Chords + Lyrics | Dancing In The Moonlight
Intro
| Cm7 | Fm7 (A) | Bbadd9 | Eb Bb/D |
| Cm7 | Fm7 (A) | Bbadd9 Bb13/D | Bb13/D Eb/G Eb/Db | Cm7 N.C |
Verse 1
||: Fm7 (A) | Bbadd9 | Eb Bb/D | Cm7 :||
We get it almost every night, when that moon gets so big and bright.
It’s a super-natural delight, everybody was dancin’ in the moonlight.
Instrumental 1
| Fm7 (A) | Bbadd9 | Eb Bb/D | Cm7 N.C |
Verse 2
Everybody here is out of sight, they don’t bark and they don’t bite.
They keep things loose, they keep things light, everybody was dancin’ in the moonlight.
Chorus 1
||: Fm7 (A) | Bb7 | Eb Bb/D | Cm7 :||
Dancin’ in the moonlight, everybody’s feelin’ warm and right, it’s such a,
fine and natural sight. Everybody’s dancin’ in the moonlight.
Verse 3
We like our fun and we never fight, you can’t dance and stay uptight.
it’s a super-natural delight, everybody was dancin’ in the moonlight.
Chorus 2
Dancin’ in the moonlight, everybody’s feelin’ warm and right, it’s such a,
fine and natural sight. Everybody’s dancin’ in the moonlight.
Instrumental 2
| Fm7 (A) | Bbadd9 | Eb Bb/D | Cm7 |
| Fm7 (A) | Bbadd9 | Eb Bb/D | Cm7 N.C |
Verse 4 (as verse 1)
Everybody here is out of sight, they don’t bark and they don’t bite.
They keep things loose, they keep things light, everybody was dancin’ in the moonlight. Everybody’s.
Chorus 3
||: Dancin’ in the moonlight, everybody’s feelin’ warm and right, it’s such a
fine and natural sight, everybody’s dancin’ in the moonlight, everybody’s. :|| x4
Dancing In The Moonlight Chords: Unlocking the Progressions
Apart from the intro and instrumental sections, the entire chord progression of this classic King Harvest hit can essentially be viewed as II – V – I – VI, with the 7th of the I chord acting as a leading note to VI.
Verse + Chorus
Both the verse and chorus follow this pattern:
||: Fm7 (II) | Bb7 (V) | Eb (I) Eb/D (I/7) | Cm7 (VI) :||
Starting on chord II gives the progression a continuous, looping feel. Looking at my top 10 chord progressions, this one combines #4 (II – V) and #7 (the minor fall).
However, the Cm7 chord doesn’t always begin the sequence, adding a subtle variation. To see this clearly, refer to the chord chart I made for King Harvest’s version—it lays out these shifts more clearly than the chords and lyrics alone.
To play all these keyboard chords on the guitar, check out this part of the lesson: Dancing In The Moonlight – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Here’s the chord chart.
Dancing In The Moonlight Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
You can download the King Harvest version of Dancing In The Moonlight in two formats:
- A static PDF, ideal for a clear, printable reference — Dancing In The Moonlight chord chart PDF.
- The flexible iReal Pro format, allowing you to transpose, loop sections, and customise playback — Dancing In The Moonlight iReal Pro.
Dancing In The Moonlight (King Harvest) TAB | Course Preview
There’s TAB for all sections in the course—I’ve transcribed all those great keyboard parts, which work surprisingly well on guitar.
As a preview, here’s the intro. It’s a tricky one!
Now let’s take a look at Toploader’s 1999 cover of Dancing In The Moonlight. They didn’t just revive the song — they also changed the chords and lyrics!
Dancing In The Moonlight | Chords + Lyrics (Toploader)
Intro
||: Fm9 | Bb Bb6 | Eb Bb/D | Cm7 :||
Verse 1
||: Fm (Eb Db) | Bb | Eb Bb/D | Cm7 Cm7/Bb :||
We get it almost every night, when that moon is big and bright.
It’s a super-natural delight, everybody dancin’ in the moonlight.
Instrumental 1
| Fm9 | Bb Bb6 | Eb Bb/D | Cm7 |
Verse 2
Everybody here is out of sight, They don’t bark and they don’t bite.
They keep things loose, they keep it tight. Everybody’s dancin’ in the moonlight.
Chorus 1
||: Fm7 (F7sus2) | Bb | Eb Bb/D | Cm Cm7/Bb :||
Dancin’ in the moonlight, everybody’s feelin’ warm and right. It’s such a,
fine and natural sight. Everybody’s dancin’ in the moonlight.
Instrumental 2
| Fm9 | Bb Bb6 | Eb Bb/D | Cm7 |
Verse 3
We like our fun and we never fight, you can’t dance and stay uptight.
It’s a super-natural delight. Everybody was dancin’ in the moonlight.
Chorus 2
Dancin’ in the moonlight, everybody’s feelin’ warm and right. It’s such a,
fine and natural sight. Everybody’s dancin’ in the moonlight.
Instrumental 3 (breakdown)
| F7sus2 (Eb Db) | Bb | Eb Bb/D | Cm Cm7 |
| Fm (Eb Db) | Bb | Eb Bb/D | Cm Cm7 |
Verse 4
We get it almost every night, when that moon is big and bright.
It’s a super-natural delight. Everybody’s dancin’ in the moonlight.
Chorus 3
Dancin’ in the moonlight, everybody’s feelin’ warm and right. It’s such a,
fine and natural sight, everybody’s dancin’ in the moonlight.
Chorus 4 (breakdown)
| F5 N.C | N.C | N.C | N.C |
Dancin’ in the moonlight, everybody’s feelin’ warm and right. It’s such a,
| F5 N.C | N.C | F5 N.C | N.C |
fine and natural sight, everybody’s dancin’ in the moonlight.
Chorus 5 (half breakdown)
| F5 N.C | N.C | F5 N.C | N.C |
Dancin’ in the moonlight, everybody’s feelin’ warm and right. It’s such a,
| F5 N.C | Bb | Eb Bb/D | Cm Cm7/Bb |
fine and natural sight, everybody’s dancin’ in the moonlight.
Chorus 6
||: Dancin’ in the moonlight, everybody’s feelin’ warm and right. It’s such a,
fine and natural sight, everybody’s dancin’ in the moonlight. :||
Dancing In The Moonlight (Toploader) Chords: A Deep Dive into the Simplified Progressions
Toploader simplified the progression in their 1999 cover. The intro loops continuously, with the bassline descending to Cm7/Bb at the end of the loop in the verse.
Intro + Instrumental
The progression for the intro and instrumental section is:
Fm7 – Fm9 – Bb – Bb6 – Eb – Bb/D – Cm7 – Cm7/Bb
New Instrumental + Solo
A new instrumental/solo section was added:
| F7sus2 (Eb Db) | Bb | Eb Bb/D | Cm Cm7 |
| Fm (Eb Db) | Bb | Eb Bb/D | Cm Cm7 |
Verse
The verse follows this progression:
Fm – Bb – Eb – Bb/D – Cm – Cm7/Bb
Towards the end of the song, there are two breakdown variations of the chorus, both designed to encourage audience participation and clapping.
Here’s a chord chart for Toploader’s version of Dancing In The Moonlight.
Dancing In The Moonlight (Toploader) Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
You can download this chord chart as well. On a gig, you can even feel smug handing out a chord chart for either the King Harvest or Toploader version!
Dancing In The Moonlight (Toploader) TAB | Course Preview
The course includes TAB for all sections of Toploader’s version of this tune. I’ve mainly transcribed the organ and piano parts to work on guitar, while sometimes blending in the rhythm from the (very sparse) guitars.
As a preview—and to compare it with the King Harvest version—here’s the intro.
Who wrote Dancing in the Moonlight?
In the U.K., most people know Dancing in the Moonlight from Toploader’s 1999 cover, which became a huge hit, selling 1.8 million copies in the U.K. alone. The album it featured on also sold nearly a million copies—largely thanks to the song’s popularity.
Many assume Toploader covered Thin Lizzy’s Dancing in the Moonlight (It’s Caught Me in Its Spotlight), released in 1977. Given the similar titles and Thin Lizzy’s success, it’s an easy mistake to make—but they are entirely different songs.
The version Toploader covered was written by Sherman Kelly in 1969. It was first recorded by his band Boffalongo in 1970 and later by King Harvest in 1972, whose version became the most well-known—until Toploader revived it nearly 30 years later.
For any serious guitarist, knowing all three versions is essential. Next time someone requests Dancing in the Moonlight, you can ask: “Which one? King Harvest, Toploader, or Thin Lizzy?”
Dancing In The Moonlight Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Dancing In The Moonlight (King Harvest + Toploader) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
