What Is The 'Safety Dance'? Patriots-Ravens Football Celebration Goes Viral As Men Without Hats Song Name Becomes Trending Topic

The term "safety dance" was trending on Twitter after the New England Patriots' defense stopped the Baltimore Ravens on their own goal line to force a safety during a nationally televised NFL game Monday night. It was the Ravens' first play from scrimmage and resulted in an early lead for New England.

Obligatory celebratory dances ensued from Patriots players as Twitter users marveled over the "safety dance," which also happens to be the name of a 1980s classic pop tune by a group called Men Without Hats.

The defensive stop-turned-trending topic sparked multiple memes as well as chatter on social media about the Canadian pop group and its hit song from 1983 that spawned a music video that showed lead singer Ivan Doroschuk running around in a field, frolicking with a little person and, yes, dancing.

The Patriots' defensive stop was accentuated by the Gillette Stadium blasting the "Safety Dance" song over the arena's loudspeakers as part of what has become a tradition following the team forcing a safety.

The Patriots play featured Patriots defensive tackle Malcom Brown emphatically stopping Ravens running back Kenneth Dixon in Baltimore's own end zone. The play gave New England a 2-0 lead and the ball back, as safeties reward the teams that force them not just with points but also with possession of the ball.

According to NFL.com, a safety is defined as two points "scored for the opposing team when the ball is dead on or behind a team’s own goal line if the impetus came from a player on that team." A safety can be score one of four different ways.

Twitter users who were likely Patriots fans took to the social media network to voice their collective jubilation with Brown's defensive play to put their team ahead in the AFC game between inter-division rivals.

While the safety dance in the NFL is decidedly a Patriots thing, at least one college football team got in on the act this year.

The University of Wyoming toppled the then-No. 13 ranked Boise State University football team in October. The decisive play came on, you guessed it, a safety, to give Wyoming a game-winning two-point margin as time expired. Afterward, Wyoming defensive end Josiah Hall could be seen raising his arms and putting his hands together over his head with the universal football signal for a safety.

Hall's safety dance celebration quickly went viral.