Weekend Rewind: Four Classics from The Exponents

The Dance Exponents 1986. Photo / NZH

The Exponents are the recipients of this year’s NZ Herald Legacy Award, and will be inducted into the NZ Music Hall of Fame at this Thursday’s Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards. NZ On Screen’s Nicky Harrop revisits some classic videos from the pride of Timaru (by way of Geraldine.)

Formed in 1981, Dance Exponents - later reborn as The Exponents - have rightly come to be regarded as a national treasure. Their many hits, and legendary summer tours, have held them close to the hearts of Kiwis (and homesick expats) for almost 35 years.

Victoria was the song that started it all, landing the band a top 10 single straight off the bat. Inspired by Jordan Luck's landlord, who was trapped in an abusive relationship, the video sees him playing observer to her life, in the guise of a Christchurch taxi driver. Sharp-eared listeners may spot a lyrical nod to Alvin Toffler, known for his works on the digital revolution - quite the prophetic call from a musician in 1982.

Watch Victoria here:

1983's I'll Say Goodbye (Even Though I'm Blue) cemented Dance Exponents as kings of the sing-along chorus. Reflective of the style of the times, the video clocks a fairly high mullet-count, and sees the band relocated to Auckland, where they would remain based between several jaunts to the UK and Australia.

Watch I'll Say Goodbye (Even Though I'm Blue) here:

It wasn't all upbeat though, 1984's Sex and Agriculture was a much edgier musical affair. More social commentary than animal husbandry, still, only in New Zealand would such a title attach itself to a pop song.

Watch Sex and Agriculture here:

Nearly 25 years on, Why Does Love Do This to Me? continues to top the polls as our unofficial national anthem. Who would have thought it took Luck roughly five minutes to write, camped out in an east London squat. To this day, it remains on high rotate across every sports stadium in the country.

Watch Why Does Love Do This to Me? here:

Moving on from music videos, this live Radio with Pictures special sees the band road testing material at Auckland's Mainstreet in 1983. The six-song performance offers plenty of early evidence to support an impending rise to national icon status.

Watch Dance Exponents - Live at Mainstreet here:

You can find more Exponents footage here in NZ On Screen's Spotlight collection on the band.