"Dance Stance" is the first single by Dexys Midnight Runners. Written by frontman

Kevin Rowland Kevin Rowland (born 17 August 1953) is a British singer and musician best known as the frontman for the pop band Dexys Midnight Runners (currently called ''Dexys''). The band had several hits in the early 1980s, the most notable being "Geno" an ...

, The song was released in 1979 on the independent label Oddball Records. It reached #40 on the UK Singles Chart in early 1980. The song addresses

anti-Irish sentiment Anti-Irish sentiment includes oppression, persecution, discrimination, or hatred of Irish people as an ethnic group or a nation. It can be directed against the island of Ireland in general, or directed against Irish emigrants and their descendan ...

that had become prevalent during the ongoing troubles in Northern Ireland, with Rowland himself being of Irish parentage. It references a range of Irish playwrights and writers including

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

Brendan Behan Brendan Francis Aidan Behan (christened Francis Behan) ( ; ga, Breandán Ó Beacháin; 9 February 1923 – 20 March 1964) was an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist, playwright, and Irish Republican activist who wrote in both English an ...

, Seán O'Casey,

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic expe ...

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of realism, earlier ...

, Edna O’Brien and Laurence Sterne. The angry delivery of the lyrics reflect the punk sensibility of the time, although the style of the music is more the soul/Northern soul style from which the band's name is derived (the name is a reference to drug-fuelled dancing in the all-nighters which were a feature of the Northern soul scene). ''Dance Stance'' was performed by Rowland (vocals, credited as 'Carlo Rolan'), Kevin "Al" Archer (vocals, guitar), "Big" Jim Paterson (trombone), Geoff "JB" Blythe (saxophone), Steve "Babyface" Spooner (alto saxophone), Pete Saunders (keyboard), Pete Williams (bass) and Bobby "Jnr" Ward (drums). A re-recorded version appeared on the band's debut album, ''

Searching for the Young Soul Rebels ''Searching for the Young Soul Rebels'' is the debut studio album by English pop group Dexys Midnight Runners, released on 11 July 1980, through Parlophone and EMI Records. Led by Kevin Rowland, the group formed in 1978 in Birmingham, England, and ...

'', under the original working title "Burn It Down".

Personnel

*Kevin Rowland (as 'Carlo Rolan'): Vocals *Al Archer: Rhythm Guitar/Vocals * Pete Williams: Bass/Vocals *J.B.: Tenor Sax *Big Jim Paterson: Trombone *Steve Spooner: Alto Sax *Pete Saunders: Piano/Organ *Bobby Junior: Drums

References

Dexys Midnight Runners songs 1979 singles Songs written by Kevin Rowland 1979 songs List songs {{1970s-pop-song-stub