Do You Want to Dance



"Do You Want to Dance" is a song written by American singer 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. 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.

Bobby Freeman version
San Francisco-born teenager Bobby Freeman had been a member of doo-wop groups the Romancers and the Vocaleers. When asked by a local DJ if he had written any songs, he wrote several and recorded them as solo demos. These included "Do You Want to Dance", which was heard by a visiting record label executive, Mortimer Palitz of Jubilee Records. He signed Freeman to the label, and had the original recording overdubbed in New York by session musicians including guitarist Billy Mure. Released on the Jubilee subsidiary label Josie, "Do You Want to Dance" quickly rose to number 5 on the pop chart and number 2 on the R&B chart in early 1958, when Freeman was still only 17. Contrary to some reports, Jerry Garcia did not play on the record.

The song was included in Robert Christgau's "Basic Record Library" of 1950s and 1960s recordings, published in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981).

Cliff Richard and the Shadows version
The Cliff Richard and the Shadows version 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.

"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. The single went on to sell over 1 million copies worldwide.

"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.

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

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

The Beach Boys version
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.

Personnel
Sourced from Musician's Union AFM contract sheets and surviving session audio, documented by Craig Slowinski.
 * 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 guitar
 * Dennis Wilson – lead vocals

• Hal Blaine – drums, wood blocks, claves
 * Additional musicians and production staff

• 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 – acoustic and electric rhythm guitar

• Leon Russell – Hammond B-3 organ

• Billy Strange – electric mandolin

• Tommy Tedesco – baritone guitar, mandolin

• Julius Wechter – tambourine, timpani

• 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.

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. Midler's version was her first single release, reaching #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1973 and 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
 * 1961 - Bobby Vee on album
 * 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)
 * 1964 – The Challengers recorded a version of "Do You Want to Dance" appearing on their album At The Teenage Fair.
 * 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.
 * 1970s
 * 1972 - Bette Midler
 * 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.
 * 1977 - Ol' 55 on the album, Fiveslivejive
 * 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 (American band) 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.
 * 2017 – Green Day plays it live several times during the Revolution Radio Tour.

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.
 * 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 film Rock 'n' Roll High School.