Today in 1984, English new wave band Wang Chung released their second studio album, Points on the Curve in the US. It was their first studio album since changing their name from Huang Chung.
The song "Dance Hall Days" was originally released as a single in 1982 by Huang Chung. Following the band's name change, it was re-recorded for the Points on the Curve album and released in 1984. In the US, it peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went to number one on the Dance Club Songs chart.
Wang Chungβs Jack Hues shared a bit about the song: "It begins quite innocent: 'take your baby by the hand,' and then the last verse with 'take your baby by the wrist, and in her mouth an amethyst,' it's all a bit more hallucinogenic in a way, how things that start off simple get complex.β
βMy dad was a musician, and he had a band that played in an old-fashioned dance hall. I used to play with him in that band, so maybe there's sort of the nostalgia that's in the track. It's all quite real, actually, as far as experiences that I had when I was first starting out playing, and playing in public.β
