History Music / LetsDance

* FakeNationality: The actress who appears in the "China Girl" video? She's actually from NewZealand.

'''''Let's Dance''''' is the sixteenth studio album by Music/DavidBowie, released in 1983.

Having finally broken ties with RCA Records after years of putting up with an unsatisfactory contract, Bowie was determined to have a big, moneymaking hit with his first release for EMI. With this in mind he enlisted [[Music/{{Chic}} Nile Rodgers]] as producer and came up with his most mainstream album to date, a collection of radio-friendly pop-rock tunes (though not without Bowie's traditionally dark lyrical undercurrents).

* SpecialGuest: That's Music/StevieRayVaughan on lead guitar!

The album was even more successful than he planned -- "Modern Love" and the title track were international Top 5 hits and the follow-up Serious Moonlight Tour of '83 a sell-out worldwide, causing a NewbieBoom. While critical assessment was positive then and remains so today, in subsequent years the album has come to be seen as triggering a DorkAge for Bowie, as his next two albums (1984's ''Tonight'' and 1987's ''Never Let Me Down'') would try to duplicate its success to diminishing returns from both his established fan-base and the newbies to the fold. (Hence the stock comment that new Bowie albums are "his best since ''Music/ScaryMonstersAndSuperCreeps''", his 1980 [[NewWaveMusic New Wave]] effort that immediately proceeded it.)

The album was even more successful than he planned -- "Modern Love" and the title track were international Top 5 hits and the follow-up Serious Moonlight Tour of '83 a sellout worldwide, causing a NewbieBoom. While critical assessment was positive then and remains so today, in subsequent years the album has come to be seen as triggering a DorkAge for Bowie, as his next two albums (1984's ''Tonight'' and 1987's ''Never Let Me Down'') would try to duplicate its success to diminishing returns from both his established fanbase and the newbies to the fold. (Hence the stock comment that new Bowie albums are "his best since ''Music/ScaryMonstersAndSuperCreeps''", his 1980 [[NewWaveMusic New Wave]] effort that immediately proceeded it.)

[[AC:Side One]]

[[AC:Side Two]]

!! Bonus Tracks (1995 Reissue):

* AllAsiansLookAlike and MistakenNationality: Music/IggyPop's infatuation for an Asian woman was the inspiration for "China Girl", a song that appeared earlier on his solo debut ''Music/TheIdiot'' (1977), which was also produced by Bowie. Even though she was actually Vietnamese.
* {{Bowdlerize}}: The steamy {{Homage}} to ''Film/FromHereToEternity'' at the end of the music video for "China Girl" was graphic enough that it had to be recut; the only home video release that includes the original version is the David Bowie — Video 45 VHS from 1983.

* RecycledInSpace: "China Girl" is a cover of a song he co-wrote for Music/IggyPop's album ''Music/TheIdiot'' (1977). "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" is a rerecorded version of a song Bowie himself recorded a year earlier for [[Film/CatPeople the motion picture of the same name]].

* ShoutOut: "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" was used in ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'' (2009) [[spoiler: during the scene where Shoshanna sets the film theater on fire]].

# "Modern Love" - 4:46
# "China Girl" - 5:32
# "Let's Dance" - 7:38
# "Without You" - 3:08
# "Ricochet" - 5:14
# "Criminal World" - 4:25
# "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" - 5:09
# "Shake It" - 3:49

!! Put on your red shoes and dance the tropes:

* AlbumTitleDrop:
--> "Let's Dance!"
* AllAsiansLookAlike and MistakenNationality: Music/IggyPop's infatuation for an Asian woman was the inspiration for "China Girl", a song that appeared earlier on his solo debut ''Music/TheIdiot'', which was also produced by Bowie. Even though she was actually Vietnamese.

* TakeThat: Music/FrankZappa would mock the music video for "Let's Dance" in his anti-MTV song "Be In My Video" (1984): "We will dance the blues (oh yes) let's dance the blues (we will ''dance'' them very much) let's dance the blues (sure we will) under the megawatt moonlight!"
* TitleTrack

'''''Let's Dance''''' is the fifteenth studio album by Music/DavidBowie, released in 1983.

* AllAsiansLookAlike and MistakenNationality: Music/IggyPop's infatuation for an Asian woman was the inspiration for "China Girl". Even though she was actually Vietnamese.

The album was even more successful than he planned -- "Modern Love" and the title track were international Top 5 hits and the follow-up Serious Moonlight Tour of '83 a sellout worldwide, causing a NewbieBoom. While critical assessment was positive then and remains so today, in subsequent years the album has come to be seen as triggering a DorkAge for Bowie, as his next two albums (1984's ''Tonight'' and 1987's ''Never Let Me Down'') would try to duplicate its success to diminishing returns from both his established fanbase and the newbies to the fold. (Hence the stock comment that new Bowie albums are "his best since ''Scary Monsters''", his 1980 [[NewWaveMusic New Wave]] effort that immediately proceeded it.)

* RecycledInSpace: "China Girl" is a cover of a song he co-wrote for Music/IggyPop's album ''The Idiot'' (1977). "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" is a rerecorded version of a song Bowie himself recorded a year earlier for [[Film/CatPeople the motion picture of the same name]].

# "Modern Love"
# "China Girl"
# "Let's Dance"
# "Without You"
# "Ricochet"
# "Criminal World"
# "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)"
# "Shake It"

!! Bonus Tracks (1995 Reissue):

# "Under Pressure" [[note]]A collaboration with Music/{{Queen}}[[/note]]

----

The album was even more successful than he planned -- "Modern Love" and the title track were international Top 5 hits and the follow-up Serious Moonlight Tour of '83 a sellout worldwide, causing a NewbieBoom. While critical assessment was positive then and remains so today, in subsequent years the album has come to be seen as triggering a DorkAge for Bowie, as his next two albums (1984's ''Tonight'' and 1987's ''Never Let Me Down'') would try to duplicate its success to diminishing returns from both his established fanbase and the newbies to the fold. (Hence the stock comment that new Bowie albums are "his best since ''Scary Monsters''", his 1980 NewWave effort that immediately proceeded it.)

* AlbumTitleDrop: ''Let's Dance!''

''Let's Dance'' is a 1983 album by Music/DavidBowie, his 15th studio release.

* Creator/KeithHaring: Created the album cover for the final single "Without You".

Having finally broken ties with RCA Records after years of putting up with an unsatisfactory contract, Bowie was determined to have a big, moneymaking hit with his first release for EMI. With this in mind he enlisted Music/NileRodgers as producer and came up with his most mainstream album to date, a collection of radio-friendly pop-rock tunes (though not without Bowie's traditionally dark lyrical undercurrents).

!! Tropes:

* RecordProducer: Music/NileRodgers.

The album was even more successful than he planned -- "Modern Love" and the title track were international Top 5 hits and the follow-up Serious Moonlight Tour of '83 a sellout worldwide, causing a NewbieBoom. While critical assessment was positive then and remains so today, in subsequent years the album has come to be seen as triggering a DorkAge for Bowie, as his next two albums (1984's ''Tonight'' and 1987's ''Never Let Me Down'') would try to duplicate its success to diminishing returns from both his established fanbase and the newbies to the fold. (Hence the stock comment that new Bowie albums are "his best since ''Scary Monsters'', his 1980 NewWave effort and the last before this one.)

''Let's Dance'' is a 1983 music album by Music/DavidBowie, the fifteenth in his back catalogue. The album was his best-selling record of all time, thanks to hits such as ''Let's Dance'', ''China Girl'' and ''Modern Love'' which were international Top 5 hits and is generally considered his best outing of TheEighties.

* AllAsiansLookAlike and MistakenNationality: Music/IggyPop's infatuation for an Asian woman was the inspiration for ''China Girl''. Even though she was actually Vietnamese.
* {{Bowdlerize}}: The steamy {{Homage}} to ''Film/FromHereToEternity'' at the end of the music video for ''"China Girl"'' was graphic enough that it had to be recut; the only home video release that includes the original version is the David Bowie — Video 45 VHS from 1983.
* DancingIsSeriousBusiness: ''Let's Dance''.
* DenOfIniquity: ''Criminal World''.
* {{God}}: ''Modern Love'', according to Bowie was about a struggle between God and man.
* Creator/KeithHaring: Created the album cover for the single ''Without You''.
* OneWomanSong: ''China Girl''.
* RecordProducer: Music/NileRodgers
* RecycledInSpace: ''China Girl'' had appeared earlier on Music/IggyPop's album ''The Idiot'' (1977). ''Cat People'' too was a rerecorded version of a song Bowie recorded a year earlier in 1982 for [[Film/CatPeople the motion picture of the same name]].
* RedEyesTakeWarning: In ''"Cat People (Putting Out Fire)"'', the singer's eyes start as green as he warns his inamorata of his dangerous need for her...in verse two, they turn red, and he mentions that ''"Those who feel me near/Pull the blinds and change their minds"''.
* ShoutOut:
** Music/FrankZappa would mock the music video of ''Let's Dance'' in his anti-MTV song ''Be In My Video'' (1984): ''We will dance the blues (oh yes) let's dance the blues (we will ''dance'' them very much) let's dance the blues (sure we will) under the megawatt moonlight!''
** ''Cat People (Putting Out Fire)'' was used in ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'' (2009) [[spoiler: during the scene where Shoshanna sets the film theater on fire]].

* TitleTrack

* RecycledInSpace: ''China Girl'' had appeared earlier on Music/IggyPop's album ''The Idiot'' (1977). ''Cat People'' too was a rerecorded version of a song Bowie recorded a year earlier in 1982 for the motion picture of the same name.

* RecycledInSpace: ''China Girl'' had appeared earlier on Music/IggyPop's album ''The Idiot'' (1977). ''Cat People'' too was a rerecorded version of a song Bowie recorded a year earlier in 1982.

** Zappa would mock the music video of ''Let's Dance'' in his anti-MTV song ''Be In My Video'' (1984): ''We will dance the blues (oh yes) let's dance the blues (we will ''dance'' them very much) let's dance the blues (sure we will) under the megawatt moonlight!''

* {{Bowlderize}}: The steamy {{Homage}} to ''Film/FromHereToEternity'' at the end of the music video for ''"China Girl"'' was graphic enough that it had to be recut; the only home video release that includes the original version is the David Bowie — Video 45 VHS from 1983.