Music That You Can Dance To

Tracklisting

01. Music That You Can Dance To
02. Rosebud
03. Fingertips
04. The Armies Of The Night
05. The Scene
06. Shopping Mall Of Love
07. Modesty Plays
08. Let's Get Funky



Reviews

'The album is one of the freshest I’ve heard all year. It’s punk disco, but with melody. There's an underlying horror beneath the deadpan seriousness of it all... Ron and Russell Mael have somehow managed to translate their quirky pop sound of the Seventies into a wholly relevant anthem for 87...although beaty on the whole, (the album) relies on the subtlety of the lyrics to move you into deadpan ecstacy. Sheer brilliance.' (Edwin J. Bernard, Record Mirror, 22 November 1986)




Lyrics

01. Music That You Can Dance To (Ron & Russell Mael)

Music that you can dance to
That and that alone is enough for me
Stark naked modern music
Hotter than your momma will ever be
Music that you can dance to
Cracks you like a whip but it feels so right
Outside the world is colder
Every single night it's another fight
So what's it gonna be
A symphony tonight
Perhaps a little jazz
All I wanna hear everyday, every night is
Music that you can dance to
Every single beat where it ought to be
Lip smacking good, good music
That and that alone is enough for me
So what's it gonna be
A symphony tonight
Perhaps a little jazz
I gotta, gotta move, to the beat to the beat tonight
Get up dear
Get up and try
Get up dear
Get up and fly
Get up hon
You're the one
Get up hon
Son of a gun
Shake it dear
Don't be shy
Shake it dear
Right in my eye
Shut up dear
Don't be weird
Get up dear
The boys are here
Music that you can dance to
Get yourself in tune with the real McCoy
No heavy message baby
Just the perfect blending of sex and noise
Get up dear
Get up and try
Get up dear
Get up and fly
Get up hon
You're the one
Get up hon
Son of a gun
Shake it dear
Don't be shy
Shake it dear
Right in my eye
Shut up dear
Don't be weird
Get out of here
The police are here
Music that you can dance to
That and that alone is enough for me
Stark naked modern music
Hotter than your momma will ever be

02. Rosebud (Ron & Russell Mael)

Oh pretty baby
You look helpless
There is beauty in pain
Help is coming
So don't you worry
Don't even try to explain
The sirens blaring
The look of panic
These are the signs of a dream
Cry pretty baby
You'll feel better
I'm trying hard not to scream
What will your mother say
What will your father say
What will the angels say
As they hide in disgrace
From your beautiful face
Hush my darling
There's tomorrow
We'll be laughing again
We'll buy a camera
We'll take vacations
Try not to move if you can
Without a warning
Without a reason
There wasn't even a scream
Don't call it tragic
That gives it meaning
I'm trying hard not to scream
(Chorus x 2)
A tiny diamond
Lies out on Main Street
That's all that's left of our love
Without your loving
My life is nothing
How can I ever go on
(Chorus x 2)
In a movie a life can be summed up in a word
It's a useful, dramatic device
In the real world, with real flesh and real blood
One word is never, ever enough

03. Fingertips (Stevie Wonder)

04. The Armies Of The Night (Ron & Russell Mael)

It's a sleepy sort of night, the last thing that I want is sleep
It's a peaceful sort of night, the last thing that I want is peace
I throw caution to the wind and it comes flying back at me
It's the calm before the storm and something's going to clobber me
Put your ear down to the ground, can't you hear those stomping feet
And the swishing of those gowns, the laughing and the 4/4 beat
It takes a special kind of thrill to stand out in this day and age
Everybody looks so good and everyone is good in bed
The armies of the night are coming, they're coming
Life will be a dream for you and me
The armies of the night are coming, they're coming
Life will be a scream for you and me
I've got a Sam and Dave Revue playing in my heart tonight
I've got a pebble in my shoe and even that feels good tonight
All those Big Mac wrappers dancing down the street dance better than I do
But you can't fight City Hall no matter what you say or do
The armies of the night are coming, they're coming
Life will be a dream for you and me
The armies of the night are coming, they're coming
Life will be a scream for you and me
It's a sleepy sort of night, the last thing that I want is sleep
It's a peaceful sort of night, the last thing that I want is peace
The armies of the night are coming, they're coming
Life will be a dream for you and me
The armies of the night are coming, they're coming
Life will be a scream for you and me
It's your patriotic duty to look as good as you can
It's your patriotic duty to dance with me

05. The Scene (Ron & Russell Mael)

Some people love to be alone
Some people love to be in railway stations
Some people live by bread alone
Some people revel in hallucinations
Some people always have a comb
Step up, step up, and all aboard
The scene
The floors are shaking
The blood is pumping
The skin is baking
Can you take it, can you take it
You look tough, but that's not enough
It's the scene
Oh no it's not enough
Some people live to work all day
Some people only live for monkey business
Dressed in some Cadillac coupe
They go out slumming as they burn their bridges
And all the while they act blase
Step up, step up, and all aboard
(Chorus)
Is you is or is you ain't
Oh yeah
Who's a sinner who's a saint
Oh yeah
Is you just a little vain
Oh yeah
Well, shut my mouth we're both the same
Is you or is you ain't
Oh yeah oh yeah
Wanna take a holiday
Oh yeah oh yeah
To a land that's got no rain
Oh yeah oh yeah
Then hop aboard that rhythm train
End of the story never ends
There'll be a world without extended mixes
There'll be a world without champagne
There'll be a world without those kind of kisses
But then this may not ever end
Step up, step up and all aboard
(Chorus 3x)

06. Shopping Mall Of Love (Ron & Russell Mael)

I found my thrill
I found my thrill
I found my thrill in Beverly Hills
Folks call her Jill
Folks call her Jill
Folks call her Jill but that ain't what I call her
She's like a star
She's like a star
She's like a star in some long running TV series
And we make love
And we make love
And we make love all the time
Come
The shopping mall of love
Come with me
The shopping mall of love
Quality
The shopping mall of love
All for free
The shopping mall of love
She makes me laugh
She makes me laugh
She makes me laugh
(Chorus)
She's so uninhibited
She's so unlimited
That's just the start
She's so magnificent
She's so magnificent
A work of art
Like the Mona Lisa
The Venus de Milo
The Pieta
Or a Reclining Nude On The Wall
I found my thrill
I found my thrill
I found my thrill in Beverly Hills

07. Modesty Plays (Ron & Russell Mael)

Modesty Plays Modesty Plays
Modesty Plays Modesty Plays
She may like caviar and cocktails
She may like symphonies and sun
But underneath the gown and high heels
She's like a fully loaded gun
Modesty Plays Modesty Plays
Modesty Plays Modesty Plays
The world is running out of heroes
The world is running out of time
Where are those martial arts maneuvers
We're getting massacred by crime
Well listen buddy don't you worry
She may not look like Genghis Khan
And she may talk about her manicure
But she can sure get things done
Modesty Plays Modesty Plays
Modesty Plays Modesty Plays
Don't underestimate the lady
She may seem cultured and demure
But there's another side and careful
She'll hit you like a 2 x 4
The world is running out of heroes
And everybody's out on bail
As long as Modesty is on our side
Good will surely prevail
Modesty Plays Modesty Plays
Modesty Plays Modesty Plays

08. Let's Get Funky (Ron & Russell Mael)

She arrived on a Greyhound bus
And she was young and so lean
And she smelled like a smalltown church
But she looked like a queen
And I walked up and asked her name
And she gave me a stare
So I said will you marry me
She just brushed at her hair
She looked hungry and knew I was
So she ate lunch with me
Then she held out a greasy hand
Rubbed the grease on my knee
Maybe she's taken a vow of silence
Maybe she's from some quiet island
Or maybe she's scared of big city life, I don't know
Maybe she's had a difficult life
Oh c'mon baby just a word
Just a syllable or two
Take your pick say a word
Any word at all will do
'Let's get funky'



Credits

Music That You Can Dance To:
Produced by Ron Mael and Russell Mael
Engineered by Dan Lacksman
Assisted by Pascal Huwart
Recorded at Synsound Studios, Brussels, Belgium
'Modesty Plays' Produced by Ron Mael, Russell Mael, and Greg Penny
Vocals: Russell Mael
Synths: Ron Mael
Guitar: Bob Haag
Drums: David Kendrick
Bass: Leslie Bohem
Additional keyboards: John Thomas
Guitar on 'Fingertips': Robert Mache
Design: Michael Diehl
Photography: Rocky Schenck