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/
Moonbeam
Men Without Hats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Love-Love-Love-Love)
You, you were on a moon- MOON-BEAM
Me, I was on a star
Gee everything was blue, BLUE-GREEN
Be cause everything was far
Me, I was in a mo- MO-VIE
You, you were in a song
Gee everything was groo, GRO-OVY
We everything was wrong
And no matter where you are
I can always see that far
You were on a MO-ON-BEAM of love
A pretty little moonbeam
It's you I'm thinking of
HEY! I was only trying to say
You're a million miles away
I can feel you dancin' anyway
You, you were on a moonbeam
And me I was in a cloud
And everything was Lou Reed
And everything was loud
No matter where you were
Well I could always see that fer
You were on a MO-ON-BEAM of love
A pretty little moonbeam
Moonbeam of love
A pretty little moonbeam
Shining from above
A pretty little moonbeam
It's you I'm thinking of
A pretty little moonbeam
Do you dream of LOVE
The Men Without Hats's song Moonbeam is a love song about two people who are separated by distance, yet their love is strong enough to transcend it. The song begins with a counting, followed by a declaration of love. The singer (presumably Ivan Doroschuk) says that his love interest is on a moonbeam while he's on a star. He describes how everything is blue and green because of the distance between them.
The singer then says that he was in a movie while his love interest was in a song. He says that everything was groovy, but then he adds that everything was wrong, indicating that their distance was causing them pain. The singer ends the first verse by saying that no matter where his love interest is, he can always see her on a moonbeam.
In the second verse, the singer says that while his love interest was on a moonbeam, he was in a cloud. He says that everything was like Lou Reed, indicating that he was going through a tough time. However, he reassures his love interest that no matter where she is, he can always see her on a moonbeam of love. The song ends with the singer asking his love interest if she dreams of love.
Overall, Moonbeam is a song about love overcoming distance. The singer describes the pain caused by their separation, but he also celebrates their love, which is strong enough to bridge the gap between them.
Line by Line Meaning
One two three four
Beginning of the song.
(Love-Love-Love-Love)
Repeating the word LOVE four times.
You, you were on a moon- MOON-BEAM
The singer's lover or someone special associated with happiness and positivity.
Me, I was on a star
The artist himself, on a mood that is uplifting, perhaps drawing inspiration from his lover.
Gee everything was blue, BLUE-GREEN
Everything around them resembled the color blue or its shades, representing peace, tranquility and calmness. It could also signify that they are in a gathering surrounded by like-minded, calm people.
Be cause everything was far
Indicating that they were in the state of happiness that pulled them away from reality, to a distant place that felt so surreal.
Me, I was in a mo- MO-VIE
Like he felt he was in a movie or a musical with his lover as his co-actor and the surrounding set in placement.
You, you were in a song
His lover was singing or dancing in his mind, setting his own desires in motion.
Gee everything was groo, GRO-OVY
The atmosphere around the artist and his lover is funky, vibrant and cool. They are living in the moment and enjoying their time together.
We everything was wrong
They both know that the life they are leading is not as it should be, but all they can do is to make the best out of it.
And no matter where you are
No matter the distance between the two of them, they still manage to connect effortlessly.
I can always see that far
The artist can still feel connected to his lover as if they are so close to each other.
You were on a MO-ON-BEAM of love
The metaphor of the moonbeam is an expression indicating that their love is symbolic of a bright and happy feeling, always shining and out of the ordinary.
A pretty little moonbeam
Emphasizing on the fact that the love was not only strong but also looks pleasant and heavenly.
It's you I'm thinking of
The singer is thinking of just one person whom he considers as his everything.
HEY! I was only trying to say
The singer spoke his thoughts out loud without any malice, even if the words didn't come out as smoothly as he had hoped.
You're a million miles away
His lover may not be physically near to him but still he felt her in his heart.
I can feel you dancin' anyway
The singer can feel his lover's energy and freedom through her dancing, even when they are apart.
And me I was in a cloud
The singer himself might have been in a state of happiness that could cloud his thoughts.
And everything was Lou Reed
Lou Reed could be an inspiration to the singer or a significant persona or even a genre that he adores.
And everything was loud
The environment around the singer was filled with sounds, perhaps because of the loud music that they were playing or their lively group of friends talking and laughing.
No matter where you were
No matter where the lover could be, the singer still feels connected to her.
Well I could always see that fer
The singer could still sense his lover's presence and her mood as if she is standing next to him.
Moonbeam of love
Repeating the moonbeam expression, the singer is once again emphasizing on their love and how it feels is like an extraordinary bright light in their life.
Shining from above
The light from the moonbeam is what attracts the singer towards his lover with a sense of hope, positivity and happiness.
Do you dream of LOVE
The singer is now questioning his lover on whether she, too, thinks of their love as deeply as he does, and if she also dreams of a bright and happy future with him.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: IVAN DOROSCHUK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
perpetual61
One two three four
(Love-Love-Love-Love)
You, you were on a moon- MOON-BEAM
Me, I was on a star
Gee everything was blue, BLUE-GREEN
Be cause everything was far
Me, I was in a mo- MO-VIE
You, you were in a song
Gee everything was groo, GRO-OVY
We everything was wrong
And no matter where you are
I can always see that far
You were on a MO-ON-BEAM of love
A pretty little moonbeam
It's you I'm thinking of
HEY! I was only trying to say
You're a million miles away
I can feel you dancin' anyway
You, you were on a moonbeam
And me I was in a cloud
And everything was Lou Reed
And everything was loud
No matter where you were
Well I could always see that fer
You were on a MO-ON-BEAM of love
A pretty little moonbeam
Moonbeam of love
A pretty little moonbeam
Shining from above
A pretty little moonbeam
It's you I'm thinking of
A pretty little moonbeam
Do you dream of LOVE
Terry Donald Washington
One of the world's most underrated pop bands, with lots of deeper meaning (symbolic and mystical) to their songs and videos...
Gabe Aguilar
Thank youuuuu !! Living in China is so intelligent
Louise Falk
I like when you say mystical. Its like being put under a spell ( a good spell) and once you hear Ivans voice you are forever changed..
GIGI
One of my top 10 favourite songs and yes I’m here in 2020! This song represents everything good and pure about the 80’s and makes me incredibly nostalgic....God, what I wouldn’t do to go back in time!!!! xx
cyberhat
GIGI you’re so right...
Daryn
I never heard this song back when it was made but it is now my favorite song.
GIGI
@Daryn better late than never! 😉
gbj11
I love this album and so many of the songs on it. It's really a hidden treasure, so quirky and playful but also kind of dark and it rocks in its own way. And the melodies are fantastic. And I like the videos too, cheesy as they are... they're so trippy, they take you to another place.
johnnyjoey
I just rediscovered this song and forgot how much I loved it!
Neil Stonewall Herrmann
Great song from a phenomenal album. Probably one of the best albums of the 80s.