"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.[1][2][3] 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.

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"Do You Want to Dance"
Single by Bobby Freeman
B-side	"Big Fat Woman"
Released	1958 (1958)
Genre	Rock and roll
Length	2:30
Label	Josie
Songwriter(s)	Bobby Freeman
Bobby Freeman singles chronology
"Do You Want to Dance" (1958) "Betty Lou Got a New Pair of Shoes" (1958)

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.[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]

Cliff Richard and the Shadows version

"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	4 May 1962 (1962-05-04)[7]
Recorded	19 December 1961
Studio	EMI, London
Genre	Rock and roll
Length	2:16
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 on the other UK chart, the official UK Singles Chart, 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.

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.[14]

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

"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!.

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.[27] It was the Beach Boys' first single to feature session musicians playing most of the backing track while the group overdubbed vocals, an arrangement Wilson would maintain for the next two years.

Reception

Cash Box described it as having "an infectious neo-surfln’ style complete with rapidly-changing, danceable riffs."[28]

Personnel

Sourced from Musician's Union AFM contract sheets and surviving session audio, documented by Craig Slowinski.[29]

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; electric lead and rhythm guitar
• Dennis Wilson – lead vocals

Additional musicians and production staff

Live version

A live version from March 1965 was released in 2015 for the archival Live in Chicago 1965.^{[citation needed]}

Charts

Bette Midler version

"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. The song was #76 on Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 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 after Midler refused to sing in the commercial herself. Midler sued Ford Motor Company in response in the now-memorable case Midler v. Ford Motor Co. in which she argued that utilizing a voice impersonator without her permission constituted appropriation of her personality rights. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Midler and made Ford pull the advertisement.[33][34]

Charts

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.[40]
• 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.

References

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