"You Should Be Dancing" is a song by the Bee Gees, from the album Children of the World, released in 1976. It hit No. 1 for one week on the American Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 for seven weeks on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart, and in September the same year, reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart.[3] The song also peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Soul 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.
"You Should Be Dancing" was recorded 19 January, 1 and 8 February, and 6 May 1976 with Barry Gibb providing lead vocals in falsetto.[1] Barry had developed his falsetto to a remarkable degree in the ten months since the release of "Baby As You Turn Away" from the Main Course album on which he sang a full song in falsetto for the first time (except for its chorus).[4] 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.[1]
Billboard described "You Should Be Dancing" as a "strong, uptempo disco cut" with the Bee Gees' "strongest singing since "Jive Talkin'."[5]Cash Box said that "the playing is more polished [than 'Jive Talking'], and the band does some things to the vocals, with trading off, which are highly ear-catching."[6]Record World called it an "across the board smash" saying "'Get off your back, you should be dancing' they sing and there's no resisting the stomping beat."[7]
Charts
The song was their third Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 and their sixth No. 1 in Canada. It ended as the No. 31 song of the year.[8] 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 No. 25 on that chart.[9] It also hit No. 4 in Ireland. In Australia, where the brothers spent a number of years in their youth, it managed only to nick the top 20.
British DJ Blockster released a cover of the song, titled "You Should Be...", on 4 January 1999. It reached number three on the UK Singles Chart the same month.[45] By doing so, it marked the first time that two songs written by the Gibb brothers had charted within the UK top three simultaneously, as Steps' cover of "Tragedy" was at number two during that week.[46]
Critical reception
Daily Record wrote, "This was one of the big club floor-fillers last year. Another hit proving that a few words, a catchy melody and big bass sound seems to equal a hit."[47]
The Bee Gees remixed the song in 1993 for their album Size Isn't Everything, under the title "Decadance".[53]
Jessie J, Tinie Tempah and Taio Cruz performing "You Should Be Dancing" in 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony. It was heard at the end of the 2010 animated film Despicable Me.
American rock band Foo Fighters, under the alter ego "Dee Gees", covered the song on BBC Radio 2's Sofa Session. The song can be found on their album Hail Satin.[54][55]
^"Singles Reviews"(PDF). Cash Box. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 6. 26 June 1976. p. 14. Archived(PDF) from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
^"Hits of the Week"(PDF). Record World. 26 June 1976. p. 1. Archived(PDF) from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
^"Le Détail par Artiste". InfoDisc (in French). Select "Bee Gees" from the artist drop-down menu. Archived from the original on 12 August 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
^"Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Bee Gees".
