Dancing In The Street | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: E7 | E7 (D/E) :||
Verse 1
||: E7 | E7 (D/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.
| E7 | E7 (D/E) | E7 | E7 (D/E) |
There’ll be swingin’ and swayin’ and records playing, dancing in the street.
Bridge 1
| G#7 | G#7 | C#m | C#m7 |
Oh, it doesn’t matter what you wear, just as long as you are there.
| F#7 | F#7 | B | B7 |
Come on, every guy grab a girl, everywhere around the world. There’ll be dancing
Chorus 1
||: E7 | E7 (D/E) :||
(Dancing in the street). They’re dancing in the street. Dancing in the street.
Verse 2
||: E7 | E7 (D/E) :||
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,
| A | A | A | A |
music, sweet music, there’ll be music everywhere.
| E7 | E7 (D/E) | E7 | E7 (D/E) |
There’ll be swingin’, swayin’, and records playing and dancing in the street.
Bridge 2
| G#7 | G#7 | C#m | C#m7 |
Oh, it doesn’t matter what you wear, just as long as you are there.
| F#7 | F#7 | B | B7 |
So come on, every guy grab a girl, everywhere around the world.
Chorus 2
||: E7 | E7 (D/E) :||
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’s chords and progressions
The verse of Dancing In The Street almost qualifies for my #6 spot in the top #10 chord progressions, the static I.
Although, it’s more of an E – D/E situation, rather than a static I chord. Perhaps not as obvious as Michael Jackson’s Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough, but this is the same kind of idea.
To understand how chord progressions work, you must compare songs like this.
What I love about this chord progression is how it stays for so long on this E – D/E chord riff, then goes to chord IV, back to I, and then chord IIIx, it’s so clever!
Starting with the IIIx, we go around the cycle of 4th, like this: G#7 – C#m – F#7 – B7 – E.
And that’s genuinely all there is to Dancing In The Street’s chords, Here’s the full progression:
||: E7 | E7 (D/E) :||
| A | A | A | A |
| E7 | E7 (D/E) | E7 | E7 (D/E) |
| G#7 | G#7 | C#m | C#m7 |
| F#7 | F#7 | B | B7 |
Motown’s signature song
Not just Martha and the Vandellas signature song but also Motown’s, Dancing In The Street will always be connected with Berry Gordy’s creation.
Perhaps only songs like You Can’t Hurry Love, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, and I Heard It Through The Grapevine can be compared with the impact Dancing In The Street had on popular culture from the treasure that is Motown.
There’s a long list of artists that have covered it, including Mick Jagger and David Bowie, the Grateful Dead, The Kinks, Mamas and Papas, and even Van Halen.
Not to mention every Soul and Motown band that goes to work every Saturday! These bands may not play it exactly as The Funk Brothers did, but that doesn’t seem to matter when the tune is as good as this!
Study Dancing In The Street’s chords and lyrics carefully as this is one of those must-learn songs for the professional guitarist.
Dancing In The Street chords | Related pages
Intermediate Electric
The intermediate electric tunes will help you with learning the CAGED system all over the fretboard, both for chords and pentatonic scales.
Learn these Motown/Soul classics, and you’ll not just improve dramatically but also gain yourself a repertoire.
Five similar tunes
Martha and the Vandellas
Martha met her Vandellas as she was a secretary at Motown’s hit factory where her soon-to-be backing singers sang for Marvin Gaye.
Together they had seven years of hits including Jimmy Mack, Nowhere To Run, and perhaps Motown’s biggest hit of them all in Dancing In The Street.
Martha and The Vandellas on the web
Motown & Soul
You can learn how to play these Motown/Soul tunes, and in doing so, gain yourself a repertoire so you can jam with, or even join a working band.
Study these tunes in-depth and you will map out the fretboard, master the CAGED system, and learn how to design a rhythm guitar part that works in a band.
