Music Box Dancer: Difference between revisions

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"'''Music Box Dancer'''" is an [[instrumental]] piece by Canadian musician [[Frank Mills]] that was an international hit in the late 1970s. It features an [[arpeggio|arpeggiated]] [[piano]] theme in  [[D-flat major]] designed to resemble a [[music box]], accompanied by other instruments playing a counterpoint melody as well as a wordless chorus. Most modern piano music sheets have the song in the key of C major.
"'''Music Box Dancer'''" is an [[instrumental]] piece by Canadian musician [[Frank Mills]] that was an international hit in the late 1970s. It features an [[arpeggio|arpeggiated]] [[piano]] theme in  [[D-flat major]] designed to resemble a [[music box]], accompanied by other instruments playing a counterpoint melody as well as a wordless chorus. Most modern piano music sheets have the song in the key of C major.


Mills wrote and recorded "Music Box Dancer" in 1974, but it did not become a [[Single (music)|single]] until December 1978.<ref>''American Top 40'' with Casey Kasem, March 10, 1979</ref> By Christmas of that year, it was in the top ten of many European and Asian pop music charts. Released as a single in the United States in January 1979,<ref name="ReferenceA">''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990'' - {{ISBN|0-89820-089-X}}</ref> it reached #3 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart on the week ending May 5,<ref name="ReferenceA"/> and also reached #3 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart and #47 on the Canadian pop chart. The single also did well in Australia, reaching #14 on the Australian Singles Chart (Kent Music Report).<ref name="australian-charts1">{{cite web|first=Steffen |last=Hung |url=http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=21533&pages= |title=Forum - CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts) |website=Australian-charts.com |accessdate=2016-10-13 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020025459/http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=21533&pages= |archivedate=2013-10-20 }}</ref>
Mills wrote and recorded "Music Box Dancer" in 1974, but it did not become a [[Single (music)|single]] until December 1978.<ref>''American Top 40'' with Casey Kasem, March 10, 1979</ref> By Christmas of that year, it was in the top ten of many European and Asian pop music charts. Released as a single in the United States in January 1979,<ref name="ReferenceA">''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990'' - {{ISBN|0-89820-089-X}}</ref> it reached #3 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart on the week ending May 5,<ref name="ReferenceA"/> and also reached #3 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart and #47 on the Canadian pop chart. The single also reached #14 on the Australian Singles Chart (Kent Music Report).<ref name="australian-charts1">{{cite web|first=Steffen |last=Hung |url=http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=21533&pages= |title=Forum - CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts) |website=Australian-charts.com |accessdate=2016-10-13 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020025459/http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=21533&pages= |archivedate=2013-10-20 }}</ref>
 
A few notes are missing in the third repeated introduction to the main melody, which could not be corrected, as Mills did not have the funds to record another take.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}


==History ==
==History ==
In 1974, Mills released an album that featured "Music Box Dancer", but it was not initially a hit. When he re-signed with Polydor Records Canada in 1978, the label released a new song as a single, with "Music Box Dancer" on the B-side. The single was sent to [[easy-listening]] stations in Canada, and one copy was mistakenly sent to [[CFRA]], an [[Ottawa]] pop station. The program director played the A-side and could not figure out why it had been sent to his station, so he played the B-side to see if the record label had been mistakenly marked. He liked "Music Box Dancer" and added it to his station's playlist.
In 1974, Mills released an album that featured "Music Box Dancer", but it was not initially a hit. When he re-signed with Polydor Records Canada in 1978, the label released a new song as a single, with "Music Box Dancer" on the B-side. The single was sent to [[easy-listening]] stations in Canada, and one copy was mistakenly sent to [[CFRA]], an [[Ottawa]] pop station. The program director played the A-side and could not figure out why it had been sent to his station, so he played the B-side to see if the record label had been mistakenly marked. He liked "Music Box Dancer" and added it to his station's playlist.{{citation needed|date=September 2025}}


The song's success at CFRA was swift. "Music Box Dancer" premiered on CFRA's top 30 chart on May 5, 1978;<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://las-solanas.com/arsa/surveys_item.php?svid=53255 |title=CFRA 580 Ottawa Survey 05/05/78 |website=Las-solanas.com |date=2015-05-05 |accessdate=2016-10-13}}</ref> by June 30, it was the #1 song on the station's playlist.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://las-solanas.com/arsa/surveys_item.php?svid=54891 |title=CFRA 580 Ottawa Survey 06/30/78 |website=Las-solanas.com |date=2015-06-30 |accessdate=2016-10-13}}</ref> "Music Box Dancer" also began picking up play on other Canadian stations around this time, becoming a nationwide hit. Mills's album went gold in Canada, which, after several months, prompted Polydor in the US to release the album and single with the B-side "The Poet and I".
The song's success at CFRA was swift. "Music Box Dancer" premiered on CFRA's top 30 chart on May 5, 1978;<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://las-solanas.com/arsa/surveys_item.php?svid=53255 |title=CFRA 580 Ottawa Survey 05/05/78 |website=Las-solanas.com |date=2015-05-05 |accessdate=2016-10-13}}</ref> by June 30, it was the #1 song on the station's playlist.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://las-solanas.com/arsa/surveys_item.php?svid=54891 |title=CFRA 580 Ottawa Survey 06/30/78 |website=Las-solanas.com |date=2015-06-30 |accessdate=2016-10-13}}</ref> "Music Box Dancer" also began picking up play on other Canadian stations around this time, becoming a nationwide hit. Mills's album went gold in Canada, which, after several months, prompted Polydor in the US to release the album and single with the B-side "The Poet and I".
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==Cover versions ==
==Cover versions ==
"Music Box Dancer" has been recorded by such pianists as [[Floyd Cramer]], [[Richard Clayderman]], [[Roger Williams (pianist)|Roger Williams]] and [[Eric Robertson (composer)|Eric Robertson]], and by orchestral artists such as [[James Last]] and [[101 Strings]]. Bandleader [[Ray Conniff]] added lyrics and titled the song on his album ''I Will Survive'' in 1979. Germany's [[Horst Wende|Roberto Delgado]] recorded a calypso version, and an accordion version was released in Sweden. The band PePe produced a techno version. It was also recorded by Enormous Richard for the [[Pravda Records]] compilation ''20 More Explosive Fantastic Rockin' Mega Smash Hit Explosions!''. German singer Marion Maerz made a German vocal version of the song, and [[The Wiggles]] covered it on the video/album ''[[Racing to the Rainbow]]''. In 1980, famous Hong Kong singer [[Paula Tsui]] (Tsui Siu Fung) released a version of this song with the same melody and added Cantonese lyrics inspired by Frank Mills' Official music video, it was arranged by Paulino Chris Babida and with lyrics by Cheng Kwok Kong (Zheng Guojiang).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mulanci.org/lyric/tl277389/|title=音樂盒 歌詞 - 徐小鳳 &#124; 木蘭詞 Mulanci}}</ref>
"Music Box Dancer" has been recorded by such pianists as [[Floyd Cramer]], [[Richard Clayderman]], [[Roger Williams (pianist)|Roger Williams]] and [[Eric Robertson (composer)|Eric Robertson]], and by orchestral artists such as [[James Last]] and [[101 Strings]]. Bandleader [[Ray Conniff]] added lyrics and titled the song on his album ''I Will Survive'' in 1979. Germany's [[Horst Wende|Roberto Delgado]] recorded a calypso version, and an accordion version was released in Sweden. The band PePe produced a techno version. It was also recorded by Enormous Richard for the [[Pravda Records]] compilation ''20 More Explosive Fantastic Rockin' Mega Smash Hit Explosions!''. German singer Marion Maerz made a German vocal version of the song, and [[The Wiggles]] covered it on the video/album ''[[Racing to the Rainbow]]''.{{citation needed|date=September 2025}}
[[The Ventures]] released a guitar-led cover version in their 1981 album ''Pops in Japan '81''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=van Beverhoudt Jr |first1=Arnold E. |title=The Ventures Essential Albums Discography |date=7 February 2015 |publisher=Lulu |isbn=978-1-312-78582-3 |page=95 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_z5yCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA95 |access-date=27 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
 
A cover version by session musicians was also used by the BBC in one of its trade-test transmission tapes in the late 1970s, most often accompanied by Test Card F in vision. The song is also often played by [[ice cream truck]]s in North America.<ref name="Tramel-2015">{{cite web |last1=Tramel |first1=Jimmie |title=Why drive an ice cream truck? 'We love you guys.' |url=https://tulsaworld.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/why-drive-an-ice-cream-truck-we-love-you-guys/article_a0bc973b-33c1-5db8-be92-ef6e944c75c1.html |website=[[Tulsa World]] |access-date=February 3, 2020 |language=en |date=July 19, 2015}}</ref>
In 1980, Hong Kong singer [[Paula Tsui]] (Tsui Siu Fung) released a version of this song with the same melody and added Cantonese lyrics inspired by Frank Mills' Official music video, it was arranged by Paulino Chris Babida and with lyrics by Cheng Kwok Kong (Zheng Guojiang).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mulanci.org/lyric/tl277389/|title=音樂盒 歌詞 - 徐小鳳 &#124; 木蘭詞 Mulanci}}</ref> [[The Ventures]] released a guitar-led cover version in their 1981 album ''Pops in Japan '81''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=van Beverhoudt Jr |first1=Arnold E. |title=The Ventures Essential Albums Discography |date=7 February 2015 |publisher=Lulu |isbn=978-1-312-78582-3 |page=95 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_z5yCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA95 |access-date=27 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref> A cover version by session musicians was also used by the BBC in one of its trade-test transmission tapes in the late 1970s, most often accompanied by Test Card F in vision.{{citation needed|date=September 2025}} The song is also often played by [[ice cream truck]]s in North America.<ref name="Tramel-2015">{{cite web |last1=Tramel |first1=Jimmie |title=Why drive an ice cream truck? 'We love you guys.' |url=https://tulsaworld.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/why-drive-an-ice-cream-truck-we-love-you-guys/article_a0bc973b-33c1-5db8-be92-ef6e944c75c1.html |website=[[Tulsa World]] |access-date=February 3, 2020 |language=en |date=July 19, 2015}}</ref>


==In popular culture==
==In popular culture==
* The tune was used as the theme music for [[BBC Radio 2]]'s coverage of the [[1978 Commonwealth Games]]. Presenter [[Terry Wogan]] referred to the tune as the 'demented pianist'.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Walmsley |first=Andy |date=2016-02-05 |title=Random radio jottings: Radio Lives - Terry Wogan |url=http://andywalmsley.blogspot.com/2016/02/radio-lives-terry-wogan.html |access-date=2022-07-21 |website=Random radio jottings}}</ref>
{{in popular culture|section|date=September 2025}}
* The tune was used for [[KCBS-TV|KCBS]]'s half-hour series ''2 on the Town'' from 1979 till the early 1980s.
* The tune was used as the theme music for [[BBC Radio 2]]'s coverage of the [[1978 Commonwealth Games]]. Presenter [[Terry Wogan]] referred to the tune as the 'demented pianist'.{{citation needed|date=September 2025}}
* At the beginning of [[Kill Bill Volume 1|''Kill Bill: Volume 1'']], an [[ice cream truck]] plays this song in the background.
* A segment of the song was used in ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "[[Bart Star]]", in a flashback to Homer's time as a high-school gymnast.<ref>[http://www.snpp.com/guides/music.html Music Featured on the Simpsons] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511162809/http://www.snpp.com/guides/music.html |date=2008-05-11 }}. The Simpsons Archive</ref>{{importance-inline|date=September 2025}}
* A segment of the song was used in ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "[[Bart Star]]", in a flashback to Homer's time as a high-school gymnast.<ref>[http://www.snpp.com/guides/music.html Music Featured on the Simpsons] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511162809/http://www.snpp.com/guides/music.html |date=2008-05-11 }}. The Simpsons Archive</ref>
* It was the theme of the late 1970s BBC pro-celebrity golf series "[[Peter Alliss|Around With Alliss]]" (fronted by professional golfer [[Peter Alliss]]).{{citation needed|date=September 2025}}
* The song is part of the movie ''Summerhood''<nowiki/>'s soundtrack.
* A version of the song is played over the closing credits of the 1998 Danish film [[Festen|''Festen (The Celebration)'']].{{citation needed|date=September 2025}}
* A snippet of the song is played on piano by Dewey in the ''[[Malcolm in the Middle]]'' episode "Reese Joins the Army".
* For a time, The Wiggles performed this song with their character, Dorothy the Dinosaur.
* The song is played during a hotel dinner scene in AMC's ''[[Halt and Catch Fire (TV series)|Halt and Catch Fire]]'', season 1, episode 7 ("Giant").
* It was the theme of the late 1970s BBC pro-celebrity golf series "[[Peter Alliss|Around With Alliss]]" (fronted by professional golfer [[Peter Alliss]]).
* A version of the song is played over the closing credits of the 1998 Danish movie [[Festen|''Festen (The Celebration)'']].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Celebration [1998, pt. 2]|url=http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x106ldu_the-celebration-1998-pt-2_creation|website=Dailymotion|accessdate=2014-10-20|page=40:00}}</ref>
*A snip of the tune can be heard playing in the episode "[[Goodbye Mr. Bear]]" on ''[[Full House]]''.
* [[Peter Griffin]] played the tune in a ''[[Westworld]]''-esque saloon in the episode "Meg's Wedding" of ''[[Family Guy]]''.
* The tune was played over the PA system of [[Myer Southland]], Victoria, Australia at the close of business each trading day.
*Part of the tune is played at the end of Act 1 from the British TV sitcom ''[[Canned Laughter (TV programme)|Canned Laughter]]'' (1979), written and performed by [[Rowan Atkinson]].
* In 2013, the song was included on the soundtrack of the movie, ''[[Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2]]''.
* In 2022, the song was played during [[Major League Baseball on Fox|Fox's]] pregame coverage of Game 5 of the [[2022 NLCS|National League Championship Series]].


==References==
==References==

Latest revision as of 00:17, 22 September 2025

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"Music Box Dancer" is an instrumental piece by Canadian musician Frank Mills that was an international hit in the late 1970s. It features an arpeggiated piano theme in D-flat major designed to resemble a music box, accompanied by other instruments playing a counterpoint melody as well as a wordless chorus. Most modern piano music sheets have the song in the key of C major.

Mills wrote and recorded "Music Box Dancer" in 1974, but it did not become a single until December 1978.[1] By Christmas of that year, it was in the top ten of many European and Asian pop music charts. Released as a single in the United States in January 1979,[2] it reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on the week ending May 5,[2] and also reached #3 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart and #47 on the Canadian pop chart. The single also reached #14 on the Australian Singles Chart (Kent Music Report).[3]

History

In 1974, Mills released an album that featured "Music Box Dancer", but it was not initially a hit. When he re-signed with Polydor Records Canada in 1978, the label released a new song as a single, with "Music Box Dancer" on the B-side. The single was sent to easy-listening stations in Canada, and one copy was mistakenly sent to CFRA, an Ottawa pop station. The program director played the A-side and could not figure out why it had been sent to his station, so he played the B-side to see if the record label had been mistakenly marked. He liked "Music Box Dancer" and added it to his station's playlist.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

The song's success at CFRA was swift. "Music Box Dancer" premiered on CFRA's top 30 chart on May 5, 1978;[4] by June 30, it was the #1 song on the station's playlist.[5] "Music Box Dancer" also began picking up play on other Canadian stations around this time, becoming a nationwide hit. Mills's album went gold in Canada, which, after several months, prompted Polydor in the US to release the album and single with the B-side "The Poet and I".

The million-selling Gold-certified single reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1979 as well as #4 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart, while the album reached #21 on the Billboard Top Album chart and also went gold. Around that time, Nashville, Tennessee television station WNGE used Music Box Dancer as its news theme;[6] it became so popular among Middle Tennessee viewers that Polydor awarded a gold record to WNGE for breaking the single in the U.S.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

It was Mills's only U.S. Top 40 pop hit; the follow-up, another piano instrumental titled "Peter Piper", peaked at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100, although it was a popular Top 10 hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Mills managed one final Adult Contemporary chart entry, "Happy Song", which peaked at #41 at the beginning of 1981.

Mills also released a version of Ricky Nelson's "Poor Little Fool" with substantial airplay in Ontario during the 1970s and 1980s.

Chart performance

<templatestyles src="Col-begin/styles.css"/>

Cover versions

"Music Box Dancer" has been recorded by such pianists as Floyd Cramer, Richard Clayderman, Roger Williams and Eric Robertson, and by orchestral artists such as James Last and 101 Strings. Bandleader Ray Conniff added lyrics and titled the song on his album I Will Survive in 1979. Germany's Roberto Delgado recorded a calypso version, and an accordion version was released in Sweden. The band PePe produced a techno version. It was also recorded by Enormous Richard for the Pravda Records compilation 20 More Explosive Fantastic Rockin' Mega Smash Hit Explosions!. German singer Marion Maerz made a German vocal version of the song, and The Wiggles covered it on the video/album Racing to the Rainbow.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

In 1980, Hong Kong singer Paula Tsui (Tsui Siu Fung) released a version of this song with the same melody and added Cantonese lyrics inspired by Frank Mills' Official music video, it was arranged by Paulino Chris Babida and with lyrics by Cheng Kwok Kong (Zheng Guojiang).[16] The Ventures released a guitar-led cover version in their 1981 album Pops in Japan '81.[17] A cover version by session musicians was also used by the BBC in one of its trade-test transmission tapes in the late 1970s, most often accompanied by Test Card F in vision.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". The song is also often played by ice cream trucks in North America.[18]

In popular culture

Template:In popular culture

References

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  1. ↑ American Top 40 with Casey Kasem, March 10, 1979
  2. ↑ a b c Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - Template:ISBN
  3. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ YouTube: "Frank Mills Music Box Dancer News Theme 1979 WNGE Nashville"
  7. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Swiss Year-End Charts, 1979
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Music Featured on the Simpsons Template:Webarchive. The Simpsons Archive

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