Tag Archives: Do I Have To Dance All Night

Leonard Cohen Video Of The Day: Do I Have To Dance All Night 1980

Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson: Amsterdam 1980. Photo by Pete Purnell

Do I Have To Dance All Night Redux

Yes, Do I Have To Dance All Night is the same song that was featured in yesterday’s Leonard Cohen Video Of The Day – but this is the 1980 version, which has a significantly different arrangement.

Compared to the 1976 rendition, the version of “Do I Have To Dance All Night” performed on the 1980 tour has a distinctly slower tempo and a less disco-more Eastern sound1 which utilizes the style and talents of his band, Passenger, the jazz fusion group co-founded by Roscoe Beck which featured oriental instruments (John Bilezikjian on oud and mandolin and Raffi Hakopian on gypsy violin),  and Sharon Robinson, the backup singer for the 1980 tour.2

More to the point, it’s the 1980 version of my personal favorite overlooked, underrated, inexplicably album-excluded Leonard Cohen song.

Leonard Cohen Plays Amsterdam Oct 30, 1980

As is true for the 1976 rendition, there is no video of a live performance of the 1980 Do I Have To Dance All Night so I have cobbled together a montage video comprising an audio recording of the Canadian singer-songwriter set to Cohen-associated still photos and video clips.3

Photos: Oct 30, 1980 Leonard Cohen Amsterdam Concert

By a happy coincidence, a recently published Heck Of A Guy post, Rare, Unpublished Photos Of Leonard Cohen In Concert: Concertgebouw, Amsterdam – Oct 30, 1980, offered four photos (included in this post as well) by Pete Purnell  that were taken at the same performance at which the audio portion of the video was recorded.

Leonard Cohen – Do I Have To Dance All Night
Audio Source: Radio broadcast – Oct 30, 1980 Amsterdam Concert
Video by Allan Showalter

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  1. See Another Best Leonard Cohen Song Some Of You Still Haven’t Heard []
  2. Sharon Robinson and Jennifer Warnes were the backup vocalists on the 1979 tour, but Warnes did not return for the 1980 tour. []
  3. A listing of the specific sources of the visual segments of this video can be found at Do I Have To Dance All Night (1980 Version) Video Sources. []

Leonard Cohen Video Of The Day: Do I Have To Dance All Night 1976

Today’s choice for the Leonard Cohen Video Of The Day is one relevant to the launch of the Heck Of A Guy Videos Page – “Do I Have To Dance All Night” was my first Leonard Cohen montage video comprising an audio recording of the Canadian singer-songwriter set to still photos and video clips.1

“Do I Have To Dance All Night” was performed by Leonard Cohen many times during the 1976 and 1980 Tours but was only released as a 45 RPM record for the European market. Since no video of a live performance has surfaced, I cobbled together, as part of my crusade to popularize this song, two videos – the one below for the semi-funky 1976 version with Laura Branigan  and one for the 1980 more gypsy, less disco version – that kinda sorta fit the music.   The complete story of “Do I Have To Dance All Night” is available at The Best Leonard Cohen Song You’ve Never Heard (Probably)

Leonard Cohen – Do I Have To Dance All Night
Audio Source: 45 RPM record of 1976 Paris performance
Video by Allan Showalter

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  1. A scene by scene breakdown of the sources of the visuals used in this video can be found at Do I Have To Dance All Night Video References Key []

Video Of Leonard Cohen’s “Do I Have To Dance All Night” Hits 50,000 Viewings

Huzzahs & Hallelujahs

Sometime yesterday, the 50,000th viewing of the Heck Of A Guy video of the 1976 iteration of “Do I Have To Dance All Night” by Leonard Cohen took place.

To properly celebration this event, I recommend – yep, another viewing of both versions of this wonderful song.

Leonard Cohen’s 1976 “Do I Have To Dance All Night” with Laura Branigan

Leonard Cohen’s 1980 “Do I Have To Dance All Night” (Amsterdam Concert

The “Do I Have To Dance All Night” Saga

For more information about the song itself, see “Do I Have To Dance All Night” – The Best Leonard Cohen Song You’ve (Probably) Never Heard. The stories behind the videos can be found at Do I Have To Dance All Night – The Leonard Cohen Video You’ve Never Seen (the 1976 version with Laura Branigan) and Leonard Cohen’s Other “Do I Have To Dance All Night” (1980 Version) Gets Its Own Video (the 1980 version).

“Do I Have To Dance All Night” Video Surges Toward 50,000 Viewings

The Tell Me, Bird Of Paradise Campaign

On July 6th, 2006, I posted “Do I Have To Dance All Night” – The Best Leonard Cohen Song You’ve (Probably) Never Heard. At the time, that title was accurate. Only those who had been Cohen fans before 1980 – and not all of  them – had heard this wonderful song.

Although Leonard Cohen performed “Do I Have To Dance All Night” many times in concerts during the 1976 and 1980 tours, it was only released as a 45 rpm single in Europe in 1976 and was never released in the US.

The 2006 post was the first salvo in my ongoing battle to re-introduce “Do I Have To Dance All Night” to at least the community of Leonard Cohen’s admirers.

I also cobbled together a pastiche of Cohen-associated photos and clips into a couple of videos that kinda sorta fit the music of “Do I Have To Dance All Night.”  On April 28th, 2009, I posted Do I Have To Dance All Night – The Leonard Cohen Video You’ve Never Seen, which featured the 1976 version with Laura Branigan, and on May 27th, 2009, I posted Leonard Cohen’s Other “Do I Have To Dance All Night” (1980 Version) Gets Its Own Video, which spotlighted the 1980 iteration of the song.

As a result, thousands of fans who were unaware of this song’s existence have had the opportunity to hear it and watch the accompanying video.

The YouTube stats now show that the video of  the 1976 version is approaching 50,000 viewings.(The 1980 version, considered by many to be the superior rendition, has been viewed 11,386 times.)

click on graph to enlarge

Help push “Do I Have To Dance All Night”
video over 50,000 viewings

Leonard Cohen’s 1976 “Do I Have To Dance All Night” with Laura Branigan

Leonard Cohen’s 1980 “Do I Have To Dance All Night” (Amsterdam Concert

Leonard Cohen’s 1976 “Do I Have To Dance All Night” Video Nears 40,000 Views

Leonard Cohen - still dancing all night (Coachella 2009)

Video Of  1980 Version Of “Do I Have To Dance All Night” By Leonard Cohen Tops 10,000 Views

“Do I Have To Dance All Night,” a wonderful song and a personal favorite of mine,1 was performed by Leonard Cohen many times in concerts during the 1976 and 1980 tours but was never released in the US. Consequently, contemporary audiences, even listeners who are fans of Leonard Cohen’s music, have too often been unaware of the existence of this music.

As part of my crusade to correct this tragedy and restore the cosmos to its equilibrium, I cobbled together two videos – one for the semi-funky 1976 version with Laura Branigan and one for the 1980 more gypsy, less disco version – that kinda sorta fit the music.

Today, I joyfully announce that, as of Dec 22, 2011

The video of the 1976
version of Do I Have To Dance All Night

has been viewed 39,907 times.

 and

The video of the 1980 version
of Do I Have To Dance All Night
has been
viewed 10,631 times.

These videos and the story behind them, including links to keys to the sources of the clips and the identities of the backup singers and others who are featured, are featured at

Cover of Do I Have To Dance All Night (45 rpm single)

The complete story of “Do I Have To Dance All Night” is available at The Best Leonard Cohen Song You’ve Never Heard (Probably)

Portuguese Pressing

Credit Due Department: Cover art of Do I Have To Dance All Night singles contributed by Dominique BOILE. Image atop this post is a screenshot of Leonard Cohen performing at Coachella (2009) that is also included in the video of the 1976 version of Do I Have To Dance All Night.

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  1. My perspective on the qualities of this song can be discerned from this description excerpted from The Best Leonard Cohen Song You’ve Never Heard (Probably):

    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. []

Improvements – Leonard Cohen Video, French To English Translations, Cover Art

… With A Little Help From My Friends

In the past few days, several posts previously published at Heck Of A Guy  have benefited from friends and colleagues contributing material and skills. In today’s entry. readers are alerted to these improvements and corrections and the graciousness and generosity of the contributors are recognized.

Video More Complete And More Accurate – Still Funny

Ongoing viewers may recall Roman Gavrilin, the newly minted historian from St. Petersburg who came up with a batch of additions to the Leonard Cohen Nicknames List (see “Badass Of Dark Verse” Is 95th Addition To Leonard Cohen Nicknames List). Now, Roman has made available an improved version of the top rated entry from The 5 Funniest Leonard Cohen Music Videos.

The newly uploaded video replaces the 1988 video of “First We Take Manhattan” identified in its YouTube blurb as having originated on French TV, with a German TV broadcast that includes a final scene (see  above graphic) missing in the first version of this video posted at Heck Of A Guy.1 Those final seconds show Leonard Cohen handling papers that,  depending on ones interpretation, are newscaster’s notes, Cohen’s plan for world domination, or the contract that obligated him to perform in this farce.

Google English Translations Replaced By Intelligible Translations

Coco Éclair last seen at this domain as the chief investigator in the clinical trial described at Duelling Drinks Taste Test- Leonard Cohen’s Red Needle Vs DrHGuy’s Chocolodka, has applied her skills as a translator to improve (i.e., make readable) some of the French to English translations at Why Singer Sylvie Maréchal Denounced The Album In Which “It Just Feels” By Leonard Cohen Appears.

For example, the section Google translates as

Pale and thin with Patti Smith, Sylvia Marshall, French singer of 25 years has rabies, the voice of blues and physical need. “Sylvie Marshall sings with her guts, until thoroughly after itself, with its caravan of anger, his bluesy groans, his unspoken affection, screaming his life.”

… is translated into this prose by Coco Éclair:

As pale and thin as Patti Smith, 25 year-old French singer, “Sylvie Maréchal, has the rage, the bluesy voice, and the fitting physique.  Sylvie Maréchal sings from her gut – from her innermost self.  With a stream of anger, her bluesy rails, her unavowed tenderness, she screams her story.”

Key Clues And Covers From  The Incredible Private Collection of Dominique BOILE

Those who read How Leonard Cohen Came To Write “It Just Feels” With Dave Stewart – According To Leonard Cohen and  Why Singer Sylvie Maréchal Denounced The Album In Which “It Just Feels” By Leonard Cohen Appears may recognize Dominique Boile as the source of clippings from the early 1990s that provided keys to the answers to the questions referenced in those titles.

Now, Dominique has sent forwarded, from his immense collection, accumulated over a period of 40 years,  the image of the cover art from the Portuguese pressing of Leonard Cohen’s “Do I Have To Dance All Night,” a Heck Of A Guy favorite, as well as an improved copy of the cover art from the French pressing.

And – They’ll Be Back

Yep, each of these three talented and generous individuals will soon reappear in these pages in vastly larger and more significant projects.  Hard to believe, eh?  Stay tuned.


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  1. At least four similar versions of this video, one Belgian,one  German,  and two French, are known to exist. []