Dancing Nancies

Album: Under The Table And Dreaming (1994)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This fan favorite has Dave Matthews thinking about all of the roads he could have taken in life - a flight attendant, a millionaire in Bel Air, a wanderer in Paris. "Could I have been anyone other than me?" he wonders. At a concert in Deer Creek, Indiana, on June 19, 1996, Matthews explained how the song's concept came to him during a laborious trek through his homeland of South Africa:

    "It was a long f--king way. Well, I was actually hitchhiking, which you can do sometimes there, and be successful. And I was unfortunately not successful, and I walked my skinny chicken legs off, and I thought to myself... I thought to myself, what the f--k am I going to do with my life? Walking around in the middle of Africa with nothing to do? What am I going to do? What am I going to do? I said, well, hey, I could be an accountant, I could be an explorer, I could be myself, could I be... somebody else?"
  • During his VH1 Storytellers special, Matthews said the song title was inspired by a conversation with a cab driver in Spain. After spying a group of women in a park, Matthews said, "Look at all those beautiful women in the park. They must be prostitutes." The cab driver replied, "They're not women, but they sure are prostitutes," and clued him into the fact that a "dancing Nancy" was a slang term for a cross-dressing prostitute.
  • At DMB concerts, fans point to the ceiling when Matthews sings the line, "Look up at the sky."
  • This features backing vocals from Michael McDonald of The Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers

Bill Medley of The Righteous BrothersSongwriter Interviews

Medley looks back on "Unchained Melody" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" - his huge hits from the '60s that were later revived in movies.

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman Jack

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman JackSong Writing

The story of the legendary lupine DJ through the songs he inspired.

The 10 Bands Most Like Spinal Tap

The 10 Bands Most Like Spinal TapSong Writing

Based on criteria like girlfriend tension, stage mishaps and drummer turnover, these are the 10 bands most like Spinal Tap.

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")Songwriter Interviews

Phil was a songwriter, producer and voice behind many Philadelphia soul classics. When disco hit, he got an interesting project: The Village People.

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the Song

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the SongSong Writing

How a goofy detective movie, a disenchanted director and an unlikely songwriter led to one of the biggest hits in pop history.