Chords + Lyrics | Dancing In The Street
Intro
||: E9 (Db5/E) | D/E E5 :||
Verse 1
||: D/E E :||
Callin’ out around the world, are you ready for a brand new beat?
Summer’s here and the time is right, for dancing in the street.
They’re dancing in Chicago (dancing in the street).
Down in New Orleans (dancing in the street).
In New York City (dancing in the street). All we need is,
| A | A | A | A |
music, sweet music, there’ll be music everywhere.
||: D/E E :||
There’ll be swingin’ and swayin’ and records playing, dancing in the street.
Bridge 1
| G#7 | G#7 | C#m | C#m |
Oh, it doesn’t matter what you wear, just as long as you are there.
| F#7 | F#7 | B7sus4 | B7 |
Come on, every guy grab a girl, everywhere around the world. There’ll be dancing
Chorus 1
||: D/E E :||
(Dancing in the street). They’re dancing in the street. Dancing in the street.
Verse 2
It’s just an invitation across the nation, a chance for folks to meet.
There’ll be laughing, singing and music swinging, dancing in the street.
Philadelphia, PA (dancing in the street).
Baltimore and D.C. now (dancing in the street).
Can’t forget the Motor City (dancing in the street). All we need is,
music, sweet music, there’ll be music everywhere.
There’ll be swingin’, swayin’, and records playing and dancing in the street.
Bridge 2
Oh, it doesn’t matter what you wear, just as long as you are there.
So come on, every guy grab a girl, everywhere around the world.
Chorus 2
They’re dancing. They’re dancing in the street (dancing in the street).
Way down in L.A., every day, they’re dancing in the street.
Let’s form a big strong line, get on time (they’re dancing in the street).
Across the ocean blue, me and you (we’re dancing in the street).
Dancing In The Street Chords: Unlocking the Simple Yet Effective Progression
The verse of Dancing In The Street almost qualifies for my #6 spot in the top ten chord progressions—the static I.
However, it’s more of a D/E – E movement rather than a completely static I chord. It might not be as obvious as Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough by Michael Jackson, but the concept is similar. Comparing songs like these is key to truly understanding how chord progressions work.
What’s great about this progression is how it holds on to that D/E – E riff for so long before finally shifting to IV and then returning to I. The bridge then moves to IIIx—so cleverly done!
Bridge
From IIIx, we cycle through fourths: G#7 – C#m – F#7 – B7 – E, landing perfectly in the chorus.
And that’s really all there is to Dancing In The Street’s chords. Here’s the full bridge progression:
| G#7 | G#7 | C#m | C#m |
| F#7 | F#7 | B7sus4 | B7 |
Chorus
The chorus is very similar to the verse riff—not identical though—and I can only explain it accurately using TAB.
To play all this in a way that works in a band, whether or not you have a horn section, you’ll need TAB to guide you. Here’s the link: Dancing In The Street – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
When playing along with the original recording, tune slightly sharp—set your tuner to 445Hz—and it’ll feel much better. Or, you could use Serato and instead of tuning sharp, pitch the tune down.
Here’s a chord chart I made for you.
Dancing In The Street Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
You can download my chord chart for Dancing In The Street as a PDF, or in the industry-standard iReal Pro format.
Dancing In The Street TAB | Course Preview
In this course, you’ll get TAB for all sections of Dancing In The Street, so you can play it confidently with a band—with or without a horn section.
As a preview, here’s the intro, where I’ve adapted the horn line for guitar and combined it with the rhythm part.
Motown’s signature song
More than just Martha and the Vandellas’ defining hit, Dancing in the Street became a signature song for Motown itself, forever tied to Berry Gordy’s legendary label.
Few tracks from the Motown catalogue match its cultural impact — perhaps only You Can’t Hurry Love, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough and I Heard It Through the Grapevine come close.
A long list of artists have covered it, including Mick Jagger and David Bowie, The Grateful Dead, The Kinks, The Mamas & The Papas and even Van Halen. And of course every soul and Motown band working a Saturday night — they might not play it exactly as The Funk Brothers did, but with a song this good that hardly matters.
Study Dancing in the Street’s chords carefully — this is one of those must-know songs for any professional guitarist.
Dancing In The Street Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Dancing In The Street (Martha and the Vandellas) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
