She Wants to Dance with Me

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"She Wants to Dance with Me"
Single by Rick Astley
from the album Hold Me in Your Arms
Released12 September 1988 (1988-09-12)
Recorded1988
Genre
Length3:24
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)Rick Astley
Producer(s)
Rick Astley singles chronology
"It Would Take a Strong Strong Man"
(1988) 		"She Wants to Dance with Me"
(1988) 		"Take Me to Your Heart"
(1988)
Audio sample
Alternative cover
Music video
"She Wants to Dance with Me" on YouTube

"She Wants to Dance with Me" is a song written and recorded by English singer-songwriter Rick Astley, released as the lead single from his second studio album, Hold Me in Your Arms (1988). The song was released in United Kingdom on September 12, 1988 by RCA, and became an international success, peaking in the top ten in many countries, including Canada, where it topped the chart, and the US and the UK, where it reached number six. In 2019, Astley recorded and released a "reimagined" version of the song for his album The Best of Me.[1]

Composition[edit]

Astley was given the go-ahead to compose the first single from his second album, after rejecting producers Stock Aitken Waterman's intended lead track, "Nothing Can Divide Us"—which was then given to Jason Donovan.[2][3] The singer composed the track in the style of Whitney Houston's hit, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" in an effort to win the confidence of Pete Waterman, who was a huge fan of Houston's song.[3]

The original recording of this song is performed in the key of F# major in a moderate tempo of 117 beats per minute. The song features simple synth riffs accompanied by a sparse drum machine pattern. The lyrics are about an unknown woman who is uninterested in "wild romance" and simply wants to dance with the narrator. "She Wants to Dance with Me" was Astley's first self-composed single that he released. Astley performed the song at the 1989 Grammy Awards, and he changed the lyrics to:

Now I know I've been out of touch, and I never meant to wear these clads oh so much (referencing his big suit look)

— Rick Astley at the 1989 Grammy Awards.[4]

Critical reception[edit]

A review in Pan-European magazine Music & Media presented the song like this: "Mr Disco with a simple but effective, self-written song".[5] Sarah Champion from NME said, "What a voice! What looks! What a man!"[6]

Chart performance[edit]

In the UK, "She Wants to Dance with Me" debuted at number 16 on 24 September 1988, and reached number six, its highest position, three weeks later; it fell off the chart after ten weeks.[7] In other European countries, the single was a major hit, culminating at number two in Finland and the Walloon region of Belgium,[8] number three in the Flanders region of Belgium,[9] number four in Denmark[10] and Ireland,[11] and number five in Spain.[12] It was also a top ten hit in Italy and the Netherlands where it attained number seven and eight, respectively,[13][14] while in West Germany, it started at number 35 on 3 October 1988, climbed straight to a peak of number ten, a position it reached a second time three weeks later, and eventually spent 17 weeks on the chart.[15] In addition, it rose to number 12 in Sweden and Switzerland,[16][17] and number 16 in Iceland.[18] On the Eurochart Hot 100 singles chart established by the Music & Media magazine, it entered at number 57 on 1 October 1988, attained number seven in its fifth week,[19] and charted for a total of 14 weeks; it featured for eight weeks on the European Airplay Top 50, two of them spent at number six.[20]

"She Wants to Dance with Me" was also successful in North America. In the US, it peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, thus becoming Astley's consecutive fourth top ten hit there, and at number 13 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. The single was also Astley's fourth and final number one hit in Canada, where it kicked off Paula Abdul's "Straight Up", and stayed at number one for two weeks. In Australia, it charted for 15 weeks in the top 50, and hit number 15 in its third week on the chart.[21] In New Zeland, it remained for ten weeks in the top 50 and achieved number ten.[22]

Music video[edit]

Celebrating the announcement of the Hold Me in Your Arms remastered edition studio album, the music video has been upgraded to 4K as of 29 March 2023.[23][24] The single was also reissued as a digital EP on the same day, which also includes the "reimagined" version from Astley's compilation album The Best of Me.[25]

Track listing[edit]

  • 7" single
  1. "She Wants to Dance with Me" – 3:24
  2. "She Wants to Dance with Me" (instrumental) – 4:03
  • 7" (USA) and mini CD single
  1. "She Wants to Dance with Me" (Watermix) – 3:14
  2. "She Wants to Dance with Me" (instrumental) – 4:03
  • 12" maxi, CD and maxi cassette single
  1. "She Wants to Dance with Me" (extended mix) – 7:14
  2. "It Would Take a Strong Strong Man" (Matt's Jazzy Guitar mix) – 7:46
  3. "She Wants to Dance with Me" (instrumental) – 4:03
  • 12" single – Night & Day Remixes
  1. "She Wants to Dance with Me" (Bordering on a Collie mix) – 6:04
  2. "She Wants to Dance with Me" (remix) – 5:42
  • 12" promo
  1. "She Wants to Dance with Me" (Bordering on a Collie mix) – 6:05
  2. "She Wants to Dance with Me" (album version) – 3:42
  • Digital EP
  1. "She Wants to Dance with Me" (2023 remaster) – 3:18
  2. "She Wants to Dance with Me" (reimagined) – 3:20
  3. "She Wants to Dance with Me" (US remix) – 5:43
  4. "She Wants to Dance with Me" (Dave Ford remix) – 5:04

Personnel[edit]

  • Rick Astley – lead vocals
  • Ian Curnow – keyboards, Fairlight programming
  • Robert Ahwai – guitars
  • Phil Todd – saxophone
  • Shirley Lewis – backing vocals
  • Mae McKenna – backing vocals
  • Leroy Osborne – backing vocals
  • Mike Stock – backing vocals

Charts[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Brungardt, Leah (12 November 2019). "An Interview with 'Never Gonna Give You Up' Singer Rick Astley on His Iconic Hit Song, His Newest Album and Much More!". All Access Music. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  2. ^ "A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman: Ep 36: The Loco-Motion to Turn It Into Love on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  3. ^ a b "A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman: Ep 39: Success to S.S. Paparazzi on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Discography - She Wants To Dance With Me". Rick Astley. Retrieved 15 May 2010.
  5. ^ "Previews – Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 41. 8 October 1988. p. 25. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 15 August 2023 – via World Radio History.
  6. ^ Champion, Sarah (17 September 1988). "Singles". NME. p. 13. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Rick Astley: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  8. ^ a b c "Top 3 Singles in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 43. 22 October 1988. p. 26. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 15 August 2023 – via World Radio History.
  9. ^ a b "Rick Astley – She Wants to Dance With Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  10. ^ a b Danish Singles Chart 14 October 1988
  11. ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – She Wants to Dance With Me". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  12. ^ a b Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  13. ^ a b "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 29 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Rick Astley".
  14. ^ a b "Rick Astley – She Wants to Dance With Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  15. ^ a b "Offiziellecharts.de – Rick Astley – She Wants to Dance with Me" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Rick Astley – She Wants to Dance With Me". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  17. ^ a b "Rick Astley – She Wants to Dance With Me". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Rick Astley Chart History". RÚV. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  19. ^ a b "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 44. 29 October 1989. p. 24-25. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 15 August 2023 – via World Radio History.
  20. ^ a b "European Airplay Top 50" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 45. 5 November 1988. p. 29. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 15 August 2023 – via World Radio History.
  21. ^ a b "Rick Astley – She Wants to Dance With Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  22. ^ a b "Rick Astley – She Wants to Dance With Me". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  23. ^ "Rick Astley - She Wants To Dance With Me (Official Video) [Remastered in 4K]". YouTube. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  24. ^ To celebrate the 2023 remaster of 'Hold Me In Your Arms' the video for the album's first single, 'She Wants To Dance With Me', has been remastered in 4k! Watch and share - Team Rick, retrieved 30 March 2023
  25. ^ She Wants to Dance with Me - Single, retrieved 30 March 2023
  26. ^ "Top Ten Hit Parade". La Revista Otra (in Spanish) (65–67, 69–75). Guayaquil, Ecuador: Editorial Umiña de Ecuador: 457. 1989.
  27. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Rick Astley". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 21. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  28. ^ "Top Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 8 October 1988. p. 17. Retrieved 28 August 2023 – via World Radio History.
  29. ^ "Ultratop: Jaaroverzichten 1988". Ultratop. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  30. ^ "1988 Year End Eurocharts" (PDF). Music & Media. 1 January 1988. p. 30. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  31. ^ "Top Singles - Volume 51, No. 8, December 23, 1989". RPM. 23 December 1999. Archived from the original on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  32. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1989". Archived from the original on 17 January 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
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