More than five decades after it was written, “Dancing in the Moonlight” by King Harvest remains one of the most recognizable feel-good songs from the 1970s. But behind its bright sound is a story that began with a violent attack in St. Croix in 1969.
Written by Sherman Kelly, the song was first recorded by his band Boffalongo in 1970. It later became a major hit for King Harvest, reaching No. 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 in Canada.
The song was written while Kelly was recovering from a traumatic experience. According to American Songwriter, during a trip to St. Croix, Kelly and his girlfriend, Adrienne, were attacked by a group of men while staying on a beach.
Kelly described the frightening experience in an interview with music journalist Mike Morsch. He recalled waking up in a hospital and hearing doctors talking about his condition.
“I woke up to the sound of my hospital roommate screaming in pain. Finally the screaming stopped and I heard two doctors talking about him. ‘That’s it, he’s gone,’ said one doctor about the other patient.
“‘What about him, you think he’s gonna make it?’ And the other doctor said, ‘No, I doubt it.’ I realized they were talking about me.”
Kelly survived the attack and spent time recovering. During that period, he began writing what would become “Dancing in the Moonlight.”
Rather than writing about the violence he had just experienced, Kelly imagined a different kind of world.
“I envisioned an alternate reality, the dream of a peaceful and joyous celebration of life. It was just me imagining a better world than the one I had just experienced in St. Croix.”
Kelly’s idea became a song built around a light, warm sound that was very different from the painful event that inspired it.
The first recording came from Boffalongo, a New York-based group that included Kelly on keyboards and vocals. His brother, Wells Kelly, played drums, while Larry Hoppen played guitar and also sang.
Boffalongo included “Dancing in the Moonlight” on its 1970 album Beyond Your Head, per Culture Sonar. The song received some regional radio play, but it did not reach the national charts. The group later broke up in 1971.
The song did not disappear with the band.
Wells Kelly became connected with King Harvest, a French-American band that had moved from the New York area to Paris. The group included Dave “Doc” Robinson, Ron Altbach, Eddie Tuleja and Rod Novak, with its lineup changing over time.
Wells helped bring his brother’s song to King Harvest. The band recorded its own version, with Robinson taking the lead vocal.
The King Harvest recording featured a strong keyboard sound and was released as a single in 1972. The single was paired with “Lady, Come On Home” on the B-side.
The song eventually found a much bigger audience.
It reached No. 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on the Canadian charts. It also reached No. 10 on the U.S. Cash Box Top 100 and No. 22 on the U.S. Easy Listening chart.
The band’s album Dancing in the Moonlight followed in 1973.
King Harvest later toured with Kelly after the song became successful. However, the band was unable to match the same level of success with its later releases and eventually broke up.
“Dancing in the Moonlight” found a new generation of listeners when English band Toploader released its version in 2000.
Toploader first released its cover on February 21, 2000, as a single from its debut album Onka’s Big Moka. The song initially reached No. 19 on the UK Singles Chart.
It was re-released later that year with new production and climbed to No. 7 in the United Kingdom.
The Toploader version also became a hit in several other countries, reaching the top 20 in Australia, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Spain. It was later certified 4× Platinum in the United Kingdom for sales and streams of more than 2.4 million units.
The song has also been recorded by other artists, including Liza Minnelli, Johnny Rivers, My Morning Jacket, Yonder Mountain String Band and Orleans. Another version by Swedish electronic dance music duo Jubël became a hit in parts of Europe.
The song has also appeared in movies and television shows, including The Blacklist, Better Call Saul and The Umbrella Academy.
For Kelly, the song began with something much more personal: an attempt to imagine a world far different from the one he had just survived.
Related: ’70s Rock Legend, Who Co-Founded Iconic Band, Was a New York Grade School Teacher
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