I Don’t Wanna Dance by Eddy Grant

Guyana’s Eddy Grant was nearly 35 when he hit the big time with 1982’s Killer on the Rampage.

6/10

I Don't Wanna Dance—Eddy Grant

Topped the NZ charts for 2 weeks, starting on 6 March 1983.

More about my NZ number #1 project.

Eddy Grant

Eddy Grant was born in British Guiana (now Guyana), the son of a trumpeter. An avid fan of Chuck Berry, he moved to London in 1960. He formed The Equals with some schoolmates, where he served as lead guitarist. ‘Baby, Come Back’ topped the UK charts in 1968, blending bubblegum pop with a hint of ska. It later influenced disco.

In 1971, Grant had a heart attack and collapsed lung, and quit The Equals. He learned to tap dance and tried acting before returning to music with a solo career. 1982’s Killer on the Rampage topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic.

I Don’t Wanna Dance

Eddy Grant quickly wrote ‘I Don’t Wanna Dance’ before a show.

I Don’t Wanna Dance was created during a tour. I was sitting in the dressing room, waiting for my concert to begin. Suddenly I put together the chords and, tone by tone, the outline of the song was born. Since I’m not an exclusively reggae, rock or pop musician, I’m not limited in my songwriting.

Eddy Grant

It carried a double meaning, a subtle protest against the politics of Thatcher-era Britain.

I Don’t Wanna Dance can mean that you don’t want to go out on the dancefloor, or it could mean that you don’t want to go along with an idea. That’s how I try to write: you take it how you want, but I am basically a writer of protest.

Eddy Grant, The Daily Telegraph

My Verdict

Grant is talented, and it’s a shame this is his only NZ number one. Every other Grant song I’ve heard is excellent, but this is a pedestrian piece of reggae-pop. It doesn’t help that a lot of mediocre reggae-pop is being peddled around New Zealand at the moment.

Here’s a much better effort, ‘Electric Avenue’.

The aftermath

After a lean patch in the mid-1980s, Grant returned to the spotlight with 1988’s ‘Gimme Hope Jo’anna’. He also owned a nightclub and a recording studio. Blue Wave Studio in Barbados has been utilised by The Rolling Stones, Sting, and The Happy Mondays.