COURTENEY COX RE-CREATES HER DANCE FOR CURRENT TIKTOK TREND
I didn't just dream it - it really exists and it really did play. I distinctly recall seeing a full-on version of the video for Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing In The Dark" when MTV premiered it almost 40 years ago, in 1984. It was the year of the Purple Rain, and MTV would make a big deal about world premiere videos. I remember being ready for the world premiere of this new Springsteen video, and I distinctly remember an intro, prior to the song proper, where Courteney Cox and her two friends were buying T-shirts before the concert. I have not been able to find anyone besides myself who remembers seeing this version of the video.
Back a few years ago, I contacted someone who knew a lot about Springsteen, and who had written up a detailed article about the scrapped Jeff Stein version of "Dancing In The Dark," prior to Brian De Palma being brought on to direct, and this person had not heard of a longer version, and had never seen it. I've searched for the long, full version of the video in archives around the web, but have only ever been able to find the standard version, which begins by showing Springsteen's foot stomping on the stage, to the beat of the song.
"NINE-MINUTE CLIP"
Last week, while searching around through the archives of Billboard Magazine, I did land on this passage in the July 21, 1984 issue, in a "Music Monitor" article written by Faye Zuckerman, which describes De Palma as "hard at work" in St. Paul the week before "on a nine-minute clip for 'Dancing In The Dark.'"
In 2017, Courteney Cox described the intro portion of the Springsteen video to Sam Jones:
So it was shot in St. Paul, Minnesota. And actually, the story was going to be a … it was a bigger story than just what you saw in the video. They filmed this… it was me and two other girls, we were buying T-shirts, we were putting on make-up in the bathroom. It was like a whole little thing about, “Oh, my God, I’m so excited about this concert – I can’t wait, I can’t wait.” And we get there and then one of us gets picked out of the audience. So they filmed all this stuff, but they didn’t show that – they just showed, you know, that part [she means the famous dancing part].
But I'm here to tell you, dearly beloved, that they did show it...! At least that once.
Meanwhile, from the Deadline article by Glenn Garner:
A decade before Monica Geller came into our living rooms, Courteney Cox was just Bruce Springsteen‘s biggest fan.The Friends alum threw it back to her appearance in Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 music video for ‘Dancing in the Dark’ as she jumped on a TikTok trend that asks parents how they danced during the decade.
“1980’s dancing…in the dark,” Cox captioned the video.
In the clip, she begins dancing to the 1984 synth-pop hit ‘Smalltown Boy’ by Bronski Beat, which is commonly used with the social trend.
Looking uncomfortable during her dance, Cox then strips off her hoodie to reveal the same Springsteen t-shirt she wore in the “Dancing in the Dark” video as the track changes and she recreates her dance.
Cox was 20 years old when she was selected by director Brian De Palma from a casting call for the video, which was filmed at the opening night of Springsteen’s Born in the USA Tour in Saint Paul, Minnesota and featured The Boss pulling her out of the crowd to dance on stage with him.
Updated: Monday, June 10, 2024 12:52 AM CDT
Post Comment | Permalink | Share This Post