Music Box Dancer
Encyclopedia
"Music Box Dancer" is an instrumental
piece by Canadian musician Frank Mills
that was an international hit in the late 1970s. It features a piano
theme that is accompanied by other instrumentation, designed to resemble a music box.
"Music Box Dancer" was written and recorded by Frank Mills in 1974, but it was not to become a single
until 1978. Due in part to the resurgence of Bubblegum pop
in the Third Bubblegum Era , (1977-79) and the disco beat of the backing tracks, by Christmas of that year, it was in the top ten of many pop music charts throughout Europe and Asia. Released as a single in the United States late in 1978, it reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100
chart in April 1979 and also reached number three on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart and number 47 on the Canadian pop chart. The single also did well in Australia, reaching number 14 on the Australian Singles Chart (Kent Music Report).
In Nashville, Tennessee, news producer Bob Parker at television station WNGE began playing "Dancer" over the closing credits of the newscast. Nashville DJs quickly latched on and both the single and album were hits.
In 1979 through the early 1980s, "Music Box Dancer" was the theme for the CBS half hour documentary show 2 on the Town, and also the BBC2 Golf Programme "Around with Alliss".
In Nashville, news producer Bob Parker at WNGE-TV began playing the song over the closing credits of the newscast. Nashville DJs quickly latched on and both the single and album were hits. The million-selling Gold-certified single reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1979 as well as #4 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart, while the album reached #21 on the Billboard Top Album chart and also went gold. Polydor awarded a gold record to TV station WNGE for breaking the single in the U.S.
It was Mills' only U.S. Top 40 pop hit; the follow-up, another piano instrumental titled "Peter Piper", peaked at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100 although it was a popular Top 10 hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Mills managed one final Adult Contemporary chart entry, "Happy Song", which peaked at #41 at the beginning of 1981.
, Richard Clayderman
, Roger Williams
and Eric Robertson
, and by orchestral artists such as James Last
and 101 Strings
. Bandleader Ray Conniff added lyrics and titled the song for his album I Will Survive in 1979. A calypso version was recorded by Germany's Roberto Delgado
, while in Sweden, an accordion version was released. The band PePe produced a techno version.
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
piece by Canadian musician Frank Mills
Frank Mills
Frank Mills , is a Canadian pianist and recording artist, best known for his solo instrumental hit "Music Box Dancer"....
that was an international hit in the late 1970s. It features a piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
theme that is accompanied by other instrumentation, designed to resemble a music box.
"Music Box Dancer" was written and recorded by Frank Mills in 1974, but it was not to become 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...
until 1978. Due in part to the resurgence of Bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
in the Third Bubblegum Era , (1977-79) and the disco beat of the backing tracks, by Christmas of that year, it was in the top ten of many pop music charts throughout Europe and Asia. Released as a single in the United States late in 1978, it reached number three 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...
chart in April 1979 and also reached number three on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart and number 47 on the Canadian pop chart. The single also did well in Australia, reaching number 14 on the Australian Singles Chart (Kent Music Report).
In Nashville, Tennessee, news producer Bob Parker at television station WNGE began playing "Dancer" over the closing credits of the newscast. Nashville DJs quickly latched on and both the single and album were hits.
In 1979 through the early 1980s, "Music Box Dancer" was the theme for the CBS half hour documentary show 2 on the Town, and also the BBC2 Golf Programme "Around with Alliss".
History
Mills released an album in 1974 that featured "Music Box Dancer", but it was not a hit initially. When he re-signed with Polydor Records Canada in 1978, the label released a new song as a single, with "Music Box Dancer" on the B-side. The single was sent to easy listening stations in Canada, but a copy was sent in error to CFRA-AM, a pop station in Ottawa. The program director played the A-side and couldn't figure out why it had been sent to his station, so he played the B-side to see if the record was mistakenly marked. He liked "Music Box Dancer" and added it to his station's playlist, turning the record into a Canadian hit. Iconic Ottawa Valley radio personality Dave "50,000" Watts gave the record extensive airplay on the station. The album went gold in Canada, which prompted Polydor in the US to release the album and single.In Nashville, news producer Bob Parker at WNGE-TV began playing the song over the closing credits of the newscast. Nashville DJs quickly latched on and both the single and album were hits. The million-selling Gold-certified single reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1979 as well as #4 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart, while the album reached #21 on the Billboard Top Album chart and also went gold. Polydor awarded a gold record to TV station WNGE for breaking the single in the U.S.
It was Mills' only U.S. Top 40 pop hit; the follow-up, another piano instrumental titled "Peter Piper", peaked at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100 although it was a popular Top 10 hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Mills managed one final Adult Contemporary chart entry, "Happy Song", which peaked at #41 at the beginning of 1981.
Cover versions
"Music Box Dancer" has been recorded by such pianists as Floyd CramerFloyd Cramer
Floyd Cramer was an American Hall of Fame pianist who was one of the architects of the "Nashville sound." He popularized the "slip note" piano style where an out-of-tune note slides effortlessly into the correct note...
, Richard Clayderman
Richard Clayderman
Richard Clayderman is a French pianist who has released numerous albums including the compositions of Paul de Senneville and Olivier Toussaint, instrumental renditions of popular music, rearrangements of movie soundtracks, ethnic music, and easy-listening arrangements of most popular works of...
, Roger Williams
Roger Williams (pianist)
Roger Williams was an American popular music pianist. As of 2004, he had released 116 albums.-Biography:...
and Eric Robertson
Eric Robertson
Eric Robertson is Professor of Modern French Literary and Visual Culture at Royal Holloway, University of London. His research focuses primarily on 20th century French literature, especially poetry, and the visual arts, with particular emphasis on European Modernism and the avant-gardes...
, and by orchestral artists such as James Last
James Last
James Last is a German composer and big band leader. His "happy music" made his numerous albums best-sellers in Germany and the United Kingdom. His composition, "Happy Heart", became an international success in interpretations by Andy Williams and Petula Clark...
and 101 Strings
101 Strings
101 Strings Orchestra was a brand for a highly successful easy listening symphonic music organization, with a discography exceeding a hundred albums and a creative lifetime of roughly thirty years. Their LPs were individualized by the slogan "The Sound of Magnificence", a puffy cloud logo and...
. Bandleader Ray Conniff added lyrics and titled the song for his album I Will Survive in 1979. A calypso version was recorded by Germany's Roberto Delgado
Horst Wende
Horst Wende was a German bandleader, arranger and composer. He made easy-listening records under his own name as well as under the name Roberto Delgado...
, while in Sweden, an accordion version was released. The band PePe produced a techno version.