Bobby Rydell - I'll Never Dance Again FLAC album

Bobby Rydell was never rock and roll. He was a clean cut kid with a pleasant voice. None of his material seems memorable, but this song has remained fixed in my mind since I heard it the first time when I was seven years old.

I recently heard Rydell's "Forget Him". Its appeal is still there - a solid sixties' pop tune.
I don't think "I'll Never Dance Again" was a huge hit, maybe in Philly.

There is this tragic "Battle Hymn of the Republic" thing going in this sad tune about a guy who won't dance anymore because he's seen his love dance with someone else. Your typical silly love song. There's somehow real pain here, or maybe it's just hokum, but the song works on some sort of level that your average everyday pop tune doesn't approach.

There is misery in the drums da dum dum dum, a false pride in the blaring horns. In construction, its theme is similar to the feeling that Orbison approaches much more cleverly in "Running Scared". Orbison's song ends in elation - his love has chosen him, not his rival. Rydell begins "I'll Never Dance Again" quite hurt and ends in a commited blue funk, swearing to honor his vow of dance hall celibacy.

Not an exactly upbeat slice of pop. But compelling.