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"
Single by The Motors
from the album 1
B-side"Whiskey and Wine"
Released9 September 1977[1]
Format7", 12"
GenrePower pop
Length3:13
LabelVirgin Records (VS186), Ariola Benelux
Songwriter(s)Andy McMaster, Nick Garvey
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)

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
  1. "Dancing the Night Away" - 3:13
  2. "Whiskey and Wine" - 3:03
12" Single
  1. "Dancing the Night Away" - 5:30
  2. "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]

Allmusic picks the track as an AMG recommended track.[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"
Single by Cheap Trick
from the album Next Position Please
B-side"Don't Make Our Love a Crime"
Released1983
Format7", 12"
GenreRock, power pop
Length4:57
LabelEpic Records
Songwriter(s)Andy McMaster, Nick Garvey
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)

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
  1. "Dancing the Night Away" - 4:57
  2. "Don't Make Our Love a Crime" - 3:40
7" Single (American promo)
  1. "Dancing the Night Away (Long Version)" - 4:57
  2. "Dancing the Night Away (Short Version)" - 3:50
12" 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" Single (American 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

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
  1. "The Motors - Discography". 45cat.com. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  2. "Motors, The - Dancing The Night Away at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  3. "Motors, The - 1 at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  4. "Motors, The - Dancing The Night Away (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  5. "The Motors - Dancing The Night Away". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  6. "The Motors". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  7. Deming, Mark. "Motors 1 - Motors". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  8. "Cheap Trick - One On One at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  9. "Cheap Trick - Spring Break (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 1983-03-11. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  10. "Cheap Trick - Next Position Please at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  11. "Cheap Trick - Dancing The Night Away (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  12. https://www.billboard.com/music/cheap-trick/chart-history/hot-100/
  13. J.D. Considine (1983-10-13). "Next Position Please | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
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