"Dancing in the Dark," Bruce Springsteen

“Dancing in the Dark” was the first single from Born in the U.S.A., the 1984 album that turned Bruce Springsteen from a rock star into a pop culture phenomenon.

At its basis, “Dancing in the Dark” sounded like a more upbeat version of The Police’s “Every Breath You Take.”  It was simple, catchy, and had a prominent synthesizer hook.  Dance remixes were even made of the song.  It was, in every way, a departure from Springsteen’s previous efforts.

Though the song risked alienating Springsteen’s core fan base, the video itself did not.  Directed by Brian DePalma (Scarface, Carrie), “Dancing in the Dark” showed Springsteen in his element – on stage with the legendary E Street Band. The performance, for the most part, seems natural and engaging – until the famous ending where Springsteen pulls up a then-unknown Courteney Cox on stage to dance.  (Cox, of course, was not just any member of the concert audience that evening, as Springsteen’s complete inability to act reminds us).

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Today, “Dancing in the Dark” remains Springsteen’s most commercially popular song, becoming a Top 10 hit in North America, Europe, and Australia and New Zealand.  Though Springsteen’s dance moves and sideburns may seem a bit dated these days, we can only imagine what would have happened had the original concept become the official “Dancing in the Dark” video:

Want more 80s rock?  Check out our throwbacks on Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again” and U2's "Where The Streets Have No Name."