| "Land of a Thousand Dances" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Cannibal and the Headhunters | |
| from the album Land of 1000 Dances | |
| B-side | "I'll Show You How to Love Me" |
| Released | 1965 |
| Format | Vinyl |
| Genre | Rock |
| Label | Rampart |
| Writer(s) | Chris Kenner |
| "Land of 1000 Dances" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Wilson Pickett | ||||
| from the album The Exciting Wilson Pickett | ||||
| B-side | "You're So Fine" | |||
| Released | 1966 | |||
| Format | Vinyl | |||
| Recorded | May 11, 1966, Muscle Shoals, Alabama | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 2:28 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Writer(s) | Chris Kenner | |||
| Wilson Pickett singles chronology | ||||
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| "Land of a Thousand Dances" | ||||||||||
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| Single by Ted Nugent | ||||||||||
| from the album Intensities in 10 Cities | ||||||||||
| Released | 1981 | |||||||||
| Genre | Rock | |||||||||
| Length | 4:39 | |||||||||
| Label | Epic | |||||||||
| Writer(s) | Fats Domino/Chris Kenner | |||||||||
| Ted Nugent singles chronology | ||||||||||
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"Land of a Thousand Dances" (or "Land of 1000 Dances") is a song written and first recorded by Chris Kenner in 1962. The song is famous for its "na na na na na" hook, which was added by Cannibal & the Headhunters in their version of the song in 1965, whose version peaked at number thirty.[1] The song's best-known version was Wilson Pickett's 1966 recording on his album, which became an R&B #1 and his biggest ever pop hit. Some releases of the song credit Antoine "Fats" Domino as a co-author of the song with Kenner. Domino had agreed to record the song in exchange for half of the song's royalties.[2]
The "na na na na na" hook was initiated by accident as Cannibal, lead singer of Cannibal and the Headhunters, had forgotten the actual lyrics to the song.[2] The melody to this section was also created spontaneously (as it is not found in Chris Kenner's original track).
In the original recording by Chris Kenner, 16 dances are specifically mentioned: the Pony, the Chicken, the Mashed Potato, the Alligator, the Watusi, the Twist, the Fly, the Jerk, the Tango, the Yo-Yo, the Sweet Pea, the Hand jive, the Slop, the Bop, the Fish, and the Popeye.
Although the lyrics mention many dances, they do not contain the song's actual title. Kenner's original recording included a brief, gospel-influenced, a capella introduction with the words: "Children, go where I send you / (How will you send me?) / I'm gon' send you to that land / the land of a thousand dances." However, this eighteen seconds was chopped off of the single release, obviously to facilitate radio airplay, and the phrase "Land of 1000 Dances" never received mention again, either in the Kenner version or any subsequent recording.
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Wilson Pickett recorded the song during his first set of sessions at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.[3] (He had previously recorded in Memphis.) His recording was released as a single and appeared on his album, The Exciting Wilson Pickett. The single became his third R&B #1 and his biggest ever pop hit, peaking at #6.[4] In 1988 a re-recorded version by Pickett was featured in the end credits for The Great Outdoors. In 1989, the earlier Pickett version was ranked number 152 on Dave Marsh's list of The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made.[5]
Personnel:
Cannibal and the Headhunters version
| Chart (1965) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 30 |
Wilson Pickett version
| Chart (1966)[6][7] | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 22 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles | 1 |
Ted Nugent version
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 47 |
| Preceded by "You Can't Hurry Love" by The Supremes |
Billboard Hot R&B Singles number-one single September 17, 1966 |
Succeeded by "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep" by The Temptations |
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