An Old Fashioned Christmas Gift – An Old Fashioned Leonard Cohen Song
I have recently received a number of requests for downloadable MP3 files of one of my favorite Leonard Cohen songs, “Do I Have To Dance All Night.”
My fascination with and quest to obtain a recording of “Do I Have To Dance All Night” were the topics of the first post published in the Heck Of A Guy Leonard Cohen category: “Do I Have To Dance All Night” – The Best Leonard Cohen Song You’ve (Probably) Never Heard (July 6, 2006)
In that seminal posting, I explained why “Do I Have To Dance All Night,” which was performed by Leonard Cohen many times in concerts but was never released in the US, 1 is a great song:
Do I Have To Dance All Night is a great song because it is quintessential Cohen: it’s evocative, it’s plaintive, it’s self-effacing, it’s sly, sexy, salacious, and seductive, … it is way cool.
Of course, that’s just one guy’s opinion. Check out the lyrics and listen to the song yourself at the end of this post.
Be aware, however, that if you happen to be as infatuated with Do I Have To Dance All Night as I am, you may find yourself spontaneously singing, at the most unexpected times, the refrain of
Ooh tell me, Bird of Paradise,
do I have to dance all night?
This can be a wonderful thing if it happens, for example, while one is dancing and the words are sung just barely above a whisper through lips that are almost touching a sweetheart’s ear. If it takes place in the middle of ones presentation on shower curtain sales trends in the Midwest, not so much.
That did not turn out to be the only post to mention this tune. At least 24 Heck Of A Guy entries have referred to “Do I Have To Dance All Night.”2
In addition, the current sidebar includes, under the heading, Do I Have To Dance All Night Film Festival, the following reference to two music videos I constructed from other videos somehow pertinent to Leonard Cohen:
As part of my crusade to popularize this song ["Do I Have To Dance All Night" by Leonard Cohen], I’ve cobbled together 2 videos – one for the semi-funky 1976 version with Laura Branigan and one for the more gypsy, less disco 1980 version – that kinda sorta fit the music.
‘Tis The Season
I have long recognized I could hardly profess to aspire to Heck Of A Guyedness were I to reject requests for downloads of “Do I Have To Dance All Night” from correspondents, all of whom were obviously perspicacious in their assessment of music and many of whom were kind (or wise) enough to accompany their petitions with generously laudatory appraisals of this blog. Consequently, I’ve provided MP3s to anyone pure of heart, respectful in manner, and sufficiently computer-competent to send an email and download a file.
The recent flurry of emails asking for downloads has convinced me that this holiday season is the ideal occasion to offer the “Do I Have To Dance All Night” to everyone who wants to enjoy this altogether nifty song, including the terminally bashful who are too shy to ask.
So, get ready to deck the halls.
Audition The Videos Of “Do I Have To Dance All Night”
If you have not previously heard “Do I Have To Dance All Night,” I suggest you check out the video renditions at
I also recommend the original post on the song, “Do I Have To Dance All Night” – The Best Leonard Cohen Song You’ve (Probably) Never Heard
Download ”Do I Have To Dance All Night” MP3s
As one can determine from the video listings, there are two versions of “Do I Have To Dance All Night.”
Consequently, I have included links to each version. The MP3 of the 1976 version is exactly the same as that used in the video. The MP3 of the 1980 version differs from the video only in that the download includes Cohen’s introduction to the song.
# 1980 Do I Have To Dance All Night Video
- It was released as a 45 rpm single for sale in central Europe [↩]
- I am compelled to heartily recommend one of these, Leonard Cohen Wedding Music: “I Do” – But Do I Have To Dance All Night, to readers because it isn’t often one has the opportunity to peruse an email exchange that includes something on these lines:
Oded: I just happened to stumble upon your post, The Best Leonard Cohen Song You Have (Probably) Never Heard, when looking for a lyrics of a different song of this great man. Thanks so much!! I really love this song! I even think I’ll surprise my fiancé with this song at our wedding
DrHGuy: Do I Have To Dance All Night is one of my favorites, and I think it would be a great wedding song – if your fiancé is a Cohen fan as well. Otherwise, lines like “you touch me like I touch myself,” could lead to a certain awkwardness. …
Oded: I’m thinking about putting that song at around 1-2am when everyone’s tired but still dancing… If you could send that version along I’d be super-happy! [↩]
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