R&B

Add a mambo beat mixed with a little rock and roll swing to a falsetto lead and bass playing off each other plus doo wop as syllables in the background, and there’s fun and music you can dance to. This song is one of the great golden oldies and also beach music, which became popular in the American Southeastern states. In 1955, the song went to #3 on the R&B Chart and #33 on the U.S. Pop Chart. The Turbans, who were often seen wearing their turbans (a good PR move for recognition), formed in Philadelphia in 1953. The group consisted of Al Banks, Matthew Platt, Charles Williams, and Andrew “Chet” Jones.

Here are the lyrics to “When You Dance” by The Turbans:

“When you dance be sure to hold her, hold her tight
When you dance you’ll squeeze her, yeah, with all your might
Such a thrill, oh, when she’s close to you
Well, hold her tight when you dance.

When you dance you’ll feel the warmth of her embrace
Then you’ll know this feeling, yeah, is no disgrace
Such a thrill, oh, when she’s close to you.
Well, hold her tight when you dance.

You may do a rhumba or a tango,
Mambo, calypso or a strand
Lights are turned down low
You go hand and…

When you dance be sure to hold her tight
When you dance you’ll squeeze her, yes, with all your might
Such a thrill, oh, when she’s close to you
Hold her tight

When you dance be sure to hold her, hold her tight
When you dance you’ll squeeze her, yeah, with all your might
Such a thrill, oh, when she’s close to you
Well, hold her tight when you dance,
When you dance, when you dance.”

If you are interested in reading about beach music and its origins, please click here for a Daily Doo Wop article about The First Wave of Beach Music.

If you are interested in purchasing and listening to more doo wop music and great golden oldies from The Turbans, please consider this: Greatest Hits

For More Golden Oldies Music

The Daily Doo Wop Rec Room has daily featured doo wop music, rock and roll hits, R&B, or rockabilly songs that were hits during the first era of rock and roll (that is, from about 1952 until the British invasion in 1964). After a song is featured, it then goes into the juke box. You are welcome to listen to any of the 40+ selections there. Every weekend, there is a Golden Oldies Juke Box Saturday Night, and the juke box is full of song requests from the 1950s and 1960s.

Please click here for the Daily Doo Wop YouTube channel, to which you can subscribe. Thank you for stopping by The Daily Doo Wop. Hope you enjoyed “When You Dance” by The Turbans.