1985 marked a pivotal year for The Hooters, as they surged into mainstream popularity. Their album, Nervous Night, launched on May 6, 1985, quickly achieving platinum status globally. The album produced several chart-topping hits, and their performance at Live Aid just months after its release further cemented their success. This perfect storm propelled their album campaign to remarkable heights, launching their career like a rocket.
Nervous Night was indeed their major label debut, supported by extensive PR and worldwide distribution. This led many to believe it was their first album, a misconception that persists even today among casual and dedicated music fans. This is understandable, as their actual debut album, Amore (1983), was self-released and remains relatively obscure, especially internationally.
“And We Danced” holds the prestigious position of being the opening track on Nervous Night. Released as the second single on the same day as the album (following “All You Zombies” which came out earlier in March), it climbed to #3 on the US Mainstream Rock charts. This achievement provided the band with immediate widespread recognition. The song was an ideal release, radiating an undeniably upbeat and optimistic vibe, designed to uplift anyone who listened.
The Hooters And We Danced album cover featuring the band members and the song title
The song’s instantly recognizable introduction and recurring motif feature a Melodica, a unique instrument blending keyboard and harmonica elements, frequently employed by The Hooters. The band affectionately nicknamed it a “Hooter,” which directly inspired their band name.
Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman, the founding members, also serve as the primary songwriters for The Hooters. Like many songwriters, Bazilian and Hyman sought inspiration through travel and retreat.
“We would get away, especially since the band was playing so much, we would just kind of hole ourselves up,” Rob Hyman shared with Songfacts. “In this instance, we went into the Poconos outside the Philadelphia region and we rented a couple little cabins, brought some recording gear, set up a 4-track studio and threw around a lot of ideas.”
This creative retreat took place during the summer of 1984. Their time in the Poconos proved incredibly fruitful, yielding approximately a dozen tracks. Significantly, on their final day, they crafted the chorus for “And We Danced”. It was immediately apparent that they had stumbled upon something truly special.
“I think we knew immediately that we had the germ of something special,” Eric Bazilian recalls, “though there were a lot of versions between that one and the one we now know.”
“It had a slightly different feel, but materially it was there,” Rob Hyman elaborated. “That was the strongest bit we brought back from that writing trip. We had that flash – this is something really great, we’ll finish it another day. Had we just stayed with it that moment more, maybe we would have done it, but it ended up taking a lot more time. We threw around a lot of verses and rhythmic ideas. It was a different feel, and then it got into more of a rock and roll feel.”
The lyrics of “And We Danced” perfectly mirror the joyful and carefree essence of the music. They evoke nostalgia, reminiscing about happier, simpler times and the blossoming of a new romance.
Interestingly, the songwriters themselves struggled to pinpoint the exact origin of the lyrics, suggesting they were intended to capture a feeling rather than convey a deeply complex narrative. “I honestly don’t know where the lyrics came from,” Eric Bazilian confessed to Rediscover The 80s in 2011. “The verses were written last, when we were already mixing the rest of the album and were down to the wire. I think we just liked the way ‘she was a be bop baby’ sounded.”
However, the lyrics do contain references that ground the song in a specific context. Rob Hyman explained to Songfacts, “The be-bop baby on a hard day’s night, the union hall – we just felt it was kind of a basic, workingman’s rock and roll record. In a sense, a bit of territory that maybe Springsteen or somebody would cover, a little of that nostalgia, a little of the no-frills kind of straight ahead lyrics.”
She was a be-bop baby on a hard day’s night
She was hangin’ on Johnny, he was holdin’ on tight
I could feel her coming from a mile away
There was no use talking, there was nothing to say
When the band began to play and playAnd we danced like a wave on the ocean, romanced
We were liars in love and we danced
Swept away for a moment by chance
And we danced and danced and danced
The song deliberately avoids dwelling on the eventual outcome of the romance. The focus remains firmly on the joy experienced during a specific period and the enduring happiness associated with those memories. This type of nostalgic, working-class reflection was popular in the mid-80s, with Bruce Springsteen’s “Glory Days” and Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ’69” serving as other notable examples of songs looking back at “the best days in my life.”
The Hooters undeniably distinguished themselves through their unique instrumentation. Hyman noted, “I think the ornamentation and the embellishments that the band did with the melodica and the mandolins and the sounds that we were dabbling in put a different flavour to it. But at its heart, it’s a simple rock and roll song that evokes some of those same feelings that Chuck Berry or The Beatles had. I think those images were just straight-ahead pictures for us.”
A music video for “And We Danced” was created, featuring live performance footage of the band filmed at the now-demolished Exton Drive-In in Exton, Pennsylvania, during the summer of 1985. The video gained significant airplay on MTV and received a nomination for Best New Artist in a Video at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards. Although they lost to a-ha’s “Take On Me”, further accolades followed, including Rolling Stone Magazine naming them the Best New Band of the Year.
Riding the wave of success from both the album and single, The Hooters secured a performance slot at Live Aid in 1985. They had the honor of being the first band to take the stage in Philadelphia, following an introductory set that included Joan Baez singing “Amazing Grace”. With numerous artists vying for a spot, how did The Hooters land the coveted opening position?
“That was a stroke of genius on the part of our manager Steve Mountain,” Eric Bazilian revealed to Songfacts. “He managed to finagle that with Bill Graham and Larry Magid to get us on that stage. Our first record was just coming out, and it was the perfect time. That was our moment in destiny.”
And fittingly, the song they chose to open their historic Live Aid performance with was, of course, “And We Danced,” solidifying its place in music history and in the hearts of fans as a timeless 80s anthem.
