This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.
Roxy Music’s evolution as a band wasn’t highly unusual, but it was significant. Going from a more progressive, original sound to a more “commercial” sound seemed a bit abrupt. Country Life and Siren certainly had accessible aspects to them, but Manifesto seemed to open the floodgates to the masses. To be honest, it’s this second era of Roxy Music that I enjoy most. The style and aesthetics are still there, but this is where the production and attention to detail reached a new level – and “Dance Away” was a perfect example of this.
I view “Dance Away” as a foreshadowing of Avalon. All the things that made that legendary album great are happening on this track. The delicate refinement of Bryan Ferry’s vocals and the instrumentation by Mackay, Manzanera and Thompson are not constraining, they’re liberating. The ethereal quality allows the song to soar. It’s easy to dismiss Manzanera’s guitar work because it’s so incredibly subtle, but its the atmospheric agenda of his playing that’s most impressive.
“Now I'm in the dark, off the wall. Let the strobe light up them all. I close my eyes and dance till dawn. Dance away.”