‘Dancing in the Dark’ is a song written and performed by American rock singer Bruce Springsteen. It was the first single released ahead from his 1984 album, Born in the U.S.A., and became his biggest hit, helping the album become the best-selling album of his career. Released as a single prior to the album's release, the song entered both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cashbox Top 100 charts on May 26, 1984, at No. 36 and No. 25 respectively. On June 30, 1984, it began its four-week stay at No. 2 on Billboard, being kept from the No. 1 spot by Duran Duran's ‘The Reflex’ and Prince's ‘When Doves Cry’. That same week, it reached No. 1 on Cashbox, where it stayed for two weeks. It was also the first of a record-tying seven top 10 hit singles to be released from Born in the U.S.A. ‘Dancing in the Dark’ also held the No. 1 spot for six weeks on Billboard's Top Tracks chart. The song reached No. 1 on the Radio & Records CHR and AOR airplay charts.
‘Dancing in the Dark’ also had worldwide success. It became Australia's highest-selling single of 1984, peaking at No. 1 in Belgium and the Netherlands, and charting within the top 10 in seven other countries. In the UK, the song peaked at No. 4. It was the 29th-best-selling single of the year. The recording also won Springsteen his first Grammy Award, picking up the prize for Best Rock Vocal Performance in 1985. In the 1984 Rolling Stone readers’ poll, ‘Dancing in the Dark’ was voted "Single of the Year". The track has since gone on to earn further recognition and is as such listed one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
Springsteen wrote ‘Dancing In the Dark’ overnight, after Jon Landau convinced him that the album needed a single. According to journalist Dave Marsh in the book Glory Days, Springsteen was not impressed with Landau's approach. "Look", he snarled, "I've written seventy songs. You want another one, you write it." Despite this reaction, Springsteen sat in his hotel room and wrote the song in a single night. It sums up his state of mind, his feeling of isolation after the success of his album The River, and his frustrations of trying to write a hit single. Six takes of ‘Dancing in the Dark’ were recorded on February 14, 1984, at The Hit Factory, and after 58 mixes, work was completed on March 8, 1984. The 12-inch single was released May 9, 1984, and was the highest-selling 12-inch single in the US that year.
Directed by Brian DePalma, the video was filmed during Springsteen's concert at the St. Paul Civic Center in Minnesota on June 29, 1984. Courteney Cox, who was planted in the audience, got the role of the adoring fan in the front row who gets to dance on stage with Bruce. (Despite the song title, the dancing took place in good light.) Springsteen did ‘Dancing In The Dark’ midway through the show, so by that time he was good and sweaty and the crowd was worked into a frenzy. To get the shots, Springsteen did the song twice, with DePalma repositioning his cameras after the first take.
The video was Springsteen's first to get heavy airplay on MTV, and it introduced him to a new, mostly younger audience. As for Cox, a few years later she landed a role on the sitcom Family Ties, and went on to star in the wildly popular TV series Friends.
Label – Columbia
Songwriter – Bruce Springsteen
Producers – Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]I get up in the evening
And I ain't got nothing to say
I come home in the morning
I go to bed feeling the same way
I ain't nothing but tired
Man, I'm just tired and bored with myself
Hey there, baby
I could use just a little help
[Chorus]
You can't start a fire
You can't start a fire without a spark
This gun's for hire
Even if we're just dancing in the dark
[Verse 2]
Messages keep getting clearer
Radio's on, and I'm moving 'round my place
I check my look in the mirror
I wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face
Man, I ain't getting nowhere
Ah, just living in a dump like this
There's something happening somewhere
Baby, I just know that there is
[Chorus]
You can't start a fire
You can't start a fire without a spark
This gun's for hire
Even if we're just dancing in the dark
[Bridge]
You sit around getting older
There's a joke here somewhere, and it's on me
I'll shake this world off my shoulders
Come on, baby, the laugh's on me
[Verse 3]
Stay on the streets of this town
And they'll be carving you up all right
They say, "You gotta stay hungry"
Hey, baby, I'm just about starving tonight
I'm dying for some action
I'm sick of sitting around here trying to write this book
I need a love reaction
Come on now, baby, give me just one look
[Chorus]
You can't start a fire
Sitting 'round crying over a broken heart
This gun's for hire
Even if we're just dancing in the dark
You can't start a fire
Worrying about your little world falling apart
This gun's for hire
Even if we're just dancing in the dark
[Outro]
Even if we're just dancing in the dark
Even if we're just dancing in the dark
Even if we're just dancing in the dark
Hey, baby
[Outro - Saxophone Solo]