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"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. While recovering from a vicious assault by a gang, he "envisioned an alternate reality, the dream of a peaceful and joyful celebration of life." 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.
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.
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.
Swedish record producer duo Jubël released a dance cover in 2018 featuring Neimy. 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, and the Irish and Scottish singles charts as well. The song was used in series 6 of the reality show Love Island in 2020 and spread to TikTok, while reaching the top of the British radio list. The song also charted on the ARIA Australian Official Singles Chart, also in 2020.
Releases
2018: "Dancing in the Moonlight" (2:44)
2019: "Dancing in the Moonlight" (PBH & Jack Sunset Remix Radio Edit) (2:16)
2019: "Dancing in the Moonlight" (Jack Wins Remix) (2:40)
2020: "Dancing in the Moonlight" (Nathan Dawe Remix) (2:51)
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.
Other versions
In 1994, a version by Bahamian group the Baha Men from their album Kalik reached No. 18 in New Zealand and No. 42 in Canada.
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 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.
In popular culture
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.
"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 44. týden 2020 in the date selector. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
"Top Singles (Week 41, 2020)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
"Tónlistinn – Lög" [The Music – Songs] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on December 24, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 52,53. týden 2020 in the date selector. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
Promotional 7-inch single
