About The Song
Vern Gosdin earns the first of his three No. 1 hits with an Alabama-flavored record.
Gosdin himself was born and raised in Alabama, and grew up singing in church and idolizing the Louvin Brothers. But he was a restless spirit, moving first to Chicago and then to the West Coast, where he played in a band with Chris Hillman. He found some success singing with his brother as the Gosdin Brothers, and they supported Byrds member Gene Clark on his first solo album.
Gosdin took some time off in the early seventies, moving to Georgia and operating a glass company. But by the mid-seventies, he was back in the business, and he scored his first of nineteen top ten hits with “Yesterday’s Gone,” which featured harmony vocals by Emmylou Harris. He had another top ten with “Never My Love,” a sixties cover that featured harmonies from Janie Fricke.
He did some label hopping in the early eighties, and became embroiled in scandal as he was implicated in the attempted murder of producer Gary Paxton, though he was never arrested or charged for involvement in the crime. Notoriety aside, he was emerging as one of the most critically acclaimed artists of his time and he had multiple songs hit the top five before the lead single from his 1984 set There is a Season became his first No. 1 hit.
“I Can Tell By the Way You Dance” sounds like peak Alabama, so it’s no surprise that it fit in perfectly on the radio in 1984. Even the guitar solo sounds like it’s lifted right off an Alabama track.
Gosdin seems to be having a good time here, and his enthusiasm is infectious. This one’s more about the groove than the lyric, so don’t go in expecting something with the gravitas of “Today My World Slipped Away.” There is a Season is one of the best country albums of 1984, and “Dance” was a big enough hit to provide momentum for three more top ten singles from the set, all of which are excellent.
Video
Lyrics
I can see, everytime I look into your eyes
You don’t care a thing about those other guys
Without words, you made me understand, what’s on your mind
The rhythm of your body next to mine
Well, I can tell by the way you dance
That you’re gonna love me tonight
Sometimes it’s cold, sometimes it’s hot
Love’s either right or it’s wrong
Feels so good, love you a lot
Right here beside me is where you belong
I don’t care if everybody knows the way I feel
Until the dream of holdin’ you is real
Well, I can tell by the way you dance
That you’re gonna love me tonight
Sometimes it’s cold, sometimes it’s hot
Love’s either right or it’s wrong
Feels so good, love you a lot
Right here beside me is where you belong
I don’t care if everybody knows the way I feel
Until the dream of holdin’ you is real
I can tell by the way you dance
That you’re gonna love me tonight
I can tell by the way you dance
That you’re gonna love me tonight
I can tell by the way you dance
That you’re gonna love me tonight
I can tell by the way you dance
That you’re gonna love me tonight
