I hit like on the post where you mentioned it. Of course it’s the rest of the post, not the Covid part that I liked. Feel better.
They did play this venue on this date April 7, 1984 so the audio may very well come from this show. Two days later on April 9, 1984 in Leicester marks Mick Avory’s final live show with The Kinks.
A "like", like a car honk, is a single device that is made to mean many different things! I myself hit "like" to mean "sympathy". I also probably got my Covid from my daughter, except that we're not expecting her graduation for another 20 years or so. Congrats to your daughter by the way! And get better !
Please rest up and look after yourself @Wondergirl, this thread will be here awaiting you when you are ready!
Don't Forget To Dance. stereo mix, album mix/edit (4:34), recorded Sep 1982 (overdubs recorded Oct 1982) at Grand Slam Studios, East Orange, New Jersey (overdubs recorded at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London) You look out of your window, Into the night. Could be rain, could be snow, But it can't feel as cold as you're feeling inside. And all of your friends are either married, vanished, Or just left alone. But that's no reason to just stop living. That's no excuse to just give in to a sad and lonely heart. Don't forget to dance, no, no, no, Don't forget to smile. Don't forget to dance, no, no, no, Forget it for a while. 'Cause darling, darling, I bet you danced a good one in your time. And if this were a party I'd really make sure the next one would be mine. Yes, you with the broken heart. Don't forget to dance, no, no, no, Don't forget to smile. Don't forget to dance, no, no, no, Forget it for a while. Don't forget to dance, no, no, no, Forget it for a while. You walk down the street And all the young punks whistle at you. A nice bit of old, Just goes to show what you can achieve with the right attitude. As you pass them by They whisper their remarks one to another, And you give them the eye Even though you know that you could be their mother. You do the thing you love the most. What separates you from the rest, And what you love to do the most? And when they ask me how you dance, I say that you dance real close. Don't forget to dance, no, no, no, Don't forget to dance. Written by: Ray Davies Published by: Davray Music Ltd. I like this track... I didn't back in 83, it was a little too mellow and nostalgic for a hyperactive fourteen year old .... Now I can appreciate its mellow reflection, and its heart much more than I did back then. I am guessing that some folks are going to hate the synths here, but I think they are appropriate for the time and style of the song.... Certainly if this had been recorded in the early seventies it may well have been piano and acoustic guitar, but it wasn't, and as much as some may prefer styles, arrangements and instrumentation from different eras... well that's a never ending slippery slope of what ifs... Just like these days there are many many younger folks that think anything recorded prior to 1980 is ancient, and sounds ancient..... not too dissimilar to someone in 1965 thinking Bing Crosby albums were ancient... I've said it before, but I feel very blessed to have been born when I was, and get into music when I did, because I was already familiar with the older music, and I loved it, but I turned 12 in 1980, so I grew up with and enjoyed the sounds of that era too... and it seems to be a huge dividing line for music lovers. There always seems to be a specific dividing line for the eighties, as if it is completely removed from all other eras of music... but to me the fifties sound like the fifties, the sixties sound like the sixties, the seventies sound like the seventies and the eighties, well guess what?, they sound like the eighties lol etc etc This is gentle and reflective Ray. This is full of whimsy and nostalgia, and although I can't hear it on a late sixties album, mainly due to the sound, the heart is very much in that kind of zone. Ray seemed to make a conscious decision to blend the styles the Kinks had explored over the years onto this album. We have the rawk from the last couple of years, and of course the early days. We have, almost, Music Hall. A little bit of Muswell Hillbillies. We have stories and themes that are very Kinks.... and here we have one of those beautiful ballads that Ray liked to throw into the mix..... I think it is this diverse bundle of tracks, and me being very young, and a teeth grinding rocker that made this a hard nut to crack, for me, back in the day.... Now after all these years I can appreciate this album a lot more. I think the underlying theme here is an aging woman, who for one reason or another is single or widowed, and her struggle to feel alive in a society that doesn't generally care for older people. She gazes out of her window dreaming of the days that she would turn heads, and have guys wanting to take her out to dance... I think this ties into the Come Dancing track, and looking at the lyrics, it now makes sense to me that Ray put them together in the live show.... Also we notice that Ray again sets up a little theme, as he is of a want to do... We get Come Dancing reflecting on those youthful times.... then we get property and its sad tale of divorce/separation.... then we we turn over to side two we get this track, which is in the context of perhaps the same lady that was dancing all those years ago, and her husband is now gone due to irreconcilable differences (Property), and now she gazes out of the window lonely and longing. Her friends are still married or passed or just don't get out much anymore. She is left gazing out of the window wondering where it all went wrong. Ray is speaking to her like her inner being, or a comforting friend...."Don't give in to sadness..." Then in the thematic link, we have the idea that she should do what it is she has always loved, and dance. The next section has Ray reflecting for her "I bet you danced a good one in your time...." and if we were at a party I'd make sure the next dance was mine... Yes you You with the broken heart.... I want to dance with you. It is a beautiful sentiment. Perhaps we could look at it as an older man who is also lonely singing this to her. Perhaps we can look at it as a younger man who has the compassion to see she is broken hearted and wants to give her a lift, but it expresses a compassion that so often seems lost in a modern world of self.... and I appreciate that. After the next chorus we get this reference to young punks whistling at her and in the context likely making suggestive comments ... and it does happen.... I mean where does a term like milf come from in the first place.... smh.... But we see she is wise enough to hold her own amongst them, and just gives them a knowing look and keeps on walking. There's a grace there that the world often misses these days too. Sure the woman could be offended, and make a scene or whatever, but sometimes a graceful, yet thoroughly dismissive glance is more powerful than all that... Then Ray goes back to the idea that she should do what she loves the most.... Dance... How does she dance? Real close. It is as though Ray is saying that if he comes across those young punks, and when they ask how you dance, just to tease them he says, real close... This is a beautiful song, and it was one that long sat just on the outer for me... I didn't dislike it, but I hadn't, or couldn't connect with the lyrics as a young man... but as an older man I see so much in this. My mum and dad are still together, but in a certain context mum can't really dance much anymore, as age and health issues would make it difficult, but when they were younger they used to do that cool rock and roll dancing, and I actually did ask them to dance when I was younger, because that exuberant dancing is a beautiful thing.... and this makes me think I should take my wife to some place where we can dance.... or when we have a bit more cash maybe one of those learn how to jive dance classes or something ... will it happen? I have no idea "life's what happens to you while your busy making other plans" We have a moderate rock/pop track, and it opens with a nice guitar on the left, just gently rolling between an A and a D, which kind of works like a suspended fourth... Then we have either an electric piano or a synth piano playing a really nice relaxed descending pattern for the early part of the verse, but when Ray moves into his encouragement it changes to an ascending melody.... subtle little things like that always work for me. Then we modulate keys between a double chorus, and it introduces a sort of urgency ... don't forget to dance, in fact do it now, time isn't standing still. Then we get the extended verse with the young punks, and it brings the idea home here for me. We get another key modulation into the chorus, and we fade. The fade seems a little quick.... at least on the youtube link... Like a lot of these songs, this is a song that is all about the lyrics. Ray seems to be focused on telling his stories on this album, and perhaps that's why @The late man hasn't connected to it. Ray isn't trying to break new musical ground or wow everyone with his musical panache, he is telling stories, and this is a beautiful one.
It starts with the Misfits/A Little Bit of Emotion melody. On purpose. Because it’s about one, and it will convey some. We’ve talked about synth pop yesterday, and god knows I don’t care much for the genre, even though I’ve lived through it in my teens (because, I’ve lived through it in my teens). But this one’s so tender, so sad, so delicate, it proves once again that Ray and the Kinks were never about one type of sound or two, they would transcend sounds, genres, styles, and touch something more profound. Synth pop here tells a story, it gives context. The lady’s a little bit older. It's 1983. In the clubs or discotheques, that’s the sound she would dance to, now that her youth is lost. Is it a sequel to Juke Box Music? A little bit, probably. A middle-aged Little Miss Queen of Darkness? Most certainly. A companion piece to Come Dancing? The video alone would prove that point. She could even be Ray’s sister’s ghost for all I know and yes, the synth pop thing would add to that ghostly feeling. Cold, sad and lonely, the disco ball still shimmering while almost everybody’s gone. I know some say “saccharine”, some say “sell out” and in truth, I’d agree with the reservation that perhaps the Kinks are not as good with eighties “aaaah’s” as they were with sixties “oooh ooohh’s”. But come on, this set of lyrics… What I love best is how Ray underlines his most beautiful touching lines with the Bm chord change at the end of each verse, with slight melodic and phrasing variations, each one more devastating than the last : “to a saad and lonely heart” ; “yes, you / with the broken heart” and, best of all “I say that you dance real close”, which I officially nominate for best Ray Davies line ever, lyrics and music combined. For the first time since the beginning of the thread, I find myself in a defensive position, like @mark winstanley was during Low Budget/ One from the Road or @palisantrancho when we were about to discuss the theater LPs: I know some fans don’t like this song at all, so I dread reading the posts, I’m so afraid it won’t register with some of you guys and (@wondercovid)girl (be well!), because of the synth pop thing, this rather obtrusive eighties sound. As said above, I never cared for this sound myself at all, but it ends up adding an unexpected depth of feeling to this particular song, that I could never have imagined. Top 3 Ray songs from the eighties, easy. Probably top 15 Kinks song overall. But I cheat, I have elected at least thirty of those previously on the thread, as most of us have. But you know what I mean.
Musically, "Don't Forget To Dance" probably has too much Eighties sheen for my taste but I still appreciate it as a song and I think Ray's vocal cuts through some of the gloss. I am amazed at Ray's ability to find ever-changing and unique points of view from which to write songs. Here, his narrator is addressing an aging, faded beauty with the empowering message of "don't forget to dance" (carpe diem, essentially). I also find it makes something of a bookend with the big hit on the album "Come Dancing". Obviously, there is the same activity described in each song (dance) but I find that "Don't Forget To Dance" could be seen as a sequel to "Come Dancing" - the sister described in her youth in that first dance song is possibly now represented in "Don't Forget To Dance" years later as one who would be seen as well past their prime and looking back on faded glory. Thematically, it works well for me but, musically, I am a little weary of the Eighties production though at its heart, "Don't Forget To Dance" is well-written and well-sung.
"Don't Forget To Dance" A truly lovely song, musically and lyrically. I'd never noticed before how similar parts of it are to "Misfits" until it was pointed out on here. Sometimes the similarity between one song and another is obvious, at other times a song is so good that you don't even think to look for anything untoward about it. The music is very 80s, but what do you expect? - it's 1983, the most 80s of all years! The lyrics take you right inside the story and the situation so much that you feel you are a character in it. Ray uses a very matter of fact turn of phrase throughout and throws in a few English-isms as well. The music is great to start with but when it modulates up in the middle section it soars even more. It's one of three songs on this album that end up with people looking wistfully back at a past that has since vanished. I think this is a fantastic track, and to be honest I'm surprised that it didn't follow "Come Dancing" into the top 40 in the UK. It's easy to dismiss because of its 80s sound, but it's just as easy to find plenty to love about it. I'm off on holiday for a week now - I'll still be commenting each day, but may not be at the usual times. Given how fa fa fa fa far I have to go tomorrow, I probably won't comment on the next track until Sunday.
Starts off very (too much) like "Misfits" but moves away from that pretty quickly. It's a nice song, slightly cloying perhaps, but, it has to be said, it is very hard to ignore the sound/production which just screams 1983! Could it be that I'm liking this album more than "Low Budget" and "GTPWTW"?
Don’t Forget to Dance The better of the two ‘dance’ songs, which is really saying something. Both songs so mature, with great observations on the human condition; this is the Kinks that meant so much to so many. One can imagine Chrissie swooning when Ray played her these tracks (if he ever did). She did later on destroy the Casio he wrote ‘Come Dancing’ on, so who knows; they’re both mercurial. Clive Davis knew, though, that these mature meditations might give them the hits they desperately wanted, but in the long term would only serve to divide and alienate their audience. Remember when Ray said ‘if we ever become too professional, it’ll finish us?’ It’s bittersweet to think of these songs in that light, but hey, I’m a fatalist. I’ve always held this single in higher regard than its predecessor. Two, of many highlights for me: The sighs before and after the lovely guitar fill are downright Arthur-ish, and the ‘nice bit of old’ line, which is vintage Davies. Julien Temple does another swell job with the video. I think my favorite sequence is Ray chasing after the coat-check girl, his anxiousness on the escalator. And, with utmost attention to detail, the jilted woman, sprinting out of the darkened ballroom, blinking her eyes as they adjust to daylight. As you do. State of Confusion is reasserting itself and may well emerge as the champion of the Arista years, though Word of Mouth may put up a bitter fight.
Several alternate mixes of Don't Forget To Dance exist and as it happens this song has the most for whatever reason. I think they (the label, the management, Ray, the band) were trying everything to get a hit international single so they prepared a bunch for different markets and formats. Rather than post all these at one time, I'll spread them out so hopefully no one gets offended! The mix of the snare drum is the easiest way to help differentiate some of these. Reverbed gives the wet "tsssss" sound, dry is more of a sharp "tt". 1. Don’t Forget To Dance (Album Edit) – This version/mix was released on the State Of Confusion album and subsequent re-releases of the album. This is an edit of the UK 12” single mix. The UK 7” single also has this edit/mix. 8 bar intro. Drums have heavy reverb. No fade. It is the standard version available across multiple comps. This edit/mix accompanies the official video. Mark has already posted this one and I did too for (hopefully) Australian viewing. 1. Don’t Forget To Dance (UK 12” Single Version) – Full length longer version of the album mix. 12 bar intro. Drums have heavy reverb. Longer intro before first vocals, longer instrumental section in the middle and longer end section. No fade. Only released on this 12”, no CD release.
Don't Forget to Dance Without a doubt, the most beautiful song on the album.... and one of the most beautiful in the entire katalog. Ray's vocal delivery here is superb. Even as a man singing about a woman, you can hear, nay feel, such empathy, it truly is astonishing. Technically, his phrasing is absolutely magnificent as the way he holds certain words and slides pitch wrenches every possible bit of emotion from each and every lyric, without calling attention to himself or said technique. Just so self assured in the storytelling and in the end, overwhelmingly beautiful. While I am now.... ahem.... of a certain age to fully appreciate the lyric, I was fully on board at age 19 as well. That's how marvelously Ray conveys the story here. As for the synth pop angle, that may be the most amazing part of the song. Like Ray's vocal delivery, the synths never really call attention to themselves, but they enhance the song and are core to its emotional effect. The ting is, synths are, by their very definition, artifical. But this song is so very human. Of all Ray's characters, this is one of the ones that moves me most. (On a related note, there remains one more to come on this very album, but I'll keep you in suspense as to which one and why for the time being) While I like or love every song on this album, I always thought it could have been sequenced better, especially the two 'dance' songs. "Come Dancing" sounds like such an invitation, it would have made a wonderful opener. And what better message to leave the listener with than Don't Forget to Dance?" The latter should have been the closer. As @stewedandkeefed said, bookends. But nobody bothered to consult us now did they?
