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As we head into the weekend, a reminder that Nina Blackwood takes over KOKZ every Saturday night from 9 to midnight on Absolutely 80’s. It’s where I found my Friday Forgotten 45 at 3:45 from The Kinks “Come Dancing”.
The song was their biggest chart hit in the U.S. hitting #6 back in 1983 but I never knew the back story of the song. “Come Dancing” is a tribute to Ray Davies’ older sister Rene. She was visiting her childhood home at the time of Ray’s 13th birthday (June 21, 1957) on which she surprised him with a gift of the Spanish guitar he had tried to persuade his parents to buy him. That evening, Rene, who had a weak heart as a result of a childhood bout of rheumatic fever, suffered a fatal heart attack while dancing.
Clive Davis, the music mogul, didn’t want to release the song in the States because he thought it was too British and that the theme of dance halls wouldn’t resonate here. He was wrong! Check out the video by The Kinks!
