The Mummers' Dance

"The Mummers' Dance"
"The Mummers' Dance"
Single by Loreena McKennitt
from the album The Book of Secrets
B-side	"The Mystic's Dream"; "Marrakesh Night Market" (live); "The Dark Night of the Soul" (live);
Released	November 1997
Length	6:08 (album version); 4:01 (single version);
Label	Warner Bros.; Quinlan Road;
Songwriter(s)	Loreena McKennitt
Producer(s)	Loreena McKennitt; Brian Hughes; Donald Quan;
Loreena McKennitt singles chronology
Music video
	"The Mummers' Dance" on YouTube

"The Mummers' Dance" is a song written and performed by Canadian singer Loreena McKennitt, released as a single from her sixth studio album, The Book of Secrets (1997), in November 1997. The song refers to the seasonal mummers' play performed by groups of actors, often as house-to-house visits. Its lyrics indicate a springtime holiday. Remixed by electronic music production duo DNA for its single release, "The Mummers' Dance" reached No. 10 in Canada, No. 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and No. 1 on the Billboard Triple-A chart. A music video was also produced for the song.

Track listings

Canadian CD single^[1]
No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Mummers' Dance" (single version)	4:00
2.	"The Mummers' Dance" (album version)	6:08
3.	"The Mystic's Dream"	7:40

CD-maxi^[2]
No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Mummers' Dance" (single version)	4:00
2.	"The Mummers' Dance"	6:08
3.	"Marrakesh Night Market" (live)	6:44
4.	"The Dark Night of the Soul" (live)	6:20

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "The Mummers' Dance"
Chart (1997–1998)	Peak position
Canada (The Record)^[3]	16
Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[4]	10
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)^[5]	1
US Billboard Hot 100^[6]	18
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[7]	23
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)^[8]	3
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)^[9]	14
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)^[10]	17
US Triple-A (Billboard)^[11]	1

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "The Mummers' Dance"
Chart (1998)	Position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[12]	52
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)^[13]	17
US Billboard Hot 100^[14]	83
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)^[15]	21
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)^[16]	67
US Triple-A (Billboard)^[17]	12

Chart (2001)	Position
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)^[18]	128

Chart (2002)	Position
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)^[19]	118

Release history

Release dates and formats for "The Mummers' Dance"
Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	November 1997	Adult album alternative radio	Warner Bros. Quinlan Road	^[20]
	December 9, 1997	Contemporary hit radio		^[21]
	February 17, 1998	CD cassette		^[22]

References

^ The Mummers' Dance (Canadian CD single liner notes). Loreena McKennitt. Warner Bros. Records. 1997. CD 22507.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ "Loreena McKennitt – The Mummers' Dance". australian-charts.com. Retrieved August 21, 2008.
^ "Hits of the World: Canada". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 14. April 4, 1998. p. 44.
^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3476." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 3486." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. March 21, 1998. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
^ "Adult Contemporary". Billboard. April 18, 1998. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
^ "Adult Pop Airplay". Billboard. March 14, 1998. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
^ "Pop Airplay". Billboard. February 28, 1998. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
^ "Alternative Airplay". Billboard. February 21, 1998. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
^ "Adult Alternative Airplay". Billboard. February 28, 1998. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
^ "RPM's Top 100 Hits of '98" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 68, no. 12. December 14, 1998. p. 20. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
^ "RPM's Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of '98". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1998". Retrieved August 28, 2010.
^ "Most Played Adult Top 40 Songs of 1998". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 6, no. 52. December 25, 1998. p. 55.
^ "Most Played Modern Rock Songs of 1998". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 6, no. 52. December 25, 1998. p. 36.
^ "Best of '98: Most Played Triple-A Songs". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 6, no. 52. December 25, 1998. p. 35.
^ "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2001". Jam!. Archived from the original on July 26, 2002. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
^ "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2002 (Part 2)". Jam!. January 14, 2003. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004.
^ "Radio Not 'Mum' About McKennitt's New Single". Radio & Records. No. 1227. December 12, 1997. p. 38.
^ "New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1226. December 5, 1997. p. 38.
^ Sandiford-Waller, Theda (February 7, 1998). "Hot 100 Singles Spotlight". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 6. p. 93. ...slating a Feb. 17 in-store date for ['The Mummers' Dance'].

External links

[1] The Mummers' Dance (Canadian CD single liner notes). Loreena McKennitt. Warner Bros. Records. 1997. CD 22507.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[2] "Loreena McKennitt – The Mummers' Dance". australian-charts.com. Retrieved August 21, 2008.

[3] "Hits of the World: Canada". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 14. April 4, 1998. p. 44.

[sc_Canadatopsingles_-4] "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3476." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 28, 2018.

[sc_Canadaadultcontemporary_-5] "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 3486." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 28, 2018.

[6] "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. March 21, 1998. Retrieved August 25, 2023.

[7] "Adult Contemporary". Billboard. April 18, 1998. Retrieved August 25, 2023.

[8] "Adult Pop Airplay". Billboard. March 14, 1998. Retrieved August 25, 2023.

[9] "Pop Airplay". Billboard. February 28, 1998. Retrieved August 25, 2023.

[10] "Alternative Airplay". Billboard. February 21, 1998. Retrieved August 25, 2023.

[11] "Adult Alternative Airplay". Billboard. February 28, 1998. Retrieved August 25, 2023.

[12] "RPM's Top 100 Hits of '98" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 68, no. 12. December 14, 1998. p. 20. Retrieved March 24, 2021.

[13] "RPM's Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of '98". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 24, 2021.

[14] "Billboard Top 100 – 1998". Retrieved August 28, 2010.

[15] "Most Played Adult Top 40 Songs of 1998". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 6, no. 52. December 25, 1998. p. 55.

[16] "Most Played Modern Rock Songs of 1998". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 6, no. 52. December 25, 1998. p. 36.

[17] "Best of '98: Most Played Triple-A Songs". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 6, no. 52. December 25, 1998. p. 35.

[18] "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2001". Jam!. Archived from the original on July 26, 2002. Retrieved March 28, 2022.

[19] "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2002 (Part 2)". Jam!. January 14, 2003. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004.

[20] "Radio Not 'Mum' About McKennitt's New Single". Radio & Records. No. 1227. December 12, 1997. p. 38.

[21] "New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1226. December 5, 1997. p. 38.

[22] Sandiford-Waller, Theda (February 7, 1998). "Hot 100 Singles Spotlight". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 6. p. 93. ...slating a Feb. 17 in-store date for ['The Mummers' Dance'].

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v t e Loreena McKennitt
Studio albums	Elemental (1985) To Drive the Cold Winter Away (1987) Parallel Dreams (1989) The Visit (1991) The Mask and Mirror (1994) The Book of Secrets (1997) An Ancient Muse (2006) A Midwinter Night's Dream (2008) The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2010) Lost Souls (2018)
Live albums	Live in San Francisco at the Palace of Fine Arts (1995) Live in Paris and Toronto (1999) Nights from the Alhambra (2007) A Mediterranean Odyssey (2009) The Road Back Home (2024)
EPs	A Winter Garden: Five Songs for the Season (1995)
Videos	No Journey's End (1995) Nights from the Alhambra (2007)
Singles	"Greensleeves" "The Bonny Swans" "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" "The Mummers' Dance"
Related topics	Quinlan Road McKennitt v Ash