Produced by William "Mickey" Stevenson and written by Stevenson and Marvin Gaye, the song highlighted the concept of having a good time in whatever city the listener lived. The song was conceived by Stevenson who was showing a rough draft of the lyrics to Gaye disguised as a ballad. When Gaye read the original lyrics, however, he said the song sounded more danceable. With Gaye and Stevenson collaborating, the duo composed the single with Kim Weston in mind to record the song. Weston passed on the song and when Martha Reeves came to Motown's Hitsville USA studios, the duo presented the song to Reeves. Hearing Gaye's demo of it, Reeves asked if she could arrange her own vocals to fit the song's message.
Gaye and Stevenson agreed and including new Motown songwriter Ivy Jo Hunter adding in musical composition, the song was recorded in two takes. The interesting loud beat of the drums in its instrumentation can be attributed to Hunter, who banged on a crowbar to add to the drum beat led by Gaye, who was often a drummer on many of Motown's earliest hits.
While produced as an innocent dance single (it became the precursor to the disco movement of the 1970s), the song took on a different meaning when riots in inner-city America led to many young black demonstrators citing the song as a civil rights anthem to social change which also led to some radio stations taking the song off its play list because certain black advocates such as H. Rap Brown began playing the song while organizing demonstrations.
"Dancing in the Street" peaked at number two on the U.S. Billboard Pop Singles chart when it was originally released as the group's third album Dance Party's first single in 1964 (see 1964 in music), with "There He Is (at My Door)" included as a B-side. The song also reached the top 5 on the UK pop charts peaking at #4 in a 1969 release after initially peaking at #28 on the chart and helped to revive the Vandellas' success in England.
On April 12, 2006, it was announced that Martha and the Vandellas' version of "Dancing in the Street" would be one of 50 sound recordings preserved by the Library of Congress to the National Recording Registry. Lead singer Martha Reeves said she was thrilled about the song's perseverance, saying "It's a song that just makes you want to get up and dance".
This version was #40 on the list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time by Rolling Stone.
Dancing in the Street
Martha and the Vandellas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are you ready for a brand new beat?
Summer's here and the time is right
For dancing in the street
They're dancing in Chicago (dancing in the street)
Down in New Orleans (dancing in the street)
In New York City (dancing in the street)
There'll be music everywhere (everywhere)
There'll be swinging, swaying
And records playing
Dancing in the street, oh
It doesn't matter what you wear
Just as long as you are there
So come on, every guy, grab a girl
Everywhere around the world
They'll be dancing (dancing in the street)
They're dancing in the street (dancing in the street)
This is an invitation across the nation
A chance for folks to meet
There'll be laughing, singing, and music swinging
Dancing in the street
Philadelphia, PA (dancing in the street)
Baltimore and D.C., now (dancing in the street)
Can't forget the Motor City (dancing in the street)
All we need is music, sweet music (sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet music)
There'll be music everywhere (everywhere)
There'll be swinging, swaying (swaying)
And records playing (playing)
Dancing in the street, oh
It doesn't matter what you wear
Just as long as you are there
So come on, every guy, grab a girl
Everywhere around the world
They're dancing
They're dancing in the street (dancing in the street)
Way down in L.A. (dancing in the street)
Every day, they're dancing in the street (dancing in the street)
Let's form a big, strong line (dancing in the street)
Get in time, we're dancing in the street (dancing in the street)
Across the ocean blue (dancing in the street)
Me and you, we're dancing in the street
The lyrics of Martha and The Vandellas's song Dancing in the Street is an invitation across the nation to celebrate the arrival of summer and to come together to dance in the street. The lyrics encourage people from all around the world to grab a partner and dance in the street, regardless of what they are wearing. The song lists a number of cities where people are dancing, from Chicago and New Orleans to Philadelphia and Baltimore, showing that the joy of dancing in the street is not limited to one place or community, but is a universal celebration.
The song symbolizes the energy and excitement of youth culture in the 1960s and the pride and resilience of black Americans during the Civil Rights Movement. The phrase "dancing in the street" became a metaphor for social change and protest, and the song was often played at demonstrations and rallies. The lyrics are a call to action, inviting people to come together in unity and to celebrate the power of music to bring people together.
Line by Line Meaning
Calling out around the world
An announcement being made worldwide
Are you ready for a brand new beat?
Introducing a new type of dance music
Summer's here and the time is right
The perfect time to dance
For dancing in the street
To dance outdoors with everyone
They're dancing in Chicago (dancing in the street)
People are dancing in Chicago's streets
Down in New Orleans (dancing in the street)
People are dancing in New Orleans' streets
In New York City (dancing in the street)
People are dancing in New York City's streets
All we need is music, sweet music
Music can make us dance joyfully
There'll be music everywhere
Music will be played everywhere
There'll be swinging, swaying, and records playing
Different ways of dance moves with exciting music
Dancing in the street
To dance with everyone on the streets
Oh, it doesn't matter what you wear
What you wear doesn't matter as long as you dance
Just as long as you are there
The presence of every individual is what matters
So come on, every guy, grab a girl
An invitation for all men to dance with women
Everywhere around the world
Everyone around the globe is invited to dance
It's an invitation across the nation
An invitation to individuals of different areas
A chance for folks to meet
A chance for individuals to connect
There'll be laughing, singing, and music swinging
Dancing will be associated with joy, singing and music
Philadelphia, PA (dancing in the street)
People are dancing in Philadelphia's PA streets
Baltimore and D.C. now (dancing in the street)
People are dancing in Baltimore and D.C. streets
Can't forget the Motor City (dancing in the street)
People are dancing in the streets of Motor City
Oh, it doesn't matter what you wear
What you wear doesn't matter as long as you dance
Just as long as you are there
The presence of every individual is what matters
They're dancing
People are dancing
Way down in L.A. (dancing in the street)
People are dancing in L.A.'s streets
Every day, they're dancing in the street (dancing in the street)
People are dancing in the streets every day
Let's form a big, strong line (dancing in the street)
An invitation to dance in a long row
Get in time, we're dancing in the street (dancing in the street)
Dancing together in sync on the streets
Across the ocean blue (dancing in the street)
Inviting individuals across the ocean to dance with us
Me and you, we're dancing in the street (dancing in the street)
Inviting everyone to dance with us
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Marvin Gaye, William Stevenson, Ivy Hunter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ThatsJustMyBabyDaddy
They were literally singing for our civil rights. ❤️
@debcrockett366
I think they were singing about freedom in America & fun in the Summertime..NO POLITICS!
@danf321
There is someone to politically charge every subject.
@lexluger3490
Lol, it's literally what they were singing about. The song was a euphemism for civil rights rallies happening at the time. 😅 Almost 60 years later and most people are still clueless. America treated black Americans like shit for a very long time, face it, it did happened. Want to fix it? Then fix it. It's not political, it's factual.
@cressapellom4205
@@debcrockett366uh no. It was about civil rights. A simple Google search will tell you that.
@ericafair9983
Now, we can literally let that go because whispers we's free now. 😮
@DudemeisterNL
I absolute love that the timeline I live in has given us Motown!
@hansg6336
It's hard to exaggerate how much influence the Motown sound has had on American pop music. Great stuff to listen to a thousand years from now.
@nickwride2023
The Motown Sound will live for a long time.
@cleaningtim
I could not agree more!