"Music Box Dancer" is an
instrumental
An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to inst ...
piece by Canadian musician
Frank Mills
Frank Mills (born June 27, 1942) is a Canadian pianist and recording artist, best known for his solo instrumental hit "Music Box Dancer".
Early life and education
Mills was born in Montreal, Quebec. He was raised in Verdun, Quebec and started pl ...
that was an international hit in the late 1970s. It features an
arpeggiated
A broken chord is a chord broken into a sequence of notes. A broken chord may repeat some of the notes from the chord and span one or more octaves.
An arpeggio () is a type of broken chord, in which the notes that compose a chord are played ...
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
theme in C-sharp major (enharmonic to
D-flat major
D-flat major (or the key of D-flat) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B and C. Its key signature has five flats. It is enharmonically equivalent to C-sharp major.
The D-flat major scale is:
:
Its ...
) designed to resemble a
music box
A music box (American English) or musical box (British English) is an automatic musical instrument in a box that produces musical notes by using a set of pins placed on a revolving cylinder or disc to pluck the tuned teeth (or ''lamellae'' ...
, accompanied by other instruments playing a counterpoint melody as well as a wordless chorus. (Most modern piano music sheets have the song in the key of C major.)
Mills wrote and recorded "Music Box Dancer" in 1974, but it did not become a
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
until December 1978. By Christmas of that year, it was in the top ten of many European and Asian pop music charts. Released as a single in the United States in January 1979,
[''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990'' - ] it reached #3 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart on the week ending May 5,
and also reached #3 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart and #47 on the Canadian pop chart. The single also did well in Australia, reaching #14 on the Australian Singles Chart (Kent Music Report).
A few notes are missing in the third repeated introduction to the main melody, which could not be corrected, as Mills did not have the funds to record another take.
History
In 1974, Mills released an album that featured "Music Box Dancer", but it was not initially a hit. When he re-signed with Polydor Records Canada in 1978, the label released a new song as a single, with "Music Box Dancer" on the B-side. The single was sent to
easy-listening
Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, no ...
stations in Canada, and one copy was mistakenly sent to
CFRA
CFRA is a news/ talk formatted radio station in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, owned by Bell Media. The station broadcasts on the assigned frequency of 580 kHz. CFRA's studios are located in the Bell Media Building on George Street in Downtown Ott ...
, an
Ottawa pop station. The program director played the A-side and could not figure out why it had been sent to his station, so he played the B-side to see if the record label had been mistakenly marked. He liked "Music Box Dancer" and added it to his station's playlist.
The song's success at CFRA was swift. "Music Box Dancer" premiered on CFRA's top 30 chart on May 5, 1978; by June 30, it was the #1 song on the station's playlist. "Music Box Dancer" also began picking up play on other Canadian stations around this time, becoming a nationwide hit. Mills's album went gold in Canada, which, after several months, prompted Polydor in the US to release the album and single with the B-side "The Poet and I".
The million-selling Gold-certified single reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1979 as well as #4 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart, while the album reached #21 on the Billboard Top Album chart and also went gold. Around that time,
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
television station
WNGE
WNGE (99.5 FM, "99.5 K-Rock") is a radio station licensed to Negaunee, Michigan, broadcasting an active rock format. The station first went on the air in July 2001. The station transmits its signal from an antenna with a height of with an ef ...
used ''Music Box Dancer'' as its news theme; it became so popular among
Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the ...
viewers that Polydor awarded a gold record to WNGE for breaking the single in the U.S.
It was Mills's only U.S. Top 40 pop hit; the follow-up, another piano instrumental titled "Peter Piper", peaked at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100, although it was a popular Top 10 hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Mills managed one final Adult Contemporary chart entry, "Happy Song", which peaked at #41 at the beginning of 1981.
Mills also released a version of
Ricky Nelson
Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter and actor. From age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he bega ...
's "Poor Little Fool" with substantial airplay in Ontario during the 1970s and 1980s.
Chart performance
Weekly singles charts
Year-end charts
Cover versions
"Music Box Dancer" has been recorded by such pianists as
Floyd Cramer
Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American pianist who became famous for his use of melodic "half step" attacks. He was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His signatu ...
,
Richard Clayderman
Richard Clayderman (; born Philippe Pagès , 28 December 1953 in Paris) is a French pianist who has released numerous albums including the compositions of Paul de Senneville, Olivier Toussaint and Marc Minier, instrumental renditions of popular ...
,
Roger Williams and
Eric Robertson, and by orchestral artists such as
James Last
James Last (, ; born Hans Last; 17 April 1929 – 9 June 2015), also known as Hansi, was a German composer and big band leader of the James Last Orchestra. Initially a jazz bassist (Last won the award for "best bassist" in Germany in each of ...
and
101 Strings
101 Strings Orchestra was a brand for a highly successful easy listening symphonic music organization, with a discography exceeding 150 albums and a creative lifetime of around 30 years beginning in 1957. 101 Strings had a trademark sound, focusin ...
. Bandleader
Ray Conniff added lyrics and titled the song on his album ''I Will Survive'' in 1979. Germany's
Roberto Delgado recorded a calypso version, and an accordion version was released in Sweden. The band PePe produced a techno version. It was also recorded by Enormous Richard for the
Pravda Records
Pravda Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, representing a diverse roster of indie rock, soul, pop, and experimental artists.
History
Pravda Records was founded by Kenn Goodman in 1984. Prav ...
compilation ''20 More Explosive Fantastic Rockin' Mega Smash Hit Explosions!''. German singer Marion Maerz made a German vocal version of the song, and
The Wiggles
The Wiggles are an Australian children's music group formed in Sydney in 1991. The group are currently composed of Anthony Field, Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce and Tsehay Hawkins, as well as supporting members Evie Ferris, John Pearce, ...
covered it on the video/album ''
Racing to the Rainbow
''Racing to the Rainbow'' is the 25th album release by Australian children's music group, the Wiggles. This album won the ARIA Award for Best Children's Album in 2006.
Track list
And on the DVD but not the CD:
* "Runaway (A Storm is on Its ...
''. In 1980, famous Hong Kong songstress
Paula Tsui
Paula Tsui Siu Fung is a Cantopop singer in Hong Kong, with a career spanning over 50 years. She was affiliated with the TVB television station until the mid-1990s and has performed for Asia Television on several occasions since 1995.
Person ...
(Xu Xiaofeng) released a version of this song with the same melody and added Cantonese lyrics inspired by Frank Mills' Official music video, it was arranged by Paulino Chris Babida and with lyrics by Cheng Kwok Kong (Zheng Guojiang).
The Ventures
The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar across the world during the ...
released a guitar-led cover version in their 1981 album ''Pops in Japan '81''.
A cover version by session musicians was also used by the BBC in one of its trade-test transmission tapes in the late 1970s, most often accompanied by Test Card F in vision. The song is also often played by
ice cream truck
An ice cream van ( British) or ice cream truck (North American) is a commercial vehicle that serves as a mobile retail outlet for ice cream, usually during the spring and summer. Ice cream vans are often seen parked at public events, or ne ...
s in the U.S.
In popular culture
* The tune was used as the theme music for
BBC Radio 2's coverage of the
1978 Commonwealth Games. Presenter
Terry Wogan
Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 week ...
referred to the tune as the 'demented pianist'.
* The tune was used for
KCBS's half-hour series ''2 on the Town'' from 1979 till the early 1980s.
* The tune is playing on the ice cream van heard in the background during
part 1 of ''Kill Bill''.
* A segment of the song was used in ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
'' episode "
Bart Star
"Bart Star" is the sixth episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 9, 1997. Written by Donick Cary and directed by Dominic P ...
", in a flashback to Homer's time as a high-school gymnast.
* The song is part of the movie ''Summerhood''
's soundtrack.
* A snippet of the song is played on piano by Dewey in the ''
Malcolm in the Middle'' episode "Reese Joins the Army".
* The song is played during a hotel dinner scene in AMC's ''
Halt and Catch Fire'', season 1, episode 7 ("Giant").
* It was the theme of the late 1970s BBC pro-celebrity golf series "
Around With Alliss" (fronted by professional golfer
Peter Alliss
Peter Alliss (28 February 1931 – 5 December 2020) was an English professional golfer, television presenter, commentator, author and golf course designer. Following the death of Henry Longhurst in 1978, he was regarded by many as the "Voice of ...
).
* A version of the song is played over the closing credits of the 1998 Danish movie
''Festen (The Celebration)''.
*A snip of the tune can be seen playing on episode "
Goodbye Mr. Bear" on ''
Full House
''Full House'' is an American television Situation comedy, sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The show is about widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best ...
''.
*
Peter Griffin played the tune in a ''
Westworld
''Westworld'' is an American science fiction-thriller media franchise that began with the 1973 film ''Westworld'', written and directed by Michael Crichton. The film depicts a technologically advanced Wild-West-themed amusement park populate ...
''-esque saloon in the episode "Meg's Wedding" of ''
Family Guy''.
* The tune was played over the PA system of
Myer Southland, Victoria, Australia at close of business each trading day.
*Part of the tune is played at the end of Act 1 from British TV sitcom ''
Canned Laughter
A laugh track (or laughter track) is a separate soundtrack for a recorded comedy show containing the sound of audience laughter. In some productions, the laughter is a live audience response instead; in the United States, where it is most common ...
'' (1979), written and performed by
Rowan Atkinson.
* In 2022, the song was played during
Fox's pregame coverage of Game 5 of the
National League Championship Series
The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the winners of the two Nation ...
.
References
{{authority control
1974 songs
1978 singles
1970s instrumentals
Number-one singles in Switzerland
Frank Mills songs
Polydor Records singles
Pop instrumentals
Songs about music