B01.01 (Bring On The) Dancing Girls
In an interview published in Number One magazine in September 1984, Nik Kershaw gave details about this song:
"Dancing Girls is about a bloke a bit down on his luck. He's got a job and everything but he's bored sick with the routine of getting up, going to work, coming home, watching the telly, going to bed... in the end he's saying, "For God's sake, bring on the dancing girls! Let something exciting happen to me for a change". But again the idea was exaggerated".
In 2012, a podcast interview with Sodajerker was recorded. You can listen it it HERE.
Nik Kershaw gives some details about how Dancing Girls was written (starts at 16:21).
"Well Dancing Girls, and the same applies to song on The Riddle album Don Quixote. Again, that was one of the latest songs I wrote. I don't think it was in the original demos that I said to record companies and stuff, Dancing Girls.
Because I got the deal, got my advance which is a couple of grand or something and I went out and bought my first keyboard, which is a Juno-6. I think it was a Roland Juno-6.
And a Roland Juno-6 had this button on it, the Arpeggiator, which is a really random thing. It didn't really play proper arpeggios. It used to leave notes out here and there. So, you put your hands in a certain place and press the arpeggio and it played these notes.
I did it one day and it played the bass line to Dancing Girls. And I just moved my hands about and it just sort of changed the chords. So I just put that down with a little TR-808. I don't know how I did it in time. I've no idea because you couldn't sync things together at that time.
But I did do it and I just followed the bass line with a vocal. It all came from the bass line from the noise this keyboard was making.
If you find it, Juno-6B or Juno-6, you'd probably find software versions of them now, and put the arpeggio right and put your hands in a certain place, it will play the bass line to Dancing Girls.
So, in some respects, that song was partly written by some Japanese geek, you know.
You put the keyboard together in the first place".
Album version (3:45)
Available on the 1984 Human Racing album (vinyl LP, tape, CD and online digital file).
This version is also available on many collections.
bpm speed is slightly different on some collections resulting in different track length of the same mix of the song.
1993 Best Of NK (Track 8 - 3:44)
1994 Wouldn't It Be Good (Track 11 - 3:44)
1995 Anthology (Track 1 - 3:46)
2022 Essential Nik Kershaw (Disc 2 - Track 1 - 3:46)
A remastered version was released for the first time on the 2012 "Human Racing" album double CD and online digital file.
Even though track 6 of the 2022 online only "Extended Versions" collection is identified as "Dancing Girls (Remixed Version)", the recording is in fact the album version.
Note that it was originally supposed to be track 4 on the A side of the LP album.
Album version - Shorter (3:36)
It is the same mix as the Album version but it fades out a little earlier.
It can be found on two collections :
1997 Wouldn't It Be Good (Track 6 - 3:36)
2000 The Essential (Track 3 - 3:37)
7"Single remixed version (3:36)
This remixed version was released on the NIK3 and NIKP3 7" vinyl records in 1984.
It has a longer introduction with extra "drum beats".
It is NOT AVAILABLE on any CD.
Also released as track 3 on the A side (first vinyl record) of the 2023 "Collected" vinyl collection limited edition only.
The soundtrack of the 1984 video clip available on the 2005 "Then & Now" video collection DVD is the same 7" remixed version with the longer introduction.
[Listen to it HERE]
7"Single remixed version (EDIT) (=DJ Remix) (3:21)
This version was released on the NIKDJ3 7" promo vinyl record in 1984.
It is the 7" single version without the extra "drum beats" introduction.
Also available on the following collections (*) :
1991 The Collection (Track 8 - 3:23)
1998 Greatest Hits (Track 9 - 3:23)
Also released as track 1 (Edited Remix Version) of the 2022 online only "Extended Versions" collection - 3:24.
7"Single remixed version (Shorter EDIT) (3:17)
It is the same mix as the DJ Remix but it fades out a little earlier.
It can be found as track 2 on the 2005 "Then & Now" collections.
12" Extended Remix (8'05)
This version was released on one of the NIKT3 12" vinyl records in 1984.
No specific name for this remix is mentioned on the record sleeve.
Note that some of the 12" vinyl records featured this "Extended Remix" and some featured the "Hi-Energy Remix" (identified as "Special New Mix").
Yet, there were sadly some misprints on record sleeves and the remix mentioned on the back sleeve was sometimes NOT corresponding to the version that can be heard when played.
A remastered version was released for the first time as track 1 on disc 2 of the 2012 "Human Racing" album double CD.
This remix is also available as track 3 on disc 3 of the 2022 "Essential Nik Kershaw" collection.
Also released as track 9 of the 2022 online only "Extended Versions" collection.
Also released as track 3 on the E side (third vinyl record) of the 2023 "Collected" vinyl collection limited edition only.
12" Special Hi-Energy Remix / Special New Mix (7:25)
This Alan Coulthard remix was released on one of the NIKT3 12" vinyl records in 1984.
Note that some of the 12" vinyl records featured this "Extended Remix" and some featured the "Hi-Energy Remix" (identified as "Special New Mix").
Yet, there were sadly some misprints on record sleeves and the remix mentioned on the back sleeve was sometimes NOT corresponding to the version that can be heard when played.
This remix is NOT AVAILABLE on any official CD.
Yet, it can be found on CD on Disc 1 of this unofficial release : "Big 12 inches - 50 Explosive 12" Club Mixes - Volume 6"
Also released as track 7 of the 2022 online only "Extended Versions" collection.
Acoustic Version (3:47)
This version can be found as track 3 on the 2010 "No Frills" collection album.
Live in Germany 1984 (3:39)
An official live version of the song, recorded in Alabama Hall in Munich (Germany) in 1984, can be found on the CD/DVD release 2011 "Live In Germany" CD/DVD release.
Reissued in 2013 on the "The Riddle (Live in Concert)" CD/DVD release.
Live at the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire 2012 (3:53)
Another official live version of the song, recorded in Shepherd's Bush Empire in London (England) on September 28th 2012, can be found on the 2013 DVD release of the concert.
