It was this line-up that recorded the band's 1982 debut full-length, Rhythm of Youth. Several line-up changes followed and the group eventually solidified with the Doroschuk brothers joined by keyboardist/percussion Allan McCarthy. They independently released their debut EP, Folk of the '80s, in 1980 it was reissued the following year by Stiff in Britain. However, by 1980 Doroschuk had officially relaunched the project as a synthy new wave band, adding his brothers bassist Stefan Doroschuk and guitarist Colin Doroschuk, as well as keyboardist Jérémie Arrobas. Hailing from Montreal, Quebec, Men Without Hats initially began in the late-'70s as a punk rock band lead by singer Ivan Doroschuk. Following an extended hiatus, the group returned to activity in the 2010's touring and releasing albums, including 2012's Love in the Age of War and 2021's Again, Pt. They garnered their biggest success in the '80s, scoring top 20 hits with "The Safety Dance," off 1982s Rhythm of Youth, and 1987's "Pop Goes the World." Both songs became enduring '80s anthems, solidifying the band's place in pop culture history. Doroschuk stated that "it wasn't a question of just being anti-nuclear, it was a question of being anti-establishment.Canadian new wave and synth-pop band Men Without Hats gained international fame with their upbeat and quirky dance sound, centered on the baritone croon of singer Ivan Doroschuk. Secondly, he explained that it is not an anti-nuclear protest song per se despite the nuclear imagery at the end of the video. Firstly, he explained "The Safety Dance" is not a call for safe sex, and that this interpretation is "people reading into it a bit too much". In 2003, on an episode of VH1's True Spin, Doroschuk responded to two common interpretations of the song. Thus, the song is a protest and a call for freedom of expression. The bouncers did not like pogoing so they would tell pogoers to stop or be kicked out of the club. To uninformed bystanders this could look dangerous, especially if pogoers accidentally bounced into one another (the more deliberately violent evolution of pogoing is slamdancing). New wave dancing, especially pogoing, was different from disco dancing, because it was done individually instead of with partners and involved holding the torso rigid and thrashing about. The writer/lead singer, Ivan Doroschuk, has explained that "The Safety Dance" is a protest against bouncers prohibiting dancers from pogoing to 1980s new wave music in clubs when disco was dying and new wave was up and coming. Everybody knows this song, but almost nobody seems to actually know what the song is about. The origin of this song is interesting and worth knowing.
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