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Cover of Rhythm of Youth by Men Without Hats
Cover: Rhythm of Youth

Song · Men Without Hats

“The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats

From the album Rhythm of Youth (1982)

“The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats appears on 35 radio countdowns from 15 stations between 1983 and 2025. It was first released in 1982 on the album Rhythm of Youth. Its best result is #2 on the KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1983. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #38 alternative song of 1983, #593 alternative song of all time and #240 of the '80s.

35countdowns
15stations
#2best position
0#1 finishes
1top 10 finishes
1983–2025years charted

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Men Without Hats - The Safety Dance

Video from YouTube (MenWithoutHatsVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"The Safety Dance" came out in Canada in 1982, the second single off Men Without Hats' Rhythm of Youth, and it's a synth-pop protest song, of all things. Singer Ivan Doroschuk wrote it after a club threw him out for pogo dancing, and the song is his cheerfully defiant comeback, all pumping beat and jaunty chorus. Marc Durand produced, keeping it bright, brisk and just a little absurd.

It traveled much further than home. It topped the Billboard Dance Chart, went top 10 in Britain and hit number 1 in South Africa, and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame has since taken it in. The band cut a new version, in 2021, slowed into a mid-tempo ballad and renamed "No Friends of Mine".

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1983 2 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1983 107
1983 86 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1983 91

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1988 224 Live 105 Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988) 501
1988 195 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 200 Songs of All-Time (1988) 200
1989 225 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) 495
1991 235 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1991) 302
1991 322 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) 1002
1992 71 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) 500
1994 292 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1994 472 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1994 74 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) 500
1995 220 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1996 47 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1996 177 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1996 109 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) 498
1998 125 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) 488
1999 28 Channel 104.9 Channel 104.9 Top 101 Songs of the '80s (February 1999) 104
1999 488 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 709 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 138 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 300
1999 464 WFNX WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999) 500
1999 545 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 1050 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
2000 1050 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 1039 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 288 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 1039 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 449 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 1024 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 488 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 1024 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2005 1026 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2021 461 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2023 406 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2025 757 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs 800

Also listed as: Safety Dance.

Charting alongside it in 1983

Best songs of 1983 →
  1. 1New Year's DayU2
  2. 2Let's DanceDavid Bowie
  3. 3The LovecatsThe Cure
  4. 4Every Breath You TakeThe Police
  5. 5Rebel YellBilly Idol
  6. 6In a Big CountryBig Country

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