All She Wants to Do Is Dance
"All She Wants to Do Is Dance" is a song written by Danny Kortchmar and performed by Don Henley, co-lead vocalist and drummer for Eagles. It was released as the second single from Henley's second studio solo album, Building the Perfect Beast, being Henley's sixth single. It was one of Henley's most commercially successful singles.
"All She Wants to Do Is Dance" | ||||
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Single by Don Henley | ||||
from the album Building the Perfect Beast | ||||
B-side | "Building the Perfect Beast" | |||
Released | February 1985 | |||
Recorded | 1984 | |||
Length | 4:28 (album) 4:23 (remix edit) | |||
Label | Geffen | |||
Songwriter(s) | Danny Kortchmar | |||
Producer(s) | Don Henley, Danny Kortchmar, Greg Ladanyi | |||
Don Henley singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
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Background
The single became a Billboard Top 10 hit in March 1985, peaking at No. 9, and also became his third song to top the Top Rock Tracks chart.[1] Background singing for the song was provided by Patty Smyth of the group Scandal, and Martha Davis, lead singer of the Motels.[2]
Composition
When Kortchmar was asked about the song he said "I had the groove and the music going. That record was made back when the technology had just started to really take over in music. I had one of the first Yamaha DX7s, which was a keyboard that was used a ton in the '80s, but we ended up luckily getting one of the first ones in the United States. It's a synthesizer keyboard, and I used it to get that sound that you hear the record starting with."[3]
Release
The commercial U.S. 7" vinyl version has a slightly different intro than the LP version from Building the Perfect Beast.
Critical reception
John Leland from Spin magazine wrote about the 12" single version of the song saying "...this mother whomps from the git with punchy electronic drums and a mix that keeps one foot off the ground for a full seven-and-a-half minutes. Henley's post-hedonist vision of apocalypse is twisted."[4]
Personnel
- Don Henley – lead vocals, drums, harmony vocals
- Danny Kortchmar – guitar
- David Paich – synthesizer
- Steve Porcaro – programming
- Martha Davis – harmony vocals
- Patty Smyth – harmony vocals
Chart performance
Chart (1985) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian (Kent Music Report) | 22[5] |
Canadian RPM Top Singles[6] | 13 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[7] | 9 |
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[8] | 10 |
U.S. Billboard Top Rock Tracks[9] | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles[10] | 65 |
Year-end chart (1985) | Rank |
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US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[11] | 97 |
Other versions
The single "All She Wanna Do is Dance" by David Guetta and Niles Mason uses samples of this song.
References
- Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 282.
- allmusic.com (2016). "Song Review by Stewart Mason" allmusic.com
- http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=21864
- John Leland (July 1985). Don Henley "All She Wants To Do Is Dance" (Geffen). Spin. p. 34. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 137. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- "Results – RPM – Library and Archives Canada – Top Singles". RPM. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
- "Don Henley Album & Song Chart History – Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
- "Don Henley Album & Song Chart History – Dance/Club Play Songs". Billboard. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
- "allmusic ((( Don Henley > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". AllMusic. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
- https://www.billboard.com/music/don-henley/chart-history/r-b-hip-hop-songs/song/333674
- "1985 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 97 no. 52. December 28, 1985. p. T-21.