What made 80s rock succeed in embracing the dance floor after the failure to do so by 70s rock ?

The Twelve Inch 122 : "Dancing In The Dark" (Bruce Springsteen)

Welcome, I’m Pe Dupre and this is “The Twelve Inch”, a newsletter that tells the history of dance music between 1975 and 1995, one twelve inch at a time.

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Introduction: Crate Digging Memories

During the eighties, when I was crate-digging in the twelve-inch section of record stores in Antwerp, I was always immediately interested if I found a twelve-inch of a rock or pop artist/band. Most of these records were remixed by one of the big remixers and contained dub versions apart from the dance mix. Incorporating all the elements of the original song into a dance remix is like combining two different worlds. No wonder most of them can be considered the finest work of the remixers. I loved them.

Why Did Rock Artists Embrace Dance Remixes in the 80s?

The question I always asked myself is why a lot of rock artists in the eighties suddenly decided to release dance remixes of their new releases when most rock artists who went disco at the end of the seventies ended up hurt and bruised? (read more on this in episode 113 about “I Can Dream About You” (Dan Hartman).

The Post-Disco Musical Landscape

At the end of the seventies and after the disco backlash, there was a resurgence of rock music, particularly with the rise of punk rock, new wave, and the beginnings of heavy metal’s popularity. These genres offered a raw, energetic alternative to disco’s polished sound. Clubs were diversifying their sound and incorporating rock-oriented bands & songs into their playlists. Although there was a visible trend towards rock and its various subgenres replacing disco in clubs, the reality was more of a blending and evolution of musical styles rather than a complete replacement.

The Rise of Synth-Pop and Electronic Music

This was helped by the emergence of synth-pop and electronic music in the early eighties, which began to coexist with—and eventually replace both disco and traditional rock music in many clubs. Bands like Duran Duran, INXS, Eurythmics, The B-52's, Depeche Mode, and New Order fused dance and rock in some manner. They may have relied on keyboards and drum machines or used the standard guitar-bass-drums format of most rock bands, but they were performing many songs in a way that was perfectly primed for the dancefloor, with simple, heavily repetitive choruses or hooks, more reliance on the low end than usual (sometimes even leaving the guitars in the background), and a habit of releasing 12" singles with danceable remixes.

a good example

The Economic Incentive of Dance Remixes

There was also an economic incentive. Disco changed not only the club life but also the way records were marketed. Radio was no longer the sole platform to break a record and make it into a hit. Clubs were able to break records as well, sometimes even without radio airplay. Clubs did not go away. People did not stop going out after the disco backlash of '79. Club play remained important to reach a broad audience.

The Standardization of Dance Remixes

The dance remix/twelve-inch already had become currency for electronic and pop-adjacent bands, and it would become standard for a record’s release plan for all other artists/bands. It was a harbinger of the way rock, pop, soul, and dance would intermingle in the mid-'80s, a melding of genres that widened the horizon for artists and music fans.

The Remix Revolution: Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark"

When Bruce Springsteen got ready for the release of his 1984 album “Born In The USA,” he had close to 100 songs to choose from. His manager, Jon Landau, was not really impressed. He thought the coming album still missed the necessary hit and urged Bruce Springsteen that the album needed a single. Bruce wrote “Dancing In The Dark” in a “single” night (pun intended) and removed the last barrier for release. “I finally stopped doing my hesitation shuffle,” he confessed in his 2016 autobiography, Born to Run. In the spring of 1984, he signed off on the final song list and the label brass were invited to hear the finished product. They were blown away.

The Importance of "Born In The USA"

Bruce Springsteen & Jon Landau

“Born In The USA” was an important album for Bruce Springsteen. He had written hits for & with other artists (“Fire” for the Pointer Sisters, “Because The Night” for Patti Smith) but, apart from “Hungry Heart” in 1980, he hadn’t cracked the US top 10 himself. The pressure was high to deliver with this new album. The album was priority n°1 for CBS/Columbia. They worked out a 2-year marketing plan. For his part, Springsteen pitched in with an international tour and was also more willing to engage in other sales efforts than he had been previously. So while he hadn’t wanted any part of appearing in a video to support 1982’s Nebraska, he enlisted Brian DePalma and danced onstage with a then-unknown Courteney Cox in the video for “Dancing in the Dark” that MTV showed at the top of every hour.

The Arthur Baker Remix and Its Impact

When Columbia suggested enlisting a producer to create a 12” dance remix of “Dancing in the Dark,” Springsteen agreed and was given a list of names to choose from. The idea of something disco-adjacent was still, at this point, uncharted territory for an artist so deeply rooted in rock and roll, but it was absolutely a destination of choice and not a random decision on the part of the label to which the artist had no input.

Arthur Baker was chosen because of his work for Cyndi Lauper and because he was friends with Joe McEwen, who did A&R at Columbia. It was Joe who talked to Jon Landau about engaging Arthur for the remix. Jon & Bruce liked the Cyndi Lauper remix because it was adventurous enough without straining too far from the original. And that is exactly what Arthur did on “Dancing In The Dark.” The beat wasn’t changed, but the fact that the keyboard intro starts later gives the rhythm track the time to set the stage. And although Arthur Baker didn’t add his usual elements or change too much, his remix makes the song larger, which contrasts with the fact that the song is essentially about alienation and isolation. The engineer on the remix is Chris Lord-Alge, the king of “dynamic compression.” So, although the remix sounds larger, it is/was perfectly playable on radio as well. Mission accomplished.

The Remix Process and Impact

The remix was done in the Power Station studios and Bruce was present during the remixing. Arthur Baker explains: “Springsteen was great. He was just saying, “Oh, so what are you doing there?” And he was really interested. He had never given anyone a multitrack of his shit to go work on, without him being there, you know, so that was sort of fun for him. I mean, not many artists would come to the studio” Reading this story, I thought by myself : there is probably a second reason : to make sure nothing to groundbreaking would happen. I think Bruce was a little anxious about the result.

The twelve inch version was released when the single was already top 10. It would reach n°7 in the Billboard Club charts and it would become the best selling twelve inch of 1984. Arthur Baker would also do the two follow singles “Cover Me” and “Born In The USA”. He explain : “The Springsteen remixes I did, I’m really proud of because they were all three really different types of mixes and songs. And I think they all did what they were meant to do. Springsteen was happy with them. And they still sound good. I got death threats for ‘Dancing in the Dark’ on the radio, someone was like, “Someone should kill that guy!” on the radio on one of the rock stations like K-Rock or something. The guy said “Bruce can’t possibly know that this is happening”. But actually, Bruce was in the studio with me, he actually came to the session Bruce. We were in the studio and the lost power and the AC went off so Bruce just went out and bought the beer!”

The Legacy of "Born In The USA"

“Born In The USA” would become Bruce Springsteen's most successful album, selling 17 million copies in the US alone and spinning 7 top 10 hit singles. “Dancing In The Dark” would reach n°1 in multiple countries around the world. In the US HOT 100, it stayed at n°2 for 4 consecutive weeks. The n°1 was blocked by (first) “The Reflex” (Duran Duran) and (then) “When Doves Cry,” the first n°1 of Prince. After the first three singles of the album, there were no more remixes. The other 4 hit singles would be released on twelve-inch but would never receive a remix treatment. Bruce Springsteen would not issue remixes of any of his subsequent releases (with the exception of the dreadful “57 Channels,” remixed by Little Steven).

The End of an Era: Why Did Springsteen Stop?

The question is why? He was clearly pleased with the work of Arthur Baker. Part of the reason is the changing market. The possibility to make dance remixes seemed to vanish by the end of the eighties, and with it, the kind of broad acceptance and understanding of cross-genre pollination that made the presence of a Springsteen song on the dance chart feel different, sure, but also cool as hell. But once that horizon closed, even the very existence of the remixes as part of Springsteen’s history seemed to vanish. It is no surprise that the dance remixes of the 1984 Born in The USA album have never been re-released and aren’t available on any DSP. When Arthur Baker was compiling his 2023 Dance Masters box set, he asked Jon Landau for permission to include one of the Springsteen dance mixes but he never even got a reply.

The Benchmark Set by Springsteen Remixes

The Springsteen remixes were important because they created a “benchmark” for other pop/rock artists. It’s probably safe to say that without “Dancing In The Dark” and the success of the twelve-inch, we would have had fewer dance remixes being made during that era. Apart from the marketing, there was also a novelty element that played a role. And last but not least, the start of MTV and the “hit” soundtracks will have played a role in making rock/pop more danceable with or without remix. The need to generate dance remixes became less with the shift in musical trends. But that’s a story for a later newsletter.

Call to Action: Join the Groove!

I’m curious to know your reactions. Did you know about the dance remixes of 80s rock artists ?

If you enjoyed this deep dive into the history of dance remixes and their impact on the rock genre, consider subscribing to The Twelve Inch for more stories like this. Stay tuned as we continue to explore the evolution of dance music and its cultural significance. Subscribe now and become a part of our growing community of 70s/80s dance music enthusiasts!

Further reading (or should I say watching)

There are a number of interesting video’s/links :

1. The video

2. Courteney Cox on her appearing in the video

3. Bruce dancing with a different “Courteney”… one with a beard

4. The beautiful cover version of John Legend in the Howard Stern show

So You Wanna Hear More ?

I thought you would !

It’s fun to write about music but let’s be honest. Music is made to listen to.

Every week, together with this newsletter, I release a 1 hour beatmix on Mixcloud and Soundcloud. I start with the discussed twelve inch and follow up with 10/15 songs from the same timeframe/genre. The ideal soundtrack for…. Well whatever you like to do when you listen to dance music.

Go To The Mixcloud Mix Of The Week

There is a Facebook & Instagram page. You can follow The Twelve Inch” to keep informed of what is happening with the blog, the mixes..etc..

So what’s in this week’s mix ?

This week’s mix goes beyond “Hi-NRG”. It’s got a BPM of 148. “Fast” is probably an understatement 😁 I went all the way with a number of dance remixes of great pop/rock tracks of the era + some New-Wave tracks.

We kick off with the twelve inch of the week “Dancing In The Dark”. I start with a part of the dub version. The Bangles with the dance remix of “Walking Down Your Street” and the extended of “Time Out” by Material complete the opening trio.

Song n°4 : “The Heart Is On” (Glenn Frey), the hitsingle of the first Beverly Hills Soundtrack is also a combi of dub & club.

At the end of the mix I’ve included another of Arthur Baker’s rock remixes : “Dancing With The Big Boys”, the B-side/second track on the “Blue Jean” twelve inch, the first single of his 1984 “Tonight” album.

If you ever need a perfect mix to run . This is the one I use a lot 😁

Enjoy !

Next week we’ll head to the principality of his Purple Highness to explore prominent court members.