Land of a Thousand Dances

"Land of a Thousand Dances" (or "Land of 1000 Dances") is a song written and first recorded by American rhythm and blues singer Chris Kenner in 1962. It later became a bigger hit in versions by Cannibal & the Headhunters and Wilson Pickett. A version by Thee Midniters reached number 27 in Canada on March 22, 1965.[1]

"Land of 1000 Dances"
Single by Chris Kenner
B-side"That's My Girl"
ReleasedOctober 1962 (October 1962)
GenreRhythm and blues
LabelInstant
Songwriter(s)Chris Kenner
Chris Kenner singles chronology
"Let Me Show You How (To Twist)"
(1962)		 "Land of 1000 Dances"
(1962)		 "Come Back and See"
(1963)
"Land of 1000 Dances"
Side A of US Rampart edition
Single by Cannibal & the Headhunters
from the album Land of 1000 Dances
B-side"I'll Show You How to Love Me"
ReleasedFebruary 1965 (February 1965)
GenreRock and roll
LabelRampart
Songwriter(s)Chris Kenner
Cannibal & the Headhunters singles chronology
"Land of 1000 Dances"
(1965)		 "Nau Ninny Nau"
(1965)

The song references a number of dance styles/moves including the Twist, the Alligator, the Mashed Potato, the Watusi and the Pony.

Background

The original Chris Kenner recording, which peaked at No. 77 on the Billboard chart in 1963, mentions 16 dances: the Pony, the Chicken, the Mashed Potato, the Alligator, the Watusi, the Twist, the Fly, the Jerk, the Tango, the Yo-Yo, the Sweet Pea, the Hand Jive, the Slop, the Bop, the Fish, and the Popeye. Kenner's original recording included a brief, gospel-influenced, a capella introduction with the words: "Children, go where I send you / (Where will you send me?) / I'm gon' send you to that land / the land of a thousand dances." This 18 seconds was left off the single release to facilitate radio airplay, and the phrase "Land of 1000 Dances" never appeared in any subsequent recording.

Cannibal and the Headhunters version

The song is famous for its "na na na na na" hook, which Cannibal & the Headhunters added in their 1965 version, which reached number 30 on the Billboard chart.[2] The hook gave the song further notoriety. The "na na na na na" hook happened by accident when Frankie "Cannibal" Garcia, lead singer of Cannibal and the Headhunters, forgot the lyrics.[3] The melody to this section was also created spontaneously, as it is not in Chris Kenner's original track. The "na na na na na" hook was later borrowed in the 1994 song "Here Comes the Hotstepper" by Jamaican artist Ini Kamoze.[4]

Wilson Pickett version
"Land of 1000 Dances"
Side A of US (Atlantic) edition
Single by Wilson Pickett
from the album The Exciting Wilson Pickett
B-side"You're So Fine"
ReleasedJuly 1966 (July 1966)[5]
RecordedMay 11, 1966
StudioFAME, Muscle Shoals, Alabama
GenreRhythm and blues
Length2:28
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)Chris Kenner
Wilson Pickett singles chronology
"Ninety Nine and a Half (Won't Do)"
(1966)		 "Land of 1000 Dances"
(1966)		 "Mustang Sally"
(1966)

The song's best-known version was by Wilson Pickett, who recorded the song during his first set of sessions at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama,[6] backed by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and the Memphis Horns. (He had previously recorded in Memphis.) His recording was released as a single and appeared on his album, The Exciting Wilson Pickett. The single became his third Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs No. 1 hit and his biggest ever pop hit, peaking at No. 6.[7] In 1988 a re-recorded version by Pickett was featured in a concert during the movie The Great Outdoors, while the original recording is featured at the end credits of the movie. In 1989, the earlier Pickett version was ranked number 152 on Dave Marsh's list of The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made.[8] The version is later used in the 1997 movie The Full Monty. Pickett's version also appears in a 2017 TV commercial for Hulu, the first episode of Season 3 of Sex Education, and a 2022 commercial for the Samsung Galaxy.

Personnel

Other recordings and inspirations
  • Some releases of the song credit Antoine "Fats" Domino as a co-author of the song with Kenner. Domino agreed to record the song in exchange for half of the song's royalties.[3]
  • Ike & Tina Turner recorded a live cover version of this song in Olympia in Paris and included in their live album Live in Paris – Olympia 1971.
  • The J. Geils Band released a live cover version as a single in 1983. Cash Box said that the band "does justice" to the original on the recording.[10] Billboard said that "Acapella chanting, with the audience hooting and clapping in the background, fills out the sound with manic high energy."[11]
  • The song became the central element of Patti Smith's song "Land" off her debut album Horses in 1975.
  • The lyric "Do the alligator" became the chorus of "Alligator Song" by New Zealand band The Bilders in 1985.
  • Tina Turner recorded a live cover version of this song as a solo artist in her 1988 live album Tina Live in Europe.

Charts

Chris Kenner version

Chart (1963) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 77

Cannibal and the Headhunters version

Chart (1965) Peak
position
Canada RPM[12] 42
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 30

Wilson Pickett version

Chart (1966)[13][14] Peak
position
Canada RPM[15] 6
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 6
U.S. Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles 1
UK Singles Chart 22

Ted Nugent version

Chart (1981) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks 47

J. Geils Band version[16]

Chart (1982) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 60

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[17]
Wilson Pickett version 		Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "RPM Top 40&5 Singles - March 22, 1965" (PDF).
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 101.
  3. Shannon, Bob; John Javna (1986). Behind the Hits: Inside Stories of Classic Pop and Rock and Roll. New York: Warner Books. pp. 94–95. ISBN 0-446-38171-3.
  4. "Daddy Yankee's Nicky Jam Collaboration "Muévelo" Is His Latest Flip Of A '90s Hit". Genius. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  5. Rodriguez, Robert (2012). Revolver: How the Beatles Re-Imagined Rock 'n' Roll. Montclair: Backbeat Books. p. 247. ISBN 978-1-61713-009-0.
  6. White, Adam; Fred Bronson (1993). The Billboard Book Of Number One Rhythm & Blues Hits. New York: Billboard Books. p. 22. ISBN 0-8230-8285-7.
  7. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 461.
  8. "Land of 1000 Dances". Archived from the original on July 27, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2008.
  9. Pickett, Wilson, The Exciting Wilson Pickett, Atlantic #8129, released 1966. Notes from Atlantic CD released 1993
  10. "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. February 19, 1983. p. 10. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  11. "Top Single Picks". Billboard. February 19, 1983. p. 63. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  12. "RPM Top 40&5 Singles - February 15, 1965" (PDF).
  13. "The Exciting Wilson Pickett - Billboard singles". Allmusic. Retrieved August 6, 2008.
  14. "Wilson Pickett - Land of 1000 Dances". Official Charts. Retrieved August 6, 2008.
  15. "RPM Top 100 Singles - September 19, 1966" (PDF).
  16. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Top Pop Singles 1955-2012. Menomonee Falls, MN: Record Research, Inc. p. 333. ISBN 978-0-89820-205-2.
  17. "British single certifications – Wilson Pickett – Land of 1000 Dances". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
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