Flashdance — Deep Dish
Not the Irene Cara song: how Dubfire and Sharam turned a deep cut from the Flashdance soundtrack into a UK No. 3 in 2004.
- 2004 single by the Washington, D.C. duo Deep Dish, sung by Anousheh Khalili.
- A cover of Shandi Sinnamon’s “He’s a Dream” from the 1983 Flashdance soundtrack.
- No. 3 in the UK, Deep Dish’s first and only UK top 10 single.
Deep Dish had a Grammy for remixing before they had a pop hit. “Flashdance”, their 2004 cover of a song from the Flashdance soundtrack, went to No. 3 in the UK — their first and only top 10 single there.
Dubfire and Sharam
Deep Dish were Ali “Dubfire” Shirazinia and Sharam Tayebi, two DJs from Washington, D.C., active from 1992. Their label was Yoshitoshi Records, and their remix of Dido’s “Thank You” won the Grammy for Best Remixed Recording in 2002.
Not the song you think
The title is misleading. “Flashdance” does not cover Irene Cara’s “Flashdance… What a Feeling” but “He’s a Dream”, written by Shandi Sinnamon and Ronald Magness for the 1983 film’s soundtrack. Deep Dish rebuilt it as a club track sung by Anousheh Khalili and put it on their album George Is On. Ben Hogwood of musicOMH called it the album’s most commercial track and “a huge worldwide club hit”.
Release and charts
The single came out in stages: on Vendetta in Spain on 4 July 2004, on Rise in Italy, on Positiva in the UK on 27 September and on Epic in Australia on 15 November. In the UK it entered at No. 3 on the chart dated 9 October 2004 and topped the UK Dance chart. It reached No. 5 on the Dutch Top 40, No. 6 in Spain, No. 7 in Greece, No. 10 on the Eurochart Hot 100 and No. 14 in Australia, where it went gold. In the US it peaked at No. 36 on the Dance Club Songs chart and No. 8 on Dance Singles Sales. It also topped the dance charts in Ireland and Hungary and the Australian Club Chart, and finished 2004 at No. 67 on the UK year-end chart.
The remixes extended its life. The UK and Australian releases came with mixes by Skylark, Raul Rincon, Meat Katie and Guetta & Garraud, whose “F*** Me I’m Famous” remix was nominated for the Grammy for Best Remixed Recording. In 2005 DJ Sultan mashed the track up with Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing” as “Flashing for Money”, a B-side on “Say Hello” singles; “Say Hello” itself went to No. 1 on the US club chart.
After Flashdance
In 2006 Dubfire and Sharam split to pursue solo careers. They reunited in 2014 with the single “Quincy” and a set at Ultra Music Festival, and in 2024 announced a permanent return with “The Future” tour.
In the mix
“Flashdance” is a mid-2000s crossover record: club-weight drums with a pop chorus on top. For more from the same years, read about Eric Prydz and David Guetta’s “Delirious”.
FAQ
Who sings Flashdance by Deep Dish?
Anousheh Khalili. Deep Dish, the duo of Dubfire and Sharam, produced it.
Is Deep Dish’s Flashdance a cover?
Yes, of “He’s a Dream” by Shandi Sinnamon from the 1983 Flashdance soundtrack — not Irene Cara’s title song.
How high did Flashdance chart in the UK?
It entered at No. 3 in October 2004, Deep Dish’s only UK top 10 single, and reached No. 1 on the UK Dance chart.
