Dancing the Night Away
"Dancing the Night Away" is the debut single by English rock band The Motors, released as the lead single from their 1977 debut studio album 1. The song was written by bassist/keyboardist Andy McMaster and lead vocalist/guitarist Nick Garvey.[2]
"Dancing the Night Away" | ||||
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Single by The Motors | ||||
from the album 1 | ||||
B-side | "Whiskey and Wine" | |||
Released | 9 September 1977[1] | |||
Genre | Power pop | |||
Length | 3:13 | |||
Label | Virgin Records (VS186), Ariola Benelux | |||
Songwriter(s) | Andy McMaster, Nick Garvey | |||
Producer(s) | Robert John "Mutt" Lange | |||
The Motors singles chronology | ||||
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The single was released on 7" within Europe and 12" vinyl in the UK only. The album version of the track lasted just over six and a half minutes,[3] whilst the single version lasted just over three minutes.[2] For the 12" vinyl version, a new mix of the a-side was used, lasting five and a half minutes whilst the same B-side was used.[4]
The B-side "Whiskey and Wine" was featured on the same album.[3]
Both tracks were produced by Zambian-born British record producer and songwriter Robert John "Mutt" Lange, one of the most successful music producers of all time.[3]
The single's cover is similar to that of the band's debut album.[2]
The song peaked at #42 in the UK Singles Chart for a total of four weeks.[5] The band's next single to chart was in 1978 when "Airport" would peak at #4.[6]
Track listing
- 7" Single
- "Dancing the Night Away" - 3:13
- "Whiskey and Wine" - 3:03
- 12" Single
- "Dancing the Night Away" - 5:30
- "Whiskey and Wine" - 3:03
Critical reception
In the review for the album Motors, allmusic.com wrote" "The Motors kicks off with the superb 'Dancing the Night Away,' an excellent fusion of pop melody with big guitar firepower, and the song is so effective that it sets a standard the rest of the disc can't quite match".[7]
Chart performance
Chart (1977) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Singles Chart[5] | 42 |
Personnel
- Nick Garvey - lead vocals, guitar
- Bram Tchaikovsky - lead guitar, backing vocals
- Andy McMaster - bass guitar, backing vocals
- Ricky Slaughter - drums, backing vocals
Additional personnel
- Robert John Lange - producer
- Writers of "Dancing the Night Away" – Andy McMaster, Nick Garvey
- Writers of "Whiskey and Wine" – Andy McMaster, Gordon Hann, Nick Garvey
Cheap Trick version
"Dancing the Night Away" | ||||
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Single by Cheap Trick | ||||
from the album Next Position Please | ||||
B-side | "Don't Make Our Love a Crime" | |||
Released | 1983 | |||
Genre | Rock, power pop | |||
Length | 4:57 | |||
Label | Epic Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Andy McMaster, Nick Garvey | |||
Producer(s) | Cheap Trick, Ian Taylor | |||
Cheap Trick singles chronology | ||||
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The American rock band Cheap Trick issued a cover of "Dancing the Night Away" as the lead single from their 1983 album Next Position Please.
The single was produced by Cheap Trick and Ian Taylor, who had previously engineered the band's "One on One" LP in 1982[8] and produced the contributions that the band recorded for the 1983 Sean S. Cunningham comedy film "Spring Break".[9]
The single's cover is a copy of the album cover, featuring all four members of the band. The album version causes Nielsen's face to fold over on the back insert.[10][11]
The single failed to chart.[12]
Track listing
- 7" Single
- "Dancing the Night Away" - 4:57
- "Don't Make Our Love a Crime" - 3:40
- 7" Single (American promo)
- "Dancing the Night Away (Long Version)" - 4:57
- "Dancing the Night Away (Short Version)" - 3:50
- 12" Single (UK release)
- "Dancing the Night Away" - 4:57
- "Ain't That a Shame" - 5:04
- "I Want You to Want Me" - 3:33
- "Surrender" - 4:37
- 12" Single (American promo)
- "Dancing the Night Away (Short Version)" - 3:50
- "Dancing the Night Away (Long Version)" - 4:57
- "I Can't Take It" - 3:26
Critical reception
In its review of Next Position Please, Rolling Stone said, "Throughout the album, every shred of melody is given the hard sell, so that when everything clicks — as it does on 'I Don't Love Here Anymore and the remake of the Motors' 'Dancing the Night Away' — Next Position Please approximates the snap of the band's overlooked classic, Heaven Tonight".[13]
Personnel
- Robin Zander - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, producer
- Rick Nielsen - lead guitar, backing vocals, producer
- Jon Brant - bass, backing vocals, producer
- Bun E. Carlos - drums, percussion, producer
Additional personnel
- Producer on "Dancing the Night Away" - Ian Taylor
- Engineer on "Dancing the Night Away" - Paul Klingberg
- Producer on "Don't Make Our Love a Crime" - Todd Rundgren
- Producer on "I Can't Take It" - Todd Rundgren
- Producer on "Ain't That a Shame" - Cheap Trick
- Producer on "I Want You to Want Me" - Cheap Trick
- Producer on "Surrender" - Tom Werman
- Writers of "Dancing the Night Away" – Andy McMaster, Nick Garvey
- Writers of "Don't Make Our Love a Crime" - Rick Nielsen
- Writers of "I Can't Take It" - Robin Zander
- Writers of "Ain't That a Shame" - Antoine Domino, Dave Bartholomew
- Writers of "I Want You to Want Me" - Rick Nielsen
- Writers of "Surrender" - Rick Nielsen
References
- "The Motors - Discography". 45cat.com. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- "Motors, The - Dancing The Night Away at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- "Motors, The - 1 at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- "Motors, The - Dancing The Night Away (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- "The Motors - Dancing The Night Away". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- "The Motors". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- Deming, Mark. "Motors 1 - Motors". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- "Cheap Trick - One On One at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- "Cheap Trick - Spring Break (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 1983-03-11. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- "Cheap Trick - Next Position Please at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- "Cheap Trick - Dancing The Night Away (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- https://www.billboard.com/music/cheap-trick/chart-history/hot-100/
- J.D. Considine (1983-10-13). "Next Position Please | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-03-11.