In the early 60s, skiffle was not only a big craze in England, it hit Swede… Read Full Bio ↴In the early 60s, skiffle was not only a big craze in England, it hit Sweden pretty hard too. In a small town outside of Gothenburg, a 16-year old lad named Tommy Blom had just received a guitar from his parents. One day he met an old school chum, Anders Töpel, who also had a guitar, and who in turn knew a third guitar player, Danne Larsson. These three young boys started playing together, and soon a fourth member was added, Göran Lagerberg. On purpose they chose the "geeky" name Tages (from Danne's middle name) to make fun of all guitar based pop bands with their slick attitude and suits.

Soon, however, the four youths decided to change their style, after having been introduced to the new "Mersey" sound. A drummer, Freddie Skantze, was added, and within a short time a reshuffle of the instruments followed. Lagerberg took up the bass, while Danne and Anders were to play rhythm and lead guitar respectively. This left Tommy as lead singer and tambourine player.

Their first gig was held on 23 December 1963. Their name was becoming locally known and in August 1964, a Swedish newspaper held a contest called "The Beatles of the West Coast". Many different groups applied, but finally Tages were the victors, earning the right to make a record for the new company Platina. This first recording session took place on 20 September 1964. While the studio was pretty basic, Tages did bring two good songs to the sessions, Sleep little girl and Tell me you’re mine, which were released as a single about a month later. One day, not knowing that the single was going to be tested for the Swedish Top Ten, the boys heard themselves on the radio, and just one week later, the single had reached no. 1, replacing none other than the Beatles.

A couple of months later, the next single followed: I should be glad b/w I cry. This was not only a commercial success, but the critics liked it too, and now Tages were accepted by the large crowd. On 31 March 1965, Tages got to open for the Rolling Stones on their performance in Gothenburg. New singles followed, and the first eponymous LP was released in November. At about the same time, Göran and Freddie were allowed to play together with Chuck Berry in Stockholm.

From http://hem.passagen.se/orange/tages/tages.htm

Dancing in the Street
Tages Lyrics

Jump to: Line by Line Meaning ↴

Callin' out around the world
Are you ready for a brand new beat?
Summer’s here and the time is right
For dancin' in the street

They'll be dancin’ in Chicago
Down in New Orleans in New York City

All we need is music, sweet music
There'll be music everywhere
There'll be swingin' swayin'
And records playin' dancin' in the street
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

There’ll be dancin’, dancin' in the street
This is an invitation, across the nations
A chance for folks to meet
There’ll be laughin' singin'
And music swingin' dancin’ in the street

They'll be dancin' in Chicago
Down in New Orleans
Can't forget the motor city

All we need is music, sweet music
There'll be music everywhere
There'll be swingin' swayin'
And records playin' dancin' in the street

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

There'll be dancin', dancin' in the street

Line by Line Meaning

Callin' out around the world
Reaching out to everyone worldwide, trying to get their attention

Are you ready for a brand new beat?
Are you prepared for a fresh and exciting rhythm?

Summer’s here and the time is right
It's summertime and the conditions are perfect

For dancin' in the street
To engage in lively dancing out in public

They'll be dancin’ in Chicago
People will be dancing in the city of Chicago

Down in New Orleans in New York City
Also in the cities of New Orleans and New York

All we need is music, sweet music
The only requirement is the presence of enjoyable music

There'll be music everywhere
Music will be present in every location

There'll be swingin' swayin'
People will be enthusiastically moving and swaying to the music

And records playin' dancin' in the street
Recorded music will be playing, creating a joyful atmosphere for dancing

It doesn't matter what you wear
The clothing you choose is inconsequential

Just as long as you are there
As long as you participate and attend

So come on every guy, grab a girl
All the guys should find a partner and join in

Everywhere, around the world
This celebration is happening globally

This is an invitation, across the nations
Consider this as an open invitation extending to different countries

A chance for folks to meet
An opportunity for people to come together

There'll be laughin' singin'
There will be joyful laughter and singing

And music swingin' dancin’ in the street
The music will be so captivating, encouraging people to dance together in public spaces

Can't forget the motor city
We should not overlook Detroit, also known as the motor city

There'll be dancin' in the street
People will be dancing joyously out in public spaces

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

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