Dancing in the Moonlight (It's Caught Me in Its Spotlight)

"Dancing in the Moonlight (It's Caught Me in Its Spotlight)"
Single by Thin Lizzy
from the album Bad Reputation
B-side"Bad Reputation"
Released29 July 1977[1]
RecordedMay – June 1977
Genre
Length3:26
Label
Songwriter(s)Phil Lynott
Producer(s)Thin Lizzy, Tony Visconti
Thin Lizzy singles chronology
"Don't Believe a Word"
(1976) 		"Dancing in the Moonlight (It's Caught Me in Its Spotlight)"
(1977) 		"Rosalie/Cowgirl's Song (Medley)"
(1978)

"Dancing in the Moonlight (It's Caught Me in Its Spotlight)" is a song by the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy. It appears on their 1977 album Bad Reputation and was also released as a single a few months before the album. The song reached No. 14 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1977,[2] and No. 84 in Canada.[3] It should not be confused with a similarly named song, "Dancing in the Moonlight", recorded by King Harvest and Toploader, amongst others.[4]

The song builds on the introductory bass riff played by Phil Lynott, adding the vocal melody line sung by Lynott which contrasts and synergizes with the saxophone melodic counterpoint played by Supertramp's John Helliwell.[5]

Covers

The Smashing Pumpkins covered the song for various live performances, turning the originally upbeat, overlaid melody of the original into a slow paced acoustic tune; it was recorded as B-side of the single "Disarm".[6] British indie pop singer-songwriter Diana Vickers covered the song as the first of several covers used as teasers leading up to the release of her second studio album.[7]

In 2012 the English indie rock band Alt-J released a mash up of "Dancing in the Moonlight" for the compilation album, The Saturday Sessions from The Dermot O'Leary Show.[8] Later it was recorded at Spotify Studios NYC and released as part of their Spotify Singles project in 2017.

In 2017 British singer Josh Dally released a reworked acoustic ballad version of the song.

The American band Cannons released a dream pop-inspired cover in November 2023 as the final track on their Heartbeat Highway album.

In commercials

In 2005, this song was used as part of an advertising campaign to launch Magners Irish Cider in the UK.[9]

In 2021, this song was used in an advertisement for Specsavers hearing aids in the UK.

Charts

Chart (1977) Peak
position
Australian Singles (Kent Music Report)[10] 59
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[11] 84
Ireland (IRMA)[12] 4
UK Singles (OCC)[13] 14

References

  1. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 34.
  2. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 555–556. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - November 12, 1977" (PDF).
  4. ^ "Search for "dancing in the moonlight"". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  5. ^ July 2016, Paul Brannigan03 (3 July 2016). "The story behind Thin Lizzy's Dancing In The Moonlight". Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved 1 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Disarm (CD cover). Smashing Pumpkins. Virgin Records. 1994. 7243 8 92310 2 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ O'Mance, Brad (11 April 2012). "Diana Vickers has covered a Tom Petty song". Popjustice. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  8. ^ The Saturday Sessions From The Dermot O'Leary Show (CD cover). Alt-J. Sony Music. 2014. 88843028882.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ O'Mahony, Catherine (28 May 2005). "Magners London launch is Irish-made". The Sunday Business Post. Key Capital and Cooke. Retrieved 29 March 2016. (registration required)
  10. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  11. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5454b." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  12. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Dancing in the Moonlight". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  13. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 25, 2024.