Bette Midler has displayed a wide variety of talents over her storied career. Because she developed into such a force as an actress in films, it’s easy to forget that she first made a splash with the American public as a pop music star.
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Midler thrived early in her career with bold interpretations of material that might not have otherwise seemed au courant. Her first big hit came with a song that had already been successful for several artists. But Midler, as she would do again and again throughout her career, put a definitive stamp on it.
Bette’s Beginnings
Bette Midler was born in Honolulu and briefly went to school at the University of Hawaii. But her copious talents convinced her that she’d be better off in New York City trying to make a career as an entertainer.
Midler began scoping out Broadway roles in the mid-60s. But she made her own big break when she began a stint performing at the Continental Baths, known for its gay clientele. It was there that Midler began performing with a young piano player who was also working his way up the showbiz ladder. That young man’s name was Barry Manilow.
Midler and Manilow soon developed a repertoire that gained the attention of Atlantic Records. She released her debut album, The Divine Miss M, in 1972, and much of it was made up of songs that she was already doing in her act. That included her debut single, “Do You Want To Dance?”
An Encore “Dance”
By the time that Midler recorded “Do You Want To Dance?”, the song had been a hit three times over. Teenager Bobby Freeman wrote it, recorded it, and enjoyed a Top 5 hit with it during the first boom time for rock and roll in 1958.
Cliff Richard And The Shadows did a cover of the song that turned into one of their endless string of UK hits in 1962. The Beach Boys then threw their harmonies at the song in 1965. With Dennis Wilson delivering a rare lead vocal, their take hit made it to No. 12 in the US.
Had Midler simply tried to recapture the uptempo, party vibe of those recordings, the public might have shrugged it off as a case of been there, heard that. But she slowed the tempo down and turned it into a sultry come-on. Manilow’s tinkling piano and the arrangement of the strings and horns by Philly soul legend Thom Bell helped sustain that mood.
Commercial Property
Midler managed a ringing success the first time out, as “Do You Wanna Dance?” made it to No. 17 in 1972. She hit the Top 10 with “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” as a follow-up, and then “Friends” gave her a third straight Top 40 hit from The Divine Miss M.
Unfortunately for Midler, “Do You Wanna Dance?” ended up being a bit problematic for her. In 1985, Mercury used a singer who mimicked Midler’s vocals in the song as part of a commercial. Considering Midler avoided doing ads, she was furious at the unsanctioned imitation.
She eventually won a lawsuit against the car company, who were forced to drop the ad as a result. The moral of the story: You might want to dance with Bette Midler, but you better not mess with her.
Photo by Al Levine/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
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