Like Punk never happened
Like the dad-rock stylings of Eagles but, incredibly, transmuted to 1999, this piece of simpering consensus rock still has the power to induce nausea in the listener. No mean feat – and one which Toploader can remain justifiably proud about.
This song is the musical equivalent of a saturday trip to the garden centre – or perhaps more accurately to Ikea. Watching the video is like watching a summer version of those horrible Christmas adverts that UK supermarkets make every year – all capped off by the “corkscrew-locked” singer muttering “dansin in der moolight” over and over again, in the manner of an idiot who only knows one phrase.
But wait, I’m doing him a disservice – Raggedy Andy has got some more lines he would like to share with you as he drools at his piano. Not only is he “dansin in der moolight”, he’s also got these gems – “wen dat moo is big an brigh/ Itsa subernatural delighi” as well as “dey don bark an dey don by“.
Apparently, Toploader didn’t even write this song – its a cover of a song by the band King Harvest – who describes the songs genesis:
On a trip to St. Croix in 1969, I was the first victim of a vicious St. Croix gang who eventually murdered 8 American tourists. At that time, I suffered multiple facial fractures and wounds and was left for dead. While I was recovering, I wrote “Dancin In The Moonlight” in which I envisioned an alternate reality, the dream of a peaceful and joyful celebration of life. The song became a huge hit and was recorded by many musicians worldwide. “Dancin In The Moonlight” continues to be popular to this day.
So there you have it – a song born out of attempted murder – that just about sums it up
Our Opinion: A shit cover of s shit song by a shit band. Basically.
