1985Released
5:59

Did You Know?

Interesting facts and trivia about Dancing With Myself. By Songfacts®.

This song is commonly thought to be about masturbation, but it's really more about dancing by yourself. Billy got the idea after watching Japanese kids at a Tokyo disco "dancing with themselves" in a nightclub. The kids would dance in a pogo style up and down, and there were mirrors in the club so they could watch themselves doing it. Idol concedes, however, that there is "some sort of masturbatory element" to the song.

Idol originally released "Dancing With Myself" as a single in 1980 with his band Gen X (short for Generation X). It was issued only in their native UK, where it went to #62. The band broke up early in 1981, so Idol used the song to launch his solo career. The song's producer, Keith Forsey, remixed it, and when Idol landed a deal with Chrysalis Records, they issued it in America as a single, credited to "Billy Idol and Gen X." It didn't get much attention, but Idol's next single, a cover of "Mony Mony," got a smattering of airplay. His self-titled debut album was released in 1982 with "Hot In The City" as the lead single, which gave him his first solo hit thanks to airplay on MTV, which launched in August 1981. "White Wedding" was the next single, and that one exploded on MTV. In 1983, Chrysalis gave "Dancing With Myself" another try. Idol made a video for the song and it was re-released as a single and added as a bonus track to the Billy Idol album. It finally cracked the chart (barely), coming in at #102 in October. Idol's next album, Rebel Yell, was released a short time later. So "Dancing With Myself" was never a big hit for Idol, but it endured as one of his most popular songs, played at most of his concerts. It was never overplayed, so it had a long life on radio playlists as a recurrent, popping in as a familiar favorite with a bit of an edge.

This song is about more than just dancing. Idol told Rolling Stone: "The song really is about people being in a disenfranchised world where they're left bereft, dancing with their own reflections."

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Song Analysis

Key, BPM (tempo) and time signature of Dancing With Myself.
EKey
MajorMode
4/4Time Signature
177BPM

Album

The album Dancing With Myself is released on.

Released By

The record label that has released Dancing With Myself.
Unknown
© 1985 Chrysalis Records
℗ 1985 Chrysalis Records

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