I'm Happy Just to Dance with You

"I'm Happy Just to Dance with You" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney^[2] and recorded by the Beatles for the film soundtrack to A Hard Day's Night. Lead vocals are by George Harrison, whose performance in the film marked the first commercial music video segment with Harrison singing lead.

Composition

It was written specifically for George Harrison to sing at a time when he lacked the confidence to compose his own material. Years later, McCartney described it as a "formula song",^[2] and Lennon said, "I would never have sung it myself."^[3]

Featuring a hectic Bo Diddley style rhythm guitar in juxtaposition with Harrison's placid vocal, its composers give it an unexpected choice of chord at the crux of its chorus augmenting the B7th on "I'm happy just to dance with you". The song is also distinctive in that it begins not with a verse or chorus but with the last four bars of the bridge.^[4]

Recording

The Beatles recorded "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You" on a Sunday, the first time they had used Abbey Road Studios on a day other than a normal work day.^[3] On June 26, United Artists released the song on the album, A Hard Day's Night. July 20 is when the Something New album was released by Capitol Records with the song on it.^[1] It hit #95 on the Billboard Top 100 chart on August 1, 1964, its only appearance on that chart.^[5]^[6]

The group also recorded a version for the BBC's From Us to You radio show. The session took place on 17 July 1964 at the BBC Paris Studio in London, and was first broadcast on 3 August that year.^[7]

Personnel

George Harrison – lead vocal, lead guitar
John Lennon – backing vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul McCartney – backing vocal, bass
Ringo Starr – drums, African drum
George Martin – producer
Norman Smith – engineer

Personnel per Ian MacDonald^[8]

Covers

The Cyrkle released a version of the song on their 1967 album, Neon.^[9] Anne Murray included a cover of "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You" on her 1980 album Somebody's Waiting. Murray had had some success in previous years covering other Beatles songs such as "You Won't See Me" and "Day Tripper." Unlike the Beatles' original, Murray's version of "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You" is an adult-contemporary ballad. Murray's version of the song was released as a single in mid-1980, reaching No. 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 23 on the Billboard country chart. Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings included a cover of the song on their 2007 album Jukebox.

Chart performance

Chart (1964)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100^[5]^[6]	95

Notes

1 2 ""I'm Happy Just to Dance With You"". Beatlesebooks.com. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
1 2 Miles 1997, p. 163.
1 2 Harry 2000, p. 546.
↑ Hal Leonard 1993, p. 492.
1 2 "The Hot 100 - August 1, 1964". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
1 2 "The Beatles - Chart History". Billboard. August 1, 1964. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
↑ The Beatles Bible 2008.
↑ MacDonald 2005, p. 112.
↑ The Cyrkle, Neon Retrieved January 10, 2016

References

The Beatles - Complete Scores. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard. 1993. ISBN 0-7935-1832-6.
Harry, Bill (2000). The Beatles Encyclopedia: Revised and Updated. London: Virgin Publishing. ISBN 0-7535-0481-2.
"I'm Happy Just To Dance With You". The Beatles Bible. 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2008.
MacDonald, Ian (2005). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (Second Revised ed.). London: Pimlico (Rand). ISBN 1-84413-828-3.
Miles, Barry (1997). Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now. New York: Henry Holt & Company. ISBN 0-8050-5249-6.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: A Hard Day's Night (album)

A Hard Day's Night

Songs

Side one	"A Hard Day's Night" "I Should Have Known Better" "If I Fell" "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You" "And I Love Her" "Tell Me Why" "Can't Buy Me Love"

Side two	"Any Time at All" "I'll Cry Instead" "Things We Said Today" "When I Get Home" "You Can't Do That" "I'll Be Back"

The Beatles singles discography

UK and US
(all labels)

1963	"Please Please Me" / "Ask Me Why" "From Me to You" / "Thank You Girl" "She Loves You" / "I'll Get You"

1964	"Can't Buy Me Love" / "You Can't Do That" "I Feel Fine" / "She's a Woman"

1965	"Ticket to Ride" / "Yes It Is" "Help!" / "I'm Down" "We Can Work It Out" / "Day Tripper"

1966	"Paperback Writer" / "Rain" "Yellow Submarine" / "Eleanor Rigby"

1967	"Penny Lane" / "Strawberry Fields Forever" "All You Need Is Love" / "Baby, You're a Rich Man" "Hello, Goodbye" / "I Am the Walrus"

1968	"Lady Madonna" / "The Inner Light" "Hey Jude" / "Revolution"

1969	"Get Back" / "Don't Let Me Down" "The Ballad of John and Yoko" / "Old Brown Shoe" "Something" / "Come Together"

1970	"Let It Be" / "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)"

1978	"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band/With a Little Help from My Friends" / "A Day in the Life"

1982	"The Beatles Movie Medley" / "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You"

1995	"Free as a Bird" / "Christmas Time (Is Here Again)"

1996	"Real Love" / "Baby's in Black"

UK only
(Parlophone,
Apple)

1962	"My Bonnie" / "The Saints" "Love Me Do" / "P.S. I Love You"

1963	"I Want to Hold Your Hand" / "This Boy"

1964	"Ain't She Sweet" / "If You Love Me, Baby" "A Hard Day's Night" / "Things We Said Today"

1976	"Yesterday" / "I Should Have Known Better" "Back in the U.S.S.R." / "Twist and Shout"

US only
(Vee-Jay, Swan,
Tollie, Capitol,
Apple)

1963	"I Want to Hold Your Hand" / "I Saw Her Standing There"

1964	"Twist and Shout" / "There's a Place" "Do You Want to Know a Secret" / "Thank You Girl" "Love Me Do" / "P.S. I Love You" "Sie liebt dich" / "I'll Get You" "I'll Cry Instead" / "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You" "And I Love Her" / "If I Fell" "A Hard Day's Night" / "I Should Have Known Better" "Matchbox" / "Slow Down"

1965	"Eight Days a Week" / "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" "Yesterday" / "Act Naturally"

1966	"Nowhere Man" / "What Goes On"

1970	"The Long and Winding Road" / "For You Blue"

1976	"Got to Get You into My Life" / "Helter Skelter" "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" / "Julia"

Other countries
(Odeon, Apple)

1964	"Komm, gib mir deine Hand" / "Sie liebt dich" (Germany)

1968	"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" / "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (Europe, Japan, Australia) "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" / "I Will" (Philippines) "Back in the U.S.S.R." / "Don't Pass Me By" (Sweden)

1969	"You're Going to Lose That Girl" / "Tell Me What You See" (Japan)

1970	"Oh! Darling" / "Here Comes the Sun" (Japan)

1972	"All Together Now" / "Hey Bulldog" (Europe)

Anne Murray

Studio albums	What About Me This Way Is My Way Honey, Wheat and Laughter Straight, Clean and Simple Talk It Over in the Morning Anne Murray / Glen Campbell Annie Danny's Song Love Song Highly Prized Possession Keeping In Touch Together There's a Hippo in My Tub Let's Keep It That Way New Kind of Feeling I'll Always Love You Somebody's Waiting Where Do You Go When You Dream The Hottest Night of the Year A Little Good News Heart over Mind Something to Talk About Harmony As I Am You Will Yes I Do Croonin' Anne Murray What a Wonderful World Country Croonin' I'll Be Seeing You Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends

Christmas albums	Christmas Wishes Anne Murray Christmas The Season Will Never Grow Old Best of the Season My Christmas Favorites What a Wonderful Christmas Anne Murray's Christmas Album Icon: Christmas

Compilations	Snowbird Country A Country Collection Anne Murray's Greatest Hits Country Hits Songs of the Heart Love Songs Greatest Hits Volume II From Springhill to the World The Very Best of Anne Murray 15 of the Best Her Greatest Hits and Finest Performances Now & Forever The Best… So Far An Intimate Evening with Anne Murray Ultimate Collection All of Me 10 Great Songs: Inspirational Classics Icon

No. 1 singles	"Snowbird" "Sing High, Sing Low" "A Stranger in My Place" "It Takes Time" "Talk It Over in the Morning" "I Say a Little Prayer/By the Time I Get to Phoenix" "Cotton Jenny" "Danny's Song" "What About Me" "A Love Song" "He Thinks I Still Care" "Son of a Rotten Gambler" "You Won't See Me" "You Needed Me" "I Just Fall in Love Again" "Shadows in the Moonlight" "Broken Hearted Me" "Daydream Believer" "Lucky Me" "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You" "Could I Have This Dance" "Blessed Are the Believers" "We Don't Have to Hold Out" "It's All I Can Do" "Another Sleepless Night" "Hey! Baby" "Somebody's Always Saying Goodbye" "A Little Good News" "Just Another Woman in Love" "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" (with Dave Loggins) "Time Don't Run Out on Me" "Now and Forever (You and Me)"

Other songs	"Thirsty Boots" "Put Your Hand in the Hand" "Night Owl" "Robbie's Song for Jesus" "Everything's Been Changed" "Send a Little Love My Way" "Just One Look" "Day Tripper" "Uproar" "Sunday Sunrise" "The Call" "Golden Oldie" "Things" "Walk Right Back" "That's Not the Way (It's S'posed to Be)" "I Don't Think I'm Ready for You" "Who's Leaving Who" "Are You Still in Love with Me" "Anyone Can Do the Heartbreak" "Perfect Strangers" "If I Ever Fall in Love Again" (with Kenny Rogers) "Feed This Fire" "Bluebird" "I Can See Arkansas" "Make Love to Me" "The Wayward Wind" "Born to Be with You" "Over You" "That's What My Love Is For" "That's the Way It Goes" "What a Wonderful World"

Related articles	Discography Capitol Records "Tears Are Not Enough"

Book:Anne Murray

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