"Dance" by Ratt

Song#:  3029
Date:  02/21/1987
Debut:  92
Peak:  59
Weeks:  9
Genre:  Hard Rock, Glam Metal



Pop Bits:  Ratt's first two albums both peaked at #7, featured Top 40 hits, and went multi-platinum. It was a solid one-two punch from the band and they were hoping to do the same thing with their third album Dancing Undercover. This first single got things started, but it couldn't quite replicate the success of the first singles from their previous albums. It stopped way shy of the Pop Top 40 while only getting to #36 at Rock. Two other songs from the album were promoted to radio, but neither charted at Rock and were not officially released as singles. The lack of a bigger hit affected the album, which stalled at #26. Yet relentless touring and a big fan base still helped the album go platinum.

ReduxReview:  Third time wasn't necessarily the charm for Ratt. With other glam/metal bands nipping at their heels and gaining chart traction, Ratt should have tried to up their game. Instead, they played it safe and basically did a rinse-n-repeat thing with their producer Beau Hill and the results were just not as good. This track was obviously meant to be the big crossover anthem, but it didn't have the same hooky, commercial appeal as something like "Round and Round" (#12 Pop/#4 Rock). Actually, parts of this song seem to recall that hit making it more like a retread than something new and different. It's not a bad tune, but it's a case of been there, heard that.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Before becoming a sought after producer, Beau Hill had the opportunity to be a recording star. Hill had been writing and performing music since he was a young teen. He transferred those skills to behind the boards as an engineer for a recording studio. It was there he did demos of his own music and a band called Airborne was eventually formed. Via another producer, Keith Olsen, Hill's demos were heard over at Columbia Records and the band got signed to the label. Olsen would produce their self-titled debut LP, which came out in 1979. Despite some positive notices, the album went nowhere and the band dissolved. Hill later joined the band Spider, which had some chart success earlier in the 80s ("New Romance," #39 Pop). Hill came along as the band went through some changes and for their third album they changed their name to Shanghai. Signed to Chrysalis, the band's 1982 self-titled album failed to replicate the success of the two Spider albums. Hill then settled back into the engineer/producer role and his big break came when he produced Ratt's debut album Out of the Cellar.

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