Men Without Hats Rhythm Of Youth

There are a number of different explanations
behind the meaning of Canadian new wave group
Men Without Hats' 1983 hit "The Safety Dance."
People have posited the song could be referring to
safe sex, nuclear proliferation, but singer Ivan
Doroschuk has explained the track to be about
freedom of expression. More specifically "Safety
Dance" came about as a protest against dance club
bouncers. Unfamiliar with the styles of new wave
dance, they would regularly toss patrons out for
engaging in pogoing, a dance that involves jumping
up and down while keeping the torso rigid.
Regardless of the meaning behind the song, "The
Safety Dance" became a major hit for Men Without
Hats, reaching #11 on the Canadian Singles chart,
only to reach an even higher #3 on the Billboard Hot
100 chart upon its release in America. The success
of "Safety Dance" undoubtedly aided the
commercial fortunes of the band's 1983 debut,
Rhythm Of Youth, whose other dance club singles
such as the bounding "I Got The Message", or the
driving "I Like" were nothing to ignore either. One of
the quirkier synth-pop albums released during
an already quirky period for music, and a high
watermark for new wave, if only for the staying
power of "Safety Dance."