Dancing in the Dark (Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz song)

For the Bruce Springsteen song, see Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen song).
For the Rihanna song, see Dancing in the Dark (Rihanna song).
"Dancing in the Dark"
Song
Published1931 by Harms
Composer(s)Arthur Schwartz
Lyricist(s)Howard Dietz

"Dancing in the Dark" is a popular American song, with music by Arthur Schwartz and lyrics by Howard Dietz, that was introduced by John Barker with Tilly Losch dancing in the 1931 revue The Band Wagon. The song was first recorded by Bing Crosby on August 19, 1931 with Studio Orchestra directed by Victor Young,[1] staying on the pop charts for six weeks, peaking at #3,[2] and helping to make it a lasting standard.

The 1941 recording by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra[3] earned Shaw one of his eight gold records at the height of the Big Band era of the 1930s and 1940s. Shaw's 1940 arrangement was a collaboration between Shaw and his chief arranger, Lennie Hayton, who was also an important Music Director, arranger and orchestrator at MGM until 1953.

It was subsequently featured in the classic 1953 MGM musical The Band Wagon and has since come to be considered part of the Great American Songbook. In the film it is orchestrally performed to a ballet dance by Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse set in Central Park. The song is given a 'sensual and dramatic'[4] orchestration by Conrad Salinger[5][citation needed], choreographed by Michael Kidd.

  1. ^ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 103. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  3. ^ "45worlds.com". 45worlds.com. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  4. ^ Alexandra Carter, The Routledge Dance Studies Reader, 1998, p. 292.
  5. ^ Fordin, Hugh (1996). M-G-M's Greatest Musicals: The Arthur Freed Unit. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-3068-0730-5., p. 409.