# Let's Dance **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 25, 2017, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644 "2017-11-25T04:32:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/1 "2017-11-25T04:32:30Z")
Great Bowie song or no? Obviously it doesn’t match up with Diamond Dogs, but as a post-Bowie Bowie song, it’s really great, Isn’t that Stevie Ray on the outtro? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/2 "2017-11-25T05:59:31Z")
I really like it. It’s one of my favorites of his, and despite its relatively heavy radio airplay I’ll always listen to it. I admit I don’t like much of Bowie’s early stuff. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/3 "2017-11-25T11:50:07Z")
Too be clear: I love David Bowie. I do, however, have a nit to pick with this song: it’s name is “Let’s Dance” but you can’t really dance to it. Frosts my flakes a bit. Modern Love off the same album is so much easier to dance to - I can get my 80’s White Guy bob n’ kick dance groove on 😉 ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/4 "2017-11-25T12:58:55Z")
As a teenager I discovered through MTV that this Bowie dude from the radio had something that connected with me, but I couldn’t identify it. Years later I figured it out. It was that particular record, and that particular guest guitarist- Stevie Ray Vaughan. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/5 "2017-11-25T22:38:42Z")
Ugh. I like Bowie, but \*Let’s Dance \*is dour, unpleasant early-80’s synth pop. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/6 "2017-11-25T22:51:07Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Ugh. I like Bowie, but \*Let’s Dance \*is dour, unpleasant early-80’s synth pop. This. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/7 "2017-11-25T23:19:30Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > As a teenager I discovered through MTV that this Bowie dude from the radio had something that connected with me, but I couldn’t identify it. Years later I figured it out. It was that particular record, and that particular guest guitarist- Stevie Ray Vaughan. Yep. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/8 "2017-11-25T23:26:37Z")
Until I looked it up after starting this thread, I wasn’t 100% sure that was SRV on the solo, but I was _almost_ certain. It’s so amazing to me that guitarists, their fingers and their rigs have “voices” that you immediately recognize. Nobody else sounds quite like that on the guitar. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/9 "2017-11-25T23:31:59Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Until I looked it up after starting this thread, I wasn’t 100% sure that was SRV on the solo, but I was _almost_ certain. It’s so amazing to me that guitarists, their fingers and their rigs have “voices” that you immediately recognize. Nobody else sounds quite like that on the guitar. Listen again to the guitars, especially the solo in China Girl. Even the very beginning of Modern Love. I’ve always wonderd about that song, and if it ever had a guitar solo instead of a sax solo. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/10 "2017-11-26T00:15:48Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Nobody else sounds quite like that on the guitar. Nope. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/11 "2017-11-26T00:39:18Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Nope. ☹ It’s also interesting to note that so many guitar players sound _the same_, especially within their genres. Here’s a short list of guitarists I can readily identify: Slash David Gilmour Dimebag Keith Richards Eddie Van Halen Yngwie Malmsteen Steve Vai Stevie Ray Hendrix Clapton Satriani Angus Young Eric Johnson Jimmy Page I’m running out of ideas here… ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/12 "2017-11-26T01:03:27Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Here’s a short list of guitarists I can readily identify: > . . . > I’m running out of ideas here… Richard Thompson… Jorma Kaukonen…Ry Cooder…Tom Verlaine…Jeff Beck… ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/13 "2017-11-26T07:29:45Z")
… Mark Knopfler… ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/14 "2017-11-26T07:33:18Z")
…Brian May… ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/15 "2017-11-26T11:11:33Z")
Nile Rodgers Jimmy “Chank” Nolen of James Brown’s band. Michael Hedges Joe Pass So many. The whole point to the instrument is to find your own voice. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/16 "2017-11-26T15:27:52Z")
Speaking of Nile Rodgers, this thread comes full circle. Here’s an unpolished studio outtake of Let’s Dance. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEn3BPsXTbU) ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/17 "2017-11-26T15:36:03Z")
Bowie himself didn’t like his music of that time. He referred to them as his “Phil Collins years”, where he tried to gain a new mainstream audience. Article: [https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/david-bowie-how-the-outsiders-outsider-proved-himself-far-braver-than-the-rock-n-roll-mainstream-a6806791.html](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/david-bowie-how-the-outsiders-outsider-proved-himself-far-braver-than-the-rock-n-roll-mainstream-a6806791.html) ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/18 "2017-11-26T17:11:52Z")
First time I heard it, I got chills down my spine and hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Time has settled it down, but only a little. LOVE IT. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/19 "2017-11-26T17:55:16Z")
I have mixed feelings about the song. I can remember my youthful, MTV-gorging self rolling my eyes and reaching to change the channel when the video came on for what had to be the hundredth time that day. On the other hand, I’ve gotten to the age where almost anything that transports me back to those simpler times for a healthy dose of nostalgia is fairly welcome. It’s not a bad song, I guess. But it’s not among the handful of David Bowie songs that I have added to my collection, and I don’t imagine that’s particularly likely to change. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/20 "2017-11-26T22:26:36Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I do, however, have a nit to pick with this song: it’s name is “Let’s Dance” but you can’t really dance to it. Tell that to the 5 000 people around me dancing to it when Chic played it (in an arrangement that, other than the voice, was pretty much indistinguishable from the original) at a festival I was at! I’ve literally never seen so many people dancing (as opposed to just standing watching) to a set as that one. It’s always a floor filler at any disco I’ve been to, irrespective of what other tastes the dancers might have. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644.md?page=2)