"Dance with Me" is a 1975 hit single by American soft rock band Orleans from their second studio album, '' Orleans II'' (1974). Featuring a

melodica The melodica is a handheld free-reed instrument similar to a pump organ or harmonica. It features a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. The keyboard usua ...

solo by

Larry Hoppen Larry Lewis Hoppen (January 12, 1951 – July 24, 2012) was an American musician who was a co-founder, vocalist and guitarist/keyboardist of the pop-rock group Orleans. Orleans was formed in Woodstock, New York in January 1972 by Hoppen, vocalist/ ...

, "Dance with Me" was introduced on the band's third studio album '' Let There Be Music'' (1975) and was issued as that album's second single July 19, 1975 to become Orleans' first

top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

single, reaching a ''Billboard'' Hot 100 peak of No. 6 that October.

Composition

The song was written by group member

John Hall John Hall may refer to: Academics * John Hall (NYU President) (fl. c. 1890), American academic * John A. Hall (born 1949), sociology professor at McGill University, Montreal * John F. Hall (born 1951), professor of classics at Brigham Young Unive ...

and journalist-turned-lyricist Johanna Hall (then a married couple). According to Johanna Hall, John Hall wrote the melody first; Johanna suggested "Dance with Me" as the title after she first heard it, but John rejected the idea as too simple. The couple were out driving one day when Johanna, struck by inspiration, blurted out the lyrics: "Pick the beat up and kick your feet up", and John was won over to the idea of her writing the song's lyric for the title "Dance With Me".

Reception

'' Billboard'' described "Dance with Me" as having a "sweet summer sound" resulting from "soft vocal harmonies" and the acoustic instrumentation. ''Billboard'' also described the

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

as being "infectious."

Chart performance

Weekly singles charts

Year-end charts

Other covers

*In 1975,

Joe Dassin Joseph Ira Dassin (; 5 November 1938 – 20 August 1980) was an American–French singer-songwriter and actor. He was the son of film director Jules Dassin. Early life Dassin was born in New York City to American film director Jules Dassin (19 ...

recorded a French-language cover called "C'est la nuit" (

Pierre Delanoë Pierre Delanoë (16 December 1918 – 27 December 2006), born Pierre Charles Marcel Napoléon Leroyer in Paris, France, was a French lyricist who wrote thousands of songs for dozens of singers, including Dalida, Edith Piaf, Charles Aznavour, Pet ...

and Claude Lemesle). *In 1976, the cast of ''

The Brady Bunch ''The Brady Bunch'' is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz that aired from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family with six children. The show aired for five seasons and, afte ...

'' performed the song in the

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

of ''

The Brady Bunch Variety Hour ''The Brady Bunch Hour'' is an American variety show featuring skits and songs produced by Sid & Marty Krofft Productions in association with Paramount Television. It ran on ABC from November 28, 1976, to May 25, 1977. The series starred the o ...

''. *In 1977, American jazz guitarist Earl Klugh recorded an instrumental version for his album '' Finger Paintings'' *In 1980,

Livingston Taylor Livingston Taylor (born November 21, 1950) is an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. Born in Boston and raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, he is the brother of singer-songwriter James Taylor, singer-songwriter Kate Taylor, singer ...

covered the song for his album ''Man's Best Friend''. *In 1982,

Bobby McFerrin Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American folk and jazz singer. He is known for his vocal techniques, such as singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rap ...

recorded a

Latin jazz Latin jazz is a genre of jazz with Latin American rhythms. The two main categories are Afro-Cuban jazz, rhythmically based on Cuban popular dance music, with a rhythm section employing ostinato patterns or a clave, and Afro-Brazilian jazz, which ...

-influenced version for his album ''

''. *In 1994,

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

musicians, John McGale & Mario Chagnon (aka ''Toyo'') recorded a French-language version of the song called "Angelie" on their album ''Symbiose''. *In 1996,

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

singer

Regine Velasquez Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez ( ; born April 22, 1970) is a Filipina singer, actress, and record producer. She is considered one of the most influential figures in Philippine popular culture and is known for her vocal range and beltin ...

recorded the song as a duet with her mother, on her album ''

Retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...

''. *In 1999,

Jose Feliciano Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin *Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilean ...

arranged and played his guitar instrumental version of the song for his live album ''A Legend in Concert''. *In 2002,

Hank Marvin Hank Brian Marvin (born Brian Robson Rankin, 28 October 1941) is an English multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter. He is widely known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows, a group which primarily performed instrumentals and was the ba ...

did an instrumental version of the song on his album ''Guitar Player''. *In 2005, Engelbert Humperdinck recorded a version included on his album ''Let There Be Love''. *In 2007,

Shaw Blades Shaw Blades is an American musical duo/group formed by Tommy Shaw of Styx and Jack Blades of Night Ranger, both of whom played in the supergroup Damn Yankees. It is an informal duo which has produced two albums between other projects, 1995's ''H ...

recorded a version included on their album ''Influence''. *In 2010,

Kathy Troccoli Kathy is a feminine given name. It is a pet form of Katherine, Kathleen and their related forms. Kathy may refer to: In sports * Kathy Bald, Canadian freestyle swimmer * Kathy May, American tennis player *Kathy Radzuweit, German volleyball playe ...

recorded in a version included on her covers album "Heartsongs" *In 2017, Acclaimed guitarists Jack Jezzro & Sam Levine recorded an instrumental version of the song for the album "Mellow 70s".

In pop culture

"Dance With Me" served for the title of a musical revue of compositions by John and Johanna Hall which was mounted by the Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey at its

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

venue from 1–17 December 2000. In 2017, the song (without lyrics) serves as the background music for a Xeljanz XR (

Tofacitinib Tofacitinib, sold under the brand Xeljanz among others, is a medication used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ulcerative colitis. Common side effects include diarrhea, headache, and high blood pressure. Serious side eff ...

) commercial.

References

Songs about dancing 1975 singles Orleans (band) songs 1974 songs Songs written by John Hall (New York politician) Asylum Records singles Song recordings produced by Chuck Plotkin {{1970s-rock-song-stub