Dancing with Strangers explained

Dancing With Strangers
Type:	Album
Artist:	Chris Rea
Cover:	Dancing_with_Strangers.jpg
Border:	yes
Released:	14 September 1987^[1]
Studio:	Mountain Studios (Montreux, Switzerland) Studio Miraval (Le Val, France) Hartmann Digital (Bavaria, Germany)
Genre:	Album-oriented rock
Length:	49.16 (58:54 on cd with bonus tracks)
Label:	Magnet Motown (US)
Producer:	Chris Rea
Prev Title:	On the Beach
Prev Year:	1986
Next Title:	New Light Through Old Windows
Next Year:	1988

Dancing with Strangers is the ninth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1987. It became Rea's first major success in the UK, peaking at No. 2 behind Michael Jackson's Bad, and spent 46 weeks in the charts before going platinum.^[2] The album entered the Top 10 in six other European countries, and topped the chart in New Zealand.^[3]

"Let's Dance" was released as the first single and peaked at No. 12 in the UK, and climbed to No. 2 in New Zealand.^[4] It was followed by "Loving You Again", "Joys of Christmas" and "Que Sera". The album features renowned Irish piper Davy Spillane.

Production

Rea had put a multi-track recording desk in his garage, and "made the whole album with three microphones. Nobody heard it, nobody witnessed it", he said. "It was just me having fun."^[5] It was "the first time Rea had demoed and partly recorded the album at home", which "gave him more control and helped cement his vision".^[6]

Despite the lead single's success, subsequent singles fared relatively poorly in the UK charts, with "Loving You Again" reaching No. 47, "Joys of Christmas" making it to No. 67 and "Que Sera" reaching No. 73. The latter shares a verse taken from an earlier song from the eponymous Chris Rea, called "When You Know Your Love Has Died."

Dancing With Strangers, along with four other albums from Rea's commercial peak, was remastered and reissued as a double album, with the first disc consisting of the original LP, and the second containing bonus material including singles, along with alternative and live versions.^[7]

Track listing

All songs by Chris Rea.

1. "Joys of Christmas" – 5:15
2. "I Can't Dance to That" – 4:19
3. "Windy Town" – 4:25
4. "Gonna Buy a Hat" – 4:25
5. "Curse of the Traveller" – 6:26
6. "Let's Dance" – 4:07
7. "Que Sera" – 5:23
8. "Josie's Tune" – 2:19
9. "Loving You Again" – 5:40
10. "That Girl of Mine" – 3:41
11. "September Blue" – 3:09
12. "I Don't Care Any More" – 2:10
13. "Donahue's Broken Wheel" – 3:02
14. "Danielle's Breakfast" – 4:33

Tracks 12, 13 and 14 are bonus tracks not available on the initial LP release.

Personnel

• Chris Rea – vocals, guitar (1, 2, 6), accordion (1, 4, 10), harmonica (1, 2, 7), brass (1, 4, 6, 7, 9), acoustic guitar (3), rhythm guitar (3), banjo (3), slide guitar (4, 10), all other guitars (5, 7), keyboards (6, 7), acoustic piano (7), all other instruments (8), all guitars (9), strings (9), lead guitar (10), all instruments (11-14)
• Kevin Leach – acoustic piano (2, 3, 5, 9, 10), organ (2, 5, 7), Hammond organ (4)
• Jerry Donahue – lead guitar (3, 4, 7), acoustic guitar (3), rhythm guitar (5, 10)
• Eoghan O'Neill – bass (1-7, 9, 10), drums (1), percussion (1)
• Martin Ditcham – drums (2-7, 9, 10), percussion (2, 3, 5-7, 9, 10)
• Davy Spillane – Uilleann pipes (3, 5, 8, 10), low whistle (3, 5, 8, 10)

Production

• Chris Rea – producer, mixing
• Stewart Eales – engineer
• Jean Jacques Lemoine – engineer
• Justin Shirley-Smith – engineer
• Jon Kelly – mixing
• Willie Grimston – coordination
• Mark Entwistle – cover illustration
• Shoot That Tiger! – sleeve design
• Jim Beach – management
• Paul Lilly – management

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1987–88)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)^[8]	7
European Albums (Music & Media)^[9]	8
French Albums (IFOP)^[10]	14

Year-end charts

Chart (1987)	Position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[11]	85
European Albums (Music & Media)^[12]	68
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[13]	27
Chart (1988)	Position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[14]	68

Notes and References

1. Web site: BPI.
2. https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/19870920/7502/ 1987-09-26 Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive
3. http://swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Chris+Rea&titel=Dancing+With+Strangers&cat=a Chris Rea - Dancing With Strangers
4. http://swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Chris+Rea&titel=Let%27s+Dance&cat=s Chris Rea - Let's Dance
5. Web site: Chris Rea on "Dancing with Strangers" The Story Behind . 7 November 2022 . Chris Rea Official channel (YouTube.com).
6. Web site: McCann . Ian . 1 September 2021 . Dancing With Strangers: How Chris Rea Whirled His Way To The Top . 7 November 2022 . This is Dig.com.
7. Web site: Wade . Ian . 16 August 2019 . Chris Rea / The Rea-issues . 7 November 2022 . Super Deluxe Edition.
8. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 246.
9. European Hot 100 Albums. Music & Media. 7 November 1987. 4. 44. 24. 29800226. https://web.archive.org/web/20210308062927/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1987/M&M-1987-11-07.pdf. 8 March 2021. 5 February 2022. World Radio History.
10. Web site: InfoDisc : Les Tubes de chaque Artiste commençant par R. Infodisc.fr. 5 February 2022.
11. Web site: Jaaroverzichten – Album 1987. Dutch Charts. nl. 5 February 2022.
12. European Chart of the Year 1987. Music & Media. 26 December 1987. 4. 51/52. 35. 29800226. https://web.archive.org/web/20210308064410/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1987/M&M-1987-12-26.pdf. 8 March 2021. 5 February 2022. World Radio History.
13. Web site: Top Selling Albums of 1987 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart. Recorded Music New Zealand. 5 February 2022.
14. Web site: Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts. Dutch Charts. de. 5 February 2022.