Dark meaning behind popular song ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’ leaves people shocked

'Dancing In The Moonlight' is one of those songs you magically know all of the words to, as a result of family parties and school discos over the years.

But did you know, despite it's upbeat tune, there's actually a pretty heartbreaking meaning behind the lyrics?

The song was originally written by American singer Sherman Kelly and recorded in 1970 by his band Boffalongo, before King Harvest also had a hit with it in 1972.

There have been a number of different covers, as you'd expect from any popular song, with the most notable being British band Toploader's version, which was released in 2000.

Toploader's take on the tune has over a billion streams on Spotify and is frequently used in TV shows and movies, as is the original.

If you need a reminder, the lyrics of the chorus go like this: "Dancing in the moonlight / Everybody's feelin' warm and bright / It's such a fine and natural sight / Everybody's dancing in the moonlight."

The popular song actually has a very dark story behind it (Getty Stock Image)

Sounds happy and joyous, right? Well, not exactly.

Sherman Kelly actually wrote the song in 1969, while recovering from a vicious assault by a gang, which led him to 'envision an alternate reality' and 'dream of a peaceful and joyful celebration of life'.

Speaking to Vinyl Dialogues, the singer, explained how he and his friends, who at the time were running a nightclub in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, decided to rent a yacht and travel to St. Croix for the day in 1969.

However, he and his girlfriend quickly realised they were prone to seasickness and so once they arrived, they let their friends go on to eat dinner, while they waited it out on the beach.

The rest of the group got their food and headed back onto the boat, however, it was still violently swaying, so the couple opted to stay in the town for the night.

But, unfortunately, Kelly had left his wallet on the boat and had no money to get them a hotel room.

After being turned away by multiple places, Kelly's girlfriend suggested sleeping on the beach as it was a 'beautiful night,' and so that's what they decided to do.

Tragically, the two became victims of a 'St. Croix street gang' and Kelly was severely beaten by five gang members who were reportedly wielding baseball bats.

The song became a huge hit and Toploader went on to cover it in 2000 (Vevo/Toploader)

The publication reported that Kelly regained consciousness during the attack and fought back, making enough noise to scare off the attackers, before they followed the lights along the shore to the St. Croix hospital.

It's since been reported that the couple were among the first victims of the Fountain Valley Gang, who murdered eight tourists.

Miraculously, the singer survived his awful injuries and went on to write 'Dancing In The Moonlight' about an idealised version of the terrible night.

He told Vinyl Dialogues: “I envisioned an alternate reality, the dream of a peaceful and joyous celebration of life. It was just me imagining a better world than the one I had just experienced in St. Croix.

“It was amazing. People liked the song right from the start. I liked it, but I wouldn’t have predicted that it would become a big hit."

So there you have it, you'll never listen to that song the same again!