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Dancing in the Moonlight

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For the Thin Lizzy song, see Dancing in the Moonlight (It's Caught Me in Its Spotlight). For other uses, see Dancing in the Moonlight (disambiguation).

"Dancing in the Moonlight"
Promotional 7-inch single
Single by Boffalongo
from the album Beyond Your Head
B-side"Endless Questions"
Released1970
StudioJ.T. Sound
Length3:10
LabelUnited Artists
Songwriter(s)Sherman Kelly
Producer(s)Eric & Steve Nathanson
Boffalongo singles chronology
"Please Stay"
(1969) 		"Dancing in the Moonlight"
(1970)

"Dancing in the Moonlight" is a song written by Sherman Kelly, originally recorded in 1970 by Kelly's band Boffalongo, and then a hit single by King Harvest in 1972, reaching number 5 in Canada and number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2000, a cover by English band Toploader became a worldwide hit and achieved multi-platinum status in the United Kingdom. A version by Swedish EDM duo Jubël, released in 2018, was a hit in Europe.

History

Sherman Kelly wrote the song in 1969.[1] While recovering from a vicious assault by a gang, he "envisioned an alternate reality, the dream of a peaceful and joyful celebration of life."[2] Kelly wrote:

On a trip to St. Croix in 1969, I was the first victim of a vicious St. Croix gang who eventually murdered 8 American tourists. At that time, I suffered multiple facial fractures and wounds and was left for dead. While I was recovering, I wrote "Dancin in the Moonlight" in which I envisioned an alternate reality, the dream of a peaceful and joyful celebration of life. The song became a huge hit and was recorded by many musicians worldwide. "Dancin In The Moonlight" continues to be popular to this day.[3]

He recorded it singing lead with his band Boffalongo, who were active from 1968 to 1971; they included it on their album Beyond Your Head and it was their final single. The song was also recorded by High Broom and released in 1970 on Island Records. It failed to reach the UK Singles Chart.

King Harvest version

"Dancing in the Moonlight"
Single by King Harvest
from the album Dancing in the Moonlight
B-side"Lady, Come On Home"
Released1972
GenrePop[4] • R&B
Length2:57
Label
Songwriter(s)Sherman Kelly
Producer(s)Jack Robinson
King Harvest singles chronology
"You and I"
(1971) 		"Dancing in the Moonlight"
(1972) 		"A Little Bit Like Magic"
(1972)

Sherman Kelly's brother Wells Kelly introduced the song to the Paris-based band King Harvest in which he was drummer and former Boffalongo member Dave "Doc" Robinson was lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist. King Harvest recorded and released "Dancing in the Moonlight," featuring a prominent keyboard countermelody, as a single with "Lady, Come On Home" on the B-side in 1972. The song was then featured on their album of the same name in 1973. Steve Cutler, a jazz drummer from New York City (standing on the base of the pole in the cover picture), played drums on the tracks and toured France and the UK with the band. The group disbanded after six months and the single languished for a year until it was bought and released worldwide by Perception Records. In Canada, the song reached number 5 on the weekly charts and number 71 on the year-end chart for 1973. It peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States during the weeks of February 24 and March 3, 1973.[5][6]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1972–1973) Peak
position
Canada RPM Top Singles[7] 5
Canada RPM Top AC[8] 69
US Billboard Hot 100[9] 13
US Billboard Easy Listening chart [10] 22
US Cash Box Top 100[11] 10

Year-end charts

Chart (1973) Rank
Canada[12] 71
US Billboard Hot 100[13] 36

Other versions

  • In 1994, a version by Bahamian group the Baha Men from their album Kalik reached No. 18 in New Zealand[14] and No. 42 in Canada.[15]
  • In 1999, The CrownSayers recorded a version for the soundtrack of the film Big Daddy.
  • In 2009, American actor and singer Alyson Stoner covered the song. Scenes from the film Space Buddies appear in the music video for this version; the music video is a special feature on the DVD release of the film.
  • In 2021, a cover of the song was featured during the end credits of Muppets Haunted Mansion, performed by the Muppet band Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.[16]
  • In 2022, American country singers Chris Lane and Lauren Alaina released a rewritten version as a duet, incorporating country music elements in both the lyrics and instrumentation to change the genre of the song. This version differs enough from the original that it has been called more an homage than a cover.[17][18]
  • A disco-styled version of the song was used in the opening scene of "Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire," episode 10 of season 5 of Xena: Warrior Princess in 2000.
  • The Toploader cover was used in the 2010 film, Four Lions in a scene where most of the jihadis sing along to it on their way to bomb the London Marathon.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Dancing in the Moonlight – King Harvest : Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  2. ^ "Sherman Kelly". Sherman Kelly. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  3. ^ "About". shermankelly.
  4. ^ Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (October 15, 1996). "Dancing in the Moonlight: Seventies Pop". Precious and Few - Pop Music in the Early '70s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 39. ISBN 031214704X.
  5. ^ Billboard Hot 100, Week of February 24, 1973 – Billboard.com. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  6. ^ Billboard Hot 100, Week of March 3, 1973 – Billboard.com. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  7. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - March 24, 1973" (PDF).
  8. ^ "RPM Top 100 AC - March 3, 1973" (PDF).
  9. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  10. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 137.
  11. ^ http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19730217.html Archived January 3, 2017, at the Wayback Machine CASH BOX Top 100 Singles, February 17, 1973
  12. ^ Canada, Library and Archives (July 17, 2013). "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada.
  13. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1973/Top 100 Songs of 1973 | Music Outfitters". www.musicoutfitters.com.
  14. ^ "charts.nz - New Zealand charts portal". Hung Medien.
  15. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - August 8, 1994" (PDF).
  16. ^ Delandro, T. "Disney+ to release first-ever Muppets Halloween special featuring Gonzo Friday." News Nation Now. 5 Oct 2021.
  17. ^ Vaughn, Grace Lenehan VaughnGrace Lenehan (June 10, 2022). "Hear Chris Lane and Lauren Alaina's Countrified 'Dancin' in the Moonlight'". Taste of Country. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  18. ^ Chris Lane - Dancin' In The Moonlight (feat. Lauren Alaina) (Official Music Video), retrieved June 8, 2023
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