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 Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Dancing In The Street. I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, horns, 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 441Hz. In the backing tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
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. I’ve made some you can try out further down this guitar lesson.
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
Let’s start with the intro and how the horn section lick can be adapted for guitar.
I’ve combined the horn lick with the comping here — love the result! Not only can you fire the horn section, but the keyboard player can take a break as well.
Verse + Bridge
The verse, which could also be described as verse and bridge (from the G#7), is the main section of the tune.
Below is what I suggest you play. Once you’re comfortable, feel free to experiment with other chord shapes and variations.
Chorus
The chorus differs slightly from the verse. In bar two, an important detail appears: play the first half short, and the second half held. I’ve indicated this with dots above the stems.
Once you can play all of this TAB, try the backing tracks with the chord chart.
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
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