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Wednesday, October 15, 2014

"Dancing in the Street" by Van Halen

Song#:  1039
Date:  05/22/1982
Debut:  74
Peak:  38
Weeks:  11
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Van Halen's one-off stop gap single, a remake of Roy Orbison's "(Oh) Pretty Woman," became an unexpected hit and forced them to quickly record the full album "Diver Down." With four other cover tunes on the LP, it seemed logical to issue one of them as a second single. This remake (see below) didn't do as well, but it was the first time Van Halen grabbed two Top 40 hits from one album.

ReduxReview:  I'm still not on the remake train with these guys, but they can make it a fun ride. I do like that they didn't just do a straight cover of the song but did a very Van Halen arrangement. Again, like "Pretty Woman," it's not a favorite of mine in their catalog, but I don't mind if it comes up in a VH playlist.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) This is a remake of the 1964 original hit by Martha & the Vandellas. This Motown classic, co-written by Marvin Gaye, reached #2 and was the girl group's biggest hit.  2) "Diver Down" featured a version of the 1924 tune "Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)." Eddie and Alex Van Halen's father, Jan, played clarinet on the track.

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