Ethan Hein's Blog

My friend Adam suggested combining “Let’s Dance” by David Bowie and “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga. Here’s the result.

Let’s Just Dance

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Revival Revival vs Lady Gaga vs David Bowie

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Guitar and vocals by Barbara singer. Samples, beats and Auto-tuning by me.

The Bowie tune

Sample geeks will note the intro borrowed from “Twist And Shout” – it’s  not a sample, it’s an interpolation, but musically, what’s the difference? Fans of “real” rock tend to take a dim view of David Bowie’s eighties’ stuff – Chuck Klosterman derides him as resembling a waiter from the Olive Garden during this period. From my electronica-producing perspective, “Let’s Dance” sounds a lot fresher than the “classic” Bowie sound. Time has made me appreciate that Nile Rodgers production more than I did at the time.

The Gaga tune

I love Lady Gaga’s sound and look, but her lyrics aren’t too memorable. Barbara and I agreed that both songs benefit from skipping nearly all the words and boiling them down to their central message. It’s a good message, dance really does make it okay.

Update: This track has taken on something of a life of its own. Debbie Chachra spun it at a DJ night and has been circulating it. Today she sent me this email:

I put “Just Let’s Dance” on a CD I burned for my spin instructor (I only go to one spin class, because the instructor is both awesome and has great taste in music) and it’s now found its way into the rotation. It was very cool to hear it in my class this morning! Judy said something interesting – she loves playing remixes, covers and mashups for the class because they can appeal to a wider audience, which is important when you’re teaching a class with a wide range of ages and musical tastes.