The Pointer Sisters Hit That Overcame Reluctance From All Involved in Its Creation

Some songs possess a resilience that defies easy explanation. We’re thinking of a particular 80s smash that was written by someone who didn’t want to write it, sung by someone who didn’t want to sing it, and appeared in a movie whose producers tried to replace it.

In case you’re wondering, we’re talking about The Pointer Sisters’ “The Neutron Dance”, a song that peaked at No. 6 following its single release in 1984. With everything stacked against it, it simply refused to be denied.

Nuclear Winner

Allee Willis had lost her desire for songwriting. After making her name writing lyrics for classics like “September” for Earth, Wind & Fire in the 70s, Willis was getting frustrated with the fact that her songs weren’t gaining the same kind of footing in the 80s. When she got an assignment to write for a movie called Streets Of Fire with Danny Sembello, whom she hadn’t met, she reluctantly accepted.

The title “Neutron Dance” arose from the fact that Streets Of Fire dealt in part with a nuclear disaster. Sembello laid down a funky groove on his keyboards. From there, Willis channeled her frustrations into the lyrics, as she explained on her website:

“The song is very autobiographical, down to me looking out of the window of my studio while we were writing and seeing someone trying to break into my 1963 pink Corvair parked in front of the house, which led to the line ‘Someone stole my brand new Chevrolet.’”

“Dance” Party

The song was sent to The Pointer Sisters to record it. But lead singer June Pointer balked at first about the “neutron” reference, worried that it conjured violent images. Willis prevailed upon her to give it a shot, and she relented. “Neutron Dance” appeared on their 1983 album Break Out.

It did not, however, appear in Streets Of Fire. The producers turned the song down. Instead, the filmmakers behind a new Eddie Murphy movie started using it as placeholder music for a car chase scene. They sent out feelers to other songwriters about coming up with something similar to replace it. (One of those songwriters happened to be Allee Willis.)

But they ultimately couldn’t find anything better. The movie, as fate would have it, was Beverly Hills Cop. And the exposure that “Neutron Dance” received from its placement there helped it when it was released as the fourth single from Break Out in late 1984. It became one of four Top 10 hits from the record, which was the peak of the Pointer Sisters’ commercial success.

Behind the Lyrics of “Neutron Dance”

The narrator of “Neutron Dance” has decided that they’ve had it with the frustrations of modern life. “I don’t want to take it anymore,” Ruth Pointer sings at the beginning of the track. “I’ll just stay here locked behind the door.” “There’s no money falling from the sky,” she complains, suggesting financial calamity.

Later, she hints at environmental concerns: “All the common people breathing filthy air.” No one seems to be unscathed: “Roof caved in on all the simple dreams.” She admits that fighting it all day after day is getting difficult: “And it’s hard to find/Any strength to draw the line.”

And then, that ultimate statement of purpose: “I’m just burnin’ doin’ the neutron dance.” It’s a fitting declaration of resilience for a song that endured all sorts of hardships and still came out on top.

Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images