Movie dancing set to Steely Dan

September 8, 2025 • 11:30 am

Andrew Sullivan posted this video on his column this week as a “mental health break”. It comprises old movie clips of great dancing, all set to Steely Dan’s “Only a fool would say that.” Wikipedia says this about the song:

“Only a Fool Would Say That” is a song with lyrics rumoured to mock John Lennon’s 1971 song “Imagine“. In 2024, American Songwriter claimed that the lyrics were chiding Lennon for “being out of touch with reality.”

But it’s a great song, and there’s some great dancing below. How many can you recognize? Still, I prefer the originals. The first clip of Astaire and Rita Hayworth is one of my favorites (see the original, ” The Shorty George”, here). And I hope you recognize Cagney in “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” Finally, one of the greatest movie performances of dance was the Nicholas Brothers, shown young and old. The original is here.

They don’t dance like this no more.  And why has dancing disappeared from the movies? Would people rather see car chases and shootings?

15 thoughts on “Movie dancing set to Steely Dan”

  1. Ever since I first acquired Steely Dan’s wonderful first album (Can’t Buy a Thrill) at the age of fourteen or so and heard this song, which closes side one, I’ve always interpreted it as actually saying the opposite of what it literally says. The singer affects cynicism but it’s feigned and he would actually like to believe the “fool” and secretly does, but adopts a hard edge to guard against disappointment. To me this is supported by the light, somewhat wistful and joyous music, which isn’t cynical or sinister at all. Of course I now know how genuinely cynical the lyrics are of other Steely Dan songs, so I may well be wrong on this one, but frankly I prefer my take.

    1. I don’t know the song, never heard it before this delightful clip, never knew it was referring to “Imagine” — a song ripe and fat for parody if there ever was one — never was a Steely Dan fan even, but from that blank slate I think you have it right. Good call.

  2. I like the Steely Dan song, but I also very much like Imagine. The subject of the Lennon song (world peace and all that) does not have to be attainable to be desirable.

    I’ve seen where movie clips strangely ‘go’ with music clips before, but this is a really good one.

  3. “Finally, one of the greatest movie performances of dance was the Nicholas Brothers….”

    I’ll go you one better, and assert that the Nicholas Brothers’ routine in Stormy Weather is THE greatest movie dance performance, ever.

  5. I used to love all those old movies with dancing. It was always uplifting and inspirational. Yeah it was cheesy but still good. Nowadays it’s all crude seminaked sexual innuendos, certainly with the music videos, with no elegance and grace.

    Maybe there will be a swing back in time to a more innocent age as the public gets bored with the unimaginative grindings of the dancers for shock value.

  6. There is a tiny comeback for musicals in movies, as in the Barbie movie (though not fully a musical ), In The Heights, and Wicked.

  7. Great dancing, but I think I’d have preferred it without the bland music.

    La La Land is the last film I saw with proper dancing in it, and I think that was about a decade ago. The dancing seems to suddenly stop the film progress, but I can forgive that in the old films.

    The clips remind me of that famous quote about Ginger Rogers. She did everything that Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in heels.

      1. What a joyous video. I love it. I’ve saved it to play whenever I need cheering up. I have the album, but I’ve never seen that video. Thank you.

  9. Did no one notice that all the dance sequences were at the same tempo and synchronized with the music? Amazing piece of editing.

  10. Yes, the fact that the dancing was at the very same speed as the song was amazing. On the whole, very relaxing and cheering. Thank you.

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