WCSX Classic Cuts
Bruce Springsteen: “Dancing in the Dark”
The Hook: Max Weinberg says its sound was inspired by two of the biggest hits of the period, Michael Jackson’s Thriller album and The Police’s “Every Breath You Take.”
Album: Born in the U.S.A.
Year: 1984
Writer: Bruce Springsteen
Stats: Peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for four weeks.
Background: “Dancing in the Dark” was the first single to be released off Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg explains what inspired the song’s sound.
E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg on what inspired the sound of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark.” OC:…the time. :24
“We were going for a dance type of approach, sort of inspired by Thriller and ‘Every Breath You Take,’ actually. The song I don’t think was necessarily inspired by those two records, but the treatment we gave it in the studio was definitely inspired by ‘Beat It’ or ‘Billie Jean’ and definitely ‘Every Breath You Take,’ which was a big hit at the time.”