Do You Want to Dance

"Do You Want to Dance"
Single by Bobby Freeman
B-side	"Big Fat Woman"
Released	1958
Label	Josie
Writer(s)	Bobby Freeman

"Do You Want to Dance" is a song written by Bobby Freeman and recorded by him in 1958. It reached number No. 5 on the United States Billboard Top 100 Sides pop chart and No. 2 on the Billboard R&B chart.^[1][2][3] Cliff Richard and the Shadows' version of the song reached No. 2 in the United Kingdom in 1962, despite being a B-side. The Beach Boys' version reached No. 12 as "Do You Wanna Dance?" in the United States in 1965, and a 1972 cover by Bette Midler ("Do You Want to Dance?") reached No. 17.

A different song called "Do You Wanna Dance?" was a UK hit for Barry Blue in 1973.

Cliff Richard and the Shadows version

"Do You Want to Dance"
Single by Cliff Richard and the Shadows
A-side	"I'm Lookin' Out the Window"
Released	May 1962 [4]
Recorded	December 19, 1961, EMI Studios, London
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Bobby Freeman
Producer(s)	Norrie Paramor
Cliff Richard and the Shadows singles chronology
"The Young Ones" "I'm Lookin' Out the Window"/"Do You Want to Dance" "It'll Be Me"

The Cliff Richard and the Shadows version^[5] also known as "Do You Wanna Dance" was released in the United Kingdom as the B-side of "I'm Lookin' Out the Window" in May 1962. However, like seven other Cliff Richard singles released between 1959 and 1963, the B-side received a good amount of airplay and made the New Musical Express UK singles chart in its own right. On this occasion, it became Richard's second highest charting B-side (after "Bachelor Boy"), making it to number 10 (while "I'm Lookin' Out the Window" reached number 2). The single reached number 2 in the other UK singles charts, listing both tracks.^[6]

"Do You Want to Dance" went on to become the more successful charting track from the single in some countries, reaching number 1 in the Netherlands, Australia (based on the Sydney chart of the time, because an Australian nationwide chart had not yet started) and Flemish Belgium.^[7][8][9] The single went on to sell over 1 million copies worldwide.^[10]

"Do You Want to Dance" was included on the EP Cliff’s Hits, released November 1962, and first appeared on LP with Richard's first compilation album Cliff's Hit Album, released July 1963. A live version appeared on Richard's double album Japan Tour 74 issued in 1975.

Recording

"Do You Want to Dance" was recorded on December 19, 1961 at EMI's Abbey Road studios. The session, engineered by Malcolm Addy and produced by EMI's A&R man Norrie Paramor, featured new drummer Brian Bennett and Jet Harris on bass, soon to leave the Shadows in 1962.^[11]

Charts

Chart entries as "Do You Want to Dance" or "Do You Want to Dance"/"I'm Looking Out the Window":

Chart (1962)	Peak position
UK (New Musical Express Chart)[6]	10
Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] (retrospectively calculated chart position)	3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[13]	4
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14]	1
Spain (Promusicae)[15]	15

Chart entries as "I'm Looking Out the Window"/"Do You Want to Dance":

Chart (1962)	Peak position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[16]	2
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[17]	18
Ireland (IRMA)[18]	2
Norway (VG-lista)[19]	2
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[20]	3

The Beach Boys version

"Do You Wanna Dance?"
Single by The Beach Boys
from the album Today!
B-side	"Please Let Me Wonder"
Released	February 15, 1965
Format	Vinyl
Recorded	January 11, 1965, Gold Star Studios, Hollywood, California
Genre	Rock and roll
Length	2:21 (mono) 2:39 (stereo)
Label	Capitol
Writer(s)	Bobby Freeman
Producer(s)	Brian Wilson
The Beach Boys singles chronology
"The Man with All the Toys" (1964) "Do You Wanna Dance?" (1965) "Help Me, Rhonda" (1965)
Music sample "Do You Wanna Dance?"

The Beach Boys' version of "Do You Wanna Dance?" was a single released through Capitol Records on February 15, 1965. It peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the highest charting Beach Boys song to feature Dennis Wilson on lead vocals. According to the contemporary United Press International (UPI) chart published by newspapers across the United States it was number eight in April 1965. It did best in regional playlists in the Twin Cities, Baltimore and San Jose, where it was number two; Dallas, Seattle and San Diego to number three; Portland to number four; and Chicago, Washington DC, Phoenix, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Hartford, Tulsa and Lincoln, number five. The B-side was "Please Let Me Wonder". The song was also released on the 1965 album The Beach Boys Today!.

Recording

"Do You Wanna Dance?" was recorded on January 11, 1965 at Gold Star Studios and was produced, arranged and conducted by Brian Wilson. Take 3 of the song was used as the master. The song was first released in 1965 in mono on the band's album Today! with a stereo remix of the song being released in 2012 on the stereo remaster of that same album.^[21]

Personnel

Sourced from Musician's Union AFM contract sheets and surviving session audio, documented by Craig Slowinski.^[22]

The Beach Boys

• Al Jardine – harmony and backing vocals
• Mike Love – harmony and backing vocals
• Brian Wilson – harmony and backing vocals; acoustic grand piano
• Carl Wilson – harmony and backing vocals; lead and rhythm electric guitar
• Dennis Wilson – lead vocals

Additional musicians and production staff

• Hal Blaine – drums, woodblocks
• Chuck Britz – sound engineer
• Steve Douglas – tenor saxophone
• Plas Johnson – tenor saxophone
• Larry Knechtel – bass guitar
• Larry Levine – sound engineer
• Jay Migliori – baritone saxophone
• Bill Pitman – rhythm guitar
• Leon Russell – hammond organ
• Billy Strange – electric mandolin
• Tommy Tedesco – mandolin
• Julius Wechter – tambourine, tympani
• Marilyn Wilson – harmony and backing vocals

Live version

A live version from March 1965 was released in 2015 for the archival Live in Chicago 1965.

Charts

Chart (1965)	Peak position
Canadian RPM Singles Chart[23]	17
Swedish Singles Chart[24]	9
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[25]	12

Bette Midler version

Bette Midler included the song—with the original title restored, "Do You Want to Dance"—on her 1972 debut album The Divine Miss M. In contrast to the Bobby Freeman, Cliff Richard, and Beach Boys versions, which are uptempo rock and roll songs, Midler slowed the tempo of the song down to a sultry-sounding ballad. The song was Midler's first single release and it was a hit, reaching #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1973, and reaching the top 10 of the Go-Set National Charts in Australia during April 1973.

In 1985, Ula Hedwig, a Bette Midler-soundalike and former backup singer, sang the song emulating Bette Midler's version for a Mercury Sable television commercial. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that using this sound-alike version in a TV commercial violated Midler's right of publicity. Midler v. Ford Motor Co., 849 F.2d 460 (9th Cir. 1988). Midler had sued Ula and the Mercury Sable people for infringing on her trademark, and won her case by issuing a permanent injunction that prohibited all TV stations from further airing the commercial.

Other versions

1960s

• 1963 - Ann Christine recorded a Finnish-language version, entitled Mennään Tanssimaan.
• 1964 – The Four Seasons recorded a version of "Do You Want to Dance" appearing on their album Dawn (Go Away).
• 1964 – Del Shannon, "Do You Want to Dance" (Amy single release)
• 1965 – Sonny & Cher recorded a version as "Caesar & Cleo" on their album Baby Don't Go.
• 1966 – The Mamas & the Papas – debut album If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears. Part of the instrumental melody in this version is sampled in the Jens Lekman song "Maple Leaves".
• 1966 – Johnny Rivers album Changes.
• 1966 – We Five (greek band)^[26]

1970s

• 1974 – Hurriganes
• 1975 – John Lennon album Rock 'n' Roll.
• 1975 – T. Rex – bonus track on the album Bolan's Zip Gun.
• 1976 – Sleepy Sleepers, with Finnish lyrics titled Mennään Karjalaan (Let's Go to Karelia)
• 1977 – The Ramones album Rocket to Russia.
• 1978 – Ray Stevens album There is Something on Your Mind.

1980s

• 1982 - Bruce Springsteen played his version live on August 7, 1982, with the Beaver Brown Band
• 1982 – Jan & Dean recorded and released the song on their album One Summer Night/Live.
• 1983 – Neil Young covered the song live with his rockabilly band The Shocking Pinks, with one of the performances appearing on Solo Trans film.
• 1985 – Dave Edmunds on the soundtrack Porky's Revenge!
• 1987 – Barbie and the Rockers in the "Rockin' Back to Earth" special (where they are erroneously referred to as "Barbie and the Sensations" in the special's title), a sequel to their previous special, "Out of this World".
• 1988 – David Lindley and El Rayo-X on their album Very Greasy

1990s

• 1990 – Belinda Montgomery on Doogie Howser, M.D. season 1 episode 16 – "It Ain't Over Till Mrs. Howser Sings" (January/17/1990)
• 1993 – Peter Andre on his debut album Peter Andre.
• 1993 – The Jazz Butcher Conspiracy album Waiting For The Love Bus.
• 1994 – The Queers on their version of Rocket to Russia.
• 1996 – Petty Booka on their album Blue Lagoon of Petty Booka.
• 1996 – Wax on the soundtrack Bio-Dome
• 1996 – Bobby Fuller on Shakedown! The Texas Tapes Revisited (originally recorded 1962-64).
• 1998 – Darlington on the She's Gone Records EP release Texas Punk Rock Sweethearts, released on limited-run translucent butterscotch vinyl. Out of print.
• 1998 – Jazz saxophonist Walter Beasley on his release For Your Pleasure.
• 1998 – Attaque 77 in their CD of covers Otras Canciones; the version was in Spanish.
• 1999 – Darlington (band) on the limited-run CD release Live Dallas 1999, released by Mutant Pop Records. Out of print.

2000s (decade)

• 2001 – Raimundos album Éramos 4
• 2006 – Laurent Voulzy album La Septième Vague
• 2007 – Darlington (band) on the self-released, limited to 1000 hand-numbered CD copies release Live Dallas 2007. Out of print.
• 2007 – Lucy Lawless performed the song in concert at the Roxy Theater in Hollywood.
• 2008 – Energy album Race the Sun.
• 2008 – Andreas Johnson album Rediscovered.
• 2009 – Cliff Richard and the Shadows re-recorded the song for the album Reunited.

2010s

• 2012 – Ash EP Little Infinity.
• 2012 – Juliana Hatfield album Covers.
• 2012 – Rachael MacFarlane album Hayley Sings.

In popular culture

• The original Bobby Freeman recording features in the comedy-drama film American Graffiti (1973).
• Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia is rumored to have recorded the guitar on the original Bobby Freeman version. However, there is no definitive documentation of this.^[27]
• The Ramones' version of "Do You Wanna Dance?" was used in an American television advertisement for the release of Wall-E on DVD and in the popular cult film Rock 'n' Roll High School.

References

1. Bobby Freeman at AllMusic. Retrieved 24-05-2014.
2. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (9 June 1958). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 29. ISSN 0006-2510.
3. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (30 June 1958). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 45. ISSN 0006-2510.
4. "The OFFICIAL Cliff Richard website: Discography - Singles". Cliffrichard.org. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
5. Cliff Richard and the Shadows: Do You Want to Dance at Discogs
6. Read, Mike; Goodall, Nigel; Lewry, Peter (1993). The Complete Chronicle Cliff Richard (doc). Hamlyn, London. p. 303. ISBN 0-600-57897-6.
7. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (28 July 1962). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 16. ISSN 0006-2510.
8. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (11 August 1962). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 34. ISSN 0006-2510.
9. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (18 August 1962). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 22. ISSN 0006-2510.
10. Lewry, Peter; Goodall, Nigel (1996). The Ultimate Cliff (doc) (1996 Updated ed.). Simon and Schuster Ltd, London. p. 206. ISBN 0-684-81696-2.
11. Lewry, Peter; Goodall, Nigel (1991). Cliff Richard The Complete Recording Sessions 1958-1990. London: Blandford. p. 40. ISBN 0-7137-2242-8.
12. Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book 1940–1969 (doc). Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-44439-5.
13. "Ultratop.be – Cliff Richard – Do You Wanna Dance" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
14. "Dutchcharts.nl – Cliff Richard – Do You Wanna Dance" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
15. Salaverri, Fernando (September 1979). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
16. "Cliff Richard: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company.
17. Lassila, Juha (1990). Mitä Suomi soittaa?: Hittilistat 1954-87 (in Finnish). Jyväskylän yliopisto. ISBN 95-168-0321-0.
18. "Chart Track: Week 20, 1962". Irish Singles Chart.
19. "Norwegiancharts.com – Cliff Richard – I'm Lookin' Out The Window". VG-lista.
20. Johansson, Carl-Owe (1980). Rock Around the Clock - Saturday Night Fever 1955-1978 (doc). Vara, Sweden: Dominique muzic-club.
21. Doe, Andrew G. (2012). "MONOSTEREO". Esquarterly.com. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
22. Craig Slowinski (2007). "The Beach Boys - The Beach Boys Today!" (PDF). Retrieved October 27, 2012.
23. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
24. "Swedish Singles Charts". mountvernonandfairway.de. Retrieved 11 November 2007.
25. "The Beach Boys awards on Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
26. "We Five Discography - USA". 45cat. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
27. "Do You Wanna Dance". Whitegum.com. Retrieved 2014-02-09.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics