"Come Dancing" is a 1982 song written by Ray Davies and performed by British rock group the Kinks on their 1983 album State of Confusion.

This success was achieved largely with the help of a promotional music video directed by Julien Temple that saw frequent airing on MTV.

In addition to its presence on State of Confusion, "Come Dancing" has appeared on numerous compilations albums since its release.

It spawned a successful follow-up single, "Don't Forget to Dance", which became a top 40 hit in the United States.

Living in Canada with her reportedly abusive husband, the 31-year-old Rene was visiting her childhood home in Fortis Green in London 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.

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.

[8] He reportedly began writing the song in March 1982 on a flight home from Tokyo using a newly purchased Casio keyboard.

[9] Author Nick Hasted claimed that the song was also written "to reach out to the Kinks' lost British audience.

"[7] The opening verse appears to be a development of the first line of Lionel Bart's Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be: "They changed our local Palais into a bowling alley."

A demo for the song was created at Konk Studios, the recording facility in Hornsey that Ray Davies owned, in October 1982.

[9] The UK branch of Arista Records approved this decision, releasing 7-inch and 12-inch versions of the new single on 19 November 1982 with "Noise" as the B-side.

[13] The track's promotional video became a staple of the fledgling MTV network, which gave the single sufficient momentum to enter the Billboard Hot 100 that May, ascending to the Top 40 in June 1983 and peaking at number six on 11 July.

[9] A Top of the Pops broadcast on 24 September 1983 featured videos of several current US hits including a lip-sync performance of "Come Dancing" by the band and a three-piece horn section, the Kinks' first appearance on the show since 1972.

[18] Despite the success the single reached, it would be one of the Kinks' final hits in either Britain or America, ending the comeback the band had during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

I felt that that was the end of an era for the Kinks, and I wanted to stop the treadmill and step back and reappraise the whole thing, but we had another album to deliver.

"[24] Cash Box said that " while the story may have a touch of sadness, the upbeat presentation makes the song a more joyous experience.

"[25] AllMusic writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the song as one of the "quieter moments" on State of Confusion where the album "came to life," praising its "buoyant nostalgia.

[9] Dave Davies later said of Temple, "Julien was such a posey sod, walking around in a fur coat like he was Orson Welles, even though he was only doing a promo video.

[9] The video was first broadcast in Britain in December 1982 on The Tube, a show on Channel 4, making its American debut on MTV on 25 March 1983.

[9] Calling back to his youth, Ray starred as the "spiv" character who took the sister out to dance, and as his younger 13-year old self watching the two, circa the 1950s.