Dancing In The Moonlight | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| Cm7 | Fm7 (A) | Bb69 | Eb Bb/D |
| Cm7 | Fm7 (A) | Bb69 | D7sus4 G |
Verse 1
| Cm7 N.C | Fm7 (A) | Bb7 | Eb Bb/D |
We get it almost every night, when that moon gets so big and bright.
| Cm7 | Fm7 (A) | Bb7 | Eb Bb/D | Cm7 |
It’s a super-natural delight, everybody was dancin’ in the moonlight.
Instrumental 1
| Fm7 (A) | Bb69 | Eb Bb/D |
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
||: Fm7 (A) | Bb7 | Eb Bb/D | Cm7 :||
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) | Bb69 | Eb Bb/D | Cm7 |
| Fm7 (A) | Bb69 | Eb Bb/D |
Verse 4 (as verse 1)
| Cm7 N.C | Fm7 (A) | Bb7 | Eb Bb/D | Cm7 |
Everybody here is out of sight, they don’t bark and they don’t bite.
| Fm7 (A) | Bb7 | Eb Bb/D | Cm7 |
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 can essentially be seen as II – V – I – VI, with the 7th of the I chord acting as a leading note to VI. The verse and chorus follow this pattern:
||: Fm7 (II) | Bb7 (V) | Eb (I) Eb/D (I/7) | Cm7 (VI) :||
Starting on II gives the progression a continuous, looping feel. Looking at my top 10 chord progressions, this combines #4 (II – V) and #7 (the minor fall).
However, the Cm7 chord doesn’t always start the sequence, adding a subtle variation. To see this clearly, check out the chord chart I made for King Harvest’s version—it lays out these shifts more clearly than the chords and lyrics alone.
Also, take note of how verse 3 and the chorus share the same progression!
Dancing In The Moonlight Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
You can download the King Harvest version of Dancing in the Moonlight in two formats:
- A static PDF for a straightforward, printable reference (Dancing In The Moonlight chord chart PDF).
- In the flexible iReal Pro format, allowing you to transpose, loop sections, and customise playback (Dancing In The Moonlight chord chart iReal Pro).
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
||: Fm7 Fm9 | Bb Bb6 | Eb Bb/D | Cm7 :||
Verse 1
||: Fm | Bb | Eb Bb/D | Cm 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
| Fm7 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
||: Fm | 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
| Fm7 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
| F7sus4 | Bb | Eb Bb/D | Cm Cm7/Bb |
| Fsus4 | Bb | Eb Bb/D | 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 no longer includes the extra D7sus4 or G chord, and the Bb69 has been replaced with a simpler Bb6.
Instead of Eb/D, they play Bb/D, and perhaps most significantly, the bassline continues downward to a Cm7/Bb at the end of the loop.
The intro/instrumental section now follows this progression:
Fm7 – Fm9 – Bb – Bb6 – Eb – Bb/D – Cm7 – Cm7/Bb
A new instrumental/solo section was also added:
F7sus4 – Bb – Eb – Bb/D – Cm – Bb
The verse progression is:
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
You can download this chord chart as well and then on the gig be well smug as you hand out a chord chart for either King Harvest or Toploader!
- Dancing In The Moonlight (Toploader) chord chart PDF
- Dancing In The Moonlight (Toploader) chord chart Real Pro
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 that 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’re 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 a 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 | Related Pages
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
- Breakfast At Tiffany’s
- Brown Eyed Girl
- Dancing In The Moonlight (It’s Caught Me In Its Spotlight)
- Hooked On A Feeling
- Valerie