Get Up and Boogie! the Top 20 Dance Songs of All Time Are Here

"Dance" means many different things to many different people. This list crosses over musical genres in an effort to paint a true picture of songs that compel those who hear them to rise to their feet, and take to the dance floor whether they like it or not. All of these songs possess that common rhythmic denominator.

1. Everybody Dance Now byC+C Music Factory. The first time I heard this new-age-y-hip-hop-funk song in 1991, I was obliterated with an overwhelming urge to dance. I was on my knees doing yard work, and my neighbor decided that everyone in the neighborhood should hear the song. They cranked it up so loud that I thought they had borrowed Spinal Tap's 11 setting.

Thus, I set my gardening tools aside, danced my way to the music store and bought it. My body instantly dropped 10 pounds from shuddering in fear that extreme physical activity might be just around the corner. To this day, whenever my children and I want something to strike our feet, this is our first choice. And if we pop the CD in while we're driving, we just dance in our seats. It's impossible for us to sit still when this ageless dance song is summoning.

2. Let's Dance by David Bowie. I want to put on my red shoes and dance the blues too, under the moonlight, the serious moonlight. The descending, crisp chord structure and unshakable rhythm combine nicely with Bowie's powerful voice to create a rhythmic punch that's difficult to ignore. One quick question: If moonlight is serious, what does that make sunlight?

3. Electric Slide aka Electric Boogie by Marcia Griffiths. I suppose there's still a bit of rebel in me somewhere because I have spent the past two decades making sure that I never learned to do this dance. I don't want to know how to do it. However, I love the song's dancitivity level, and dance to it every chance I get. The difference between me and the rest of society is that I prefer to follow the "Lucille Ball" method of organized dancing. That's where you're on the dance floor and you have no idea what you're doing. It's electric!

4. Play that Funky Music by Wild Cherry. This might have been Wild Cherry's only hit song ever, but what a hit! It's a never-fail tune that will bring people to the dance floor in droves. It's yodel-esque singing and witty words paired up with an incredibly funky bass and drums elevated it to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1976. It's still tremendously popular with live DJs, and the general dancing public 32 years later.

5. Get Down Tonight by KC & Sunshine band. The lyrics leave something to be desired, "Do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight," represent the meat-and-potatoes of this tune's shallow message. But, all levity aside, the musical structure of this song is classic disco at its funkiest. The music of the 70s was not as diverse as it is today, but when it came to some of the greatest disco music of all time, KC and the Sunshine Band hold a firm place in the front of the line. Good luck trying to stay seated when the DJ is playing "Get Down Tonight."

6. Baby Got Back by Sir Mixalot. Energized doesn't even begin to cover the level of compelling that "Baby Got Back" packs. Not only is it a must-dance hip hop offering, there's a sense of humor mixedalot in it as well, which is apparent in the song's opening. It kicks off with dialogue between two valley-girl sounding white chicks. One says to the other, "Oh my God, Becky, look at her butt! It is so big. She looks like one of those rap guys' girlfriends."

Face it, "Baby Got Back" is a must-dance song, but you'll probably want to wait until the opening valley girl conversation is over before you jump up.

7. Ready to Go by Republica. "It's a crack, I'm back and I'm standing on the rooftop shouting out: Baby I'm ready to go." Few songs in any genre offer as much power and enthusiasm as Republica does in this rhythm-dominated song. There's a crispy bass complemented by super rhythmic drums. It's another song that's nearly impossible to ignore if you're sitting anywhere near a dance floor.

If you get ahold of this CD, you'll find two separate mixes of "Ready to Go," both of which give instant incentive to get up and move to the groove.

8. Get up off of that thing by James Brown. This unshakable dance number opens with the godfather of soul uttering one of the greatest screams ever recorded in the 1960s. Even though recording studios then lacked special effects to plump up sound, the lively bass and relentless drums intertwine into an ultra-funky foundation. James, who was renowned for his feverish approach to funk, issues forth a compelling reason to get up off of our things and dance until we feel better.

9. Y. M. C. A. by the Village People, is so potently popular that it has evolved into a modern-day classic. Not only can you really shake around when it's playing, it comes complete with the "spelling dance." No, seriously, it fascinated my daughter when she was little, and she used to contort herself into some pretty interesting poses trying to spell out this song with her body. "Look Mommy, I made a M!"

"Honey, I don't think you should be standing on your head with your legs bent like that."

Thanks, Village People.

10. Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) by the The Jacksons, the artists formerly known as the Jackson 5. This ultra boogyfying beat displays all the necessary 70s disco bits, and it's truly worthy of inclusion on this list for it's danceworthiness. This landslide hit owned a piece of the charts in 1979, and it was released about a decade after little Michael was spouting out his funky alphabet song. Just a couple of years later, Michael would emerge onto the pop scene and create his own identity, separate from his sibs. (See #17)

11. Chicken Dance by Werner Thomas. Please don't hate me for putting this corny song on this wonderful list. The problem is that, in all fairness, this list is about songs that make people dance. Period. And whether we like it or not, the "Chicken Dance" consistently accomplishes this goal (unfortunately). My advice to you is to avoid weddings if you don't want to dance to this oom-pah-pah song.

12. Low by Flo Rida. There's something to be said for sparse instruments and hand clapping. The descriptive vocals are excellent and spot-on rhythmically, using intricate triplet patterns and overlapping. This is one of those impulsive songs that just gets people out of their seats and onto the dance floor to go "low."

13. Stayin' Alive by the BeeGees. Young, buff John Travolta walking down the street, eating a piece of pizza that he folded in half...hmmmm. Anyway, where were we? Oh yea, "Stayin' Alive" made a major mark as the key song in one of the most intensely loved dance movies of all time, "Saturday Night Fever." It's just a little ironic that one of disco's most beloved tunes features falsetto, but then life's a wild ride, ha ha ha ha stayin' alive.

14. I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor can't be omitted from this list, no matter how many trillions of karaoke-ers have slaughtered it. This moster disco hit was so popular that it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979. This is another number that never fails to bring dancers to their feet, no matter how many zillions of times they've already heard it.

15. Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus. This CW tune is so popular and well loved that it never fails to drive electric sliders off the wooden gliders to dance about the achy breaky internal organ. There are a whole lot of folks who have learned various line dances, and this song provides them with the perfect venue to scoot their boots. Personally, I want to run away whenever I hear this song, but that has no bearing on the fact that it is in the top 20 dance songs of all time. Be still my achy breaky.

16. Cotton-Eye Joe by the Rednex. I'm not going to try to deceive you, wonderful friends. No, that wouldn't be square. You see, my children forced me to put this song on my list against my will. No, they're not country music fans, they're quite open-minded musically. But they swear that this song is prompting all the really "hip" kids to square dance.

Could such a thing be true? Hello, is this thing on???

17. Billie Jean by Michael Jackson. This is one of those undying favorites. I loved it when it was sizzling back in the 80s, and many years later, this is one of my teenage kids' ultra favorite songs. The walking bass just marches right up to your feet and pushes them to the floor, and Michael's voice helps keep you there.

If you've ever seen the video of "Billie Jean," you know as well as I do that nary another human has shook their body (down to the ground) the way Michael did in that memorable video. My children have no clue what the song's about, nor do they care about the lyrics. They only know that it provides them with a primal urge to dance.

18. The Message by Grandmaster Flash. The year was 1982, and my friends and I were watching a cable program called USA's Night Flight, when an entirely new way of presenting music showed up on the TV screen. I was mesmerized, and didn't move until the entire 7-minute song was over. It was almost too mind-boggling to absorb. I knew that I needed to get my hands on that tune because its "message" was so profound, and the beat made me feel an overwhelming desire to dance. Wha a wow-iffic combo.

This song and artist made such an impact on the hip hop world that, according to wikipedia.com, "Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, becoming the first hip hop/rap artists to be so honored." I always could pick a winner.

19. That's What I Like About You by the Romantics - Who'd have thunk that a spunky new wave tune would make it onto the list! The pounding, relentless rhythm and the sky-high energy emitted in the vocals explode into a dance compulsion. Not many dance-oriented tunes emerged from the punk/new wave scene, but "That's What I Like About You" carried enough dancing weight to cover for everybody.

20. Rapture by Blondie. Trying to bring my kids up "right" includes exposing them to a myriad of musical masterpieces, everything from Beethoven's Ninth to Frank Zappa's "Help I'm a Rock." "Rapture" is among the most rhythmic, funky rapturous songs to ever include bells. My kids love this smooth and silky song, and they actually thought, until I straightened them out, that Blondie was the first rapper.

No, she didn't launch the rap scene, but she was a forerunner because when "Rapture" was released, rap music was still in its infancy.

Speaking of rap, let's wrap up this piece with a question: Was the song named Rapture because she was rapping or was that correlation a coincidence?

If you run into Deb, would you ask her for me? This is something I've always wanted to know. Thanks.

Links courtesy of Wikipedia: http://www.wikipedia.com