| Land of 1000 Dances | |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Chris Kenner |
| B-Side: | That's My Girl |
| Genre: | Rhythm and blues |
| Label: | Instant |
| Prev Title: | Let Me Show You How (To Twist) |
| Prev Year: | 1962 |
| Next Title: | Come Back and See |
| Next Year: | 1963 |
| Land of 1000 Dances | |
| Cover: | Land of 1000 dances by cannibal and the headhunters US vinyl orange Rampart label.png |
| Caption: | Side A of US Rampart edition |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Cannibal & the Headhunters |
| Album: | Land of 1000 Dances |
| B-Side: | I'll Show You How to Love Me |
| Genre: | Rock and roll |
| Label: | Rampart |
| Next Title: | Nau Ninny Nau |
| Next Year: | 1965 |
"Land of a Thousand Dances" (or "Land of 1000 Dances") is a song written and first recorded by American rhythm and blues singer Chris Kenner in 1962. It later became a bigger hit in versions by Cannibal & the Headhunters and Wilson Pickett. A version by Thee Midniters reached number 27 in Canada on March 22, 1965.[1]
The song references a number of dance styles/moves including the Twist, the Alligator, the Mashed Potato, the Watusi and the Pony.
The original Chris Kenner recording, which peaked at No. 77 on the Billboard chart in 1963, mentions 16 dances: the Pony, the Chicken, the Mashed Potato, the Alligator, the Watusi, the Twist, the Fly, the Jerk, the Tango, the Yo-Yo, the Sweet Pea, the Hand Jive, the Slop, the Bop, the Fish, and the Popeye. Kenner's original recording included a brief, gospel-influenced, a capella introduction with the words: "Children, go where I send you / (Where will you send me?) / I'm gon' send you to that land / the land of a thousand dances." This 18 seconds was left off the single release to facilitate radio airplay, and the phrase "Land of 1000 Dances" never appeared in any subsequent recording.
The song is famous for its "na na na na na" hook, which Cannibal & the Headhunters added in their 1965 version, which reached number 30 on the Billboard chart.[2] The hook gave the song further notoriety. The "na na na na na" hook happened by accident when Frankie "Cannibal" Garcia, lead singer of Cannibal and the Headhunters, forgot the lyrics. The melody to this section was also created spontaneously, as it is not in Chris Kenner's original track. The "na na na na na" hook was later borrowed in the 1994 song "Here Comes the Hotstepper" by Jamaican artist Ini Kamoze.[3]
| Land of 1000 Dances | |
| Cover: | Land of 1000 dances by wilson pickett US vinyl.png |
| Caption: | Side A of US (Atlantic) edition |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Wilson Pickett |
| Album: | The Exciting Wilson Pickett |
| B-Side: | You're So Fine |
| Released: | [4] |
| Recorded: | May 11, 1966 |
| Studio: | FAME, Muscle Shoals, Alabama |
| Genre: | Rhythm and blues |
| Length: | 2:28 |
| Label: | Atlantic |
| Prev Title: | Ninety Nine and a Half (Won't Do) |
| Prev Year: | 1966 |
| Next Title: | Mustang Sally |
| Next Year: | 1966 |
The song's best-known version was by Wilson Pickett, who recorded the song during his first set of sessions at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama,[5] backed by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and the Memphis Horns. (He had previously recorded in Memphis.) His recording was released as a single and appeared on his album, The Exciting Wilson Pickett. The single became his third Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs No. 1 hit and his biggest ever pop hit, peaking at No. 6.[6] In 1988 a re-recorded version by Pickett was featured in a concert during the movie The Great Outdoors, while the original recording is featured at the end credits of the movie. In 1989, the earlier Pickett version was ranked number 152 on Dave Marsh's list of The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made.[7] The version is later used in the 1997 movie The Full Monty.Pickett's version also appears in a 2017 TV commercial for Hulu, the first episode of Season 3 of Sex Education, and a 2022 commercial for the Samsung Galaxy.
The song appeared in Just Dance 3 as a playable track.
Chris Kenner version
Cannibal and the Headhunters version
| Chart (1965) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[13] | 42 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 30 |
Wilson Pickett version
| Chart (1966)[14] [15] | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[16] | 6 |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 22 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles | 1 |
Ted Nugent version
J. Geils Band version[17]