Pop Song 264 of 500 'Come Dancing' The Kinks 1982

Pop Song 264 of 500 'Come Dancing' The Kinks 1982

"Come Dancing" is a tribute to the Davies' older sister Rene. Living in Canada with her reportedly abusive husband, the 31-year-old Rene was visiting her childhood home in Fortis Green at the time of Ray Davies' 13th birthday—21 June 1957—on which she surprised him with a gift of the Spanish guitar he had tried to persuade his parents to buy him. That evening, Rene, who had a weak heart as a result of a childhood bout of rheumatic fever, suffered a fatal heart attack while dancing at the Lyceum ballroom.

Ray later said that the song was an attempt to return to the "warmer" style they had prior to their transformation to an arena rock act, explaining, "I wanted to regain some of the warmth I thought we'd lost, doing those stadium tours. 'Come Dancing' was an attempt to get back to roots, about my sisters' memories of dancing in the '50s