Land of a Thousand Dances
"Land of 1000 Dances" | ||||
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Single by Chris Kenner | ||||
B-side | "That's My Girl" | |||
Released | October 1962 | |||
Genre | Rhythm and blues | |||
Label | Instant | |||
Songwriter(s) | Chris Kenner | |||
Chris Kenner singles chronology | ||||
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"Land of 1000 Dances" | ||||
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Single by Cannibal & the Headhunters | ||||
from the album Land of 1000 Dances | ||||
B-side | "I'll Show You How to Love Me" | |||
Released | February 1965 | |||
Genre | Rock and roll | |||
Label | Rampart | |||
Songwriter(s) | Chris Kenner | |||
Cannibal & the Headhunters singles chronology | ||||
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"Land of a Thousand Dances" (or "Land of 1000 Dances") is a song written and first recorded by American rhythm and blues singer Chris Kenner in 1962. It later became a bigger hit in versions by Cannibal & the Headhunters and Wilson Pickett. A version by Thee Midniters reached number 27 in Canada on March 22, 1965.[1]
The song references a number of dance styles/moves including
Background
The original Chris Kenner recording, which peaked at No. 77 on the Billboard chart in 1963, mentions 16
Cannibal and the Headhunters version
The song is famous for its "na na na na na" hook, which Cannibal & the Headhunters added in their 1965 version, which reached number 30 on the Billboard chart.[2] The hook gave the song further notoriety. The "na na na na na" hook happened by accident when Frankie "Cannibal" Garcia, lead singer of Cannibal and the Headhunters, forgot the lyrics.[3] The melody to this section was also created spontaneously, as it is not in Chris Kenner's original track. The "na na na na na" hook was later borrowed in the 1994 song "Here Comes the Hotstepper" by Jamaican artist Ini Kamoze.[4]
Wilson Pickett version
"Land of 1000 Dances" | ||||
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Single by Wilson Pickett | ||||
from the album The Exciting Wilson Pickett | ||||
B-side | "You're So Fine" | |||
Released | July 1966[5] | |||
Recorded | May 11, 1966 | |||
Studio | FAME, Muscle Shoals, Alabama | |||
Genre | Rhythm and blues | |||
Length | 2:28 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Songwriter(s) | Chris Kenner | |||
Wilson Pickett singles chronology | ||||
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The song's best-known version was by Wilson Pickett, who recorded the song during his
The song appeared in Just Dance 3 as a playable track.
Personnel
- Vocals: Wilson Pickett
- Guitar: Chips Moman, Jimmy Johnson
- Keyboards: Spooner Oldham
- Drums: Roger Hawkins
- Bass: Junior Lowe or Tommy Cogbill[9]
- Tenor sax: Charlie Chalmers, Andrew Love
- Trumpet: Wayne Jackson
- Baritone Sax: Floyd Newman[6]
Other recordings and inspirations
- Some releases of the song credit Antoine "Fats" Domino as a co-author of the song with Kenner. Domino agreed to record the song in exchange for half of the song's royalties.[3]
- Ike & Tina Turner recorded a live cover version of this song in Olympia in Paris and included in their live album Live in Paris – Olympia 1971.
- The Acapella chanting, with the audience hooting and clapping in the background, fills out the sound with manic high energy."[11]
- The song became the central element of Patti Smith's song "Land" off her debut album Horses in 1975.
- The lyric "Do the alligator" became the chorus of "Alligator Song" by New Zealand band The Bilders in 1985.
- Various superstars from the "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.
- Tina Turner recorded a live cover version of this song as a solo artist in her 1988 live album Tina Live in Europe.
- The "na na na" chorus was interpolated into the reggae hit Here Comes the Hotstepper by Ini Kamoze, which topped the US charts in 1994. [12]
Charts
Chris Kenner version
Chart (1963) | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 77 |
Cannibal and the Headhunters version
Chart (1965) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada RPM[13] | 42 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 30 |
Wilson Pickett version
Chart (1966)[14][15] | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada RPM[16] | 6 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 6 |
U.S. Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles | 1 |
UK Singles Chart
|
22 |
Ted Nugent version
Chart (1981) | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 47 |
J. Geils Band version[17]
Chart (1982) | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 60 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[18] Wilson Pickett version |
Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ "RPM Top 40&5 Singles - March 22, 1965" (PDF).
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 101.
- ^ ISBN 0-446-38171-3.
- ^ "Daddy Yankee's Nicky Jam Collaboration "Muévelo" Is His Latest Flip Of A '90s Hit". Genius. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-61713-009-0.
- ^ ISBN 0-8230-8285-7.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 461.
- ^ "Land of 1000 Dances". Archived from the original on July 27, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2008.
- ^ Pickett, Wilson, The Exciting Wilson Pickett, Atlantic #8129, released 1966. Notes from Atlantic CD released 1993
- ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. February 19, 1983. p. 10. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
- ^ "Top Single Picks". Billboard. February 19, 1983. p. 63. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (March 14, 2022). "The Number Ones: Ini Kamoze's "Here Comes The Hotstepper"". Stereogum. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
The infectious "na na na" bit comes straight from the oldies-radio standby "Land Of 1000 Dances," first written and recorded by New Orleans R&B artist Chris Kenner in 1962.
- ^ "RPM Top 40&5 Singles - February 15, 1965" (PDF).
- ^ "The Exciting Wilson Pickett - Billboard singles". Allmusic. Retrieved August 6, 2008.
- ^ "Wilson Pickett - Land of 1000 Dances". Official Charts. Retrieved August 6, 2008.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - September 19, 1966" (PDF).
- ISBN 978-0-89820-205-2.
- ^ "British single certifications – Wilson Pickett – Land of 1000 Dances". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
External links
- Land of a Thousand Dances by Wilson Pickett at AllMusic
- Land of a Thousand Dances by Patti Smith at AllMusic