For some inexplicable reason, The Kinks’ 1983 hit, “Come Dancing,” popped into my head yesterday morning. While it’s undeniably catchy, it’s not necessarily the first song that comes to mind when considering the band’s extensive and impressive catalog. Yet, “Come Dancing” played a significant role in introducing The Kinks to a new generation of listeners in the 80s. Revisiting the track after perhaps two decades, I was struck by its distinct departure from their classic sound, firmly rooted in the musical landscape of the 1980s with its prominent keyboard riff. However, beneath the 80s synth, there are strong undercurrents of ska and reggae, evident in the rhythm and Ray Davies’ vocal delivery. Even the horns, intended to evoke the Big Band era, surprisingly lean closer to the sound of The Specials, a deliberate stylistic choice that adds to the song’s unique character.
Delving into the Come Dancing Lyrics, the song becomes a poignant exploration of nostalgia. For those unfamiliar, Ray Davies narrates the changes in his childhood landscape. He sings of a parking lot that replaced the supermarket, which in turn had been built on the site of the old palais de danse. This palais was the Saturday night destination for his older sister during the 40s and 50s, a place where big bands played and young men would ask her to “come dancing.”
“Come Dancing” encapsulates the 1980s wave of nostalgia for the 1950s, a trend prevalent in pop culture as the baby boomers entered their forties and sought to reconnect with their youth. Davies himself was in his late 30s when he recorded the song. This blend of nostalgic sentimentality with contemporary British musical styles is what makes the song so compelling. Repeated listens reveal layers of meaning embedded within its music and message.
At its heart, “Come Dancing” is deeply personal, drawing from Davies’ recollections of his sister’s experiences in the 1950s. He paints a picture of a more innocent time, where young men spent their limited wages for “a cuddle and a peck on the cheek.” In this sense, the song initially appears to be a lighthearted, nostalgic tribute to a bygone era.
However, the emotional core of the song surfaces in these lines:
The day they knocked down the palais
My sister stood and cried
The day they knocked down the palais
Part of my childhood died, just died
These lyrics resonate with a deeper understanding of nostalgia. As Svetlana Boym, a leading scholar on nostalgia, argued, it’s a genuine emotion, not mere sentimentality. It represents a real psychological impact, a form of quotidian trauma. Davies’ lyrics vividly capture this sentiment, suggesting a shared experience of loss between him and his sister as they witnessed the demolition of the palais.
Yet, the song subtly acknowledges the cyclical nature of cultural change. The palais, representative of the Big Band era, became obsolete, replaced by the rise of rock and roll. Ironically, Ray Davies and his brother Dave were at the forefront of this very rock and roll revolution with The Kinks, contributing to the cultural shift that rendered the palais era a thing of the past.
“Come Dancing” is also a tribute to Davies’ older sister, René. She played a pivotal role in his musical journey, buying him his first Spanish guitar for his 13th birthday during a visit home from Canada in 1957. Tragically, René, who had a heart condition, passed away from a heart attack on the dance floor of the Lyceum in London during that same visit. This poignant personal history adds another layer to the song’s nostalgic depth. Davies himself stated that he wrote “Come Dancing” to both commemorate the 1950s and to reconnect The Kinks with their roots after their stadium rock period in the 1970s.
Ultimately, “Come Dancing” operates on multiple levels of nostalgia. Davies, a key figure in the movement that eclipsed the Big Band era, was also deeply influenced by his sister, who embodied the spirit of that era and whose life was tragically intertwined with the dance floor. Decades later, the demolition of the palais becomes a symbol of the passing of time and the irretrievable loss of childhood. In his late thirties, Davies, reflecting on these memories, captured a sense of loss and change that his younger self might not have fully grasped.
One can only imagine the potential of “Come Dancing” if reimagined with a contemporary arrangement, perhaps stripping away the dated keyboards to reveal the song’s timeless lyrical and emotional core.
