After playing piano in Cuby and the Blizzards and several other bands since 1964, Brood started his own group, Herman Brood & His Wild Romance, in 1977. The band had their first hit single, Saturday Night, in 1978. But even more than his music, it was his outspoken statements in the press about sex and drug use that brought Herman Brood into the public arena in the Netherlands. In the early 1980s he was romantically involved with the German artist Nina Hagen, with whom he appeared in the film Cha Cha. Brood relished the media attention and became the most famous hard drug user in the Netherlands. "It is usual that an artist uses drugs, but tells everybody he doesn't", he once said in an interview. "I admit that it scared me that my popularity could make people start using drugs." In the 1990s he took up painting and became as successful as a painter as he was as a musician.
With the band 'Herman Brood & his Wild Romance' he made his best known album 'Shpritsz' (a play on the German word for injection needle), containing anti-drug use songs like 'Dope Sucks', but also 'Saturday Night'. Brood swore off most drugs, reducing his drug use to alcohol and a daily shot of speed.
As a result of an impressive TV-show together with the 'modern saint' Salvation Army's major Alida Bosshardt makes Herman Brood also beloved to people who never appreciated or even heard his music.
When in 2001, he found out that he had only a few months left to live, Herman took matters into his own hands and, depressed by the failure of his drug rehabilitation program, committed suicide on July 11 by jumping from the roof of the Hilton Hotel at the age of 54.
dancin' in the street
Herman Brood Lyrics
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Tryin' to arrest my friend
They put him on ice now twice
But he's back again
Hear that funky dance in Harlem
All across the U.S.A.
From the Dead End sea
To the Golden Gate
No more dancin'
No more dancin' in the street
Martha and the band showed us
How to do what you please
All of 'm idiots
Dancin' with the BeeGees
Since you got no Isley Brother's records
Spinnin' like a rat in a maze
Do your stuff like a sex machine
Whatever happened to the latest craze
Since there's
No more dancin'
No more dancin' in the street
No more dancin'
No more dancin' - Freak out
One two three four
No more dancin' anymore
Five six seven eight
Just another hitparade
Well just when things were getting funny
We had to reconsider all the rules
Dead End sea
Golden Gate
He was an animal all the way
Now there's
No more dancin'
No more dancin' in the street
The song "Dancin' in the Street" by Herman Brood expresses the musician's frustration with the restrictions society imposes on people who want to express themselves through music and dance. The first verse talks about a friend being arrested, presumably for causing public disturbance. The line "they put him on ice now twice, but he's back again" suggests that this friend has been detained before, but his love for dancing in the street has not been extinguished. The chorus is an expression of Brood's feeling that people are no longer allowed to dance in the street and have fun without being monitored or punished. Brood reminisces about when Martha and the Vandellas first showed people how to dance to their own rhythm and how music brought people together, but now people are judged and ridiculed by others for not conforming to the norm. The breakdown towards the end of the song is the band chanting "No more dancin', no more dancin' in the street," as a way of mourning the freedom that they once had to dance and be themselves.
The second verse continues the theme of people being judged for not conforming. The BeeGees, known for their disco music, were very different from Herman Brood's style and audience. The line "all of 'm idiots dancin' with the BeeGees" is a way of mocking those who follow trends blindly without thinking for themselves. Brood then mentions the Isley Brothers, who were known for their funk and soul music, and how people who didn't have their records would spin around like "a rat in a maze." This metaphor suggests that people don't know how to navigate the current music scene and are lost without guidance. Finally, Brood asks whatever happened to the latest craze, indicating his frustration that music and dance have become stagnant and predictable.
Line by Line Meaning
Out in the street
The song starts with the singer or the singer recalling an incident that happened in the street.
Tryin' to arrest my friend
The singer's friend was tried to be arrested by the authorities.
They put him on ice now twice
The friend has been detained twice now for some reason.
But he's back again
Despite facing difficulties, the friend managed to return.
Hear that funky dance in Harlem
The artist notices the sound of the music, probably a funky dance, in the Harlem region.
All across the U.S.A.
The singer realizes that the music is not limited to Harlem alone but is played across the USA.
From the Dead End sea
The music has spread to the Dead End sea region, which could be a reference to the poverty-stricken or suffering areas.
To the Golden Gate
The Golden Gate is the suspension bridge that connects San Francisco to Marin County, California. It could mean that the music has spread to California as well.
He was an animal all the way
The friend or someone mentioned in the song was an aggressive and wild person.
No more dancin'
The chorus emphasizes that there is no more dancing in the street.
Martha and the band showed us
The song now talks about another band and how they gave an example of doing what one pleases.
How to do what you please
Martha and her band showed people how to live their lives without conforming to rules.
All of 'm idiots
The singer considers everyone else as idiots who were dancing to music by Bee Gees.
Dancin' with the BeeGees
People were dancing to music produced by Bee Gees.
Since you got no Isley Brother's records
The singer mentions Isley Brothers, who were a famous American R&B and soul music group. The line probably means that the person has no Isley Brothers' record, so they keep listening to Bee Gees.
Spinnin' like a rat in a maze
The term indicates being stuck in one place without any progress or success.
Do your stuff like a sex machine
The artist encourages the people to dance erotically like a sex machine.
Whatever happened to the latest craze
People have stopped following the latest trend.
One two three four
A musical reference to the counts used for rhythm and tempo.
No more dancin' anymore
The chorus repeats that there is no more dancing.
Five six seven eight
Another reference to the counts used for rhythm and tempo.
Just another hitparade
Hitparade could refer to successful music records or charts.
Well just when things were getting funny
The singer remembers the past when things were getting funny and more enjoyable.
We had to reconsider all the rules
Something happened that made the artist reconsider the established rules.
No more dancin'
The chorus repeats for the last time, emphasizing that there is no more dancing in the street.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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