Shadow Dancing (song)

"Shadow Dancing"
Single by Andy Gibb
from the album Shadow Dancing
B-side "Let It Be Me" (US/CA)
"Too Many Looks in Your Eyes" (EUR)
"Fool for a Night" (Italy)
Released April 1978
Format 7"
Recorded December 1977-February 1978
Genre Disco
Length 4:34
Label RSO Records
Songwriter(s) Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb; Andy Gibb
Producer(s) Gibb-Galuten-Richardson
Andy Gibb singles chronology
"(Love Is) Thicker Than Water"
(1977)		 "Shadow Dancing"
(1978)		 "An Everlasting Love"
(1978)

"(Love Is) Thicker Than Water"
(1977)		 "Shadow Dancing"
(1978)		 "An Everlasting Love"
(1978)

"Shadow Dancing" is a disco song performed by English singer-songwriter Andy Gibb that reached number one for seven weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. Albhy Galuten (who also produced this song) arranged the song with Barry Gibb. While Andy Gibb would have three more Top 10 hits in the U.S., this would be his final chart-topping hit in America. The song became a platinum record.

Song development

The song was written by Andy and his brothers (Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb) in Los Angeles, while the trio of brothers were working on the film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.[1] "And one night," Andy would recall, "while we were relaxing, we sat down and we had to start getting tracks together for the album" (also titled Shadow Dancing, which would eventually hit #7 on the U.S. album charts). "So we literally sat down and in ten minutes, we had a group going, (singing) the chorus part. As it says underneath the song, we all wrote it, the four of us."[2]

Release

According to Billboard's Book Of Number One Hits, Gibb became the first solo artist in the history of the U.S. pop charts to have his first three singles hit the number-one spot. It remained in the top spot for seven straight weeks from 17 June to 29 July 1978. On 5 August it was replaced by The Rolling Stones with their hit "Miss You." Additionally, "Shadow Dancing" was listed by Billboard as being the number one single of 1978. The song peaked at number eleven on the soul chart[3] and sold 2.5 million copies in the United States alone.[4] Its two B-sides "Let It Be Me" appeared on US version and "Too Many Looks In Your Eyes" was from his previous album Flowing Rivers.

In July that year, Gibb performed "Shadow Dancing" at the Jai-Alai Fronton Studios in Miami, when Barry, Robin and Maurice unexpectedly joined him on stage, and sang this song with him. It was the first time that all four brothers performed together in concert.[5]

Personnel

Chart history

Cover versions

References

  1. ↑ Gibb Songs 1978
  2. ↑ Bronson, Fred (October 2, 2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (Fifth ed.). Billboard Books. p. 485. ISBN 978-0823076772.
  3. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 229.
  4. ↑ Grein, Paul (August 26, 1978). "Billboard Vol. 90, No. 34". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  5. ↑ Andy Gibb - Shadow Dancing at Songfacts.com
  6. ↑ David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. 1 2 "Andy Gibb - Shadow Dancing". ultratop.be. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 "Songs Written by the Gibb Family on the International Charts - Part 3" (PDF). brothersgibb.org. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  9. ↑ "CAN Charts > Andy Gibb". RPM. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
  10. ↑ "Andy Gibb - Shadow Dancing". officialcharts.de. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  11. ↑ "Andy Gibb - Shadow Dancing". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  12. 1 2 "Andy Gibb - Shadow Dancing". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  13. 1 2 "Andy Gibb - Shadow Dancing". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  14. ↑ "UK Charts > Andy Gibb". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
  15. 1 2 3 "US Charts > Andy Gibb". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
  16. ↑ "Cashbox Top 100". Cashbox Magazine Archives. June 3, 1978. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  17. ↑ "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  18. ↑ "Top 200 Singles of '78 – Volume 30, No. 14, December 30 1978". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  19. ↑ "End of Year Charts 1978". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  20. ↑ Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 30, 1978
  1. ↑ "The Billboard Hot 100 - 1963". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 20, 2006. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  2. ↑ Kowal, Barry. "Billboard (USA) Magazine's (Magazine Chart) Top 100 Singles of 1963", Hits of All Decades. September 20, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  3. ↑ [Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits. New York: Billboard Books. p. 138. ISBN 0823076776. Retrieved 20 October 2018.]
  4. ↑ "Top Records of 1963", Billboard, Section II, December 28, 1963. p. 30. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  5. ↑ Kowal, Barry. Billboard Magazine's (USA) Top 100 Single Recordings of 1963, Hits of All Decades. August 27, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
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