The Safety Dance

"The Safety Dance" is a song by Canadian new wave and synth-pop band Men Without Hats, released in Canada in 1982 as the second single from Rhythm of Youth. The song was written by lead singer Ivan Doroschuk after he had been ejected from a club for pogo dancing. The song entered the Canadian top 50 on February 19, 1983, peaking at No. 11 on May 14. In the meantime, "The Safety Dance" was released in the US on March 16, but did not enter the US chart until June 25. It became a bigger hit than in Canada, spending four weeks at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September and October 1983. It also reached number 1 the week of October 1, 1983 on Cash Box, as well as number 1 on the Billboard Dance Chart. "The Safety Dance" found similar success in other parts of the world, entering the UK chart in August and peaking at No. 6 in early November, and entering the New Zealand chart in November, eventually peaking at No. 2 in early 1984. The song was also a massive success in South Africa, reaching No. 1 on the Springbok chart. The song has been inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2021, the band released a recording of a new version of the song, reimagined as a mid-tempo ballad, under the title "No Friends of Mine." The track is included on their 2022 EP Again (Part 1).