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 (King Harvest) Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Dancing In The Moonlight. I’ve used stem-seperation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, and vocals intact.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
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, you need TAB, check out that part of the lesson further down this page.
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
There’s lots to cover here. Once you can play both versions, start comparing them to understand the differences.
Intro
The King Harvest keyboard part starts on Cm and contains many little twists and turns. Take your time—it’ll be worth it!
Verse
The verse is much simpler. Make sure you clearly see the difference between the two lines.
Instrumental
The instrumental section mirrors the intro starting on bar 2, then resolves on Cm7—nice recycling!
Chorus
The chorus is a variation on the theme. Ensure you play the second half of the first line on the beat, and the second time, push it on the 4+.
Once you can play all the TAB, try it with the backing tracks and chord chart.
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) Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Dancing In The Moonlight (Toploader). I’ve used stem-seperation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, and vocals intact.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Should you want to play along with the original recording instead, you need to tune your guitar sharp to 442Hz. In the backing tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
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.
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
Now let’s see how Toploader changed the tune.
Intro
Toploader starts on Fm, similar to King Harvest’s instrumental section. There’s no variation; it simply loops.
Verse
The verse is easier. I particularly like the Db to Bb hammer-on and the descending pattern at the end.
Chorus
There’s no new instrumental section; the intro loops again. For the chorus, I’ve combined the guitar part with the keyboard parts.
Breakdown
The breakdown section is all organ. I’ve adapted it for guitar, including some unique licks that aren’t standard guitar lines.
Now that you can play both versions, it’s up to you how to interpret Dancing In The Moonlight and make it your own!
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
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- Breakfast At Tiffany’s
- Brown Eyed Girl
- Dancing In The Moonlight (It’s Caught Me In Its Spotlight)
- Hooked On A Feeling
- Valerie
