"Dancing the Night Away"
Single by The Motors
from the album 1
B-side"Whisky and Wine"
Released2 September 1977[1]
GenrePower pop
Length3:13
LabelVirgin Records (VS186), Ariola Benelux
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Robert John "Mutt" Lange
The Motors singles chronology
"Dancing the Night Away"
(1977)		 "Be What You Gotta Be" / "You Beat the Hell Outta Me"
(1977)

"Dancing the Night Away" is the debut single by English rock band the Motors, which was released in 1977 as the lead single from their debut studio album 1. The song was written by band members Andy McMaster and Nick Garvey, and produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange.[2]

"Dancing the Night Away" peaked at number 42 on the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 50 for four weeks.[3] For its release as a single, the full six-and-a-half minute album version of the track was edited down to produce two separate edits for 7-inch and 12-inch formats.[1]

Critical reception

In a retrospective review of 1, Mark Deming of AllMusic praised "Dancing the Night Away" as "superb" and "an excellent fusion of pop melody with big guitar firepower". He added that the song is "so effective that it sets a standard the rest of the disc can't quite match".[4]

Track listing

7-inch single

  1. "Dancing the Night Away" – 3:13
  2. "Whisky and Wine" – 3:03

12-inch single

  1. "Dancing the Night Away" – 5:30
  2. "Whisky and Wine" – 3:03

Personnel

Motors

  • Nick Garvey – lead vocals, guitar
  • Bram Tchaikovsky – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Andy McMaster – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Ricky Slaughter – drums, backing vocals

Production

Charts

Chart (1977) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[3] 42

Cheap Trick version

"Dancing the Night Away"
Single by Cheap Trick
from the album Next Position Please
B-side"Don't Make Our Love a Crime"
Released1983
GenreRock, power pop
Length4:57
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Cheap Trick
  • Ian Taylor
Cheap Trick singles chronology
"Saturday at Midnight"
(1982)		 "Dancing the Night Away"
(1983)		 "I Can't Take It"
(1983)

American rock band Cheap Trick released a cover of "Dancing the Night Away" in 1983 as the lead single from their seventh studio album Next Position Please.

Todd Rundgren, who produced the majority of Next Position Please, originally advised Epic to release "I Can't Take It" as the album's lead single. The label were less enthusiastic about the song and suggested that the band record a version of "Dancing the Night Away". Produced by Cheap Trick and Ian Taylor, who had previously engineered the band's 1982 album One on One, "Dancing the Night Away" was released as the album's lead single, but failed to chart in the US.[5]

Critical reception

In a review of Next Position Please, Evelyn Erskine of The Ottawa Citizen described "Dancing the Night Away" as "spunky and fun".[6] Jim Bohen of the Daily Record was negative of the band's version, describing it as "regrettably ponderous and shrill".[7]

Track listing

7-inch single

  1. "Dancing the Night Away" – 4:57
  2. "Don't Make Our Love a Crime" – 3:40

7-inch single (US promo)

  1. "Dancing the Night Away" (Long Version) – 4:57
  2. "Dancing the Night Away" (Short Version) – 3:50

12-inch single (UK release)

  1. "Dancing the Night Away" – 4:57
  2. "Ain't That a Shame" – 5:04
  3. "I Want You to Want Me" – 3:33
  4. "Surrender" – 4:37

12-inch single (US promo)

  1. "Dancing the Night Away" (Short Version) – 3:50
  2. "Dancing the Night Away" (Long Version) – 4:57
  3. "I Can't Take It" – 3:26

Personnel

Cheap Trick

  • Robin Zander – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Rick Nielsen – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Jon Brant – bass, backing vocals
  • Bun E. Carlos – drums, percussion

Production

  • Cheap Trick – producers on "Dancing the Night Away", "Ain't That a Shame" and "I Want You to Want Me"
  • Ian Taylor – producer on "Dancing the Night Away"
  • Paul Klingberg – engineer on "Dancing the Night Away"
  • Todd Rundgren – producer on "Don't Make Our Love a Crime" and "I Can't Take It"
  • Tom Werman – producer on "Surrender"

Charts

Chart (1983) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[8] 111

References

  1. 1 2 "Virgin drive for Motors discs" (PDF). Music Week. 3 September 1977. p. 3. Retrieved 9 March 2022 – via World Radio History.
  2. ↑ "Motors, The - Dancing The Night Away at Discogs". Discogs.com. 1977. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  3. 1 2 "MOTORS; full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  4. ↑ Deming, Mark. "Motors 1 - Motors". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  5. ↑ Hayes, M.; Sharp, K. (1998). Reputation Is a Fragile Thing. Poptastic. ISBN 978-0-9662081-0-8.
  6. ↑ Erskine, Evelyn (September 23, 1983). "Cheap Trick displays new signs of old life". The Ottawa Citizen. p. 57.
  7. ↑ Bohen, Jim (November 20, 1983). "Shortcuts: Genesis's new music grows out of old". Daily Record. p. E9.
  8. ↑ "Gallup Top 200 Singles". Gallup. 1 October 1983. Retrieved 19 September 2022 – via ukmix.org.
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