They emerged in the early 80s with an EP called 'Folk of the 80s', a work released in 1980 that showed the Doroschuk family's interest in the electronic sounds of the progressive rock scene. After picking up some local success, the group erupted onto the international scene a couple of years later with their hit single "The Safety Dance". Parent album 'Rhythm of Youth' did very well, reaching all the way to the #13 slot on the Billboard 200 chart. Touring showed that they had captured their own distinctive audience.
Still, the band faced a tough time living up the expectations put upon them by the success of "The Safety Dance", which had a popular music video and hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their follow-up tune "I Like", similar in synthpop spirit, received far less airplay. Their 1984 album 'Folk of the '80s (Part III)' showed the group in flux, the ever shifting 80s music scene seemingly leaving them behind.
Though saddled with the 'one hit wonder' label, Men Without Hats burst back into American and Canadian popular consciousness with their 1987 release 'Pop Goes The World'. The title track reached the #20 slot on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as #2 on the Canadian Singles Chart, and, showing a return to form, the group also devised a compelling music video that had considerable interest. The songs themselves showed a mix of lyrical bite and meta-commentary on the nature of fame as well as understated, even children's music inspired instrumentation and vocals.
"Pop Goes The World" ended up being also featured in the 1987 comedy film 'Date with an Angel', and it became the fifteenth biggest selling single in South Africa for 1988, showing the international appeal of the band. Ivan and Stefan Doroschuk alongside Lenny Pinkas made-up the group at that point. The touring band incorporated Bruce Murphy on keyboards and guitar, Marika Tjelios on bass, Richard Sampson on drums, and Heidi Garcia on vocals and keyboards.
Their next album, 'The Adventures of Women & Men Without Hate in the 21st Century', was released in 1989. Though getting a bit of interest from having featured a cover of ABBA's song "S.O.S.", the commercial failure of the album showed that their audience had significantly dwindled. The musicians on the album were essentially the touring band from 'Pop Goes the World'.
The band lasted as an electronic group as such into the early 90s, but they decided to drastically change their sound for 1991's 'Sideways'. The aptly-tilted album saw them aping contemporary alternative rock. Alienating many fans, the album didn't even relieve an American release. Soon after this deep career setback, the band officially disbanded.
As time went on, the group's iconic international hits "The Safety Dance" and "Pop Goes The World" continued to receive major airplay, leading some to label the group as a 'two hit wonder'. Ivan Doroschuk and keyboardist Bruce Murphy would record several demos in 1993, for a concept album tentatively titled 'UFO's are Real'. Yet it never was released.
After a few more years, Ivan Doroschuk returned to being a solo artist with the album 'The Spell' in 2000. He decided to perform simply as Ivan. In 2003, Men Without Hats partly reformed, and Ivan self-released the album 'No Hats Beyond This Point'.
On September 24, 2010, Ivan Doroschuk reformed Men Without Hats as a full group, with three hired backup musicians, and his band appeared at the Rifflandia Music Festival in Victoria, British Columbia. Performing ten songs from the Men Without Hats back catalog, the Ivan-fronted band (described by the Austin American-Statesman as "simply singer Ivan Doroschuk and some hired guns" and by Stefan as a "tribute band") began the "Dance If You Want Tour 2011" with a well attended and positively received performance at Austin's South by Southwest event in March 2011. At the North by Northeast festival in Toronto on June 18, Ivan announced that Men Without Hats would be releasing a new studio album and that it tentatively would be entitled 'Folk of the 80s: Part IV'.
On June 19, 2011, the group played at the Sound of Music Festival in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. Stefan Doroschuk, though rumored to be returning to his brother's group, announced his intention to continue working separately. On March 6, 2012, Ivan Doroschuk's band announced via Facebook that their upcoming album would be called 'Love in the Age of War'.
On 22 April 2012, Men Without Hats released the new single "Head Above Water" from the aformentioned album. Their line-up at that time was Ivan Doroschuk, Lou Dawson, James Love and Rachel Ashmore. 'Love in the Age of War' finally came out on May 22, 2012 in Canada and on June 5, 2012 in the U.S. Their seventh album, it was also the group's first full studio release after a nine-year hiatus.
The band's 2013 tour found them traveling to San Diego, California as well as Mexico City. Going into 2014, the group is still going strong. See: http://safetydance.com/
In The Name of Angels
Men Without Hats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jenny had a vision of her mother dancing
In the middle of a million rainbows
And everywhere you look were the lovers dancing
In the middle of expanding halos
And Jenny held Johnny with the sweetest promise
Please tell me which way your name goes
When all he really wanted was to be his fondest
They're all in the name of angels
Singing
Johnny had a vision of the understanding
But he couldn't tell his mom or me, no!
He said it was a mission that we took for granted
Tell me which way the rain bows
And jenny heard johnny make the sweetest promise
And sounded like they'd won the game show
And all he really wanted was to be his proudest
He never really liked tornadoes
They're all in the name of angels
Singing
You can lose your head
You can lose your mind
You can lose your way (you can lose your way)
Keep your eyes and still be blind
And you can lose your head
You can lose your mind
And you can lose your brain
Keep your eyes and still be blind
Jenny loves johnny like the earth and sun
In the middle of a moment they can will all become
Johnny loves jenny like the wind and sea
In the middle of forever we can all be free
Jenny loves johnny like the earth and sun
In the middle of a moment they will all be one
Johnny loves jenny like the wind and sea
In the middle of forever we can all be free
Say
You can lose your head
You can lose your mind
You can lose your way (you can lose your way)
Keep your eyes and still be blind
And you can lose your head
You can lose your mind
And you can lose your brain
Keep your eyes and still be blind
And you can lose your head
You can lose your mind
And you can lose your brain
Keep your eyes and still be blind
MOMMY
The lyrics to Men Without Hats's song "In The Name of Angels" are a beautiful tribute to the power of love and the mysteries of the universe. The song tells the story of two lovers named Jenny and Johnny, who experience visions and dreams that connect them to a world of dancing rainbows and expanding halos. Jenny sees her mother dancing in the midst of a million rainbows, while everywhere around her, couples are dancing too. Johnny, on the other hand, has a vision "of the understanding," but he can't explain it to anyone.
Jenny and Johnny are also depicted as making promises to each other, promising to always be there for each other and to be proud of each other. They are compared to the wind and sea, the earth and sun, and are seen as part of a larger, eternal universe. Throughout it all, the song maintains its focus on love and connection, suggesting that even when we feel lost or disconnected, we can still find our way back to love and to each other.
Overall, the lyrics to "In The Name of Angels" are deeply poetic and moving, offering a universal message of hope and possibility in a world that can often seem dark and uncertain.
Line by Line Meaning
Jenny had a vision
Jenny had a dream or a vision
Jenny had a vision of her mother dancing
Jenny's vision included her mother dancing
In the middle of a million rainbows
This vision took place in a colorful, beautiful setting
And everywhere you look were the lovers dancing
The vision included many couples dancing
In the middle of expanding halos
The atmosphere of the vision was magical
And Jenny held Johnny with the sweetest promise
Jenny made a heartfelt promise to Johnny
Please tell me which way your name goes
Jenny wants to know Johnny's true identity
When all he really wanted was to be his fondest
Johnny's desire was to be true to himself
He never really liked tornados
Johnny didn't like chaotic, destructive situations
They're all in the name of angels
In the end, everything happens for a divine purpose
Singing
An additional note to the previous line
Johnny had a vision of the understanding
Johnny had a realization about life or the universe
But he couldn't tell his mom or me, no!
Johnny kept this realization to himself
He said it was a mission that we took for granted
Johnny thought that people didn't appreciate the significance of their actions
Tell me which way the rain bows
Johnny wants to know the direction of the rainbows
And jenny heard johnny make the sweetest promise
Jenny heard Johnny's heartfelt promise
And sounded like they'd won the game show
Johnny's words made it seem like they achieved something great
And all he really wanted was to be his proudest
Johnny's desire was to feel proud of himself
They're all in the name of angels
Everything happens for a divine purpose
Singing
An additional note to the previous line
You can lose your head
You can become confused or overwhelmed
You can lose your mind
You can become insane or irrational
You can lose your way (you can lose your way)
You can become lost or uncertain about your future
Keep your eyes and still be blind
Sometimes, even if you pay attention, you can still miss important things
And you can lose your brain
You can become very confused or uncertain
Jenny loves johnny like the earth and sun
Jenny has a very strong love for Johnny
In the middle of a moment they can will all become
Together, Jenny and Johnny can overcome anything
Johnny loves jenny like the wind and sea
Johnny has a deep and powerful love for Jenny
In the middle of forever we can all be free
Together, they can experience true freedom and happiness
Jenny loves johnny like the earth and sun
Jenny has a very strong love for Johnny
In the middle of a moment they will all be one
At a certain moment in time, all things will come together
Johnny loves jenny like the wind and sea
Johnny has a deep and powerful love for Jenny
In the middle of forever we can all be free
Together, they can experience true freedom and happiness
Say
An additional note to the previous lines
You can lose your head
You can become confused or overwhelmed
You can lose your mind
You can become insane or irrational
You can lose your way (you can lose your way)
You can become lost or uncertain about your future
Keep your eyes and still be blind
Sometimes, even if you pay attention, you can still miss important things
And you can lose your brain
You can become very confused or uncertain
Keep your eyes and still be blind
Even if you think you are paying attention, you can still miss important things
And you can lose your head
You can become confused or overwhelmed
And you can lose your mind
You can become insane or irrational
And you can lose your brain
You can become very confused or uncertain
Keep your eyes and still be blind
Even if you think you are paying attention, you can still miss important things
MOMMY
An unexpected and unexplained end to the song
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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