Everybody was the eighth track from the album titled Madonna. It was released in 1982 and the beginning of a relationship between Madonna’s music and myself, that spanned decades.
Hi, my name is Chris, and I love to dance. The first time I danced in public was in broad daylight in the Cum-Park Plaza parking lot, a small shopping center in my hometown, Burlington, North Carolina.
On my way to a nearby department store, I noticed a group gathered in the parking lot, dancing to loud disco music. There were about twenty people inside the roped area, getting down to tunes like Funky Town, Knock on Wood, That’s The Way (I Like It, and The Beat Goes On by the Whispers. My favorite song was, Let It Whip, by the Daz Band. I stood watching everyone dance and looked around to see if I recognized anyone. When I was sure I didn’t know anyone, I walked into the center of the roped-off area and joined the party. I remember doing the bump with a girl I had never met. I was sixteen years old. It was 1977.
A few years later, I started going out every weekend with two girls from my hometown. The three of us went to a club named Daddy-O’s in Greensboro, North Carolina. We would arrive in our early eighties outfits, step onto the dance floor, and instantly take over the club. Boy, we had a blast in those days.
A year later, we had grown tired of Daddy-O’s and decided to crash the gay bar on the other side of town. I was a little nervous about walking into a gay bar, but I was open to trying something different. (Secretly, if the truth be told, I had always wanted to go.) I noticed three muscular guys dancing together when we entered the place. All three had their shirts off and were lined up like a train, grinding each other from behind. I just stood there with my jaw dragging the floor. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
This club had a different energy than Daddy-O’s, and I’m not talking about the apparent difference. What I liked about this bar was that I could dance alone, and no one looked at me as if I had a second head. I could do whatever I liked on the dance floor, and it didn’t phase anyone. This made me feel very comfortable and free.
“LET THE MUSIC TAKE CONTROL / FIND A GROOVE AND LET YOURSELF GO”
The following week, the two girls returned to Daddy-O’s while I returned to the gay bar. I decided I had found my spot. I never spoke to anyone when I went. I would walk into the club, check my coat, and hit the dance floor. If people paid attention to me, I never noticed. I didn’t go there to meet people but to dance.
After a while, I developed a nickname. They called me “The Ice Princess“. It was an accurate name for me, to be fair. A considerable part of that had to do with my Christian upbringing. I was scared to death to get close to another person, especially another man. I was in my early twenties and still a virgin.
I danced alone every Friday and Saturday night on the dance floor. When I danced, I could feel my soul leave my body. The music always had the power to take me far, far away. Dancing was my drug. I didn’t do drugs or drink that much. I just danced.
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EVERYBODY
I know you’ve been waiting, yeah
I’ve been watching you, yeah
I know you wanna get up, yeah
Come on
Everybody, come on, dance and sing
Everybody, get up and do your thing
Everybody, come on, dance and sing
Everybody, get up and do your thing
Let the music take control
Find a groove and let yourself go
When the room begins to sway
You know what I’m trying to say
Come on, take a chance
Get up and start the dance
Let the D.J. shake you
Let the music take you
Let your body take a ride
Feel the beat and step inside
Music makes the world go ’round
You can turn your troubles upside down
Gonna have to change your mind
Gonna leave your troubles behind
Your body gets the notion
When your feet can make the motion
Dance and sing, get up and do your thing (repeat 3 times)
I know you’ve been waiting, yeah, yeah
I see you sitting there, I’ve been watching you
Across the room, yeah, yeah
I’ve been watching you, I see you sitting there by yourself
Yeah, yeah
Come on, come on, come on
Let the music take control
Find a groove and let yourself go
When the room begins to sway
You know what I’m trying to say