He’s The Greatest Dancer | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: Gm7 Cm7 | Cm7 Dm7 :||
| Gm7 | Gm7 |
Chorus 1
| Cm7 Dm7 | F#dim7 Gm7 |
Oh, what, wow, he’s the greatest dancer.
| Cm7 Dm7 | Gm7 |
Oh, what, wow, that I’ve ever seen.
| Cm7 Dm7 | F#dim7 Gm7 |
Oh, what, wow, he’s the greatest dancer.
| Cm7 Dm7 | Gm7 |
Oh, what, wow.
Verse 1
||: Gm7 Cm7 | Cm7 Dm7 :||
One night in a disco on the outskirts of Frisco,
I was cruising with my favorite gang.
The place was so boring filled with out-of-towners touring,
I knew that it wasn’t my thing.
I really wasn’t caring, but I felt my eyes staring,
At a guy who stuck out in the crowd.
He had the kind of body that would shame Adonis,
| Gm7 | Gm7 |
and a face that would make any man proud.
Chorus 2
Oh, what, wow, he’s the greatest dancer.
Oh, what, wow, (that I’ve ever seen) ooh.
Oh, what, wow, he’s the greatest dancer.
Oh, what, wow
Verse 2
The champion of dance, his moves will put you in a trance,
and he never leaves the disco alone.
Arrogance but not conceit, as a man he’s complete,
my creme de la creme, please take me home.
He wears the finest clothes, the best designers Heaven knows,
ooh, from his head down to his toes.
Halston, Gucci, Fiorucci,
he looks like a still, that man is dressed to kill.
Chorus 3 (double)
Oh, what, wow, he’s the greatest dancer.
Oh, what, wow, (that I’ve ever seen), I’ve ever seen.
Oh, what, wow, he’s the greatest dancer.
Oh, what, wow, ooh, ooh, ooh-wow.
Oh, what, wow, hey, (he’s the greatest dancer).
Oh, what, wow, (that I’ve ever seen), I love your moves.
Oh, what, wow, he’s the greatest dancer.
Oh, what, wow, that I’ve ever seen.
Instrumental
||: Gm7 Cm7 | Cm7 Dm7 :|| x8
||: N.C | N.C | N.C | N.C :|| x4 (chorus string stabs)
||: Cm7 Dm7 | F#dim7 Gm7 | Cm7 Dm7 | Gm7 :|| x4
Chorus 4 (double)
Oh, what, wow, he’s the greatest dancer.
Oh, what, wow, (that I’ve ever seen), I’ve ever seen.
Oh, what, wow, he’s the greatest dancer.
Oh, what, wow, ooh, ooh, ooh-wow.
Oh, what, wow hey, he’s the greatest dancer.
Oh, what, wow, (that I’ve ever seen), I love your moves.
Oh, what, wow, he’s the greatest dancer.
Oh, what, wow, that I’ve ever seen.
Outro
||: Gm7 Cm7 | Cm7 Dm7 :|| to fade
He’s The Greatest Dancer Chords: Mastering the Funky Progressions
There are two key progressions to understand when learning how to play He’s the Greatest Dancer.
The intro and verse start on the VI chord, move to II, stay there, and then shift up to III. In the key of Gm, it looks like this:
||: Gm7 (VI) Cm7 (II) | Cm7 Dm7 (III) :||
| Gm7 | Gm7 |
What makes this unique is how it lingers on Cm7. After repeating the progression several times, it holds on Gm7 for two bars before transitioning to the chorus.
The chorus begins on II, moves up to III, and then introduces a diminished 7th chord just below VI. When repeated, the dim7 chord is omitted:
| Cm7 (II) Dm7 (III) | F#dim7 (#IVdim7) Gm7 (VI) |
| Cm7 Dm7 | Gm7 |
That’s how straightforward the chords for He’s the Greatest Dancer are. The real challenge? Playing them with the groove and precision of Nile Rodgers!
Here’s a chord chart.
He’s The Greatest Dancer Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
You can download my chord chart as a PDF or in the iReal Pro format:
Chic‘s side project!
Sister Sledge was Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards’ second band, running parallel to Chic.
The group consisted of four sisters—Debbie, Joni, Kathy, and Kim Sledge—who released their breakthrough album, We Are Family, in 1979.
This album featured four of the biggest disco hits of all time: He’s the Greatest Dancer, Lost in Music, Thinking of You, and We Are Family.
That same year, Nile and Bernard also released Good Times with Chic. You could say 1979 was the year these two legends truly found their groove!
Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It
The third single from Will Smith’s debut album, Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It, is built around the backing track of He’s the Greatest Dancer. The iconic hook (Na, na, na, na, na, na, na) comes from Sang and Dance by the Bar-Kays.
A worldwide top 10 hit in 1998, this wasn’t Will Smith’s first big success—that honour goes to Summertime, which he even references in Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It. He certainly loves a good sample!
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