"Dance Hall Days" is a song by the English new wave band Wang Chung. It was released as a single in 1982 when the band was called Huang Chung, and re-recorded and released in 1983 for their second studio album, Points on the Curve (1984).
It was the band's only single to enter the top 40 in the United Kingdom, peaking at No. 21. In the United States, it reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Billboard Dance/Disco Top 80.
Music videos Two different music videos were made to promote the single. The first version of the video, directed by Derek Jarman, is a collection of home movies with the majority of the archive footage consisting of Billy Rose's Aquacade at the 1939 New York World’s Fair (a stage-and-water revue with swimmers and fountains), and other World War II-era material. The footage is courtesy of the director's father, who was one of the first people to use a colour home movie camera. The toddler in the home movie footage is the director himself as a child.
The home movies are interspersed amid footage of Jack, Nick, and Darren, lip-synching and playing the violin. The band are dressed up as characters from The Wizard of Oz at the end of the video, with Jack Hues as the Tin Man, Nick Feldman as the Scarecrow, and Darren Costin as the Cowardly Lion.
The second version of the video is a fantasy concept set in the 1940s, the heyday of dance halls. The video begins in black and white, with Jack Hues stopping in front of a closed-down hall, setting down the suitcase he carries, and picking up a flyer. The scene shifts to colour, featuring the band performing in the packed hall with the backing of a big band as couples dance.
Later, a disco ball descends to the floor and breaks open, allowing a mirror-covered dancer to emerge. The video ends in black and white, with Hues walking past the hall and down the street; he leaves his suitcase behind, but it sprouts legs and hurries off after him.
The second video was nominated for Best New Artist at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, losing to "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by Eurythmics.
Track listings
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (1984) Peakposition Australia (Kent Music Report) 7 Canada Retail Singles (The Record) 6 Europe (European Hot 100 Singles) 17 France (IFOP) 25Italy (Musica e dischi) 2 US Billboard Hot 100 16 US Dance/Disco Top 80 (Billboard) 1 US Rock Top Tracks (Billboard) 24 US Cash Box 17
Year-end charts Chart (1984) Rank Australia (Kent Music Report) 65 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) 53 Canada Top Singles (RPM) 65 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 85 US Billboard Hot 100 74 US Dance/Disco Club Play (Billboard) 22 West Germany (Media Control) 41
Certifications
See also List of Billboard number-one dance singles of 1984
References
External links