Something I only realised fairly recently, and when I did it was a small Euraka moment: the opening lines of this song are an update on the opening lines of Max Bygraves version of ‘Fings Ain’t What They Used To Be’, a UK top 5 hit in 1960, to wit: ‘They changed our local palais Into a bowling alley’ ‘Come Dancing’ updates this for a generation later: now even the more cookie cutter pleasures of the bowling alley are gone, replaced first by a boring old supermarket and then by the end point of mundane municipal mediocrity: the parking lot. Bygraves hit (which lamented the late 50s/early 60s encroachment of US pop culture on traditional UK and specifically London ways) was a family friendly bowdlerisation of the theme song from the 1959 Frank Norman and Lionel Bart musical of the same name, the original lyrics of which are much more risqué. The musical is about London low lifes: spivs, gangsters, prostitutes etc ie prime Ray Davies thematic territory and I would be surprised if he wasn’t aware of it, or if the opening lines of ‘Come Dancing’ weren’t an intentional nod to Bygraves hit version of the theme. Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be - Wikipedia
A great nostalgic track from Ray and a late Kinks classic. This is the first track on the album that I've had something positive to say about (track 2 was OK...), hence my recent silence!
The opening verse is just masterful in conveying the passing of time and put you in a nostalgic, almost “once upon a time” mind set. For us Kinks lovers, it's even better because we feel we know the place Ray's talking about, don't we ? It’s where we met the "little miss queen of darkness", a long time ago… On June 4th 2021 to be exact. One year ago, almost to the day!! Since then, we've also heard about the neighborhood being teared down and rebuilt… It's like Ray gave us little updates along the way. Same with his sister(s)… We know about her/them too. From Rosie Won’t You Please Come Home, which we talked about on May the 29th last year (yes, I've checked)… Don't you love the thread symmetry ?
I love this song. It is one of their singles I knew when it was current that helped define for me the unique appeal of the Kinks. As a song, it is very clever in its construction with Ray choosing to tell the story through the eyes of a younger brother reflecting on his older sister's coming of age story. It is also unique in that it contains a monologue. The key landmark of the song is the Palais - a dance hall the narrator's sister laments when it is knocked down. Ray's ambivalence about progress is on full display here. Musically, its calypso lilt is charming but the highlight for me is the self referential inclusion of Dave's klassic Kinks guitar riffing. I always loved how the video dramatized this with the younger brother in his room miming playing guitar with a tennis racket. I think many of us can relate. Only one Kinks single after this one ranks higher in my estimation but we will have to wait to near the end of the thread for that personal highlight.
"Come Dancing" It wasn't until 1985 that I started delving in to The Kinks catalogue, so at that point there were only two Kinks songs that I knew - "Apeman", because someone in our family bought the 7" single, and of course "Come Dancing". So what was my reaction in 1983? I vaguely knew of the band, I thought it was OK, but it wasn't the kind of music that I would listen to, and it wouldn't have encouraged me to go out and buy the single, even less the album. It's only really after I delved back into the Kinks catalogue, and then came back forward to this one that I fully appreciated it. Both in the quality of the song itself and how different it was from what The Kinks had been doing for the previous few years. Does it stand up as a genuine Klassic alongside the 60s hits? Maybe the song musically doesn't have the depth, the different levels of those songs, but lyrically it is right up there in the Village Green/Arthur realm in its evocation of times past. Albeit with a happy-ish ending that we maybe wouldn't have heard on those albums. Having previously mentioned "Apeman", I have to say that the spoken word section in "Come Dancing" reminds me most of the similar section in "Apeman". Anyway, it's a great track and a deserved hit. For those who didn't grow up in the UK and may not be aware..."Come Dancing" was the name of a BBC TV show, a ballroom dancing competition that started in 1949. Of course it was revived in later years as "Strictly Come Dancing" and has gone on to become a worldwide hit as "Dancing With The Stars" etc.
True, I think. Musically, it’s probably not as masterful as the klassiks it brings to mind. Yet… it is so endearing, irresistibly catchy without feeling forced or formulaic. The chord progression is gorgeously simple. I’d forgotten the different instrumental little breaks, Ray’s distinctive strumming and Dave’s Hard Way riff attacks in the middle. This is a pretty complex production after all. I can’t help but thinking Ray was somewhat inspired by both Ballroom Dancing and Dexy’s Midnight Runners Come on Eilleen, both out a few months prior. Just take “come” from the latter and “dancing” from the former, and you get this one. Eilleen’s lasted longer as an everlasting eighties classic, whereas Come Dancing’s become more of a distant memory, which is only fitting, given the subject of the song. I can’t help but thinking that this tune is somehow to blame for Dire Straits’ Walk of Life, just two years later. Two very similar songs, in tune, spirit, mood and success. The Kinks' one is miles better, if only because of Julian Temple’s stupendous video and those wonderful lyrics, where absolutely every line is top notch. The spoken “Out of my window I can see them in the moonlight / Two silhouettes saying goodnight by the garden gate”, is splendid, heartbreaking, especially when you know about Ray’s sisters stories from his childhood. “He'd end up blowing all his wages for the week / All for a cuddle and a peck on the cheek” is clearly my favorite part, it’s not only sung but written – and read! – with a tender twinkle in the eye. Wonderful, wonderful stuff. But since we’ve mentioned Julian Temple, I’ll add that musically, Come Dancing is not the best Ray Davies vaudeville throwback of the eighties. But more about that in the quiet corners of 1986…
Very touching and well-crafted lyrics and story, but the music is really too generic to do them justice, in my opinion. It's a big "in my opinion", since public, critics and avids alike obviously think otherwise. There must be something wrong with me. I've suspected it for a long time. Anyway, if Mark's great write-up didn't work its magic on me this time around (as it has so many times), there's little hope for a reappraisal of "Come Dancing" as far as I'm concerned. I have sympathy for the song, owing to the lyrics, but I don't enjoy listening to it.
Come Dancing I don’t wish to be the contrarian here, but I do play one in real life, so here goes. I will say first, and truthfully, that I find this to be a v. good song, it has a lot going for it, and I’m happy the band got a top-ten out of it. Secondly, and still under oath, I can confirm as to never including this one on a mix cd or playlist. It’s never skipped but also, never sought out. It hasn’t aged well, either; it has no portrait in the attic doing it’s dirty work. ‘Come Dancing’ is one of four ‘hit’ Kinks records that I rarely listen to. The two main offenders, ‘Everybody’s Gonna Be Happy’ and ‘Supersonic Rocket Ship’ frequently get the cold shoulder, I’ve no desire to ever hear them. ‘Come Dancing’ and ‘Tired of Waiting For You’ (gasp) often get out on parole, free to visit and be visited (non-conjugal); merely small-time crooks. On any given night, I’d say there’s at least 100 other Kinks songs I’d think to play before ‘Come Dancing’ when I get home at night, actually many more. I guess what puts me off is I find it too saccharine, musically speaking. The top-notch Davies sentiment in the lyric, the fabulous horns in the outro, Ian’s evocative contributions, they’re all big winners. I realize it sounds as if I secretly love it, that the man ‘doth protest too much’, but the fact of the matter is, I don’t play the song, and that is that. Phew, life is complicated. It seems my friend @Fortuleo has konfused me with another kontributor regarding ‘Definite Maybe.’ In my favorable opinion of the song, there is definitely (no if’s, and’s, but’s, or maybe’s) no mention of me finding it ‘lacking charm.’ DM is plenty charming, and so, for that matter, is @Fortuleo.
Come Dancing Mark really has summed it up beautifully once again. This is a joyous song but when you understand the context it's especially poignant too. When it came out I was happy the Kinks had a hit song played on the radio but also a bit unhappy that lots of other people were listening to my cult band. Warped logic, but true. When I listen to this song now I marvel at everything Ray managed to put in those lyrics as well as the music. To me this is a top-shelf single in any era of the Kinks and deserves to be counted as one of their best.
Come Dancing: Brilliant in every way possible. Melody, lyrics, arrangement, vocals, video. That light, West Indies lilt in the main riff makes the song, puts it in an urban context, particularly London, which somehow repositions the song on the distant edge of that reggae/ska movement in the UK at the time. Rather than blather on about change and the good old days, Ray tells a story that perfectly illustrates this happening in his life. Fans could take it at face value as a bouncy, upbeat pop song that sounded like something you might hear on a vacation cruise. Or they could listen to the lyrics and understand that the song captures the joys of the past and the reality of time and "progress" slowly, and sometimes not so slowly, obliterating it. The Kinks get no better than this, whatever the era.
Interesting you mention Come On Eileen and Julian Temple, as I've always been struck by one moment of similarity between the 'Eileen' and 'Come Dancing' videos (both directed by Temple) around the minute mark in each where they feature similarly framed shots of a corner shop: 'Eileen''s timed with the first time that mega chorus comes in, 'Dancing' on the start of the second verse. God, the upload of that Dexys video looks so horribly beige and faded, like the 'State of Confusion' clip. Why do so many 80s videos look like that? Something to do with the film/video stock used at the time and how it tends to degrade when transferred? I take it back about all the Kinks 80s videos only being available in that sort of quality though: The 'Come Dancing' clip uploaded to the Kinks official VEVO looks great, with plenty of bluer and darker tones and relatively high definition.
More MTV musings: Ray's flustered mannerisms when he first appears as the spiv character seem influenced by Suggs nervy demeanour in contemporary Madness clips. Interesting that both 'Come Dancing' and Madness 'Our House' videos feature a scene of someone practicing guitar in their boyhood bedroom over the guitar break: the two songs first came out pretty much at the same time, so this is probably a co-incidence. (interestingly, 'Our House' was a transatlantic hit the opposite way around from 'Come Dancing', becoming a UK chart hit first, and a US/MTV hit slightly later on).
Come Dancing When I first heard this I thought, "this could be a big hit" so I was very pleased when it did become a top 10 hit. I like this song a lot and I think it fits in well with their stuff from their classic period. The Kinks sometimes used some different musical sounds and the Caribbean feel of Come Dancing works quite well. The lyrics are interesting and tell a good story. The video was very good and quite popular as well. A Kinks Klassic!
‘Come Dancing’ is the first track from the album to make my playlist. Full of charm, cleverly written (as usual for Ray), and (based on its success) proof that this is a sound that some of the people want.
According to Steve Wright on one of the times this clip was reshown on TOTP2, after this performance Ray took the entire Top Of The Pops crew out and bought them each a Spudulike. Whether that refutes or supports the theme of ‘Ray is a cheapskate’ you can decide for yourself.
Come Dancing At age 19 when the album was new, this was my least favorite song on the album. First, I wasn't keen on the dance hall sound or lyrical theme. Second, I took a perverse pleasure in being different so since this was the big hit, I chose to put it last. What a fool I was. Song is a marvel, for all the reasons already expressed by all you articulate avids, and then some. The intertwining of the coming of age story with the march of progress is brilliant. Ray's relationship with his sister and his relationship with the evolving world both summed up in their relationship with each other. What a mind to not only make this connection, but to be able to relate it lyrically. That line But if I asked her I wonder if she would, is particularly telling in light of what immediately precedes it. It sounds like Ray, lamenting the loss of the past, still pines for it and wants a kindred spirit with whom to relive it. Meanwhile, the person he most associates with that past has likely moved past, having grown up and settled into her adult role in life. I suspect being the keeper of the historical Village Green can be a lonely occupation. But we love you for doing so, Ray. We really do.
Come Dancing I've long wondered why this became a hit. I saw this on MTV constantly and and my recollection is it sounded like nothing else I heard or saw for the most part on the channel or the radio. This was a mature song, with a mature lyric, on a mature album, by a mature band. There was nothing high school or teenage about any of it and very few of the young, popular bands, of that early 80s era could have written something like this and make it seem believable, much less sincere. However, I do believe a young Ray Davies of Village Green vintage could have done so, because he did, didn't he? Brilliant write up by Mark as usual and I agree where he describes the bridge as devastating, however, I will point out the part that no one else has brought up yet in those lyrics. "Died. Just Died." Then bam! right into the aggressive instrumental break before resolving back to the intro or de capo, if you will. To me that exclamation point "Just died" with no further lyrics about it. That's it, nothing more to say. The next lyrics are the observer years or decades later. Brilliant writing and execution. Mixes roundup - 3 unique mixes and one alternate version. Album Mix from the State Of Confusion album itself. The official video uses this mix. 12" single mix. Released on the 12" UK single (the US did not get a 12" single). This mix differs in that it is a little longer with 16 bars of the horn instrumental near the end instead of 8 bars but the mix itself is also different from the album in that the lead guitar and those horns at the end are mixed louder. Love those trombones in the right channel. The video Mark posted called Extended Version is this mix. It is also available on CD on a 1990 West German CD best of The Kinks - You Really Got Me (Best) | Releases | Discogs. Original Band Demo. Released on the 2008 Picture Book box set. There was much discussion and consternation back in 2008 when this was released here on this site and some reviews I read. Most folks were upset that the original song was left off the box set. That's easily available elsewhere, so I'm happy to have this demo. Mark posted this video earlier also. US 7" single mix. This mix is different in that the channels are reversed, the instruments are more centered in the mix and the track is sped up slightly. The UK 7" single uses the album mix. This US 7" mix is unavailable on CD to my knowledge.
Come Dancing A song that seems a pivotal link in the Kinks oeuvre that's both a (major) latterday Arista hit and a throwback to the past and with personal overtones for the singer. I think Ray's beautiful lyric would likely be a composite about more than one sister and though he implicity avoids the tragedy of Rene there's some wonderful sentiments, observations, nostalgia and optimism betrayed throughout. Ray took great care crafting this song and (as @mark winstanley has noted) wanted to reinject some warmth and nuance of old into the band's output so not only does he recall the 50's but also in discussing fond memories and demolition of landmarks he also to has me thinking about the theme of preservation! This thread has had so many left field intersections and Kinky Krossroads I hope Our Avids will bear with me for one more. Unfortunately i never got to see it but here in Brisbane we had a grand and widely loved dancehall called Cloudland Ballroom which would soon boast a coil sprung wooden dance floor which was a gift from the US military after WWII. For 42 years (our local Palais) the Cloudland Ballroom was a Mecca for local dances with big band's and popular acts of the day. Everybody from Buddy Holly to the Bee Gees performed there as well as Kink openers (as stated by @Wondergirl & others) Midnight Oil & INXS. On November 7th 1982, shortly after the recording of Come Dancing and 12 days prior to its release the iconic Cloudland Ballroom was demolished with stealth at 4am by the corrupt state government to make way for apartment blocks to the utter disgust of many! Whilst I had recently turned 14 and only moved here 6 months previously i couldn't really appreciate the shared loss (and outrage) of many locals towards a wonderland that i had never visited. This was not surprising as i knew nothing of several generations precious memories of coming of age, holding their personal function or meeting their spouses and even later proposing! I was however aware of Come Dancing in 1983 via television and radio and found it Katchy and Kwiet Kwaint for this sudden hit out of nowhere from a rock "n" roll outfit that i knew had their major glories of yesteryear. Not versed in Kink as yet i likely thought that it was a bit calculated and deliberately Kwite removed from their style i knew of in their pursuit for a big hit. But as we all know from a distance this was also largely looking back for Raymond to a personal time gone but fondly remembered and now ushered out to a new public upon modern dance floors!
"Come Dancing": The last great Kinks single? I wish that those Avids that were too young or even non existent back then could have joined us old geezers in the joy of actually hearing a Kinks single go top 10 and having Casey Kasem talk about them in between Ban du Solis commercials on American Top 40. It's an excellent song w/Ray referring to his past and giving loving tribute to his sisters who basically raised him and Dave, as well as what we have gained and lost as time goes by. It's an excellent pop song that took advantage of both the so-called "Second British Invasion" and the emergence of MTV to be a pleasantly surprising Top 40 hit. I was just thinking recently how the lyrics of the song fit w/the place that I have lived for very nearly 60 yrs. For example, there's a new condo complex that used to be a district court that was built in 1977 and before that it was an A&P supermarket and before that it was a vaudeville theatre. I feel that one is truly a resident of a town if you know where things used to be. Finally, here's the gang from the Monty Python precursor At Last The 1948 Show doing a parody of Come Dancing the TV show:
Definitely.... I guess with Ray it is also very possible that there is a double meaning there, referencing his elder sister.
I forgot to say that my favorite part of the TOTP video of "Come Dancing" was seeing the horn players reading the papers until they were needed!
