Do You Want to Dance

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.[4][5] Contrary to some reports, Jerry Garcia did not play on the record.[5]

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).[6]

"Do You Want to Dance"
Cover of the Danish edition
Single by Cliff Richard and the Shadows
A-side	"I'm Lookin' Out the Window"
Released	May 1962 (1962-05)[7]
Recorded	December 19, 1961
Studio	EMI, London
Genre	Rock
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Bobby Freeman
Producer(s)	Norrie Paramor
Cliff Richard and the Shadows singles chronology
"The Young Ones" (1962) "I'm Lookin' Out the Window" / "Do You Want to Dance" (1962) "It'll Be Me" (1962)

The Cliff Richard and the Shadows version[8] 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.[9]

"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.[10][11][12] The single went on to sell over 1 million copies worldwide.[13]

"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.

"Do You Wanna Dance?"
Single by The Beach Boys
from the album The Beach Boys Today!
B-side	"Please Let Me Wonder"
Released	February 15, 1965
Recorded	January 11, 1965
Studio	Gold Star, Hollywood, California
Genre	Rock and roll
Length	2:21
Label	Capitol
Songwriter(s)	Bobby Freeman
Producer(s)	Brian Wilson
The Beach Boys singles chronology
"The Man with All the Toys" (1964) "Do You Wanna Dance?" (1965) "Help Me, Rhonda" (1965)
Audio sample
"Do You Wanna Dance?" file help

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!.

"Do You Want to Dance?"
Single by Bette Midler
from the album The Divine Miss M
Released	1972
Genre	Pop rock, vocal
Length	2:44
Label	Atlantic
Songwriter(s)	Bobby Freeman
Bette Midler singles chronology
"Do You Want to Dance?" (1972) "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" (1972)

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.

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 (in which 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

• 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.
• 2019 - The Casualties album "Until Death Studio Sessions"

• 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.[33]
• 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.
• D-TV set the original Bobby Freeman recording to Flowers and Trees and the Nutcracker Suite segment (Chinese Dance) from Fantasia.

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics