King Harvest, Dancing in the Moonlight | 1 Hit WONDERful

In the 22^nd edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2024), we highlight “Dancing in the Moonlight” performed by King Harvest. 

It only takes ONE hit to solidify a musical legacy 💯! On 1 Hit WONDERful, we highlight songs that were the SOLE hit by a given musician.  To be fair, it is possible that the artists appearing on this list earned a minor hit or two, BUT for the most part, it’s that ONE hit that earned them recognition. So, in the 22^nd edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2024) we dive into “Dancing in the Moonlight” the one-hit wonder by King Harvest.

“We get it on most every night…” Oh, really? “And when that ol’ moon gets so big and bright / It’s a supernatural delight.” True, true. “Dancing in the Moonlight” is the 10^th and final track from the 1973 album by King Harvest, Dancing in the Moonlight. “Dancing in the Moonlight” was released as a single in 1972 preceding the album.  It was written by keyboardist and songwriter, Sherman Kelly. It was originally recorded by Boffalongo. In his biography, Kelly shares the dark origin of the beloved song:

On a trip to St. Croix in 1969, I was the first victim of a vicious St. Croix gang who eventually murdered 8 American tourists. At that time, I suffered multiple facial fractures and wounds and was left for dead. While I was recovering, I wrote “Dancin In The Moonlight” in which I envisioned an alternate reality, the dream of a peaceful and joyful celebration of life. The song became a huge hit and was recorded by many musicians worldwide. “Dancin In The Moonlight” continues to be popular to this day.

Indeed, “Dancing in the Moonlight” is popular to this day. It peaked at no. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.  This was the sole top-40 hit by King Harvest. Dave Robinson brings the lyrics and melodies to life beautifully. “Everybody here is out of sight / They don’t bark, and they don’t bite,” he sings in the second verse, continuing, “They keep things loose, they keep things light / Everybody was dancing in the moonlight.” Oh, the vibes, the vibes, the vibes! Robinson is commanding in his performance without ever over-singing.  Besides his noteworthy vocals and strong background vocals, the instrumental is sweet. It’s the warm keys, prominent bass line, guitar riffs, and the drum groove.  Unsurprisingly, the section to beat on this serene and sunny track is the chorus. Folks, you know what they were doing:

“Everybody’s dancing in the moonlight

Everybody’s feeling warm and bright

It’s such a fine and natural sight

Everybody’s dancing in the moonlight.”

“Dancing in the Moonlight” was the only hit for King Harvest.  The good news is that it’s a timeless cover, more popular than the original, that we’ll never forget.

King Harvest // Dancing in the Moonlight // Darbo Music LLC // 1973

King Harvest, Dancing in the Moonlight: 1 Hit WONDERful No. 22 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Darbo Music LLC; Elias Souza from Pexels; OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]