Wang Chung - Dance Hall Days And Don't Let Go

Title: Wang Chung - Dance Hall Days And Don't Let Go
Year/Genre/Sub-Genre/City: 1984, New Wave, Synth-Pop, Dance Rock, London, England 9/26
Matrix #: 01-3837-1A
Condition: EX (LM) | Members: Wang Chung (N/A) | Producer: Chris Hughes, Ross Cullum
Cultural Facts:

1. A Missed Guitar Lesson Made the Hit: Jack Hues was teaching guitar to London schoolkids when one student failed to show up. With 20 spare minutes, Hues started playing around and came up with the rhythm, opening chords and melody of “Dance Hall Days.” Nick Feldman heard it and immediately told their manager Jack had written a hit.

2. Met Through the Classifieds: Hues and Feldman first connected after Feldman placed a musicians-wanted ad in Melody Maker. Their early punky group evolved into Huang Chung, making Wang Chung another major band whose entire career began with two strangers answering a newspaper classified.

3. David Geffen Renamed Them: When Huang Chung signed with Geffen, the band considered abandoning the confusing name altogether because people constantly mispronounced it. David Geffen suggested simply spelling it the way it sounded, creating “Wang Chung” just as “Dance Hall Days” and “Don't Let Go” were carrying them into American radio.