You Should Be Dancing

"You Should Be Dancing" is a song by the Bee Gees, from the album Children of the World, released in 1976. It hit No. 1 for one week on the American Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 for seven weeks on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart, and in September the same year, reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Soul chart. It was this song that first launched the Bee Gees into disco. It was also the only track from the group to top the dance chart.

It is also one of six songs performed by the Bee Gees included in the Saturday Night Fever movie soundtrack which came out a year later.

Origin
"You Should Be Dancing" was recorded 19 January, 1 and 8 February, and 6 May 1976 with Barry Gibb providing lead vocals in falsetto. Barry had developed his falsetto to a remarkable degree in the ten months since the release of "Baby As You Turn Away" from the Main Course album on which he sang a full song in falsetto for the first time (except for its chorus). Keyboardist Blue Weaver recalls that Maurice Gibb wrote the bass line and sang the horn parts to the brass players, while Barry sang parts for Weaver to play, while guitarist Alan Kendall got in a short guitar solo for its instrumental break.

Stephen Stills was also at Criteria Studios recording the album, Long May You Run, with his band and Neil Young. Stills added percussion on the song's February sessions. Members of Stills's backing band, George Perry (bass) and Joe Lala (percussion), also worked with the Bee Gees on some songs.

Reception
Billboard described "You Should Be Dancing" as a "strong, uptempo disco cut" with the Bee Gees' "strongest singing since "Jive Talkin'." Cash Box said that "the playing is more polished [than 'Jive Talking'], and the band does some things to the vocals, with trading off, which are highly ear-catching." Record World called it an "across the board smash" saying "'Get off your back, you should be dancing' they sing and there's no resisting the stomping beat."

Charts
The song was their third Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 and their sixth No. 1 in Canada. It ended as the No. 31 song of the year. In the '70s some of the Bee Gees' songs were deemed too uptempo for AC/Easy Listening Radio which led to "You Should Be Dancing" only reaching No. 25 on that chart. It also hit No. 4 in Ireland. In Australia, where the brothers spent a number of years in their youth, it managed only to nick the top 20.

"You Should Be Dancing" is known today as the first chart-topper in which Barry Gibb uses his now-trademark falsetto in a lead vocal (he had previously used it on the top 10 "Nights on Broadway" and on "Fanny (Be Tender with My Love)"). Earlier songs, such as "Jive Talkin'", had Gibb use a melodic blue-eyed soul vocal style.

Personnel
Credits adapted from the album Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Sound Track.
 * Barry Gibb – vocals, guitar
 * Robin Gibb – vocals
 * Maurice Gibb – vocals, bass guitar
 * Alan Kendall – guitar
 * Dennis Bryon – drums
 * Blue Weaver – keyboards
 * Joe Lala − percussion
 * George Perry − percussion
 * Stephen Stills – additional percussion

E. Sensual version
In 1995, E. Sensual released a cover, titled "B.G. Tips - You Should Be Dancing", which reached number three in Hungary and number four in Finland.

Track listing
Europe: CD maxi (1995)
 * 1) B.G.Tips – You Should Be Dancing (Radio Edit) (3:30)
 * 2) B.G.Tips – You Should Be Dancing (Vocal Club Mix) (6:09)
 * 3) B.G.Tips – You Should Be Dancing (Original Mix) (8:08)

France: CD maxi (Remixes, 1995)
 * 1) B.G.Tips – You Should Be Dancing (DJ Albert Radio Edit) (3:49)
 * 2) B.G.Tips – You Should Be Dancing (Radio Edit) (3:26)
 * 3) B.G.Tips – You Should Be Dancing (Euro Mix) (6:06)
 * 4) B.G. Tips – You Should Be Dancing (DJ Albert Progressive House Mix) (7:19)
 * 5) B.G. Tips – You Should Be Dancing (Original Mix 1) (8:06)
 * 6) B.G. Tips – You Should Be Dancing (Original Mix 2) (7:12)

Blockster version
British DJ Blockster released a cover of the song, titled "You Should Be...", on 4 January 1999. It reached number three on the UK Singles Chart the same month. By doing so, it marked the first time that two songs written by the Gibb brothers had charted within the UK top three simultaneously, as Steps' cover of "Tragedy" was at number two during that week.

Critical reception
Daily Record wrote, "This was one of the big club floor-fillers last year. Another hit proving that a few words, a catchy melody and big bass sound seems to equal a hit."

Other cover versions
The Bee Gees remixed the song in 1993 for their album Size Isn't Everything, under the title "Decadance".

Jessie J, Tinie Tempah and Taio Cruz performing "You Should Be Dancing" in 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony.

American rock band Foo Fighters, under the alter ego "Dee Gees", covered the song on BBC Radio 2's Sofa Session. The song can be found on their album Hail Satin.

For its third season American TV series Glee covered this song as part of its tribute episode to Saturday Night Fever, titled "Saturday Night Glee-ver". Darren Criss, Heather Morris, and Harry Shum Jr. provided lead vocals as their characters Blaine Anderson, Brittany Pierce, and Mike Chang.