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"Dancing with Myself"
File:Dancing with Myself Billy Idol.jpg
Single by Billy Idol
from the album Don't Stop
Released 1981
Recorded 1980
Genre Rock, post-punk, New Wave
Length 4:50
Label Chrysalis Records
Writer(s) Billy Idol, Tony James
Producer Keith Forsey
Billy Idol singles chronology

- "Dancing with Myself"
(1981)
"Mony Mony"
(1981)

"Dancing with Myself" is a song by the band Generation X released in 1981, from their album Kiss Me Deadly. It was one of their first true hit singles. At the time of its release, the band shortened their name to simply "Gen X." Also of note, the band contained only Billy Idol and Tony James from the original line-up. Idol went on to have great success with the single when he released a more pop friendly version (absent of the driving guitar and bass in the Gen X version) on his first solo release, Don't Stop".

Some have speculated that the song is about masturbation, but more likely it was inspired by what Tony James and Billy Idol witnessed in a Japanese night club during the band's 1979 Japanese Tour as patrons watched themselves dance in the space enhancing mirrors which covered the walls. This song appears in Guitar Hero 5

Cover versions[]

  • Billy Idol (1981)
  • De Kreuners (1984) as "Ik dans wel met mezelf"
  • Kids Incorporated (1989)
  • Blink-182 (March 10, 1997)
  • 30 Foot Fall (2000)
  • The Donnas (September 21, 2004)
  • Nouvelle Vague(July 10, 2006)
  • The Boomtang Boys
  • Dag Vag as "Dansar med mig själv"
  • Eläkeläiset as "Humppaan itsekseni"
  • Green Day (Played live on 2000, 2005 & 2009 tours)
  • Lisa Mitchell (Australian Idol 2006)
  • Al Gonzales (Bagpiper) and The Shots (2008)
  • The Flukes (2007)
  • Laura Bell Bundy (Recorded a country version for her CD "Longing For A Place Already Gone" released in 2007)

Charts[]

Generation X version[]

Chart (1981) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart 62

Billy Idol version[]

Chart (1981) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles 2
v · t · eSongs of Guitar Hero 5
The 13th Rail
Song 2 · They Say · Gamma Ray · In My Place · Feel Good Inc. · All Along the Watchtower · Sympathy for the Devil
Club Boson
Steady, As She Goes · Blue Day · Gratitude · Sowing Season (Yeah) · Only Happy When It Rains · Blue Orchid · Hurts So Good
Sideshow
Play That Funky Music · Fame · Ex-Girlfriend · Cigarettes, Wedding Bands · Woman From Tokyo ('99 Remix) · Under Pressure · Sex on Fire
Angel's Crypt
Kryptonite · Send a Little Love Token · Mirror People · Comedown · Never Miss a Beat · Dancing with Myself · Shout It Out Loud
O'Connell's Corner
You Give Love a Bad Name · In the Meantime · You and Me · L.A. · Make It wit Chu · Plug In Baby · Superstition · Sultans of Swing
The Aqueduct
Why Bother? · Jailbreak · The Rock Show · Bleed American · Hungry Like the Wolf · Looks That Kill
Guitarhenge
Lonely Is the Night · Wannabe in L.A. · Nearly Lost You · Smells Like Teen Spirit · Lithium (Live) · All the Pretty Faces
Neon Oasis
20th Century Boy · What I Got · A-Punk · Seven · Bring the Noise 20XX · Du Hast
Electric Honky Tonk
Ring of Fire · Disconnected · Bullet with Butterfly Wings · One Big Holiday · We're an American Band
Calavera Square
Incinerate · Maiden, Mother & Crone · Wolf Like Me · So Lonely · No One to Depend On (Live) · Runnin' Down a Dream
Cairo Bazaar
Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting · Younk Funk · Sneak Out · Streamline Woman · Back Round · Medicate
The Golden Gate
Six Days a Week · American Girl · Judith · Deadbolt · Brianstorm · 2 Minutes to Midnight
Fjord of Swords
Lust for Life (Live) · Sweating Bullets · Do You Feel Like We Do? (Live) · Demon(s) · Scatterbrain (Live) · Done with Everything, Die for Nothing · The Spirit of Radio (Live)
Hypersphere
21st Century Schizoid Man
GHTunes example songs
Deluge of Fire · Hairspray Sunset · Mohawk Miracle · Quatrain 11 · Sting of the B · Tachophobia · Twisted Bach Medley
Downloadable tracks
Prodigal Son (Live) · You Gotta Move (Live) · Under My Thumb (Live) · I'm Free (Live) · (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (Live) · 100 Little Curses · Fight! Smash! Win! · Somewhere in the World It's Midnight · Beautiful Thieves · Girl's Not Grey · The Missing Frame · Munich · The Geeks Were Right · Dull Life · Mexicola · Avon · How to Handle a Rope · The Stroke · Everybody Wants You · When She Comes to Me · Pilgrim · California Queen · Cosmic Egg · Freeze Frame · Show Me the Way (Live) · Lay It on the Line · Gor-Gor · The Beautiful People · Astro Zombies · Fly Away · Lady · Let Love Rule · I Was Made for Lovin' You · Lick It Up · Modern Day Delilah · Lemon Frosting · RockNRola · From the Blue/Point of No Return/T.T.R.T.S. · Love Holds It Down · You Really Like Me · Guilty Pleasures · Panic Attack! · A Classic Case of Transference · Single · All the Right Moves · Everybody Loves Me · Mercy · Hi-Speed Soul · Cut Your Hair · Sister Jack · Hark! The Herald Angels Sing · Our Song · Harder to Breathe · New · Lonesome Road Blues · Who I Am · Broken Man · Holiday · The Kids Don't Stand a Chance · Cousins · Laser Cannon Deth Sentence · Still I Rise · Twilight of the Thunder God · Travelin' Band · Bad Moon Rising · Proud Mary · Attack · From Yesterday · Kings and Queens · Sooner or Later · Until the End · Give Me a Sign · Can You Take Me · Losing a Whole Year · Never Let You Go · First Date · All the Small Things · Adam's Song · Here It Goes Again · Do What You Want · Get Over It · Requiem for a Dying Song · (No More) Paddy's Lament · The Seven Deadly Sins · Girls, Girls, Girls · We Got the Beat · Sister Christian · Free Bird · Simple Man · Gimme Three Steps · Thnks fr th Mmrs · This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race · The Take Over, the Break's Over · Gives You Hell · There's No Other Way · Addicted · Everything Is Everything · 1901 · Lisztomania · After Forever · Into the Void · Sweet Leaf · Juke Box Hero · Sweet Home Alabama (Live) · Take the Money and Run · Face Down · Low Day · You're All I Have · Livin' on the Edge · Love in an Elevator · Rag Doll · 7 Things · Here We Go Again · Falling Down · Between the Lines · Plush · Sex Type Thing · God Save the Queen (GH Version) · Il Canto degli Italiani (GH Version) · La Marseillaise (GH Version) · Lied der Deutschen (GH Version) · Marcha Real (GH Version) · The Star-Spangled Banner (GH Version) · I'm Eighteen · School's Out · Welcome to My Nightmare · Dear Maria, Count Me In · Weightless · Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don't) (Live) · Fireflies · Just Dance · This Love · Crazy Little Thing Called Love · Killer Queen · Somebody To Love · Afterlife · Almost Easy · Scream · Down With The Sickness · Indestructible · Stricken · Devour · Second Chance · Sound Of Madness · The Taste of Ink · The Bird and the Worm · Pretty Handsome Awkward · Fat Lip · In Too Deep · Still Waiting · Beverly Hills · Pork and Beans · Island in the Sun · Symphony of Destruction · Hangar 18 · Peace Sells · Southtown · Youth of the Nation · Boom · I Stand Alone · Last Resort · The Dope Show · Blue Monday · Nookie · Epic
Hidden tracks
Addicted · Black Dog (Live) · Beautiful Morning · Believe · Ted Nugent Guitar Duel · Zakk Wylde Guitar Duel · Bug Eyes · B.Y.O.B. · Dammit · Hot for Teacher · Hot for Teacher · I Alone · La Bamba · Lazy Eye · Love Spreads · March of the Pigs · GHWT Medley · Obstacle 1 · One Armed Scissor · On the Road Again · (Oh) Pretty Woman · Pull Me Under · Take a Picture · The Beautiful People · The Joker
*Setlist ordered by Xbox 360/PlayStation 3/Wii's static career order (PlayStation 2's careers are ordered differently per instrument), downloadable content ordered by release date, and hidden tracks ordered by file name
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