The Politics of Dancing (song)
Encyclopedia
"The Politics of Dancing" is a hit song by the British
New Wave
/synthpop
band Re-Flex
, released in 1983 (see 1983 in music
). It is the title track of their only released album in the 1980s. There were 12" extended versions of the song released, as well as the 7" single and the album version. The Capitol Records (U.S.) 12" extended version notably became the first such instance of a UK band to top the American dance charts.
It became the biggest hit of their career, peaking at number twenty-eight in the United Kingdom
and number twenty-four in the United States
. It also peaked at number eight on the U.S. dance chart. The band managed to chart two more singles in the UK, but only managed to get one more single in the US. This song remains their signature song
.
In 1994, the full-length version of the track was included on the first-time release of the album on CD, on the One Way Records label. As of September 2010, the album -- and the full length version of the track -- were remastered and released, alone and as part of a 6-disc box set of the band's cumulative work during that era, entitled Re-Fuse.
The song also currently appears in Grand Theft Auto IV's
fictional radio station Vice City FM.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
/synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
band Re-Flex
Re-Flex
Re-Flex were a British New Wave/synthpop band active from 1981 to 1985. They are most often recognized for their hit, "The Politics of Dancing", the title track from their debut LP, as well as the singles "Hurt", "Hitline", "Couldn't Stand A Day", "Praying to the Beat", and...
, released in 1983 (see 1983 in music
1983 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1983.-January-April:*January – ZTT Records is founded.*January 8 – The UK singles chart is tabulated from this week forward by The Gallup Organization...
). It is the title track of their only released album in the 1980s. There were 12" extended versions of the song released, as well as the 7" single and the album version. The Capitol Records (U.S.) 12" extended version notably became the first such instance of a UK band to top the American dance charts.
It became the biggest hit of their career, peaking at number twenty-eight in the United Kingdom
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and number twenty-four in the United States
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. It also peaked at number eight on the U.S. dance chart. The band managed to chart two more singles in the UK, but only managed to get one more single in the US. This song remains their signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
.
In 1994, the full-length version of the track was included on the first-time release of the album on CD, on the One Way Records label. As of September 2010, the album -- and the full length version of the track -- were remastered and released, alone and as part of a 6-disc box set of the band's cumulative work during that era, entitled Re-Fuse.
The song also currently appears in Grand Theft Auto IV's
Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 open world action video game published by Rockstar Games, and developed by British games developer Rockstar North. It has been released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and for the Windows operating system...
fictional radio station Vice City FM.