Zorba’s Dance is an instrumental composition by the Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis. The song featured for the dance that came to be known as sirtaki, in the 1964 film Zorba the Greek, for which Theodorakis composed the soundtrack and became known worldwide. It is now commonly played and danced in Greek taverns. The track from the film has since been recorded as a standalone song by many musicians around the world. In the US, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass recorded a 4:25 version of the song (as “Zorba the Greek”) for their 1965 album Going Places. Released as an edited single with a live dub, the song reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #2 on the Easy Listening chart.
The song reached number 6 on the UK Singles Chart in August 1965, performed by Marcello Minerbi and his orchestra (Durium Records DRS 54001). The composition was the inspiration for “Bend It!”, a 1966 hit by the British band Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, which went to number one in Germany, New Zealand and South Africa. British dance group LCD covered the song in 1998. Their version reached number 20 in the UK charts that same year and number 22 after being re-released in October 1999.