Music / Rhythm of Youth

"We can dance if we want to, we've got all your life and mine/As long as we abuse it, never gonna lose it/Everything'll work out right..."

Rhythm of Youth is the debut album of Men Without Hats, which was released in 1982 on Statik Records in Europe and Sire Records in the band's native Canada; in the USA, MCA sublabel Backstreet Records gave it a belated release in 1983. It contains the Hats' Signature Song, "The Safety Dance."

Tracklist:

Side One

1. "Ban The Game"
2. "The Safety Dance"
3. "Antarctica"
4. "The Great Ones Remember"
5. "Ideas For Walls"
6. "Living In China" (US cassette bonus track)

Side Two

1. "I Like"
2. "I Got The Message"
3. "Things In My Life"
4. "Cocoricci (Le Tango des Voleurs)"
5. "The Safety Dance" (Short Version) (US cassette bonus track)
6. "The Great Ones Remember (Reprise)"

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"We can trope where we want to, we can leave your tropes behind..."

• Album Title Drop: In "I Got The Message":
  I got the message, and the message is proof
  There really is a thing they call the rhythm of youth.
• Dance Sensation: "The Safety Dance".
• Dancing Is Serious Business: "The Safety Dance", considering it was written as a sarcastic response to club bouncers freaking out about pogoing.
• Gratuitous French: In "I Got The Message", which is only partly sung in French.
• Know-Nothing Know-It-All: The subject of "I Like".
  I like when they talk real loud, try to tell you what they know.
  I like when it blows real hard and it doesn't even show.
  I like when they haven't seen a thing and try to tell you where to go.
• Miniscule Rocking: The acoustical version of "Ban The Game" on this album clocks in at 48 seconds.
• One-Word Title: "Antarctica".
• Punctuated! For! Emphasis!/Spelling Song: In "The Safety Dance":
  S! A! F! E! T! Y! Safety! Dance!
• Record Producer: Marc Durand.
• Shout-Out: The song "Living In China" mentions Gang of Four and Adam and the Ants.

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