Top 10 Best Dance Songs

The year is 1976, when you may remember big hair, platform shoes and gold chain necklaces. This was a popular time for “disco”. The term “disco” originated from the term “discotheque” which was another word for nightclubs or dance clubs.

During the mid to late 1970’s, disco became popular, as performers such as Donna Summer, KC and the Sunshine Band, the Tramps, the Village People and the Bee Gees dominated the dance music charts. Whether you grew up in the age of disco and dance music, or just enjoy listening to dance music on the radio, some dance songs are true classics, such as Staying Alive and You Should Be Dancing by the Bee Gees.

As the 70’s progressed, so did dance music, combining creative lyrics with high-tech sounds and videos. Have you forgotten about all the creative geniuses that created the popular dance music still played on the radio today? Artists such as Sylvester, Sister Sledge, Foxy, Yaz and Freez may or may not ring a bell, but their songs are definitely ones you have heard of.

In this article, I have put together what I consider to be the best top 10 disco dance music titles. Listen and enjoy!

#1. You Should Be Dancing by the Bee Gees - The name speaks for itself. This classic disco song was featured in Saturday Night Fever starring John Travolta. When listening to this song and video, it definitely brings you back in the day. Just watch this video of John Travolta dancing to You Should Be Dancing. While you are watching, check out the fancy footwork, class "disco" attire and hair style, the blinking floor lights, and of course, the disco ball. The way he jumps to his knees and back up and continues to dance is quite amazing...quite a classic.

#2. Staying Alive by the Bee Gees This has to be one of my favorite songs by the Bee Gees, and a class music video of the brothers Gibb. Barry Gibb is at his finest and looking hot! He really reaches the high notes in this song, which is also featured in the movie hit, Saturday Night Fever. And let’s not forgot what this song has possibly done to save lives. According to DallasNews.com (Circulation May 23, 2012), NBCNews.com, and other news stations, some people performing CPR were actually singing this song to help with the rate and rhythm when giving chest compressions. This is because the song has 103 beats per minute, and studies have shown that faster compressions (120-125) increase the chance of survival.

#3. He’s the Greatest Dancer by Sister Sledge (1978) – Sister Sledge is a musical group of 4 sisters, formed in 1971, in Philadelphia, PA. Popular songs by Sister Sledge include “We Are Family”, “Good Times”, and the famous “He’s the Greatest Dancer”, a popular song at disco clubs. The lyrics to this song paints the perfect disco scene, of a handsome dancer on the dance floor, and a woman staring at him, mesmerized and in a trance by this champion of dance.

#4. Just an Illusion by Imagination (1982) – This is another classic disco song, by the group, Imagination. This song takes you on a magical journey, as the songs says “Searching for a destiny that’s mine, there’s another place another time”…it makes you think twice about what you are seeing around you…is it an illusion or just confusion? You be the judge, but it has the perfect beat and sound for a dance club. Whether this song is about relationships, journeys in life or a fantasy dance in a nightclub, it’s sure you get you in the mood to dance. The video is a little corny, but definitely fun to watch.

#5. Dance Disco Heat by Sylvester (1978) – You may not remember the name, but you will remember the song when you hear it. This ultra classic disco dance song is one of several mega hits by Sylvester. Dance Disco Heat makes you want to get up and dance! Sung by Sylvester and his two singers, Two Tons of Fun, this classic dance hit is sure to get you up off your feet. The is a fun video to watch, with classic disco dance moves!

#6. You Make Me Feel Mighty Real by Sylvester (1978) – Yet another wondrous class by Sylvester, this classic disco song combines catchy lyrics, a contagious beat and Sylvester’s wonderful voice and definitely makes you feel mighty real.

#7. Disco Nights (Rock Freak) by GQ (1978) – This class disco song was song by a group called G.Q., formed in the Bronx, NY in 1978. The song was #1 on the R&B singles chart for 2 weeks. This video shows the band in action on American Bandstand.

#8. Situation by Yaz (1982) – One of the greatest dance songs ever made, this classic was released in 1982, and even though the disco era was changing and not the same as it was in the 70’s, this song was ever so popular in all the dance clubs in the early 80’s. You just gotten listen to get the full effect (static picture but awesome sound).

#9. Get Off by Foxy (1978) – This song has a catchy beat that brings back memories of dance clubs. In this video, the cute and foxy members of the Foxy band sing their hit.

#10. I.O.U. by Freez (1983) – Even though disco starting dying down in the 80’s, it’s classics like this song (as well as Just an Illusion, also from the early 80’s), that continued to dominate the dance clubs. This particular song had a catchy if not sometimes funny set of lyrics that seemed to be saluting the vowels of the alphabet.

There is such a variety of popular dance tunes, that’s it hard to remember all the song names and artists. Have you ever listened to the radio and a classic dance song plays, which you love, but you just don't recall the name or artist? Well, thanks to technology, there are apps which can help us identify any song we hear. One such application is called Sound Hound, which is the ultimate song identification application. I absolutely love this app, which not only identifies a song and artist, but also play lyrics for selected songs and keeps a history of songs you have searched for. This comes in handy later when you want to download songs for your music player.

Dance music is great to not only dance to, but to exercise to as well. Get up offa that couch and dance! It’s a great cardio workout.

Vote up if you love dance music!