Dead On Dance Classic

Many enticing dance tracks have skittered across my ears since I was first hatched but none of them have quite the flamboyance of Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)". It filled many a summer day in 1985 with super radiant sunshine. These days lead singer Pete Burns, thanks to ill-advised plastic surgery, doesn't even remotely resemble the exotic pop tart he was then. The video's super corny but, once you're immersed in those hot grooves, it ceases to be all that important. The reason I'm so high on it is it's an instant party starter. The drums are relentless. The keyboards have spark. The guitar's extremely sassy, especially after the first chorus. Pete's animal magnetism is undeniable. He can be somewhat scary but that's an artistic point in his favor. During summer '85 when more seductive acts like Wham! and Tears For Fears blossomed with more of a proper gentleman delivery Dead or Alive got up in your face with just over 3 minutes worth of dance magic that circles around your feet, works its way up your spine, and gives you a cosmic infection that you'd never want cured.