1961 The Olympics – Dance By The Light Of The Moon

1961 The Olympics – Dance By The Light Of The Moon

The song Buffalo Gals had been around for so long that most people could hum or sing along with with it. Jimmy Eaton, Terry Shand, and Mickey Leader came up with a new set of lyrics and a new arrangement for the song in the early forties. The updated version of the song became Dance With A Dolly (With A Hole In Her Stocking).

Evelyn Knight recorded the song and entered the pop charts in August 1944. The single peaked at #6.

Additional versions of the song by Ross Morgan and Tony Pastor reached #3 and #9 later that year.

The song became popular enough that The Andrew Sisters sang it in the film Her Lucky Night in 1945.

Bill haley and the Saddlemen also recorded a much more Country version of the song in 1952.

Cliff Goldsmith and Fred Smith wrote a new song based on the lyrics and melody of Dance With A Dolly. They produced a doo-wop version of the new song by the Olympics that was released in 1960. Dance By The Light Of The Moon stalled at #47 on the Hot 100 in early 1961. Perhaps it was just an adaptation too far.