Album: Land of 1000 Dances (1962)

Charted: 77

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• One, two, three!
  One, two, three!
  You gotta know how to pony like Bony Maronie
  Mashed Potato, do the Alligator
  Put your hands on your hips, let your back-bone slip
  Do the Watusi, like my little Lucy
  Na, na na na na, na na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na na.
  Need somebody to help me say it one time
  Na, na na na na, na na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na na.
  You know I feel alright.
  Feel pretty good y'all.
  
  Na, na na na na, na na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na na.
  Need somebody to help me say it one time
  Na, na na na na, na na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na na.
  Dance with me honey, like Long Tall Sally
  Twistin' with Lucy, doin the Watusi
  Gotta hold of your back, I like it like that
  Do the Jerk, watch me work
  Ah, do it! Writer/s: Christopher Kenner
  Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Third Side Music Inc.
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 16

• Mark from Colorado Springs, CoAlthough every version of the published lyrics I can find match the ones on this site, I'm quite sure I hear Wilson *sing* it as "...trippin' with Lucy..." in the second verse, which I take to be a nod to the Beatles' track "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds".
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyBesides Wilson Pickett and Cannibal & the Headhunters, two other covered versions of the song have made the Top 100, Thee* Midniters {#67 in 1965} and the Electric Indian {#95 in 1969}...
  * Not a typo, the group's name was Thee Midniters not The Midniters.
• Don from Sevierville, TnThis song is mentioned in the category of "songs with titles that are not part of the lyrics", but that's only true of all the cover versions. Chris Kenner's original did mention the title in the intro, but only his version includes that intro.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn February 27th 1965, Cannibal & the Headhunters performed "Land of 1,000 Dances" on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand'...
  One week earlier on February 21st it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #100; and on April 18th it peaked at #30 (for 2 weeks) and spent 14 weeks on the Top 100...
  Chris Kenner's original version reached #77 on the Top 100 in 1963...
  And on September 11th, 1966 Wilson Pickett's covered version peaked at #1 (for 1 week) on Billboard's R&B Singles chart...
  As stated above Chris Kenner's biggest hit was "I Like It Like That, Part One"; it peaked at #2 for 3 weeks on July 31st, 1961 (the three weeks it was at #2 on the Top 100, "Tossin’ and Turnin’" by Bobby Lewis was at #1 for those three weeks)...
  R.I.P. Mr. Kenner (1929 - 1976).
• Bubblesk from Memphis, TnIn 1962, I don't recall ever hearing Chris Kenner's "Land of 1,000 Dances" on radio even once. But seeing that it only got to #77 on the charts, it's no wonder. I DO recall the versions by Cannibal & The Headhunters and Wilson Pickett. I bought both 45 singles. The single by Cannibal & The Headhunters had very poor recording production quality! Just too fuzzy-sounding. But I loved Pickett's version that became a big Top Ten hit for him. I think it was the "gut bucket soul" music that got to me. Yeah.....twistin' with Lucy!!
• Astrid from Guaynabo, Puerto RicoThe song was also used in the 1988 film "The Great Outdoors" (with John Candy & Dan Aykoryd) in the final scene with everyone dancing at the bar.
• Richard Benjamin from Dania Beach, FlAnyone remember a version of this by a group called Thee Midnighters (yes - Thee)? I had a 45 of this around the same time as the Cannibal & The Headhunters version came out.
• Wayne from Salem, VaWilson Pickett goes full charge on this song! If you want to hear something really funny. Then listen to the version by Nino Tempo and April Stevens.They sing it in such a laid back manner. It is hilarious.
• Matthew from Milford, MaThe double brackets were an attempt to make an internal link... hey, it works on Wikipedia!
• Matthew from Milford, MaIs it just me, or is this song commonly confused with "[[Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye]]" by Steam?
• Brandon from Morristown, TnThis is a popular marching band song.Its played in the stands and is very simply for trumpet players.
• Joshua from Twin Cities, MnIn 1985 this song was also covered by a group of pro wrestlers and other personalities from what was then still known as the World Wrestling Federation, as part of the WWF's "Wrestling Album". Yes, it sounds as bad as it, well, sounds.
  
• Bruce from Nashville, VaI remember being told that Ewell Rouselle, a former Nashville music exec (who lived on his boat on Old Hickory Lake) was also a co-writer of this song. I saw it on an old "45" that listed the writers below the name of the song. Anyone know the whereabouts of Ewell these days?
• Pete from Nowra, Australiai'm a bit upset i only counted 845 dances...ripped off
• Matthew from Tampa, FlPatti Smith did a cover of this on Horses that was just called Land.
• Eddie from Lachine, MiJimi Hendrix wanted to record this or "Twist and Shout" by the Isley Bros. as the B-side to "Hey Joe" but Chas Chandler, his manager, insisted that he write something original. He wrote "Stone Free" instead.

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