Tragic backstory to Dancing in the Moonlight leaves people heartbroken
Ellie Kemp
Featured Image Credit: Sherman Kelly
This article contains themes of violence and sexual assault some may find upsetting.
Music fans say they're heartbroken after learning the real story behind pop hit 'Dancing in the Moonlight.'
We've all been guilty of bopping along to songs without really paying attention to their lyrics over the years.
I mean, people are still recovering after having their childhoods ruined by the true meaning behind Los Del Rio's Macarena.
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But learning what really inspired a piece of music can sometimes give it a whole new meaning.
'Dancing in the Moonlight' was originally written by Sherman Kelly in 1969 and recorded by his band Boffalongo the following year. It has been covered a bunch of times since by French-American rock band King Harvest in 1972 and most notably, English rockers Toploader in 1999.
Despite its cheery melody, people have learned that Kelly penned the song while he and his girlfriend recovered from a near-fatal attack at the hands of a vicious gang.
Known as the infamous Fountain Valley Gang, went on to murder eight tourists and injure eight more some three years after targeting Sherman.
Kelly and friends were staying on the Virgin Island of St Thomas in 1969 when they rented a yacht to visit St. Croix. He and his girlfriend were incredibly sea-sick, and rather than sleep on the rocky boat all night, they opted to find somewhere on land.
A disoriented Kelly had accidentally left his wallet on board the yacht, resulting in them being turned down by multiple inns, with one gross owner reportedly allowing the couple to stay only if his girlfriend would sleep with him.
The pair instead decided to spend the night on a beach - a decision that would forever change the trajectory of their lives.
While camping out, Kelly was horrifically beaten by five members of the gang, wielding baseball bats.
His girlfriend was brutally raped by the gang leader.
Kelly was later told, by some miracle, he regained consciousness during the attack and was able to scare the gang off.
Miraculously, the couple were then somehow able to find their way to the only hospital on the island.
Doctors initially thought Kelly wouldn't pull through, but he was soon discharged and spent time recovering in St. Thomas with a friend. He was eventually able to fly back home to New York.
Kelly said of his ordeal via his website: "At that time, I suffered multiple facial fractures and wounds and was left for dead. While I was recovering, I wrote "Dancin in the Moonlight" in which I envisioned an alternate reality, the dream of a peaceful and joyful celebration of life."
Taking to TikTok, @kadyroxz shared her reaction to learning the song's backstory. Sharing a video of her staring in shock with the song in the background, she wrote: "Me every time I hear 'Dancing in the Moonlight' after learning it was written after the writer & his gf were violently assaulted while napping ay the beach and left for d*ad".
Taking to the comments, one person said: "When he said in an interview that the song was about the night going a different, happier way, it genuinely broke my heart."
A second added: "I tear up every time. imagining a false but better memory instead is so powerful."
A third wrote: "The background story made me appreciate it more for that reason. It symbolizes resilience and hope after trauma, for me, and it just helped me feel better about things in life."