Dancing in the Moonlight
Encyclopedia
"Dancing In The Moonlight" is the title song
on the 1973 King Harvest
album
. The track was released as a single
in 1972 and it reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100
. They released other singles but these were never able to match the success of "Dancing in the Moonlight". The track used a Wurlitzer electric piano
throughout.
in 1968 by Sherman Kelly, whose brother, Wells Kelly - King Harvest's drummer
in the early 1970s - introduced the song to the band. It was originally recorded
in 1969 by the American
band
, Boffalongo, which included Sherman Kelly (who sang lead on this original recording of his own composition) and future King Harvest frontman, Doc Robinson. Wells Kelly later became the original drummer for Orleans
. Meanwhile, King Harvest recorded and released "Dancing in the Moonlight" as a single, with "Lady, Come On Home" on the B-side
, while the band was based in Paris
. Steve Cutler, a jazz
drummer
from New York City
(standing on the pole in the cover picture), played drum
s on the tracks and toured with the band in France
and the UK
. The group disbanded after six months, and the single languished for a year, until it was bought and released worldwide by Perception Records.
A cover version
was released in the UK in 1973 by the singing and dancing act, Young Generation, but despite airplay
, it failed to chart
. The song finally charted in the UK in March 2000, after being covered in 1999 by Toploader
.
The song was played as a wake up call for Daniel M. Tani
, an astronaut on board the STS-120
: Discovery mission headed for the International Space Station
, on the early morning of Thursday 24 October 2007.
"Dancing in the Moonlight" was licensed by Wal-Mart
for their 2008 TV commercial
season in the US
.
The song was recently featured in the 2011 film Paul
.
version is often wrongly primarily attributed to Van Morrison
, Elvis Costello
or "Kink Harris", due to incorrect labeling on various digital download services. Neither of these artists
have actually recorded
a version
of "Dancing in the Moonlight", and "Kink Harris" does not exist. The original recording of the song is also sometimes misattributed to Toploader
, who released a cover of the song in 2000 that reached the Top Ten in the UK Singles Chart
, higher than any previous version. The Toploader cover has also been used in the films A Walk To Remember and Four Lions
. A musical number of the song is featured in Richard Wenk's comedic short, Dracula Bites the Big Apple.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
on the 1973 King Harvest
King Harvest
King Harvest was a 1970s American rock band, best known for their 1973 hit single, "Dancing in the Moonlight".-Background:Formed by a group of four American expatriates in Paris in 1970, King Harvest was best known for its one US hit single, "Dancing In The Moonlight," which was released in 1972...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
. The track was released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 1972 and it reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. They released other singles but these were never able to match the success of "Dancing in the Moonlight". The track used a Wurlitzer electric piano
Wurlitzer electric piano
Wurlitzer 200A|250px|thumbThe Wurlitzer electric piano was one of a series of electromechanical stringless pianos manufactured and marketed by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, Corinth, Mississippi, U.S. and Tonawanda, New York...
throughout.
History
The song was writtenSongwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
in 1968 by Sherman Kelly, whose brother, Wells Kelly - King Harvest's drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
in the early 1970s - introduced the song to the band. It was originally recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
in 1969 by the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, Boffalongo, which included Sherman Kelly (who sang lead on this original recording of his own composition) and future King Harvest frontman, Doc Robinson. Wells Kelly later became the original drummer for Orleans
Orleans (band)
Orleans is an American pop-rock band best known for its hits "Dance with Me" , "Still the One", from the album Waking and Dreaming and "Love Takes Time" . The group's name evolved from the music it was playing at the time of their formation, which was inspired by Louisiana artists such as Allen...
. Meanwhile, King Harvest recorded and released "Dancing in the Moonlight" as a single, with "Lady, Come On Home" on the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
, while the band was based in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Steve Cutler, a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
(standing on the pole in the cover picture), played drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s on the tracks and toured with the band in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The group disbanded after six months, and the single languished for a year, until it was bought and released worldwide by Perception Records.
A cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
was released in the UK in 1973 by the singing and dancing act, Young Generation, but despite airplay
Airplay
* Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay...
, it failed to chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. The song finally charted in the UK in March 2000, after being covered in 1999 by Toploader
Toploader
Toploader are an English band from Eastbourne who formed in 1997, with over two million album sales to their name and a string of top 20 hits both home and abroad. Their debut album, Onka's Big Moka, sold over 1 million units and remained in the Top 5 of the UK album chart for over six months...
.
The song was played as a wake up call for Daniel M. Tani
Daniel M. Tani
Daniel Tani is an American engineer and a NASA astronaut. Although born in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, he considers Lombard, Illinois, to be his hometown...
, an astronaut on board the STS-120
STS-120
-Crew notes:As commander of STS-120, Pamela Melroy became the second woman to command a space shuttle mission. Additionally, the Expedition 16 crew that received STS-120 was commanded by Peggy Whitson, the first female ISS commander...
: Discovery mission headed for the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
, on the early morning of Thursday 24 October 2007.
"Dancing in the Moonlight" was licensed by Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
for their 2008 TV commercial
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
season in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The song was recently featured in the 2011 film Paul
Paul (film)
Paul is a 2011 science fiction comedy film directed by Greg Mottola, written by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. It stars Pegg, Frost, and the voice of Seth Rogen as the title character...
.
Cover versions
The King HarvestKing Harvest
King Harvest was a 1970s American rock band, best known for their 1973 hit single, "Dancing in the Moonlight".-Background:Formed by a group of four American expatriates in Paris in 1970, King Harvest was best known for its one US hit single, "Dancing In The Moonlight," which was released in 1972...
version is often wrongly primarily attributed to Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
or "Kink Harris", due to incorrect labeling on various digital download services. Neither of these artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
have actually recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
a version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Dancing in the Moonlight", and "Kink Harris" does not exist. The original recording of the song is also sometimes misattributed to Toploader
Toploader
Toploader are an English band from Eastbourne who formed in 1997, with over two million album sales to their name and a string of top 20 hits both home and abroad. Their debut album, Onka's Big Moka, sold over 1 million units and remained in the Top 5 of the UK album chart for over six months...
, who released a cover of the song in 2000 that reached the Top Ten in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, higher than any previous version. The Toploader cover has also been used in the films A Walk To Remember and Four Lions
Four Lions
Four Lions is a 2010 British satirical comedy film. It is the debut feature from director Chris Morris, written by Morris, Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong. The film is a jihad satire following a group of homegrown Islamist terrorist jihadis from Sheffield, England.-Plot:A group of young Muslim men...
. A musical number of the song is featured in Richard Wenk's comedic short, Dracula Bites the Big Apple.
- High Broom released a single of the song in the UK on Island RecordsIsland RecordsIsland Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
(WIP 6088) in August 1970 - Young Generation on a 1973 single
- Liza MinnelliLiza MinnelliLiza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
on her 1973 album The Singer - Joe "Bean" EspositoJoe Esposito (singer)Joe Esposito is a Grammy winning American singer/songwriter whose career spans from the 1970s to the present day. Esposito's songs have been recorded by Donna Summer, Aretha Franklin, Labelle, and Stephen Stills and others.-Biography:...
on his 1996 album Treated and ReleasedTreated and ReleasedTreated and Released is Joe "Bean" Esposito's third R&B solo album. Esposito is best known as the lead singer of the Brooklyn Dreams. They scored a Billboard # 2 hit with "Heaven Knows", a duet with Donna Summer.-Solo Artist:... - Baha MenBaha MenThe Baha Men are Bahamian singers in a Bahamian band. They play a modernised style of Bahamian music called Junkanoo.-Early career as High Voltage :...
on 1994's KalikKalik (album)Kalik is the second album released by the Baha Men. It was released in 1994 on the Atlantic Records label. It continues the rhythmic Junkanoo style of the Bahamas.-Track listing:#"911"#" Sunny Day"#"O-Yea-O"#"Dancing in the Moonlight"... - Masters Of The ObviousMasters Of The ObviousMasters of the Obvious , is a New Orleans-based garage punk band. Formed in 1981 by Paul Caporino, the lineup of the band has seen many changes over the years, with Caporino being the only consistent member...
- The Keane BrothersThe Keane BrothersThe Keane Brothers was an American pop music duo from 1976 to 1982, composed of pre-teens Tom Keane on piano and John Keane on drums. The duo released four albums and briefly hosted a television variety show on CBS...
— who created a discoDiscoDisco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
version in 1979 - ToploaderToploaderToploader are an English band from Eastbourne who formed in 1997, with over two million album sales to their name and a string of top 20 hits both home and abroad. Their debut album, Onka's Big Moka, sold over 1 million units and remained in the Top 5 of the UK album chart for over six months...
on their 1999 Onka's Big MokaOnka's Big MokaOnka's Big Moka is an album released in 1999 by the pop rock band Toploader. The album reached #4 on the UK charts, and a song from the album, "Dancing in the Moonlight", a cover of the King Harvest song, was featured in a television commercial for supermarket chain Sainsbury's.The title is a...
album - Aswad on their 2002 album Cool Summer ReggaeCool Summer ReggaeCool Summer Reggae is an album by Aswad, released in 2002. The collection features re-recordings of their hits "Don't Turn Around" and "Shine", plus cover versions that are given the commercial Aswad treatment, including the album's first single, "Shy Guy", featuring vocals from ex-Eternal singer...
- OrleansOrleans (band)Orleans is an American pop-rock band best known for its hits "Dance with Me" , "Still the One", from the album Waking and Dreaming and "Love Takes Time" . The group's name evolved from the music it was playing at the time of their formation, which was inspired by Louisiana artists such as Allen...
- My Morning JacketMy Morning JacketMy Morning Jacket is an American rock band from Louisville, Kentucky.The band consists of Jim James , Tom 'Two-Tone Tommy' Blankenship , Patrick Hallahan , Carl Broemel , and Bo Koster .-History:My Morning Jacket was...
- Jack WagnerJack Wagner (actor)Peter John "Jack" Wagner, II is an American actor and singer, best-known for his roles on the soap operas General Hospital, The Bold and the Beautiful, and Melrose Place.-Early years:...
- Ted RaimiTed RaimiTheodore "Ted"/"Half Ted" Raimi is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as Lieutenant Tim O'Neill in seaQuest DSV and Joxer the Mighty in Xena: Warrior Princess/Hercules: The Legendary Journeys...
(in the Xena: Warrior PrincessXena: Warrior PrincessXena: Warrior Princess is an American–New Zealand supernatural fantasy adventure series that aired in syndication from September 4, 1995 until June 18, 2001....
musical episode, Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on FireLyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire"Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire" is the tenth episode of the fifth season of the syndicated television series Xena: Warrior Princess. It was written by Adam Armus and Nora Kay Foster, directed by Mark Beesley, and first aired on January 17, 1999....
) - Alyson StonerAlyson StonerAlyson Rae Stoner is an American actress, dancer and singer. Stoner is known for her roles in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody , Cheaper By The Dozen and Cheaper By The Dozen 2 , Step Up and Step Up 3 , and Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2...
- JamiroquaiJamiroquaiJamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
- Jumping JacksJumping JacksJumping Jacks is a 1952 film starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis. The movie was released by Paramount Pictures.-Plot:Chick Allen is a paratrooper. He invites his former partner, Hap Smith , to help out with a show that he and the other soldiers are preparing...
(named "Jumping in the Moonlight")