Let’s Dance" is the title album track on David Bowie's album Let's Dance.

It was also
released as the first single from that album in 1983, and went on to become one of his
biggest-selling tracks.
The single was one of Bowie’s fastest selling to date, entering the UK singles chart at
number five on its first week of release, and deposing Duran Duran’s “Is There
Something I Should Know?” two weeks later, staying at the top of the charts for three
weeks. Soon afterwards, the single would top the Billboard Hot 100, Bowie’s only single
to reach number one on both sides of the Atlantic. It narrowly missed topping the
Australian charts, peaking at number two. Let's Dance is the fourth best-selling single of
1983 in the UK, selling over 500,000 copies.
“Let’s Dance” would introduce Bowie to a new younger audience oblivious to his former
career in the '70s. The track was a regular on the Serious Moonlight Tour (the name
derived from a lyric in “Let’s Dance”), the 1987 Glass Spider Tour and the 1990 Sound +
Vision Tour, and was then reworked for the 2000 tour. Most recently a remix version of it
appears on a commercial for the March 22, 2010 episode of the ABC television show
Dancing With The Stars.

Contents
[hide]
• 1 Composition
• 1.1 Charts
• 2 Track listing
• 2.1 7": EMI America / EA 152 (UK)
• 2.2 12∀: Ε Μ Ι Α µ ε ρ ι χ α / 12Ε Α 152
(Υ Κ )
• 3 Production credits
• 4 Οτη ε ρ ρελ ε α σ ε σ
• 5 Χοϖ ε ρ σ
• 6 Σα µ π λ ε σ
• 7 Χυ λ τ υ ρ α λ ρεφ ε ρ ε ν χ ε σ το τη ε
σον γ
• 8 Ρεφ ε ρ ε ν χ ε σ

Composition
Heavily influenced by producer Nile Rodgers’ work with his band Chic, "Let’s Dance"
features a thumping bassline, and was arguably Bowie’s most commercial record up to
that point. While the lyrics are ostensibly just those of a dance song, there is some discord
struck by lines such as “Let’s dance, for fear tonight is all”. The 7:38 album version was
heavily edited for single release, though the 12” single retained the full length.
This loneliness and desperation seeps into the music video, made with David Mallet on
location in Australia including Sydney Harbour, which features Bowie watching an
Aboriginal couple’s struggles against metaphors of Western cultural imperialism
impassively while playing with his band.
[edit] Charts
Peak

â
position

â
Chart (1983)

Australian Singles Chart 2

Austrian Singles Chart 2
Canadian Singles Chart 1
Dutch Singles Chart 1
Irish Singles Chart 1
New Zealand Singles Chart 1
Norwegian Singles Chart 1
Swedish Singles Chart 1
Swiss Singles Chart 1
German Singles Chart 2
U.K. Singles Chart 1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 1
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play 1
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks 8
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 14

[edit] Track listing

[edit] 7": EMI America / EA 152 (UK)
"Let's Dance" (Single Version) (Bowie) – 4:07
"Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" (Bowie, Moroder) – 5:09
[edit] 12": EMI America / 12EA 152 (UK)
"Let's Dance" (Bowie) – 7:38
"Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" (Bowie, Moroder) – 5:09

[edit] Production credits

• Producers:
• Nile Rodgers
• Musicians:
• David Bowie: Vocals
• Στ εϖ ι ε Ρ α ψ ς α υ γ η α ν : Guitar
• Νιλ ε Ρ ο δ γ ε ρ σ : Guitar
• Χα ρ µ ι ν ε Ρ ο ϕ α σ : Bass
• Ο µ α ρ Η α κ ι µ , Tony Thompson: Drums
• Ρ ο β Σ α β ι ν ο : Keyboards
• Μ α χ Γ ο λ λ ε η ο ν : Trumpet
 • Ροβ ε ρ τ Αα ρ ο ν , Stan Harrison, Steve Elson: Saxophone
• Σα µ Φι γ υ ε ρ ο α : Percussion

[edit] Other releases

• It appeared on the following compilations:
• Changesbowie (1990)
• Βοω ι ε : Τη ε Σ ι ν γ λ ε σ 1969−1993 (1993)
• Τη ε Σ ι ν γ λ ε σ Χο λ λ ε χ τ ι ο ν (1993)
• Βεσ τ ο φ Β ο ω ι ε (2002)
• Μα σ η ε δ 5 (2009)
[edit] Covers
• Kex - 12-inch single (1983)
• Φ α λ χ ο - Junge Roemer (1984)
• Τινα Τ υ ρ ν ε ρ - Tina Live in Europe (duet with David Bowie) (1988)
• Οϖ ε ρ δ ο σ ε - Ashes to Ashes: A Tribute to David Bowie (1998)
• Τ η ε Η ε ρ ο ε σ - Access All Areas (1999)
• Λ α Π ι ε τ α - Let's Dance (1999)
• Σεχ ο ν δ Σ κ ι ν - Goth Oddity 2000: A Tribute to David Bowie (2000)
• Μ  α - Shall We Dance? Soundtrack (2004)
• A cover version by Delaney Wolff appears in the music game Elite Beat Agents
on the Nintendo DS (2006–07).
• Χρ α ι γ ∆ α ϖ ι δ - Hot Stuff (Let's Dance) (2007)
• Π α υ λ α Φ λ ψ ν ν (2007)
• Η ι − Τ α χ κ (2007)
• Porro y Los Bobos - Hero: The Main Man Records Tribute to David Bowie
(2007)
• It was covered live by Sophie Ellis-Bextor in 2007.
• Αδ α µ Λα µ β ε ρ τ uses the song as part of a medley in the American
Idols Live 2009 Tour.
• Χ η ι χ - Chic Freak and More Treats
• Αν γ  λ ε ∆υβ ε α υ
• Ε− Μ α λ ε - Single
• ∆ο κ κ υ µ ε ρ Λο κ α α τ σ ϕ ε
• Ραβ β ι τ ι ν τ η ε Μο ο ν
• Τη ε Ρο χ κ ρ ι δ γ ε Σψ ν τ η ε σ ι σ ε ρ
Ο ρ χ η ε σ τ ρ α - Plays David Bowie Classic Trax
• Τη ε Σµα σ η ι ν γ Πυ µ π κ ι ν σ covered "Let's Dance" during
their live "Transmission" jam.
• Τη ε Φυ τ υ ρ ε η ε α δ σ covered the song for an 80s compilation for
Q Magazine.
• Μ. Ω α ρ δ covers the song on his album "Transfiguration of Vincent".
• Ρ ο β Τ η ο µ α σ has performed the song several times during his live
 shows
• Ωε ε ν has played covers live.

[edit] Samples
• Puff Daddy sampled " Let's Dance" on his 1997 single "Been Around the World",
featuring The Notorious B.I.G and Mase.
• Χρ α ι γ ∆ α ϖ ι δ sampled this song for his single "Hot Stuff"
• Χο λ λ ι ε Β υ δ δ ζ samples this song for his song My Everything
• UK Drum & Bass musician Dom and Roland sampled this for his single 'Can't
Punish Me' on the record label Moving Shadow
• Let's Dance is sampled in the song "Bowie" by New Zealand folk parody duo
Flight of the Conchords.

[edit] Cultural references to the song

• The song is referenced in the Bret Easton Ellis novel The Informers when a
character is said to have looked like Bowie himself by a girl, and whispers as she
walks away, "I should have hummed a few notes to 'Let's Dance'".
• Bowie himself appears in the film Zoolander to the accompaniment of this song.
• The original song and music video appear on the PlayStation 2 game, Dance
Dance Revolution SuperNOVA.
• This song is featured in some promotional spots for the 2007 version of
Hairspray.
• Γνα ρ λ σ Β α ρ κ λ ε ψ "appears" in the Let's Dance video in their
music video for "Smiley Faces".
• In the indie film Eagle vs Shark, the character Lily sings part of the song
incorrectly to herself and is corrected by her lover Jarrod.
• In the movie, Charlie Wilson's War, the original song is heard on the jukebox in
the bar scene where Charlie Wilson finds out his charges for cocaine use have
been dropped.
• Appears as a playable song for the Nintendo DS game "Elite Beat Agents".
• In the film Private Parts (1997 film), the song is played as Howard Stern drives
into New York after being hired by WNBC.
• In the film The Boat That Rocked, the track is played at the end of the film as
various album covers are displayed to celebrate 40 years of radio Rock and Pop
broadcasting.
• The song appears in skateboarding film Yeah Right! during Robbie McKinley's
cameo.
• The song appears in Bollywood movie Page3, mixed with a Punjabi beat.
• The song appears in the HBO film Gia, starring Angelina Jolie.
• The song appears in both Band Hero and Lego Rock Band, two music video
games.
• The song, covered by Mýa, appears in the credits of the 2004 film Shall We
Dance?, which stars Richard Gere.
• The track was used in series three of the BBC television series Ashes to Ashes.
• The song appears in the 2010 Bulgarian film Mission London.
• The song appears in Harvey Birdman Attonery at Law in the episode The Dabba
Don