In 1958, Ben Nelson joined a doo wop group, The Five Crowns. Later that same year, The Drifters' manager fired the members of the group and replaced them with The Five Crowns, who had performed several engagements with The Drifters. He co-wrote the first hit by the new version of The Drifters, "There Goes My Baby" (1959). He also sang lead, using his birth name, on "Save the Last Dance for Me," a song written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, "Dance With Me," "This Magic Moment," "I Count the Tears," and other The Drifters hits.
In 1960 he left the group after failing to gain a salary increase and a fairer share of the group's royalties. At this point he assumed the more memorable stage name Ben E. King in preparation for a solo career. Remaining on Atlantic, King scored his first solo hit with the stylish, Latin-tinged ballad "Spanish Harlem" (1961). "Stand by Me" was his next recording. "Stand by Me", written by King along with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller was voted one of the Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America. "Stand by Me" and "Spanish Harlem" were named as two of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll and were both also given a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.
King's records continued to place well on the pop charts until 1963, when British pop bands began to dominate the popular music scene. His hits after 1963 were "What is Soul?" (1967), "Supernatural Thing, part 1" (1975), and the re-issue in 1986 of "Stand by Me" following the song's use as the theme music to the movie of the same name.
I Could Have Danced All Night
Ben E. King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My head's too light to try to set it down
Sleep, sleep I couldn't sleep tonight
Not for all the jewels in the crown
I could have danced all night, I could have danced all night
And still have begged for more
I could have spread my wings and done a thousand things
I'll never know what made it so exciting
Why all at once my heart took flight
I only know when he began to dance with me
I could have danced, danced, danced all night
It's after three now
Don't you agree now?
She ought to be in bed
I could have danced all night, I could have danced all night
And still have begged for more
I could have spread my wings and done a thousand things
I've never done before
I'll never know what made it so exciting
Why all at once my heart took flight
I only know when he began to dance with me
I could have danced, danced, danced all night
I understand dear
It's all been grand dear
But now it's time to sleep
I could have danced all night, I could have danced all night
And still have begged for more
I could have spread my wings and done a thousand things
I've never done before
I'll never know what made it so exciting
Why all at once my heart took flight
I only know when he began to dance with me
I could have danced, danced, danced all night
The song "I Could Have Danced All Night" by Ben E. King is a classic love song that tells the story of a woman who is so enchanted by her partner that she would rather dance with him all night than go to bed. The lyrics convey the feeling of excitement and passion that the woman experiences when she is with her partner, and how the dancing represents a form of escape from the world around them.
The opening lyrics of the song ("Bed, bed I couldn't go to bed / My head's too light to try to set it down") express the woman's inability to sleep because she is too energized from the night's events. She mentions that even if she had all the jewels in the world, she still wouldn't be able to sleep. This suggests that her partner's love and attention is more valuable to her than material possessions.
The chorus ("I could have danced all night, I could have danced all night / And still have begged for more / I could have spread my wings and done a thousand things / I've never done before") reveals the woman's deep desire to stay with her partner and continue dancing. She feels free when she's with him, ready to try new things and be adventurous. The phrase "spread my wings" implies that dancing with her partner is like flying, and opens up possibilities that she has never imagined before. The final verse of the song contains dialogue between the woman and her partner, where they acknowledge that it's time to sleep, but the woman still longs to dance with him.
Overall, "I Could Have Danced All Night" is a beautiful, timeless song that expresses the joy and exhilaration of newfound love, and how it can make the most mundane moments feel magical.
Line by Line Meaning
Bed, bed I couldn't go to bed
I am so overflowing with energy that I cannot go to bed
My head's too light to try to set it down
I am so excited that my head is spinning and I cannot sleep
Sleep, sleep I couldn't sleep tonight
I am so energized and excited that I cannot sleep tonight
Not for all the jewels in the crown
I would still not be able to sleep, even if I were offered all of the jewels in the world
I could have danced all night, I could have danced all night
I had so much fun dancing with him that I could have danced all night long
And still have begged for more
I could have continued dancing for so much longer and still would have begged for more time to dance
I could have spread my wings and done a thousand things
I could have been more adventurous and tried out new things, like I did when I danced
I've never done before
I've never felt this happy and had so much fun
I'll never know what made it so exciting
I am not sure what made it so thrilling and exciting to dance with him
Why all at once my heart took flight
But I know that I felt like my heart was lifted and soaring with happiness and excitement when he began to dance with me
I only know when he began to dance with me
He was the one who made me feel this way and the reason why I had so much fun dancing
I could have danced, danced, danced all night
I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to continue dancing all night long
It's after three now
It is already very late in the night
Don't you agree now?
Do you not think that it is already too late for me to be awake?
She ought to be in bed
I should really be sleeping by now
I understand dear
I know and understand that it's time to sleep
It's all been grand dear
I am grateful and appreciative of our time together and the dance we had
But now it's time to sleep
But I really need to sleep now, as much as I enjoyed dancing with you
Lyrics © TuneCore Inc., BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Iricom US Ltd, Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dean garretson
My step-father has the original album...I was little and used to dance off this song!! If I may say this is one of the earliest fast dancing song with a pace and a groove that you can play in todays club!
Miroslava Acevedo
Fart dancing- how nice to hear?
Gannon Roberts
A terminally hip version of this tune. Play it anywhere, anytime...and yo feets will do they thing.
Mark Nicol
Translate: Thank you for sharing. I have the CD handy but it is scratched and the title is muted: ( Glad you enjoy :)
AllezIstres
Merci du partage. J'ai le CD sous la main mais il est rayé et le titre est inaudible :(
AllezIstres
Oh sorry, I don't know why but I thought you were french ^^
Mark Nicol
nah sorry bloody Kiwi now and Aussie, shit happens :)