My incredibly long shortlist of songs to address via this blog already contained a few Chris Rea tunes prior to the recent sad news of his death. So, in getting this blog back on track after a bit of a break, it felt right and proper to pay tribute to one of my absolute favourite musicians.
The artist
Chris was one of the musicians who I grew up with and, as a result, had a huge influence on me. My dad loved him and had many of his earlier albums. The one I remember most fondly is 1987’s Dancing With Strangers. Jeez – the amount of songs from that album that I still love today! Joys of Christmas; I Can’t Dance To That; Windy Town; Gonna Buy A Hat; Loving You Again; and the song I’ve chosen today – Let’s Dance. So many wonderful songs which I still listen to frequently. For me, it is without doubt one of the finest albums of the decade.
Rea was born in Middlesbrough in 1951. The son of an Italian ice-cream maker (and owner of numerous coffee bars across Teesside), he was one of seven children. He grew up surrounded by the music of The Everly Brothers, Elvis, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones, so it came as no surprise that he had a love of music and learned how to play guitar, particularly loving great slide players such as Ry Cooder and Lowell George. Having played in local bands, his debut solo album, Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?, was released in 1978. The lead single, Fool (If You Think It’s Over) reached number 12 in the US charts, and Chris released a number of moderately successful albums until 1985’s Shamrock Diaries really hit the bullseye and sold a million copies. Quickly followed by fellow million sellers On The Beach (1986) and Dancing With Strangers (1987), his stock really started to rise. His major breakthrough, 1989’s The Road To Hell, became Rea’s first UK number 1 album, selling 1.8 million copies and achieving 6 x Platinum certification. His follow-up album, 1991’s Auberge, also reached number 1 and achieved 2 x Platinum certification. Commercially, this period was certainly the peak of his career and, whilst subsequent albums sold well, Rea was able to fully indulge his love of blues, most memorably in the epic 2005 11 CD-set Blue Guitars.
Rea sadly suffered a number of health issues during his life, including a pancreatic cancer diagnosis in 2000, contracting diabetes (resulting in him needing insulin shots seven times a day), and a stroke in 2016. Following a short illness, he sadly passed away aged 74 on the 22nd December 2025. He leaves behind a rich legacy and a hugely impressive back catalogue.
Why I’ve chosen to write about this song
This blog will feature many of Rea’s songs from the 80s. Stainsby Girls, Joys of Christmas, Driving Home For Christmas, and The Road To Hell will undoubtedly be covered at some point, though I had to begin appraising Rea with Let’s Dance. My listening habits are always dictated by mood. If I’m working out, I play hard rock music. If I’m mad at the world, I seek out mean and moody music. If I need to relax, I listen to classical music. If I’m in a good mood, I listen to upbeat songs such as this. And that’s what Let’s Dance is – an infectious, upbeat, celebratory song of love. Quite simply, I smile every time I listen to it.
The video
It’s safe to say this isn’t one of the bigger budget videos of the decade. In fact, the total cost probably saw Rea getting some change from a £50 note! However, that is largely irrelevant. The song is the focal point here. Just play it loud and smile.
The stats
The song first charted at number 39 on the 6th June 1987. Spending 10 weeks in the top 100, it peaked at number 12 on the 4th July chart. For the stats fans, the number one single that week was the Pet Shop Boy’s It’s A Sin, whilst the number one album was Whitney Houston’s Whitney.
The cover version
Surprisingly, there aren’t too many covers of the song, so I’ve included the version which Middlesbrough FC recorded for their 1997 FA Cup final appearance. It features fellow Boro legend Bob Mortimer, who rewrote the lyrics here. I love Mortimer, though it has to be said that this version is bloody awful. It brings back some memories if you remember 90s football, though congratulations will be offered if you manage to last more than a minute of this…
The wrap-up
A huge part of my upbringing, Rea’s music has always figured in my life and always will. In addition to the quite ridiculous number of great songs and albums, I always loved how he remained largely unaffected by fame and celebrity – in fact, he clearly resented it at times. There was never any sense of ego with him – he was clearly a grounded, humble, down-to-earth bloke. This was perhaps best illustrated in his brilliant cameo appearance in the Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing 2020 Christmas special (which I’m including a link to here as I love it so much). R.I.P. Chris and thanks for all the amazing music.
Best wishes.
Mick
