Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney & Carl Perkins
Paul McCartney & Carl Perkins
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder
American fans didn’t get it, but British fans loved this song because it was a satirical send-up of the ballroom dancing craze in England in the early 1980s. The biggest hits on British television at that time were ballroom dancing competitions (“seen it on TV”).
[Verse 1]
Well, I used to smile when I was a pup
Sailing down the Nile in a china cup
With the recipe for a lovely day
Sticking out of my back pocket
[Pre-Chorus]
But it wasn't always such a pretty sight
'Cause we used to fight like cats and dogs
Then we made it up in the ballroom
[Chorus]
Ballroom dancing made a man of me
One, two, three, four
I just plain adore your ballroom dancing
Seen it on TV
I got what I got from ballroom dancing
Big B.D.
[Verse 2]
Well, I used to fly when I was a kid
And I didn't cry if it hurt a bit
On a carpet ride to a foreign land
At the time of Davy Crockett
[Pre-Chorus]
But it wasn't always such a pretty sight
'Cause we used to fight like cats and dogs
Till we made it up in the ballroom
[Chorus]
Ballroom dancing made a man of me
One, two, three, four
I just plain adore your ballroom dancing
Seen it on TV
I got quite a lot from ballroom dancing
Big B.D.
[Skit]
... I can tell you the band is ready. We're starting with the first of five dancers in this competition: that's the cha-cha-cha!
[Instrumental Break]
[Verse 3]
Well, it went so fast and we all grew up
Now the days that passed in the china cup
Are the memories of another day
And I wouldn't want to knock it
[Pre-Chorus]
But it wasn't always such a pretty sight
'Cause we used to fight like cats and dogs
Then we made it up in the ballroom
[Chorus]
Ballroom dancing made a man of me
One, two, three, four
I just plain adore your ballroom dancing
Seen it on TV
I got quite a lot from ballroom dancing
Big B.D.
Oh!
Ballroom Dancing was written by Paul McCartney.
Ballroom Dancing was produced by George Martin.
Paul McCartney released Ballroom Dancing on Mon Apr 26 1982.
Like most people, I’ve got memories that go back to when I was a teenager, like when George Harrison and I used to go to the local dance and neither of us would ever dare to ask a girl to dance until the last waltz. It was then that we thought, ‘Oh God, we’ve wasted all our money when all we came he...