“The decade that made me,” sings Ivan Doroschuk, whistfully. The 1980s were the beginning of his career as an international pop star. His band, Men Without Hats, had mega-success with a song about pogo dancing, accompanied by a video shot on an English farm. Fast forward forty years, and “The Safety Dance” has been repurposed with another Hats hit, “Pop Goes the World,” for a notalgic romp.
Men Without Hats
Psyche, the influential dark wave band from the frozen Canadian prairie, have released a video for their cover of “Security.”
Originally recorded by fellow Canuckians, Men Without Hats, it is a minimal electronic classic. In Psyche’s hands, it becomes a pointed and spooky statement for our times.
Ahead of its time, politically, “Security” was also one of Men Without Hats’ catchiest tracks. This clip is taken from the Montreal TV programme, MusiVideo. The presenter is a youthful Erica Miechowsky, before her stint on Canada’s national music channel, MuchMusic.
Mitsou Gélinas is better known for her first single, Bye Bye Mon Cowboy, but by 1990’s Terre des Hommes album the chanteuse from Quebec was attracting pop songwriting support from none other than Ivan from Men Without Hits. Ivan doesn’t appear in this video, but his influence (and vocal contribution) is unmistakeable. This song is a slice of happiness for a rainy day.