You Should Be Dancing

"You Should Be Dancing"
Single by Bee Gees
from the album Children of the World
B-side	"Subway"
Released	21 June 1976
Format	Vinyl record (7" 45 RPM)
Recorded	18 January–8 February 1976, Criteria Studios, Miami, Florida 6 May 1976, Le Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec
Genre	Disco,[1] pop,[1] rock[1]
Length	4:16
Label	RSO
Writer(s)	Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb
Producer(s)	Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten, Karl Richardson
Bee Gees singles chronology
"Fanny (Be Tender with My Love)" (1976) "You Should Be Dancing" (1976) "Love So Right" (1976)
Saturday Night Fever track listing 17 tracks Side one "Stayin' Alive" "How Deep Is Your Love" "Night Fever" "More Than a Woman" "If I Can't Have You" Side two "A Fifth of Beethoven" "More Than a Woman" "Manhattan Skyline" "Calypso Breakdown" Side three "Night on Disco Mountain" "Open Sesame" "Jive Talkin'" "You Should Be Dancing" "Boogie Shoes" Side four "Salsation" "K-Jee" "Disco Inferno"

"You Should Be Dancing" is a single by the Bee Gees, from the album Children of the World, released in 1976. It hit #1 for one week on the American Billboard Hot 100, #1 for seven weeks on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart, and in July the same year, reached #5 on the UK Singles Chart.^[2] The song also peaked at #4 on the Billboard R&B chart. It was this song that first launched the Bee Gees into disco. It was also the only track from the group to top the dance chart.

Origin

"You Should Be Dancing" was recorded in January 19, February 1 and 8 and finishing it in May 6, 1976. With Barry Gibb provided lead vocals in falsetto, Barry had developed his falsetto to an incredible degree. Ten months since the release of "Baby As You Turn Away" from the Main Course album on which he sung the full song in falsetto for the first time (except for its chorus).^[3]Keyboardist Blue Weaver recalls that Maurice Gibb wrote the bass line and sang the horn parts to the brass players, while Barry sang parts for Weaver to play, while guitarist Alan Kendall got in a short guitar solo for its instrumental break.^[4]

Stephen Stills was also at Criteria Studios recording the album Long May You Run with his band and Neil Young. Stills added percussion on the song's February sessions. Members of Stills' backing band, George Perry (bass) and Joe Lala (percussion) also worked with the Bee Gees on some songs.^[3]

The song's 4 minutes and forty seven seconds appeared later on Tales from the Brothers Gibb and its six minute version was appeared on a radio promo single.

Charts

The song was their third Billboard Hot 100 #1 and their sixth #1 in Canada. It ended up the year as the #31 song of the year on the Hot 100.^[5] In the '70s some of the Bee Gees' songs were deemed too uptempo for AC/Easy Listening Radio which led to "You Should Be Dancing" only reaching #25 on that chart.^[6] It also hit #4 in Ireland. In Australia, where the brothers spent a number of years in their youth, it managed only to nick the top 20.

"You Should Be Dancing" is known today as the first chart-topper in which Barry Gibb uses his now-trademark falsetto in a lead vocal (he had previously used it on the top-10 "Nights on Broadway" and on "Fanny (Be Tender with My Love)"). Earlier songs, such as "Jive Talkin'", had Gibb use a melodic blue-eyed soul vocal style.

Personnel

• Barry Gibb – lead vocal, rhythm guitar
• Robin Gibb – backing vocal
• Maurice Gibb – backing vocal, bass
• Alan Kendall – electric guitar, guitar solo
• Blue Weaver – keyboards, synthesizer
• Dennis Bryon – drums
• Stephen Stills – percussion
• Peter Graves – horn
• Whit Sidener – horn
• Kenny Faulk – horn
• Neil Bonsanti – horn
• Bill Purse – horn

Chart performance

Cover versions

"You Should Be..."
Single by Blockster
Released	1999
Format	CD single
Recorded	1999
Producer(s)	Blockster
Blockster singles chronology
"You Should Be..." (1999) "Grooveline" (1999)

Blockster released a cover, titled "You Should Be...", which reached number three in the UK chart in January 1999.^[23]

Blake Lewis, the runner-up on the sixth season of American Idol, performed the song on the show on 8 May 2007. His studio version was later released on the American Idol official website and on American Idol Season 6: The Collector's Edition, a compilation of studio versions of songs performed by Idol finalists.

In 2012, the song was featured in the Glee episode "Saturday Night Glee-ver". The song was sung by Blaine Anderson (portrayed by Darren Criss), Mike Chang (Harry Shum, Jr.) and Brittany Pierce (Heather Morris).

In popular culture

The song was prominently featured in the movie Saturday Night Fever and appears on its soundtrack album. Live performances of "You Should Be Dancing" during the 1979 Spirits Having Flown tour featured the Bee Gees' younger sibling, Andy Gibb, on backing vocals.

The Boston Celtics also play this song when they are about to win a basketball game in a convincing manner accompanied by the ever popular "Gino Time" video from the television show American Bandstand. Recently, the Tampa Bay Rays have started playing the song at home games between innings.

The song was also featured at the end of the film Despicable Me, in which the minions replace ballet music with the song so everyone (including both a reluctant-at-first Gru and a stranded Vector, who is still on the moon) can dance.

See also

• Hot 100 number-one hits of 1976 (United States)

References

External links

• Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics