Do You Wanna Dance?
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"Do You Wanna Dance?" is a song written by Bobby Freeman (as "Do You Want to Dance?"), and recorded by him in 1958. It is also popular in a version performed by the Beach Boys, which was released in 1965, and in a version recorded by Bette Midler in 1972. The Ramones also covered the song on Rocket to Russia and It's Alive. The song first became popular In England and Europe as a B-side recorded by Cliff Richard & the Shadows in 1961.
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.[1]
The Beach Boys version
| "Do You Wanna Dance?" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by The Beach Boys | ||||
| from the album Today! | ||||
| Released | February 15, 1965 | |||
| Format | Vinyl | |||
| Recorded | January 11, 1965 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 2:14 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | Brian Wilson | |||
| The Beach Boys singles chronology | ||||
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"Do You Wanna Dance?" was a single released by The Beach Boys in 1965 through Capitol Records. It peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the highest charted Beach Boys song to feature Dennis Wilson on lead vocals. According to the contemporary Gilbert Youth Survey conducted nationwide in April 1965, it was featured one week on its chart at No. 5. The B-side of this single was "Please Let Me Wonder". The song was also released on the band's 1965 album Today!.
Musicians
- The Beach Boys
- Al Jardine - backing vocals
- Mike Love - backing vocals
- Brian Wilson - piano, backing vocals
- Carl Wilson - guitars, backing vocals
- Dennis Wilson - lead vocals
- Additional musicians
- Hal Blaine - drums, woodblocks
- Steve Douglas - tenor saxophone
- Plas Johnson - tenor saxophone
- Larry Knechtel - bass
- Jay Migliori - baritone saxophone
- Bill Pitman - guitar
- Leon Russell - organ
- Billy Strange - mandolin
- Tommy Tedesco - mandolin
- Julius Wechter - timpani, tambourine
- Marilyn Wilson[citation needed] - backing vocals
Bette Midler version
Bette Midler included the song — slightly retitled as "Do You Want to Dance" — on her 1972 debut album The Divine Miss M. Whereas the Bobby Freeman and Beach Boys versions are uptempo rock and roll, Midler slowed the tempo of the song down to a sultry-sounding ballad. As Midler's first single release, it was a hit, reaching #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1973. Bette's version was so soulful, everyone thought she was African American.[citation needed]
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).
Other versions
- 1960s
- 1960 - Eddie Cochran
- 1961 - Cliff Richard, B-side to "I'm Lookin' Out the Window". The single sold more than 1 million copies worldwide and reached #1 in Holland and Australia. Recorded in December 1961 at EMI's Abbey Road studios, the session, engineered by Malcolm Addey and produced by EMI's A&R man Norrie Paramor, was one of the last to feature Tony Meehan and Jet Harris before they left The Shadows in 1962. The songs reached #10 and #2 respectively in 1962. "Do You Wanna Dance" was included on the EP Cliff`s Hits (1962).
- 1964 - The Four Seasons recorded a version appearing on their album "Dawn (Go Away)".
- 1964 - Del Shannon
- 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.
- 1970s
- 1973 - Barry Blue
- 1974 - Hurriganes
- 1975 - John Lennon album Rock 'n' Roll.
- 1975 - T. Rex - bonus track on the album Bolan's Zip Gun.
- 1977 - The Ramones album Rocket to Russia.
- 1978 - Ray Stevens album There is Something on Your Mind.
- 1980s
- It was covered live during Neil Young's 1983 rockabilly period.
- 1987 - Barbie in the 'Rockin' Back to Earth' episode of her TV show.
- 1988 - David Lindley and El Rayo-X on their "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.
- 1996 - Petty Booka on their album Blue Lagoon of Petty Booka.
- 1998 - The Queers on their Ramones tribute album Rocket to Russia.
- 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.
- 2000s (decade)
- 2001 - Raimundos album Éramos 4
- 2006 - Laurent Voulzy album La Septième Vague
- 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 & The Shadows a track on the 250,000 selling album Reunited
In popular culture
- The original Bobby Freeman recording features in the film "American Graffiti" (1973).
- The Ramones's 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"
