, because she really gets into the quirky/strange/weird music and you both love unique band names and songs. So below is a list of some of the fun, weird songs that I think you'd really enjoy: Every one of these songs were huge hits that have become cult classics! Your subscribers will remember these songs and how they impacted their younger years.
1) Itsy Bitsy, Teeney Weenie, Yellow Polka Dot Bikini - by Brian Hyland (fun summer song)
2) One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater - by Sheb Wooley
3) The Monster Mash - by Bobby Picket (Classic Halloween song)
4) Please Mr. Custer - by Larry Verne (Comedic song about the true demise of the 7th
Cavalry at the battle of Little Big Horn)
5) Alley Oop - by The Hollywood Argyles (funky song with a great beat and lyrics that will
stick in your head)
6) The Mississippi Squirrel Revival - by Ray Stevens (A squirrel gets loose in church and
shakes things up!)
7) The Streak - by Ray Stevens (The funniest song ever about a man running around with no
clothes on)
8) It's Me Again, Margaret - Ray Stevens (probably the funnies song ever made!)
Their song Pop Goes the World also takes me to the Eighties and it’s catchy!
Yes! Still one of my favorites.
… my ringtone 🙂
@@RobbnCO Nice!
When this song first came out, I didn't know whether I liked it or not. It's been years since I heard this song and now I'm faced with a nostalgic bewilderment.
lol, the reaction, check out Wang Chung…”Dance Hall Days” another off the wall song, love the 80s.
Everyone was dancing in the streets, back in the 80s, Fame, Irene Cara, even Bowie and Jagger were dancing in the streets back then haha..
it was a Flashdance to get Footloose, what a decade..
Hi Rob and Amber! I definitely think you would like the song "Never Say Never" by Romeo Void which has a female singer and a sax. It was also in the 1984 movie Reckless with Aidan Quinn and Daryl Hannah of which they have a great dance scene with this song. As a side note the movie also had songs by INXS, "The One Thing", "To Look at You", and "Soul Mistake", and of course, "Kids in America" by Kim Wilde.
Amber, if you like quirky songs, here are a few:
Napoleon XIV ~ They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!
Joe Dolce ~ Shaddap You Face
The Mixtures ~ Pushbike Song
Cameo ~ Alligator Woman
Mr.B The Gentleman Rhymer ~ No Character To Clear
Jerry Reed ~ When You're Hot, You're Hot
Jimmy Soul ~ If You Wanna Be Happy
Millie Jackson ~ Phuck U Symphony
The Monkees ~ Gonna Buy Me A Dog
Biz Markie ~ Just A Friend
Joe Tex ~ Skinny Legs And All / Ain't Gonna Bump No More
Ray Stevens ~ Mississippi Squirrel Revival
Tiny Tim ~ Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?
Mac Davis ~ It's Hard To Be Humble
Fishbone ~ Modern Industry
Commodores ~ Captain Quickdraw
Gap Band ~ I Don't Believe You Want To Get Up And Dance
Rick Dees ~ Disco Duck
She got the gold mine i got the shaft.
Put Ray Stevens at the top of this list. Every thing he put out was the funniest best you will ever find. And I choose The Streak as the next played. And for christmas start with Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer.
"Novelty" songs &/or funny songs
have been quite ubiquitous throughout
music history, but they have often been
underappreciated. Find out about
Tom Lehrer, Allan Sherman,
Dickie Goodman, Ray Stevens
&, of course, Weird Al Yankovic
& DJ Dr. Demento, who introduced
Weird Al to radio listeners in the '80s.
Various groups/artists/songs to check out
(some of which were big hits
&/or were played on Dr. Demento's show):
"The Witch Doctor"--Dave Seville
"Daffy Duck Rhapsody"--Mel Blanc
"Please, Mr. Gravedigger"--David Bowie
"Alley-Oop"-'The Hollywood Argyles
"Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron"--
Royal Guardsmen"
"Boris The Spider"--The Who
"Uneasy Rider"--The Charlie Daniels Band
"Dead Puppies"--Ogden Edsl
"Shaving Cream"--Benny Bell
"I'm A Mineralist"--Nick Mason
w. Carla Bley & Robert Wyatt
"Valley Girl"--Frank & Moon Zappa
"Emperor Of The Highway"--Todd Rundgren
"The Curly Shuffle"--
Jump 'N' The Saddle Band
"Detachable Penis--King Missile
"The Beach Song"--The Dead Milkmen
"On The Shoulders Of Freaks"--
Henry Phillips
Bras on 45 ~ Ivor Bigguns and the D Cups.
Toast by the Street Band , Gordon is a Moron by Jilted John ( I think ) ! and Making Plans for Nigel by XTC .
The magic of RUclips. I was recommended your channel, and I just dove right in. Easiest sub ever! I love the wide range of music you guys highlight and with an open mind. I look forward to binging your back catalog and the new postings! 👍
There's nothing better than an 80s one-hit wonder!
Going with weirdness here ... check out Mexican Radio" by Wall of Voodoo. The official video (which won't be blocked) is a MUST!
What about The Vapors, Turning Japanese? They need to react to the official video for that one as well.
Go away Annablle you don’t belong here.
They had another hit. Pop Goes The World.
I don't know if they could handle the video interpetation .
It's been said several times in the comments. But, Weird Al's parody of this with lyrics from The Brady Bunch is one of the best parodies I've ever heard: You could watch Mr. Rogers you could watch Three's Company and you can turn on Fame or The Newlywed Game or The Addams Family . . .
Waited so long for this one! The look on J's face did not disappoint. Long version on the radio every 20mins hypnotized us at the time! WANG CHUNG- "Dance Hall Days" was another of this ilk.
Thank you for this long awaited reaction!
Love channels!
🪂
Absolutely agree with you and Wang Chung Dance hall days is another gem from 80's.🎶❤️
Some great music out of Montreal! They had one other ‘hit’ - “Pop Goes the World”. Just as quirky and catchy.
Montreal was actually a hotbed of Electropop back in the early ‘80’s. Another Montreal band from that era you might enjoy - The Box. Check out “Closer Together” or “L’Affaire DuMoutier”.
This one, "She Blinded Me with Science" and "Mr. Roboto" are the ones I listen to when I want to get into a fun 80s vibe.
They already reacted to those two. Jay wasn't very impressed with Mr Roboto! 😄
Speaking of Men Without Hats - since you guys are now watching movies, you should check out FEAR OF A BLACK HAT, a brilliant "mockumentary" released in 1993 written, produced, directed and co-starring Rusty Cundieff. The movie is like THIS IS SPINAL TAP but it's a Rap and Hip-Hop group that's the focus. The Group's name - NWH - is a hilarious take on Men Without Hats...you can see the movie to find out what.
Always happy to see Canada represented You should check out their other song Pop Goes the World
And then there's "Sideways", their grunge song.
OK "Pop Goes The World"... yeah... I have it in my iTunes.. but "Sideways", "I Like" and "I Got The Message" are the really good songs by Hommes Sans Chapeau lol
There is a huge smile on my face. The hand measures are the maximum you legally can jump up during dance.
Great song, but you need to listen to the 12” dance version…it’s much more terrific !
The other version adds a totally different vibe. Which is always the version played
Agree 💯
GOD.. i'm 59 and forgot/remeber this song as was sure there was more to it!!
S-A-F-E-T-Y, Safety Dance!!
@@stephanieo2509 that's what i was waiting for!!
Here are a few more gimmicky songs:
Short People by Randy Newman
One Night In Bangkok by Murray Head
Pop Muzik by M
I Want Candy by Bow Wow Wow
Da Butt by E.U.
Tarzan Boy by Baltimora
Again, another great reaction! Amber had me laughing out loud. It seems that all the songs you're referring to as "gimmicky" are actually trailblazers - these are early New Wave songs (before there was New Wave) where the band just did what they want, and inspired countless others to follow. This particular song reminded those who came after to keep it pop-like and relatable, with a good beat. Rock Lobster was all about shock them with the vocals. Mr. Roboto was keep the story in it. A lesson in every song!
As 43 year old black man i love this song safety dance
I was obsessed with this song when it first came out, never heard anything like it before. Was even more obsessed with the video, watched it countless times and thought the guy singing was SO HOT!! Check out their song Pop Goes The World. Very cute and catchy.
He is!
Yes to Pop Goes the World! "Johnny and Jenny had a crazy dream, of seeing their picture in a magazine ..."
Yeah I loved this song since it came out too but "Pop Goes The World" ?... yeah... I have it in my iTunes.. but "Sideways", "I Like" and "I Got The Message" are the really good songs by Hommes Sans Chapeau lol
@@UrbanSwagger Jenny played guitar. Johnny played bass. The name of the band is the Human Race
So was the smiley girl, shame we don't see much of her.
I'm Canadian and this was weird for me when it came out but it's catchy. Their 'On Tuesday' is hauntingly beautiful with Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull playing flute with orchestral background. I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it. Pop Goes the World is fun and Moonbeam. Glad you're testing the waters!✌🏻
Dang.. This was a huge hit when I was a kid in the 80's.. I love this song!!
you have to take the whole fam to a Renaissance fair! this song was my first experience of that. but it is a whole thing people do. and the kids and grandma had fun😂
You guys are so much fun to watch - from looking confused to enjoying The Safety Dance! Thanks for the reaction!
Reactors looking confused is what it's all about...! Be it Jay + Amber, Shawn + Mel or Brad + Lex... What killed me yesterday was watching Brad and Lex impersonating each other - It was absolutely perfect...! Brad doing the Pixie (Lex) and totally flipping out while Lex doing the "Notorious Brad Sideglance Stare" without bursting out in outright laughter totally floored me - they absolutely made my day!
Pop Goes the World by Men Without Hats is my favourite by them.
Now that you’ve learned The Safety Dance, you need to learn to “Walk The Dinosaur” by the band “Was (Not Was)”. You’ll be chair dancin’ the whole way through!
And Walk Like An Egyptian or Steve Martin singing, King Tut.
You have caught the mind virus that is this song. Congratulations! 🎉
This is one of my family's New Years eve songs, every year it is played and we dance to it. Also on the list Van Halen's Jump, and Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond plus many others. We are going back 20 odd years when my parents were alive and we are still playing these now such happy memories
Omg I love Neil Diamond I got to see him in Dallas in 2017 incredible entertainer
A lighthearted, goofy 80s song. Sometimes it gets on my nerves, but most of the time it's just a fun song to hear in the background. Thank you for a very fun reaction.
I'm 47 and this is one of my all time favorite 80's fun songs. So great! I have to sing and smile when ihear it!
😃 Yes, yes and YES!!!! At last, you guys _finally_ listened!!! Ohhh I'm going to enjoy this reaction... 😁
This is a one hit wonder band from the 80's. This song was on MTV in heavy rotation when it came out, you could see the video several times a day if you wanted to.
They had another hit, Pop Goes The World
Check out their 70s songs, Utter Space and Antarctica. They weren't hits, but they were really good.
Oh, I remember that
The safety dance means to try to stop a nucleair bom.It was made in 1984 cold war.
Next up: Adam Ant "Goody two shoes 😀
Just saw them in concert last night and they did Safety Dance three times throughout the concert. First time kind of stripped down, second time as on the album (this video) and the third was done as more of a ballad. Completely awesome! He sounds just the same and has great energy! During other songs he sang, he actually has a nice voice.
I love this song. It was unlike anything we'd heard. The 80's were so amazing.
This is just fun and goofy...you forget your worries for a bit
Kids like it. :)
This song was from the early 80s, and there was kind of an explosion of medieval fantasy movies at the time. You had "Dragonslayer," "Heavy Metal," "Excalibur," "Time Bandits," "The Beastmaster," "Conan the Barbarian," "The Dark Crystal," "The Last Unicorn," "The Sword and the Sorcerer" ... and that was just in 1981 and 1982. There were about a dozen more hits in the decade, including "The Princess Bride," the Conan sequel, "Ladyhawke," "Legend," "Highlander," "The Witches of Eastwick" (modern witches), "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen," "Beetlejuice" (modern supernatural) and "Willow." I guess we can add "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" ... which is not a medieval fantasy, but it's a notable hit from the era, launching the career of Keanu Reeves.
Oh, I recommend reaction to TIME BANDITS!
Jay, they were really a one-hit wonder. I love the keyboard runs in this song and it's really in my top 50 playlist because it's just so bouncy and happy. Rich Blansett, below, has it right when he says it was written about not being able to "pogo" in a club. Ivan, the singer and main guy, did an interview about it. The song is definitely quirky and fun!
My private Christian high school did not allow dancing until the year after we graduated. Needless to say, this was voted our class song, as we defied this ridiculous mandate whenever possible. I think we enjoyed dancing more than most kids because it was forbidden. As a public high school teacher, I try to explain my prom experience to my students. No dancing, but instead the school acquired a mime for entertainment! 😂😂😂
PLZ PLZ do
Slade- Run run away
Big Country- In A Big Country
Robert Clay- Smokin Gun
Dire Straits - So Far Away
Robert Plant - In the Mood ( Phil plays the drums in the music video but can't be seen )
ABC- Poison Arrow
Depeche Mode -Strange Love ( American version)
Melissa Ethridge. - Similar Features
The Proclaimers - Walk 500 miles ( from the movie Benny and June starring Johnny Depp )
Peter Schilling - Major Tom
R.E.M - Orange Crush Stand, It's The End of The World This One Goes Out To the One I Love
Pat Benatae - Love is a Battlefield
Patty Smythe - The Warrior
Berlin- No More Words
Missing Persons - Walking in LA Do You Hear Me, destinations Unknown
Super Tramp - The Logical Song or It's Raining Again
I was just impressed how you both mastered the dance so quick. Y’all were poppin and lockin right along to the song lol.
One of those songs from the 80's that, even now at 60 yrs. I just got to get up and dance!! .Growing up in the 70's and 80's was a very good thing. Not only 'cause the music was great...but because we were always dancing (and still are!). I had a HUGE crush on the singer Ivan Doroschuk back then!
I LOVE IT WHEN YOU GUYS DO 80S MUSIC
This song and video which I hadn't heard in literally decades came out in '82 and got regular airplay on MTV. I certainly remember the song and video during that whole "new wave" era which at the time wasn't my cup of tea but 40+ years later actually sounds a bit refreshing. There's a local radio station ad that uses that same melody which sounded familiar and is how I "re-discovered" it. Though not a bad song it certainly qualifies as an ear worm..
Montreal, Canada based band still active!
"If She Knew What She Wants" by The Bangels.
Though it didn’t have the same staying power as Safety Dance, “Pop Goes the World” was a pretty big hit for them as well. Calling them a one hit wonder is incorrect.
You guys should definitely react to that one.
Fair warning though… it’s another pretty weird music video.
"Pop Goes the World" is pretty forgettable for me, but "Sideways", I Like" and "I Got The Message" are the real stand out songs by Hommes Sans Chapeau lol
I Like is also strange, but a better song than Safety Dance. Love Ivan though.
The good thing about 80s was lots of stuff Didnt Mean ANYTHING!! Safety Dance, Gowan, B52s, Devo. It was just a Vibe to dance to.
The extended remix version is exceptional and very popular in the dance clubs. Pop Goes The World is another fun song by MWH.
Impossible not to love the 80s!
“Pop Goes the World” is a great Men Without Hats song
I have two songs to recommend, both are by singer Harry Belafonte. The first is "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)", and the other is "Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)". I believe you'd enjoy both songs. I also recommend reviewing the 1988 movie 'Beetlejuice' which has both songs in it.
How fun watching you react to this song. It's an old song, from 80s. We used to crank it up and act like an idiot 🤪 Love you two ❤️✌️
The band created this song to be danceable. It was designed not to be a "slam dance" punk song that was prevalent in the clubs in the band's hometown. It was a safe song, thus the Safety Dance.
Another example of the awesome, different sounds of the 80s.
The story goes that Ivan Doroschuk (I think I spelt that right) kept on getting thrown out of dance clubs for ‘pogoing’ with his friends which was basically just what it sounds like; jumping up and down like on a pogo stick. He wrote this song as a protest and the rest they say, is history. I watched a cool video where a musician breaks the song down musically and that is a REALLY great video, because it shows that this song is REALLY crafted. It’s not just thrown together. The layers of complexity are jaw droopping, without taking away anything from the child-like wonder the song evokes. I really encourage you to take a look at that video, called; ‘Understanding The Safety Dance’. It’s also the place where I first learned the history behind the song, which is cool because I’ve been a huge fan since it first came out in the early 80’s. I’m a child of the 60’s & 70’s, but this was a FUN song, with a really catchy rhythm and I always liked songs that were ‘different’.
(‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ by the Buggles was another, from a year or three earlier)
From Montreal...love these guys. Sat and had an amazing conversation one time with Ivan (singer/song writer). Interesting guy. "Pop Goes The World" is worth checking out.
*Please Check Out "Unguarded Moment" - by The Church.*
Love The Church...
Reformed in 2010, in Vancouver. They still tour.
In 2021 they did a complete rework of this song called "No Friends of Mine." Instead he sings "It's safe to dance", which I think is neat. But it's in a completely different style than the original and it sounds pretty epic. I love the original but if you're going to revisit a song, props to them for making it completely different and new like an evolution instead of just some minor changes that I usually see that's not even worth doing it.
This is one I remember getting into at the club because it is very danceable. Then we saw the video and were like 🤨 "Welcome to techno Renfaire"🤪
Men Without Hats was a Canadian New Wave band. This was a very popular hit for this band! It's a fun song and we all made up our own safety dance! LOL! Check out the English New Wave group, Wang Chung and their hits "Dance Hall Days" and "Everybody Have Fun Tonight"!! 💖💖
Yes it's quirky, yes it's gimmicky but I LOVE it! This song is why I bombarded you guys with requests! THANK YOU for finally reacting to it. 🙏
For another quirky but catchy 80's ditty, then may I suggest: *Trio - "Da Da Da I Don't Love You You Don't Love Me Aha Aha Aha"!*
I promise you guys, you _will_ have fun with this one 😂
The mediaeval hurdy gurdy instrument droning is iconic to this song.
Hey there Jay and Amber! 👋🏾 I love your channel! ❤️ I wish you would react to "Brother To Brother" by Canadian singer/musician Gino Vannelli. The album version of the same title. His voice and musical arrangements are phenomenal! You don't know what you're missing! 😲 I promise you won't be disappointed! 👍🏾
Back in the early 80's this song was popular. I remember watchin it on MTV when MTV first came out
“Somewhere in the distance when we fall in love again,
the planets will be dancing as the Moon plays violin.
And we’ll laugh at all the silly things we’ve both said and done,
and step into forever on the bright side of the Sun.”
-Men Without Hats,
truly underrated
Always did the 'safety dance' during the morning package scan, and never missed a package that came by.
Try Lene Lovich - "Lucky Number". It's a vibe!😊🤘😜🎉 Your Safety Dance moves were perfection!! 😂
and follow with Lene's "New Toy"!!
@@surlechapeau Or do New Toy first -- so they can groove on Thomas Dolby's cool synth playing on the song.
This song was the song from a movie in 80s called "time bandits " big movie in the early 80s