"Everybody Dance"
Side A of US 7-inch single
Single by Chic
from the album Chic
B-side"You Can Get By"
ReleasedApril 1978
Recorded1977
GenreDisco
Length6:41 (Album version)
3:30 (Radio Edit)
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Rodgers
  • Edwards
Chic singles chronology
"Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)"
(1977) 		"Everybody Dance"
(1978) 		"Le Freak"
(1978)
Music video
"Everybody Dance - Chic" on YouTube

"Everybody Dance" is a song by American band Chic. The disco song, which features Norma Jean Wright on lead vocals and Luther Vandross, Diva Gray, Robin Clark and David Lasley on background vocals,[1] was released as the second single from the band's self-titled debut album Chic (1977). According to guitarist Nile Rodgers, it was the first song specifically written for Chic, and, due to its historical status and popularity, is usually played as the opening song of the band's live set. It was later heavily sampled by British group Steps on their song "Stomp" and echoed by the Manic Street Preachers on their single "(It's Not War) Just the End of Love".

The song has featured in films such as The Last Days of Disco (1998) and Summer of Sam (1999) during the orgy scene, and is also featured in the Grand Theft Auto IV expansion pack The Ballad of Gay Tony on the radio station K109.

According to Rodgers speaking for the BBC4 documentary "How to Make It in the Music Business", the session the song was recorded during cost the band $10, which went on bribing the elevator engineer not to tell the manager they were recording in there.[2]

Release

Unlike most Chic singles, its 12" version was not included on a regular album, nor was it widely available upon original release, with the 12" format being issued only as a promo. The extended 12" version has, however, subsequently been issued on numerous compilations. Also unlike most Chic singles, the b-side "You Can Get By" was edited down from the original album track; almost all future Chic b-sides would be presented in their full-length versions.

Reception

Cash Box praised the "fine, flashy bass work, double-timing on the high-hat and handclapping."[3] Record World said that the "good melody and arrangement" should allow the song's appeal to expand beyond Chic's previous dance audience.[4]

Chart performance

"Everybody Dance" became another hit for the band in the United States, peaking at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1978. In the UK Singles chart, it reached number 9 in May 1978, spending 9 weeks in the Top 40 there.

Track listing and formats

Atlantic 7" 3469, 1978
Atlantic promo 12" DSKO 109, 1978
Atlantic 12" DK 4621, 1978 / Atlantic Oldies promo 12" DSKO 179, 1979

Charts

Chart (1978) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[5] 45
Ireland (IRMA)[6] 6
UK Singles (OCC)[7] 9
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 38
US Billboard R&B 12
US Billboard Dance Club Play 1

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[9] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

1990s
2000s
2010s

References

  1. ^ Wikane, Christian John (2020-12-11). "He's the Leader: An Interview with Aretha's "Main Man" Fonzi Thornton, PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  2. ^ "Episode 1". Nile Rodgers: How to Make It in the Music Business. 25 August 2018. BBC4.
  3. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. April 1, 1978. p. 22. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  4. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. March 25, 1978. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  5. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4595a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  6. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Everybody Dance". Irish Singles Chart.
  7. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  8. ^ "Chic Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  9. ^ "British single certifications – Chic – Everybody Dance". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
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