The Mummers' Dance

"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.

"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 (1997-11)
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
"The Bonny Swans" (1995) "The Mummers' Dance" (1997) "Marco Polo" (1998)
Music video
"The Mummers' Dance" on YouTube

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]