# 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:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/21 "2017-11-26T23:15:53Z")
…Carlos Santana ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/22 "2017-11-26T23:29:10Z")
If you like “Let’s Dance”, you might also like [“Methods of Dance”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuiRBLa7pdA) by Japan. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/23 "2017-11-26T23:49:15Z")
…Joe Walsh ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2017, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/24 "2017-11-27T13:00:34Z")
Not my favorite when just sitting around and listening but the memory of the Serious Moonlight concert I went to and the vision of him in his sherbet colored suit, doing his Bowie moves, is priceless and enough to make stop and listen. I remember buying red boots to wear to the show. RIP ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2017, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/25 "2017-11-27T13:13:53Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > 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. Ah, the bitterness of the “true artiste” who accidentally makes a good song that everyone likes. Heavens they write popular stuff. Oh my! Must be something wrong with it if people actually like it in large numbers. See Neil Young, Harvest. Sorry to the both of you, but we’ll just keep liking them. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2017, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/26 "2017-11-27T15:05:03Z")
The whole Let’s Dance album is a wonderful little jewel of a diversion for Bowie. It’s as if Iggy Pop dared him to make a funk album, so he did. (not far from the truth :)) Not sure of the production crew behind it, but it is also masterfully clean and separated, there’s not a single instrument that you can’t pick out and groove to. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2017, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/27 "2017-11-27T15:35:55Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > The whole Let’s Dance album is a wonderful little jewel of a diversion for Bowie. It’s as if Iggy Pop dared him to make a funk album, so he did. (not far from the truth :)) **Not sure of the production crew behind it** , but it is also masterfully clean and separated, there’s not a single instrument that you can’t pick out and groove to. It was produced by Nile Rodgers - arguably the best-known album produced by him. It’s a big part of why Rodgers is in the Rock and Roll HOF. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2017, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/28 "2017-11-27T16:44:18Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > The whole Let’s Dance album is a wonderful little jewel of a diversion for Bowie. It’s as if Iggy Pop dared him to make a funk album, so he did. (not far from the truth :)) Not sure of the production crew behind it, but it is also masterfully clean and separated, there’s not a single instrument that you can’t pick out and groove to. ? Young Americans is much more of a funk album, IMO. Let’s Dance is…alright. I’m happy he got a lot of money for it, but most of the tracks I’ve just heard on the radio so much that they don’t move me anymore. I still like some of the not-singles (plus Cat People, which is always awesome). ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2017, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/29 "2017-11-27T20:27:50Z")
[quote=“bobot, post:16, topic:802644”] Speaking of Nile Rodgers, this thread comes full circle. Here’s an unpolished studio outtake of Let’s Dance. [/QUOTE] SRV considered going on tour with Bowie in support of this album. The whole rehearsal is available out there, but [Let’s Dance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEn3BPsXTbU) gives us a hint of what that would have been like. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2017, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/30 "2017-11-27T20:45:07Z")
For those who really hate “Let’s Dance”, [“Louie, Louie” by Les Dantz and His Orchestra](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G--2l6E20R8&app=desktop). ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2017, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/31 "2017-11-27T22:07:22Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > … Mark Knopfler… This. Even when someone is covering one of his bits you can tell which is the real thing. It’s like his soul gets vocalized in a way that defies replication. Same with Gilmour–I once picked him out of a Berlin song I was only half listening to. As for _Let’s Dance_: I tried to like it out of duty to a master. It’s artsy in places, but it has that same uninspired pop feel like Elton John had when he was trying to be straight. It feels like an effort Bowie felt like he had to make for some reason, as opposed to something OF him like _Ziggy Stardust_. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/32 "2017-11-28T01:20:00Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > … Mark Knopfler… > [@B-Rad](#): > > This. Even when someone is covering one of his bits you can tell which is the real thing. It’s like his soul gets vocalized in a way that defies replication. Same with Gilmour–I once picked him out of a Berlin song I was only half listening to. > _snipped_ Thirded. I’d add Dickey Betts and Duane Allman to the list. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/33 "2017-11-28T01:50:20Z")
I like the song, especially the version from the Glass Spider Tour where Peter Frampton just smokes the guitar solo. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/34 "2017-11-28T03:00:15Z")
“Let’s Dance” always rubbed me wrong, just went against my grain. Not even my hero SRV could save it for me. “China Girl”, OTOH, I still listen to semi-regularly. Even that stupid ‘Chinese’ piece played at the beginning doesn’t taint it, and the rest of the song almost goes back and makes the intro cool by association. Love Bowie’s vocals. I’ve never fully deciphered the lyrics, but they’re evocative and mysterious to me. Stevie turns in some wonderful work. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/35 "2017-11-28T03:24:43Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > 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. I agree. Those of you who don’t like it or don’t think it’s danceable, take a look at the [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=619kF0Y7zE4)with Tina Turner and Bowie. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/36 "2017-11-28T14:13:25Z")
_Let’s Dance_ was released exactly when I was starting to pay closer attention to music, by which I mean I didn’t just “like tunes” but tried to remember artists’ names, videos etc. I distinctly recall the VJ mentionning that it was the first single after a long hiatus by legendary singer **David Bowie**. I had no idea who he was but that introduction got my attention and I made sure to consign the name to my memory. I liked the song all right but I didn’t really see anything about it that could be called legendary. It took me a couple more years before I realized that Bowie was the same guy who sang those [two](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eszZfu_1JM0) [songs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMThz7eQ6K0) that freaked me out back when I was 4 or 5. I had a hard time reconciling the nice pop song with those weird, scary but fascinating visions. To this day, I don’t care much for _Let’s Dance_. It’s ok, but far, far from my favourite Bowie song and I’ve heard way too much. The earlier stuff still tickles my fancy almost 40 years later, however. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/37 "2017-11-28T14:26:28Z")
> [@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. Kenny Wayne Shepherd did a pretty spot-on SRV impression when he was still young and had not yet developed his own sound. There are still SRV-esque passages in his playing even today, but it’s much less obvious than it was on his first couple of albums when he was still under 20. ---
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644/38 "2017-11-29T07:01:11Z")
“Let’s Dance” is a great album. I like the song, too. However, I like “Modern Love” and “China Girl” much more. In fact, “Modern Love” is one of my all-time pop favorites. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-dance/802644.md?page=1)