Headin' For A Spin

Patti Smith Group : Dancing Barefoot

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On May 17, 1979  Arista Records released Wave, the Patti Smith Group's fourth album. Produced by Todd Rundgren, the album's best known track is "Dancing Barefoot". Patti wrote about the song on her website PattiSmithLand.com :

I wrote the lyrics for Dancing Barefoot in late 1978 and it was recorded for Wave in 1979. The music stemmed from some ideas that Ivan Kral recorded on a cassette tape and gave to me. He had written "Rock and Reggae" on it. The music that became Dancing Barefoot was from an acoustic guitar riff that he wrote and that we developed as a band.

I had the concept to write a lyric line that would have several levels - the love of one human being for another and the love of ones creator. So in a sense, the song addresses both physical and spiritual love. Truthfully I always imagined Jim Morrison singing it, which resulted in me singing and recording it in a lower vocal register. I wanted the verse to have a masculine appeal and the chorus to have a feminine one. 

Our producer, Todd Rundgren, had a strong input, influencing the sounds of the guitars and Richard Sohl's keyboard line. Todd also wrote and played the bass line. The song was extremely popular in Europe and with the people of America, but in 1979 it was considered too provocative for American radio. 

The use of the word "heroine", which of course is used in the context of the song as the feminine of HERO, was objected to. It was suggested that I change the word "heroine" and consult the thesaurus for a suitable replacement. I am happy with my decision to let it stand as written.

The album begins with the first single,  the "Prove It All Night" sound-a-like "Frederick", written about her husband-to-be Fred "Sonic" Smith.  When the album failed to sell the way Easter did, the group broke up and Patti moved to Michigan with her husband and raised two children. She wouldn't return to recording until 1988's Dreams of Life.