Everybody Dance | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: Bass intro :|| x16
||: Cm7 Bb11 | C11 | Abmaj7 Am7b13 | Bb11 :||
Chorus 1
||: Cm7 Bb11 | C11 | Abmaj7 Am7b13 | Bb11 :|| x4
||: Everybody dance, do-do-do, clap your hands, clap your hands. :|| x4
Verse 1
||: Eb Bb | Cm7 | Fm7 | Fm7 :||
Music never lets you down, puts a smile on your face, any time, any place.
Dancing helps relieve the pain, soothes your mind, makes you happy again.
Listen to those dancing feet, close your eyes and let go.
But it don’t mean a thing, if it ain’t got that swing. Bop-shoo-wa, bop-shoo-wa, bop-shoo-wa
Chorus 2
||: Everybody dance, do-do-do, clap your hands, clap your hands. :|| x4
Verse 2
Spinning all around the floor, just like Rogers and Astaire, who found love without a care.
Stepping to our favorite tune, the good times always end too soon.
Everybody’s dancing, lift your feet, have some fun.
Come on everybody, get on your feet, clap your hands, everybody’s screaming.
Chorus 3
||: Everybody dance, do-do-do, clap your hands, clap your hands. :|| x4
Breakdown
||: Bass instrumental :|| x16
Chorus 4
||: Everybody dance, do-do-do, clap your hands, clap your hands. :|| x4
Everybody Dance Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Everybody Dance. I’ve used stem-seperation 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 to 438Hz. In the backing tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
In the key of Eb, Everybody Dance starts with a VI – V – VI progression, though the final VI is an 11 chord: Cm7 – Bb11 – C11.
This is a clever twist, as C11 lacks a 3rd, making it function more like a V chord with the VI chord’s root in the bass. It could just as easily be written as Bb/C instead of C11, yet we remain firmly within the key.
Next, the progression moves to IV, followed by an unusual passing chord, then back to V: Abmaj7 – Am7b13 – Bb11.
That passing chord is tricky to name, but Am7b13 works well. It briefly steps outside the key of Eb, introducing a moment of tension.
You must not only play these chords using the correct extensions, the BV’s are begging you to include them in your guitar part, there’s TAB further down this guitar lesson that show you how.
Verse
The verse is much simpler, following a I – V – VI – II progression: Eb – Bb – Cm7 – Fm7. These are all common diatonic chords, though arranged in a slightly unconventional order.
This contrast is what makes Everybody Dance’s chord structure so effective. The chorus features rich, complex harmonies with a chromatic passing chord and an intense bass line, creating tension. When the verse arrives, its simpler, more familiar progression provides release.
This balance of tension and resolution is key to the song’s harmonic success.
The rhythm of the verse on the other hand is incredibly complex (there’s TAB for that in the course too!).
I’ve created a chord chart to outline the full structure, use this as you jam along with Nile and his gang,
Everybody Dance Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
I’ve got two formats for this chart you can download, as a static PDF, or as it was written, in the iReal Pro format:
Everybody Dance | TAB
Here’s the intro, played using the full chords – you’ll need to use your fingers to play all these notes, especially that Am7b13 chord!
The only reason we start here is that we want to make sure we can hear the full chord so it can be visualised and understood.
Chorus
Next, we must come up with a part that works for the intro, and more importantly, the chorus, here’s one idea.
We scrap that low root, then play a lick in bar two using the Bb major pentatonic, remember, Bb/C and C11 is the same thing.
In bar 4, we play an Ab major pentatonic lick because Ab/Bb and Bb11 is the same thing.
Let’s come up with some variation on this concept, keep the chords, vary those licks!
Did you find this easy? Then start coming up with your own, in an improvised way. Stick with it until it becomes fun and easy.
Verse
Next up, the verse, this is not easy!
Here, the same idea is repeated, then varied as we play it for a third time.
The fourth time, I’ve incorporated the backing vocals and then in the final bar, blend them with the guitar part.
When you can play all the TAB, try it with the baking track and chord chart above.
The first song Nile Rodgers wrote for Chic
Everybody Dance was the second single from Chic’s debut album and the first song Nile Rodgers wrote for the band. It topped the U.S. Dance charts but only reached the top 10 in the U.K. At the time (1977), Chic had yet to become a major force.
As the years passed, their success steadily grew, producing hit after hit—not just for Chic, but also for artists like Madonna, Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, and David Bowie. Even in 2013, Nile Rodgers was still making waves, collaborating with Daft Punk.
By then, he was carrying on the legacy alone, with Bernard Edwards remaining with him in spirit. The number of hits these two created is staggering, and when Chic performs today as Nile Rodgers & Chic, they celebrate their full catalogue of classics.
Everybody Dance usually opens their set, not only as a nod to where it all began but as a clear message: it’s time for everybody to dance.
Everybody Dance Chords: Continue Learning
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