The Safety Dance - wikipedia The Safety Dance `` The Safety Dance '' Single by Men Without Hats from the album Rhythm of Youth B - side `` Security '' ( UK ) `` Living in China '' ( US ) Released Format 7 '' 12 '' Genre New wave synth - pop Length 2 : 47 ( single / original album version ) 4 : 36 ( `` Extended Dance Mix '' / US album version ) Label GMC Virgin Songwriter ( s ) Ivan Doroschuk Producer ( s ) Marc Durand Men Without Hats singles chronology `` I Like '' ( 1982 ) `` The Safety Dance '' ( 1983 ) `` I Got the Message '' ( 1983 ) `` The Safety Dance '' is a song by Canadian new wave / synth - pop band Men Without Hats, released in Canada in 1983 as the second single from Rhythm of Youth. The song was written by lead singer Ivan Doroschuk after he had been kicked out of a club for pogo dancing. The song entered the Canadian top 50 in February 1983, peaking at number 11 on May 14. In the meantime, `` The Safety Dance '' was released in the US on March 16, but did not enter the US charts for a few months. When it finally did, the record became a bigger hit than it had been in Canada, spending four weeks at its peak position of number 3 in September and October 1983, and staying on the Billboard Hot 100 for 24 weeks. It also reached number 1 on Cash Box, as well as number 1 on the Billboard Dance Chart. `` The Safety Dance '' found similar success in other parts of the world, entering the UK charts in August and peaking at number 6 in early November, and entering the New Zealand charts in November, eventually peaking at number 2 in early 1984. Contents 1 Meaning of the song 2 Music video 3 Chart and certifications 3.1 Weekly charts 3.2 Year - end charts 3.3 Multi-year charts 3.4 Certifications 4 In popular culture 5 See also 6 References 7 External links Meaning of the song The writer / lead singer, Ivan Doroschuk, has explained that `` The Safety Dance '' is a protest against bouncers stopping dancers pogoing to 1980s new wave music in clubs when disco was dying and new wave was up and coming. New wave dancing, especially pogoing, was different from disco dancing, because it was done individually instead of with partners and involved holding the torso rigid and thrashing about. To uninformed bystanders this could look dangerous, especially if pogoers accidentally bounced into one another ( the more deliberately violent evolution of pogoing is slamdancing ). The bouncers did not like pogoing so they would tell pogoers to stop or be kicked out of the club. Thus, the song is a protest and a call for freedom of expression. In 2003, on an episode of VH1 's True Spin, Doroschuk responded to two common interpretations of the song. Firstly, he explained `` The Safety Dance '' is not a call for safe sex, and that this interpretation is `` people reading into it a bit too much. '' Secondly, he explained that it is not an anti-nuclear protest song per se despite the nuclear imagery at the end of the video. Doroschuk stated that `` it was n't a question of just being anti-nuclear, it was a question of being anti-establishment. '' Music video The music video for the song ( which uses the shorter single version ), directed by Tim Pope, is notable for its English folk revival imagery, featuring Morris dancers, Mummers, Punch and Judy and a maypole. It was filmed in the village of West Kington, in Wiltshire, England. Ivan Doroschuk is the only member of the band actually to perform in the video. Doroschuk, and others in the video, can be seen repeatedly forming an `` S '' sign by jerking both arms into a stiff pose, one arm in an upward curve and the other in a downward curve, apparently referring to the first letter in `` safety ''. The Morris dancers seen in the video were the Chippenham Town Morris Men, performing a dance called Monkton Park. The dwarf actor is Mike Edmonds, whose T - shirt in the video shows the Rhythm of Youth album cover. The identity of the young blonde woman dancing in the video remained unknown until 2013, when she was identified as Louise Court, a journalist who served as editor - in - chief at Cosmopolitan and became a director at Hearst Magazines UK in 2015. Chart and certifications Weekly charts Chart ( 1983 ) Peak position Australia ( Kent Music Report ) 5 Austria ( Ö3 Austria Top 40 ) 7 Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) 10 Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) 11 France ( IFOP ) 64 Germany ( Official German Charts ) Ireland ( IRMA ) Netherlands ( Dutch Top 40 ) 29 Netherlands ( Single Top 100 ) 23 New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) Norway ( VG - lista ) South Africa ( Springbok Radio ) Sweden ( Sverigetopplistan ) Switzerland ( Schweizer Hitparade ) UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) 6 US Billboard Hot 100 US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play US Billboard Top Tracks 21 US Cash Box Year - end charts Chart ( 1983 ) Position Australia ( Kent Music Report ) 23 Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) 77 South Africa ( Springbok Radio ) 11 US Billboard Hot 100 35 US Cash Box 15 Multi-year charts Chart Peak position Canada ( RPM Top 100 Cancon Tracks ( 1964 - 1996 ) ) 26 Certifications Region Certification Certified units / Sales Canada ( Music Canada ) Gold 50,000 United Kingdom ( BPI ) Silver 250,000 sales figures based on certification alone shipments figures based on certification alone In popular Culture In 1984, `` Weird Al '' Yankovic released a parody of `` The Safety Dance '' entitled `` The Brady Bunch '' on his album In 3 - D. In 2010, a Lipton iced tea commercial featuring Hugh Jackman included The Feeling 's version of the song playing in the background. The song is performed in `` Dream On '', season 1 episode 19 of the TV series Glee. In the episode, wheelchair user Artie ( Kevin McHale ) fantasizes about being able to dance and leading a flash mob performance of the song in a shopping mall. Ivan Doroschuk credited this version with `` reaching a whole other section of people '' to appreciate the song. The song was also featured in episode 2 of season 19 of South Park, `` Where My Country Gone ? '' In X-Men : Apocalypse, it was featured in a deleted scene. See also List of Cash Box Top 100 number - one singles of 1983 List of number - one dance singles of 1983 ( U.S. ) References Jump up ^ Politis, John ( 1983 ). `` Men Without Hats -- Rhythm of Youth ''. Voice of Youth Advocates : VOYA. Vol. 6. Scarecrow Press. p. 356. The single by Men Without Hats, `` The Safety Dance, '' may be the best new wave dance song since The B - 52 's `` Rock Lobster. '' Jump up ^ Platts, Robin. `` Men Without Hats -- Greatest Hats ''. AllMusic. Retrieved June 18, 2014. Jump up ^ Sperounes, Sandra ( May 12, 2011 ). `` Good dance tunes do n't die ''. Archived from the original on August 3, 2011... Edmonton Journal. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits ( 8th ed. ). Billboard Publications. ^ Jump up to : Doroschuk, Ivan ( November 3, 2012 ). `` You Can Dance If You Want To : A Conversation with Ivan Doroschuk ''. Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict ( Interview ). Interviewed by Sam Tweedle. Archived from the original on March 24, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2016. Jump up ^ Karec. `` True Meaning of the Safety Dance ''. Veoh. FC2. Jump up ^ Hynes, Jim. `` Past Interviews ''. Menwithouthats.com. Retrieved July 22, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Safety Dance was filmed in West Kington, Wiltshire, Near Bath, England ''. Facebook. January 16, 2011. Retrieved November 26, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Mini Jester in `` The Safety Dance '' : ' Memba Him ? ``. TMZ. August 11, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2015. Jump up ^ Wuench, Kevin ( January 15, 2015 ). `` Can you name the THIRD biggest hit for Men Without Hats ? Here it is ''. Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2015. Jump up ^ Connelly, Tony ( July 2, 2015 ). `` Farrah Storr becomes new Cosmopolitan editor as Hearst Magazines UK makes changes to senior editorial team ''. The Drum. Retrieved March 24, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Forum -- ARIA Charts : Special Occasion Charts -- CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989 ''. Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 22, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Austriancharts.at -- Men Without Hats -- The Safety Dance '' ( in German ). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved July 22, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Ultratop.be -- Men Without Hats -- The Safety Dance '' ( in Dutch ). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 22, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Top RPM Singles : Issue 6269. '' RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 2, 2013. Jump up ^ `` InfoDisc : Tous les Titres par Artiste '' ( in French ). InfoDisc. Select `` Men Without Hats '' from the artist drop - down menu. Retrieved June 21, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Offiziellecharts.de -- Men Without Hats -- The Safety Dance ''. GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 22, 2013. Jump up ^ `` The Irish Charts -- Search Results -- The Safety Dance ''. Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 22, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Nederlandse Top 40 -- Men Without Hats - The Safety Dance '' ( in Dutch ). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 22, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Dutchcharts.nl -- Men Without Hats -- The Safety Dance '' ( in Dutch ). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 22, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Charts.nz -- Men Without Hats -- The Safety Dance ''. Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 22, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Norwegiancharts.com -- Men Without Hats -- The Safety Dance ''. VG - lista. Retrieved July 22, 2013. Jump up ^ `` South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 -- 1989 Acts ( M ) ''. Rock.co.za. Retrieved July 22, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Swedishcharts.com -- Men Without Hats -- The Safety Dance ''. Singles Top 100. Retrieved July 22, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Swisscharts.com -- Men Without Hats -- The Safety Dance ''. Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 22, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Official Singles Chart Top 100 ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 22, 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` Rhythm of Youth -- Awards ''. AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved June 2, 2013. Jump up ^ `` CASH BOX Top 100 Singles -- Week ending OCTOBER 1, 1983 ''. Cash Box. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Forum -- ARIA Charts : Special Occasion Charts -- Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts -- 1980s ''. Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 18, 2014. Jump up ^ `` The Top Singles of 1983 ''. RPM. Vol. 39 no. 17. Library and Archives Canada. December 24, 1983. Retrieved June 18, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Top 20 Hit Singles of 1983 ''. Rock.co.za. Retrieved June 18, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 Hits for 1983 ''. The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved June 18, 2014. Jump up ^ `` The CASH BOX Year - End Charts : 1983 ''. Cash Box. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 Cancon Tracks 1964 -- 1996 ''. RPM. Vol. 63 no. 19. Library and Archives Canada. June 24, 1996. Retrieved June 21, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Canadian single certifications -- Men Without Hats -- Safety Dance ''. Music Canada. Jump up ^ `` British single certifications -- Men Without Hats -- Safety Dance ''. British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Enter Safety Dance in the search field and then press Enter. Jump up ^ Schuck, Ray ( 2012 ). Do You Believe in Rock and Roll ?. McFarland. p. 166. Retrieved January 25, 2018. Jump up ^ Sweney, Mark ( March 18, 2010 ). `` Hugh Jackman steps in for Lipton ads ''. The Guardian. Retrieved June 18, 2014. Jump up ^ `` ' Glee ' : 25 Best Performances ''. Entertainment Weekly. March 18, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2016. Jump up ^ Parker, Ryan ( September 24, 2015 ). `` South Park takes on Caitlyn Jenner 's Car Crash and Donald Trump ''. Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2015. Jump up ^ Diaz, Eric ( September 12, 2016 ). `` X-Men : Apocalypse 's Deleted Scene Takes a Very ' 80s Trip to the Mall ''. Nerdist. Retrieved November 24, 2017. Jump up ^ Polo, Susana ( September 12, 2016 ). `` Watch the mutant mall montage that did n't make it into X-Men : Apocalypse ''. Polygon. Retrieved November 24, 2017. Jump up ^ Peters, Megan ( November 23, 2017 ). `` Original ' Thor ' Director Comments on ' Thor : Ragnarok ' ''. ComicBook. Retrieved November 24, 2017. Jump up ^ Barsanti, Sam ( September 13, 2017 ). `` X-Men : Apocalypse 's deleted mall scene is totally tubular ''. ComicBook. Retrieved November 24, 2017. External links Men Without Hats -- Official Site Ivan Doroschuk explains meaning behind song Website of dancers who appear in the video Men Without Hats Ivan Doroschuk Louise ( Lou ) Dawson Rachel Ashmore Sho Murray Jérémie Arrobas Colin Doroschuk Stefan Doroschuk Michel Langevin John Kastner Roman Martyn Félix Matte Allan McCarthy James Love Lysanne Thibodeau Lenny Pinkas Albums Rhythm of Youth ( 1982 ) Folk of the 80s ( Part III ) ( 1984 ) Pop Goes the World ( 1987 ) The Adventures of Women & Men Without Hate in the 21st Century ( 1989 ) Sideways ( 1991 ) No Hats Beyond This Point ( 2003 ) Love in the Age of War ( 2012 ) EPs Folk of the 80 's ( 1980 ) Freeways ( 1985 ) Compilations Collection / Greatest Hats ( 1996 ) The Very Best of Men Without Hats ( 1998 ) My Hats Collection / The Silver Collection ( 2006 / 2008 ) Singles `` Antarctica '' ( 1982 ) `` I Like '' ( 1983 ) `` The Safety Dance '' ( 1983 ) `` I Got the Message '' ( 1983 ) `` Living in China '' ( 1983 ) `` Where Do the Boys Go ? '' ( 1984 ) `` Messiahs Die Young '' ( 1984 ) `` Nationale 7 '' ( 1985 ) `` Pop Goes the World '' ( 1987 ) `` Moonbeam '' ( 1987 ) `` O Sole Mio '' ( 1987 ) `` Hey Men '' ( 1989 ) `` In the 21st Century '' ( 1989 ) `` Here Come the ' 90s '' ( 1990 ) `` Sideways '' ( 1991 ) `` Kenbarbielove '' ( 1991 ) `` In the Meadow '' ( 1992 ) `` Head Above Water '' ( 2012 ) DVDs Live Hats ( 2006 ) Related articles The Spell Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Safety_Dance&oldid=855484057 '' Categories : 1982 songs 1983 singles Billboard Dance Club Songs number - one singles Men Without Hats songs Music videos directed by Tim Pope Number - one singles in South Africa Songs about dancing Novelty and fad dances Virgin Records singles Hidden categories : CS1 French - language sources ( fr ) Use mdy dates from February 2018 Articles with hAudio microformats Singlechart usages for Austria Singlechart usages for Flanders Singlechart usages for Canadatopsingles Singlechart called without artist Singlechart called without song Singlechart usages for Germany2 Singlechart usages for Ireland2 Singlechart usages for Dutch40 Singlechart usages for Dutch100 Singlechart usages for New Zealand Singlechart usages for Norway Singlechart usages for Sweden Singlechart usages for Switzerland Singlechart usages for UK Certification Table Entry usages for Canada Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Français Italiano Edit links This page was last edited on 18 August 2018, at 17 : 07 ( UTC ). 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Question: who sings we can dance if we want to
Answer: Men Without Hats