"Dance Little Jean" is a song written by

Jimmy Ibbotson James Arvey Ibbotson (born January 21, 1947) is an American musician who is best known as a longtime member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. He has also released albums as a solo artist, as a member of the Wild Jimbos, and with John McEuen. Car ...

, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

group

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country rock band formed in 1966. The group has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California. Between 1976 and 1981, the band performed and recorded as the Dirt Band. Constant ...

. It was released in October 1983 as the second single from the album '' Let's Go''. The song reached number 9 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot Country Singles & Tracks Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart.

Background and writing

Jimmy Ibbotson wrote the song hoping the charm and romance of the story would convince his ex-wife that they should get back together. Little Jean was named for his real life daughter who would always dance when he played guitar. When he played it for his ex-wife for the first time, Little Jean danced, but his ex-wife's response was not what he had hoped for. She told him he would be able to afford child support now, because that song would be a hit.Story told on the album "Stories & Songs" by John McEuen & Jimmy Ibbotson

Content

The song is about a musician disillusioned about marriage, whose heart is softened by a daughter dancing to his band at her parents' wedding reception whilst wearing crinolines and a calico skirt.

Chart performance

References

Songs about dancing 1983 singles 1983 songs Nitty Gritty Dirt Band songs Warner Records singles Songs written by Jimmy Ibbotson {{1983-country-song-stub