Still Dancing: Further Songs About Dances Quiz

Answer: The Lambeth Walk

"The Lambeth Walk" was a huge hit throughout the UK - even the King and Queen joined in with the shouted "Oi!" at the end of each chorus. The dance was a jaunty, strutting walk, said by the choreographer, music hall star Lupino Lane, to resemble the way that Cockneys walked.

The musical from which it came, "Me and My Girl", was filmed as "The Lambeth Walk" in 1939. In that year, however, the Nazis described it as "Jewish mischief and animalistic hopping". Its success in the US was perhaps surprising, but both Duke Ellington and Russ Morgan had hits with the song.

Answer: Hokey Cokey

The "Hokey Cokey" is known around the world, with slightly different variations of movements and song title - in the US it's commonly referred to as the "Hokey Pokey". Apart from the Snowmen's recording it's also been recorded by Slade, Kristine Sparkle and Haunted Garage. Looking at the incorrect answer options, I made "Randy Dandy" up, "Wakey Wakey" was the introduction song of "The Billy Cotton Band Show" on BBC Radio on Sunday lunchtimes from 1949 to 1968, and Riki-Tiki-Tavi is a mongoose.

Answer: The Peppermint Twist

The Peppermint Lounge nightclub was where the Twist was born, so Joey Dee and Henry Glover wrote the song "The Peppermint Twist" to celebrate it. Chubby Checker's "The Twist" sparked the craze for the dance, and "The Peppermint Twist" succeeded it at number one in the US charts. Bill Haley and the Comets recorded a version in 1962, but it wasn't released until 2000!

Answer: Soul Limbo

"Soul Limbo" is a great record, cheerful and fun. Booker T. - Booker T. Jones - was a great keyboard player, and the M.G.'s included the wonderful Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass and Steve Cropper on guitar. The record comes alive, however, with Terry Manning's marimba solo.

Answer: Resurrection Shuffle

"Resurrection Shuffle" by Ashton, Gardner & Dyke was everywhere in 1971! I didn't particularly like it, but I thought the horn section was ace. The peculiar thing is that I only found out today while writing this question that the first line of the lyrics is totally different to what I thought it was! I'd always thought that it was "Choose yourself a partner from the middle of the floor..." - which to me makes a lot more sense that the lyrics as given in Google. Ah well - another of those "My ears are alight" mis-hearings!

Answer: Vogue

"Vogue" by Madonna is the perfect pop song - it's my favourite track of hers. Vogueing came out of the clubs and swept all before it, as the recent TV series demonstrates. However, Madonna has been accused of cultural appropriation as a result of this song.

In 1999 MTV rated the video as second in their "100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made" chart, bettered only by Michael Jackson's "Thriller".

Answer: Barefootin'

"Barefootin'" was Robert Parker's only hit, but he was a long-lived artist who played with greats like Professor Longhair, Fats Domino and Irma Thomas. There's a great video of him singing the song on YouTube, with a terrific dancer - who's not wearing shoes!

Answer: I Love To Boogie

T. Rex were huge in the early 1970s especially, and "I Love to Boogie" is typical of Marc Bolan's later output. His music was an inspiration to a lot of young people who formed bands themselves, and his support for new acts was obvious when he asked The Damned to tour with him in 1976 - the first major exposure for a punk rock group. T. Rex were indicted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

The three incorrect answer options are all tracks from the first LP recorded by Tyrannosaurus Rex (as the band was called originally), "My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair...

But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows". Not a title that rolls of the tongue...!

Answer: (Do) The Hucklebuck

"(Do) The Hucklebuck" is in my opinion one of the worst records ever made - it's awful! Sadly there's no denying its popularity - it's the kind of track that gets the Mums and Dads up dancing at wedding receptions, if you see what I mean. The actual dance seems to have originated in the town of Devon, Pennsylvania. Coast to Coast recorded it in 1980 after which the original lead singer, Alan Mills, left the band.

The track's chart success came after this, with a replacement lead singer miming to Mills' vocals. Talk about bad timing!

Answer: Do the Standing Still

"Do the Standing Still" became an early punk cult favourite - in fact it was one of John Peel's favourites - but The Table were perhaps too hard-core for their own good, frequently playing non-commercial and distasteful songs. The Dismemberment Plan were an indie band from Washington DC, active from the 1990's onwards.