Dancing in the Moonlight explained

Dancing in the Moonlight
Cover:Dancinginthemoonlightboffalongo.jpg
Caption:Promotional 7-inch single
Type:single
Artist:Boffalongo
Album:Beyond Your Head
B-Side:Endless Questions
Released:1970
Studio:J.T. Sound
Length:3:10
Label:United Artists
Producer:Eric & Steve Nathanson
Prev Title:Please Stay
Prev Year:1969

"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
Cover:DancingInTheMoonlightKingHarvestSingle.jpg
Type:single
Artist:King Harvest
Album:Dancing in the Moonlight
B-Side:Lady, Come On Home
Released:1972
Genre:Pop[4] • R&B
Label:
Prev Title:You and I
Prev Year:1971
Next Title:A Little Bit Like Magic
Next Year: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. 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

Toploader version

Dancing in the Moonlight
Cover:ToploaderDancingintheMoonlight.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Toploader
Album:Onka's Big Moka
B-Side:
  • "Lucy"
  • "Jack"
  • "Man with a Plan"
  • "Times Like These"
Length:
  • 3:52
  • 3:30 (Stargate radio mix)
Label:Sony Soho Square
Producer:George Drakoulias
Prev Title:Let the People Know
Prev Year:1999
Next Title:Achilles Heel
Next Year:2000

In 2000, English band Toploader released a cover of "Dancing in the Moonlight". It was originally released on February 21, 2000, as the third single from their debut studio album, Onka's Big Moka (1999), and peaked at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart. It was then re-released in November of the same year with new production from Stargate and reached number seven on the same chart. The song has been certified 4× Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales and streams of over 2,400,000 units. Worldwide, the song reached the top 20 in Australia, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain. At the Danish Music Awards of 2001, the song was nominated for Foreign Hit of the Year.[14]

Track listings

UK CD single (Feb. 2000)[15]

  1. "Dancing in the Moonlight" – 3:52
  2. "Lucy" – 2:55
  3. "Jack" – 3:34

UK 7-inch single (Feb. 2000)[16]

A1. "Dancing in the Moonlight" – 3:52

B1. "Man with a Plan" – 3:41

B2. "Times Like These" – 4:52

UK cassette single (Feb. 2000); European CD single (2000)[17] [18]

  1. "Dancing in the Moonlight" – 3:52
  2. "Lucy" – 2:55

UK CD single (Nov. 2000); Australian CD single[19] [20]

  1. "Dancing in the Moonlight" – 3:52
  2. "Dancing in the Moonlight" (Stargate radio mix) – 3:30
  3. "Dancing in the Moonlight" (Alliance DC vocal remix) – 6:30
  4. "Dancing in the Moonlight" (live) – 4:31

UK cassette single (Nov. 2000); European CD single (2001)[21] [22]

  1. "Dancing in the Moonlight" – 3:52
  2. "Dancing in the Moonlight" (Stargate radio mix) – 3:30

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2000–2022)Peak
position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[23] 35
Poland (Music & Media)[24] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2000)Position
Denmark (Danish Airplay Chart)2
Germany (Official German Charts)[25] 84
Chart (2001)Position
Australia (ARIA)[26] 70
Ireland (IRMA)[27] 59
UK Singles (OCC)[28] 49

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
United KingdomFebruary 21, 2000Sony Soho Square[29] [30]
United Kingdom (re-release)November 13, 2000[31]
AustraliaApril 16, 2001CDSony Music[32]

Jubël version

Dancing in the Moonlight
Cover:Jubel-feat-Neimy-Dancing-in-the-moonlight.jpg
Alt:Cover of "Dancing in the Moonlight" by Jubël featuring Neimy (2018)
Type:single
Artist:Jubël featuring Neimy
Album:Strawtown
Released:June 22, 2018
Recorded:2018
Length:2:44
Label:Good Soldier
Chronology:Jubël
Prev Title:Illusion
Prev Year:2017
Next Title:On the Beach
Next Year:2019

Swedish record producer duo Jubël released a dance cover in 2018 featuring Neimy.[33] It peaked at number 9 on Sverigetopplistan, the official Swedish Singles Chart. It also charted in Belgium's Ultratip Bubbling Under chart in both Flanders and Wallon francophone markets.

The song garnered the attention of British radio DJs in 2020 and as a result the Jubël version gained more popularity two years after its initial release in Sweden. The song was rereleased for the British market giving it a much bigger international audience. It peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart,[34] and the Irish and Scottish singles charts as well.[35] The song was used in series 6 of the reality show Love Island in 2020 and spread to TikTok,[36] while reaching the top of the British radio list. The song also charted on the ARIA Australian Official Singles Chart, also in 2020.

Releases

Charts

Chart (2018–2021)Peak
position
France (SNEP)[37] 128
Iceland (Plötutíðindi)[38] 17
Slovenia (SloTop50)[39] 13

Certifications

Other versions

In popular culture

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dancing in the Moonlight – King Harvest : Listen, Appearances, Song Review. AllMusic. May 22, 2013.
  2. Web site: Sherman Kelly . Sherman Kelly . December 27, 2019.
  3. Web site: About. shermankelly.
  4. Book: Precious and Few - Pop Music in the Early '70s. Don. Breithaupt. Jeff. Breithaupt. October 15, 1996. Dancing in the Moonlight: Seventies Pop. 39. St. Martin's Griffin. 031214704X.
  5. https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1973-02-24/ Billboard Hot 100, Week of February 24, 1973  - Billboard.com.
  6. https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1973-03-03/ Billboard Hot 100, Week of March 3, 1973  - Billboard.com.
  7. Web site: RPM Top 100 Singles - March 24, 1973.
  8. Web site: RPM Top 100 AC - March 3, 1973.
  9. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 -
  10. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Joel Whitburn . 2002 . Record Research . 137.
  11. http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19730217.html CASH BOX Top 100 Singles, February 17, 1973
  12. Web site: Image : RPM Weekly. Library and Archives. Canada. . July 17, 2013.
  13. Web site: Top 100 Hits of 1973/Top 100 Songs of 1973 | Music Outfitters. www.musicoutfitters.com.
  14. Web site: Så er vinderne fundet!. So the winners have been found!. Sony Music Denmark. da. https://web.archive.org/web/20010331102254/http://www.sonymusic.dk/generated/konkurrence/toploader/toploader_konkurrence.htm. March 31, 2001. November 10, 2023.
  15. Dancing in the Moonlight. Toploader. 2000. UK CD single liner notes. Sony Soho Square. 668941 2.
  16. Dancing in the Moonlight. Toploader. 2000. UK 7-inch single liner notes. Sony Soho Square. 668941 7.
  17. Dancing in the Moonlight. Toploader. 2000. UK cassette single sleeve. Sony Soho Square. 668941 4.
  18. Dancing in the Moonlight. Toploader. 2000. European CD single liner notes. Sony Soho Square. 669090 1.
  19. Dancing in the Moonlight. Toploader. 2000. UK CD single liner notes. Sony Soho Square. 669985 2.
  20. Dancing in the Moonlight. Toploader. 2001. Australian CD single liner notes. Sony Music. 670996.2.
  21. Dancing in the Moonlight. Toploader. 2000. UK cassette single sleeve. Sony Soho Square. 669985 4.
  22. Dancing in the Moonlight. Toploader. 2001. European CD single liner notes. Sony Soho Square. S2 671234 1.
  23. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 18. 10. 11. March 3, 2001. August 24, 2020.
  24. Major Market Airplay – Week 25/2000. Music & Media. 17. 25. 23. June 17, 2000. January 18, 2024.
  25. Web site: Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 2000. GfK Entertainment. de. November 29, 2018.
  26. Web site: ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2001. ARIA. March 8, 2021.
  27. Web site: Ireland – Top Singles for 2001. Allcharts. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120505011812/http://allcharts.org/music/years/ireland-singles-2001.htm. May 5, 2012. December 16, 2018.
  28. Best Sellers of 2001: Singles Top 100. Music Week. 11. January 19, 2002.
  29. Global Music Pulse. Sexton. Paul. Williamson. Nigel. Nigel Williamson. Billboard. 112. 9. 53. February 26, 2000. October 5, 2020.
  30. New Releases – For Week Starting 21 February, 2000: Singles. Music Week. 27. February 19, 2000. July 28, 2021.
  31. New Releases – For Week Starting November 13, 2000: Singles. Music Week. 29. November 11, 2000. August 7, 2021.
  32. Web site: The ARIA Report: ARIA New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 16th April 2001. ARIA. 23. April 16, 2001. dead. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20020220130000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20020221-0000/www.aria.com.au/issue581.pdf. February 20, 2002. April 20, 2021.
  33. Web site: The Story of... 'Dancing in the Moonlight' by Toploader. August 28, 2020. Smooth.
  34. News: Svenska Jubël slår i England – med gammal hit. Sydsvenskan.se. August 2, 2020. September 20, 2020.
  35. Web site: Official Singles Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company. August 28, 2020. www.officialcharts.com. en.
  36. News: Svenska Jubël slår i England – med gammal hit. Nina Holma. vk.se. August 2, 2020. September 20, 2020.
  37. Web site: Top Singles (Week 41, 2020). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. fr. October 12, 2020.
  38. Web site: Tónlistinn – Lög. The Music – Songs. is. Plötutíðindi. July 5, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20201224060248/http://plotutidindi.is/lagalistinn/. December 24, 2020. dead.
  39. Web site: SloTop50 – Slovenian official singles chart. slotop50.si. October 26, 2020.
  40. Web site: charts.nz - New Zealand charts portal . Hung Medien.
  41. Web site: RPM Top 100 Singles - August 8, 1994.
  42. Delandro, T. "Disney+ to release first-ever Muppets Halloween special featuring Gonzo Friday." News Nation Now. 5 Oct 2021.
  43. Web site: Vaughn . Grace Lenehan VaughnGrace Lenehan . 2022-06-10 . Hear Chris Lane and Lauren Alaina's Countrified 'Dancin' in the Moonlight' . 2023-06-08 . Taste of Country . en.