I Saw You Dancing

Last updated
"I Saw You Dancing"
Yaki-Da - I Saw You Dancing.jpg
Single by Yaki-Da
from the album Pride
Released1994
Recorded1994
Studio Tuff Studios
Genre
Length3:41
Label
Songwriter(s) Jonas Berggren
Producer(s) Jonas Berggren
Yaki-Da singles chronology
"Show Me Love"
(1994)		"I Saw You Dancing"
(1994)		"Pride of Africa"
(1995)
Music video
"I Saw You Dancing" on YouTube

"I Saw You Dancing" is a song by Swedish group Yaki-Da. It was released in 1994, as the lead single from their first studio album, Pride (1995), [1] and is written and produced by Jonas Berggren from Ace of Base. The song was a top 10 hit in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Israel, Malaysia, [2] Norway and on the Canadian RPM Dance/Urban chart.

Contents

Critical reception

The song received favorable reviews from most music critics. John Bush from AllMusic said the group "pursue the same bubblegum dance-pop route" as Ace of Base on the song. [3] Larry Flick from Billboard called it "a sunny li'l confection". [4] He wrote that the "chirpy Swedish female duo makes an excellent first impression with a bright and shuffling pop confection that proudly wears the fingerprints of mentor Jonas Berggren from Ace of Base. The track wins with a simple but memorable melody that blossoms into a swirling, thickly harmonious chorus..." [5] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report commented that "it's easy to get hooked on this plaintive melody line. One hundred percent pure pop is exactly what one would expect from Ace of Base's Jonas "Joker" Berggren, who produced this song. It's easy to hear that mission has been accomplished." [6] Pan-European magazine Music & Media noted, "Bookers, here's the one to put all your money on. Penned by Ace Of Base's Joker, it is in the famed pop reggae mould with a touch of ABBA and other past Eurovision winners." [7] Chuck Campbell from Scripps Howard News Service noted it as a "very ABBA-like single". [8] James Hunter from Vibe described it as "latinesque pop disco". [9]

Chart performance

"I Saw You Dancing" was very successful on the charts in several continents and remains the group's biggest hit to date. It peaked within the top 10 in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Israel, Malaysia [10] and Norway. In Greece, it hit number-one on the Radio Star FM. In their homecountry Sweden, "I Saw You Dancing" reached number 32 and on the Eurochart Hot 100, it went to number 97. In the US, the single managed to reach number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 11 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and number 41 on the Cash Box Top 100 Pop Singles chart. In Canada, the song climbed to number 10 on the RPM Dance/Urban chart and number 62 on the RPM Top Singles chart.

Music video

Right at the beginning of the music video, a male dancer walks along the beach. He finds a medallion with the letter "y" engraved on it. As the music starts, two women, Linda and Marie, in black dresses are walking ashore by a lighthouse. On the beach, a group of circus artists and musicians are having a party. The dancer is there, dancing with the medallion on his chest. Other scenes show the two women singing at the top of the lighthouse. Sometimes they are also standing out in the water, wearing glittery dresses. The man with the medallion are seen going into the tent of a fortune teller. He puts the medallion on the table to her and she traces him with tarot cards. Then she looks at him with an astonished mine. Linda and Marie stays the night, standing in the dark, illuminated only by the fire from the beach party. They watch the party and the people there from a distance. As it dawns, the women return to the sea. The male dancer stands and watches them walk into the sea. They look back at him, as he hesitantly steps forward. The video was uploaded to YouTube in December 2011. As of August 2020, it has got more than 28,4 million views. [11]

Covers

In 1995, Roberts Gobziņš made a nonsensical phonetical cover titled "Man saujā benzīns".

Track listing

Credits

℗ 1994 Metronome Musik GmbH© 1994 Mega Records

Charts

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cruel Summer (Bananarama song)</span> 1983 single by Bananarama

"Cruel Summer" is a song by Anglo-Irish girl group Bananarama. It was written by Bananarama and Steve Jolley, Tony Swain, and produced by Jolley and Swain. Released in 1983, it was initially a stand-alone single but was subsequently included on their self-titled second album a year later. The song reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart in 1983, and after its inclusion in the 1984 film The Karate Kid, it reached number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100.

<i>The Bridge</i> (Ace of Base album) 1995 studio album by Ace of Base

The Bridge is the second album by Swedish pop music group Ace of Base. It was composed during 1994 and 1995, and released in Europe on 30 October 1995. It is the only Ace of Base album to feature sizable contributions of writing, production, vocals, and harmonies by all four band members, each having an important part in its creation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sign (song)</span> 1993 single by Ace of Base

"The Sign" is a song by Swedish group Ace of Base from their first North American studio album, The Sign (1993), and their re-released debut studio album, Happy Nation (1992), titled Happy Nation . The song was released by Arista and Mega as a single in Europe on 1 November 1993 and the US on 14 December 1993. It was written by band member Jonas Berggren, who also produced the song with Denniz Pop and Douglas Carr. "The Sign" is a techno-reggae, Europop, and pop ballad with lyrics describing a couple contemplating the state of their relationship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Another Night (song)</span> 1993 single by Real McCoy

"Another Night" is a song by German Eurodance and pop music project Real McCoy. The single is featured on their hit album, Another Night (1995), which was the American release of the project's second album, Space Invaders. The song was written and produced in Germany by Juergen Wind and Frank Hassas (Quickmix) in 1993 under the producer team name Freshline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucky Love</span> 1995 single by Ace of Base

"Lucky Love" is a 1995 song recorded by Swedish group Ace of Base. It is taken from their second album, The Bridge (1995). The song became their fifth worldwide single, and was the first single from the album to be released in Europe; the acoustic version of the song was the second single in the United States and Canada. "Lucky Love" also became the group's first number-one hit in Sweden and it also peaked at number-one in Finland. The single peaked within the top 10 in Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Hungary, Israel, Spain, and Zimbabwe. The song's lyrics describes the feeling of being a teenager in love and never forgetting that feeling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beautiful Life (Ace of Base song)</span> 1995 single by Ace of Base

"Beautiful Life" is a song by Swedish band Ace of Base, released on October 20, 1995 from their second album, The Bridge (1995). In North America, it was the first single released from the album; in Europe, it followed "Lucky Love" as the second single. Co-written by band member Jonas Berggren and produced by him with Denniz Pop and Max Martin, the single reached number 15 on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart in December 1995. It reached number one on the Canadian RPM Dance/Urban chart and Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart. In 2017, BuzzFeed ranked "Beautiful Life" number 51 in their list of The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry</span> 1996 single by Ace of Base

"Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry" is a song by Swedish band Ace of Base, released as a single on 11 March 1996. It was the third single taken from the band's second album, The Bridge (1995). In Europe, the song peaked at number six in Hungary, number 12 in Denmark and number 17 in Finland. In the US, it reached number six on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. And in Canada, it peaked at number 53 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All That She Wants</span> 1992 single by Ace of Base

"All That She Wants" is a song by Swedish group Ace of Base. It was released in Scandinavia in August 1992 by Mega Records as the second single from the group's first studio album, Happy Nation (1992), and in the following year, it was released as the first single from the 1993 album The Sign in North America. Produced by Denniz Pop with group members Jonas Berggren, and Ulf Ekberg, the drum beat was inspired by the Kayo song "Another Mother". Berggren and Ekberg also wrote the lyrics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Joker (Steve Miller Band song)</span> 1973 song by Steve Miller Band

"The Joker" is a song by the Steve Miller Band from their 1973 album The Joker. Released as a single in October 1973, the song topped the US Billboard Hot 100 in early 1974 and reached the top 20 in Australia, Canada, and the Netherlands. More than 16 years later, in September 1990, "The Joker" reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks after being used in "Great Deal", a Hugh Johnson-directed television advertisement for Levi's, thus holding the record for the longest gap between transatlantic chart-toppers. This reissue of "The Joker" also topped the Irish Singles Chart, the New Zealand Singles Chart, the Dutch Nationale Top 100, and the Dutch Top 40.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missing (Everything but the Girl song)</span> 1994 single by Everything but the Girl

"Missing" is a song by English musical duo Everything but the Girl, taken from their eighth studio album, Amplified Heart (1994). It was written by the two band members, Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt, and was produced by Watt and John Coxon. It was taken as the second single off the album on 8 August 1994 by Blanco y Negro Records in the United Kingdom and by Atlantic Records in the United States. It initially did not achieve much success until it was remixed by Todd Terry and re-released in 1995, resulting in worldwide success, peaking at or near the top of the charts in many countries. The release of the remixed version of "Missing" gave an indication of the band's future experimentation with more electronic dance music on subsequent albums.

"Don't Turn Around" is a popular song written by Albert Hammond and Diane Warren. It was originally recorded by American singer Tina Turner and released as the B-side to her 1986 hit single "Typical Male". It has since been included on Turner's compilation album The Collected Recordings: Sixties to Nineties (1994), as well as featuring in the Tina musical since 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby (Brandy song)</span> 1994 single by Brandy

"Baby" is a song by American R&B recording artist Brandy, taken from her debut studio album, Brandy (1994). It was penned by Keith Crouch, Kipper Jones, and Rahsaan Patterson and produced by the former. Released as the album's second single on December 24, 1994, in the United States, it reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent four weeks atop the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart. It also reached number four in New Zealand, number 16 in Australia, and number 68 in Canada. The single sold 1,000,000 copies in 1995 in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Happy Nation (song)</span> 1992 single by Ace of Base

"Happy Nation" is a song recorded by Swedish group Ace of Base from their debut album with the same name (1992). It was first released in Scandinavia in December 1992 and later released twice in the UK. The first appearance was in October 1993, when it peaked at number 42, it reentered the chart twelve months later at number 40. "Happy Nation" reached number-one on the singles charts of Denmark, Finland, France and Israel in 1993 and 1994. Its music video was directed by Matt Broadley. In 2008, the song was remade by Ace of Base for a remix kit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Living in Danger</span> 1994 single by Ace of Base

"Living in Danger" is a song recorded by Swedish group Ace of Base. It was released in October 1994 by Arista and Mega as the seventh and final single from the group's debut album, Happy Nation and fourth single from their American debut release, The Sign (1993). Written by bandmembers Jonas Berggren and Ulf Ekberg, the single peaked at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and also topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in December 1994. On the US Cash Box Top 100, it peaked at number ten. The single later reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart in January 1995. Its music video was directed by Matt Broadley and filmed in Stockholm, Sweden. Ace of Base performed the song on the first ever MTV Europe Music Awards in Berlin, Germany in 1994. Q Magazine included "Living in Danger" in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever" in 2003.

Yaki-Da were a Swedish pop group consisting of singers Marie Knutsen and Linda Schönberg. They were put together by Ace of Base band member and producer Jonas "Joker" Berggren. Berggren produced their entire first album and wrote all but two of the songs appearing on it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby Baby (Corona song)</span> 1995 single by Corona

"Baby Baby" is a song by Italian band Corona, released in February 1995 as the second single from their debut album, The Rhythm of the Night (1995). The song is a cover of Joy & Joyce's 1991 hit, "Babe Babe", and both tracks were produced by Lee Marrow. Particularly devoted to the dance floors, it was very successful on the singles charts around the world, peaking at number-one in Italy, and the RPM Dance/Urban chart in Canada. In the UK, it peaked at number five for two weeks. Two different music videos were produced for the song.

<i>Pride</i> (Yaki-Da album) 1995 studio album by Yaki-Da

Pride is the first studio album of Swedish group Yaki-Da. The album was released in 1995. The lead single, "I Saw You Dancing" reached number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 11 on the Billboard Dance Charts. The album was successful in Europe, reaching number two in Norway and the top 40 in Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Show Me Love (Yaki-Da song)</span> 1994 single by Yaki-Da

"Show Me Love" is a 1994 song by the Swedish duo Yaki-Da, released as the first single from their first album, Pride (1995). It was written by Jonas Berggren from Ace of Base, who also produced it, and was a top 20 hit in both Denmark and Norway, peaking at number 15 and 16. An accompanying music video was also filmed to promote the single, with Yaki-Da performing in an old mansion. The song was later re-recorded by Berggren's own band, Ace of Base, for its 2002 album Da Capo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pride of Africa (song)</span> 1995 single by Yaki-Da

"Pride of Africa" is a 1995 song by Swedish duo Yaki-Da, released via Metronome label as the third single from their debut album, Pride (1995). It is written by Jonas Berggren from Ace of Base. The Europop song with elements from Eurodance and reggae fusion music peaked at number 19 on the RPM Dance/Urban chart in Canada. Its accompanying music video, directed by Nigel Burgess Jones, features the duo on a train through Africa and also performing the song with local people watching them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">So Close (Dina Carroll song)</span> 1992 single by Dina Carroll

"So Close" is a song by British singer Dina Carroll, released as the third single from her album by the same name (1993) in November 1992. Produced by Nigel Lowis, it peaked at number 20 on the UK Singles Chart.

References

  1. ↑ "Yaki-Da: I Saw You Dancing". discogs.com . Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  2. ↑ "Cheers to a Swede duo". New Straits Times . 7 July 1995. p. 25. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  3. ↑ Bush, John. "Yaki-Da – I Saw You Dancing". AllMusic . Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  4. ↑ Flick, Larry (29 April 1995). "Dance Trax: Hälsa Gets Into Our Hair With 'Number One'" (PDF). Billboard . p. 22. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  5. ↑ Flick, Larry (29 April 1995). "New & Noteworthy" (PDF). Billboard . Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  6. ↑ Sholin, Dave (5 May 1995). "Gavin Picks > Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report . No. 2053. p. 70. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  7. ↑ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . 28 January 1995. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  8. ↑ Campbell, Chuck (28 November 1995). "NEW RELEASES: ACE OF BASE, THE AMPS, OZZY OSBOURNE". Scripps Howard News Service .
  9. ↑ Hunter, James (September 1993). "Single File". Vibe . p. 182. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  10. ↑ "Cheers to a Swede duo". New Straits Times . 7 July 1995. p. 25. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  11. ↑ "Yaki-Da - I Saw You Dancing". YouTube. 14 December 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  12. ↑ "RPM (Aug 14, 1995)". RPM . 14 August 1995. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  13. ↑ "RPM Dance (Jul 24, 1995)". RPM . 24 July 1995. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  14. ↑ "Yaki-Da – I Saw You Dancing". Tracklisten.
  15. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . 18 February 1995. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  16. ↑ "Yaki-Da: I Saw You Dancing" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  17. ↑ "Yaki-Da – I Saw You Dancing" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  18. ↑ "Yaki-Da - I Saw You Dancing" (PDF). Music & Media . 1 April 1995. p. 14. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  19. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 01.04.1995-07.04.1995" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir - Tónlist. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  20. ↑ 5 December 1994.
  21. ↑ "Yaki-Da – I Saw You Dancing". VG-lista.
  22. ↑ "Yaki-Da – I Saw You Dancing". Singles Top 100.
  23. ↑ "Yaki-Da Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  24. ↑ "Yaki-Da Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  25. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Pop Singles" (PDF). Cash Box . 22 July 1995. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  26. ↑ "VG-lista Topp 20 Single Vinter 1995" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.