"S-A-F-E-T-Y. Safety. Dance." One of the most memorable spelling lessons in pop music history, those letters and words also introduced the music world to the the synth-pop stylings of the Canadian band Men Without Hats. Including brothers Ivan and Stefan Doroschuk, the group had formed in 1980 and released an EP which was re-released the following year on Britain's legendary Stiff label. In 1982, they would release their full-fledged debut, Rhythm Of Youth, which would become a hit in the States in 1983, following success around the world.

Driving the success was the single "The Safety Dance." The elastic melody was simple, but inescapable - little more than three chords on a synthesizer with Ivan's robotic vocal giving voice to the silly, inscrutible lyric. The song became a major hit in US clubs during the summer of 1983, prompting a belated release for Rhythm Of Youth. When MTV began airing the video for "The Safety Dance" - an unusual medieval village setting including a dancing dwarf - the song began to attract more attention and pop stations soon began responding to requests for the song.

In late July, "The Safety Dance" finally broke into the US Top 40 - Men Without Hats' first hit. It continued to quickly scale the pop chart, breaking into the Top Ten a month later. "The Safety Dance" would remain in the Top Ten into the early fall, peaking for a month at #3 in October.

Although Rhythm Of Youth would spawn a couple more minor hits, neither would climb higher than the lower reaches of the Hot 100 chart. When their follow-up album came and went with little attention a year later, it seemed that Men Without Hats would be a one-hit wonder. To the surprise of many, Men Without Hats would score another Top 40 hit in 1988 when they would take the playful "Pop Goes The World" to #20, but, for most fans, it would be "The Safety Dance" that would remain their best-known song and one of the more memorable synth-pop hits of the '80s.

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