"Dance Hall Days" is a song by English band Wang Chung. Originally released as a single in 1982 when the band was called Huang Chung, it was re-recorded and re-released in 1984 for the albumPoints on the Curve. It was the band's only single to make the top 40 charts in the UK, narrowly missing the top 20. In the US, it peaked at No. 16 on the BillboardHot 100 and went all the way to number one on the Dance Club Songs chart.
Music videos
Two different music videos were made to promote the single. The first version of the video, directed by Derek Jarman, is a collection of home movies with the majority of the archive footageconsisting of a stage show with swimmers and fountains, and other World War II-era material. Apparently, the footage is courtesy of the director's father, who was one of the very first people ever to use a colourhome movie camera. The toddler in the home movie footage is the director himself as a child. The home movies are interspersed amid footage of Jack, Nick, and Darren, lip-synching and playing the violin. The band are also dressed up as characters from The Wizard of Oz at the end of the video, with Jack Hues as the Tin Man, Nick Feldman as the Scarecrow, and Darren Costin as the Lion. The second version of the video is the most well-known, and received heavy rotation airplay at MTV. It is a magical fantasy concept video set in the 1940s, the heyday of dance halls. The video begins in black and white, with Jack Hues stopping in front of a closed-down hall, setting down the suitcase he carries, and picking up a flyer. The scene shifts to colour, featuring the band performing in the packed hall with the backing of a big band as couples dance. Later, a disco ball descends to the floor and breaks open, allowing a mirror-covered dancer to emerge. The video ends in black and white, with Hues walking past the hall and down the street; he leaves his suitcase behind, but it sprouts legs and hurries off after him. This version was nominated for Best New Artist at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, losing to "Sweet Dreams " by Eurythmics.
In the commercial for MLB 2K9, an animated version of Tim Lincecum is chastised for listening to the song, with the actual Lincecum intoning, "and we don't listen to that", as they are driving and listening to music.
Track listing
;7" Geffen / A3837 – 1983 ;12" Geffen / TA3837 – 1983 ;CD August Day / 042 – 2019
