Top 20 Dance/Club Hits of the 1990s

Ever since the 1970s nightclubs have become a part of everyday culture. These places have grown and prospered ever since the dawn of the discotheque, when nightclubs such as Studio 54 and Xenon were the places to see and be seen back in the day. Late night revelers would dance the night away to the sounds of disco back then, but eventually the music changed.

With the death of disco in the late 70's/early 80's, the nightclub lived on and a new type of music, known as dance or club music, has ruled the night ever since. Over the past 30 years, dance music has grown and prospered within its own subculture and many mainstream songs have been reworked to fit within the genre. Conversely, many tunes created in the dance music genre have done so well that they've crossed over into the pop scene. One thing's for sure, dance music is an integral part of the American and international music culture.

As with any other genre of music, dance music has evolved through the years and each decade has seen its share of musical styles. In the 1990's, rap and hip hop music went mainstream in a big way and as such worked its way into the club music of the decade, as well. Mainstream artists like Madonna, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and more also found their own niches in the dance music scene and a short lived, but memorable sub genre, called "neo-disco", produced a few club hits during the decade.

Here's a look at my picks for the top 20 dance/club songs of the 1990's. Hopefully, they'll bring back some good memories for you as they did for me.

#20 - The Bomb - The Bucketheads

"These sounds fall into my mind..."

I don't think that many people could ever understand what that line was in this lyrically light, discoesque 1995 dance club hit, but the song was popular on radios and in dance clubs nonetheless for its pleasing musical track. Check it out here.

#19 - Everybody's Free (To Feel Good) - Rozalla

This feel good dance anthem topped Billboard's Hot 100 Dance Charts back in 1992 and still endures on dance floors everywhere. Watch the video here.

#18 - I'm Gonna Get You - Bizarre, Inc.

This chart topping dance ditty ruled dance floors everywhere in early 1993. Always great fun! Take a listen to it here.

#17 - Set U Free - Planet Soul

This 1996 synthesizer-heavy tune was one of the most successful of a short-lived genre of dance music known as "neo-disco." Great fun and easy to dance to! Check it out here.

#16 - Where Do You Go? - No Mercy

This song was originally recorded by dance act La Bouche in 1995 and covered by the group No Mercy on their 1996 eponymous debut album. The tune was reworked with a melodic, Latin flavor that resonated with dance music fans and fared much better than the original. Take a listen to it here.

#15 - Wannabe - Spice Girls

"Yo, I tell you what I want, what I really, really want..."

Back in 1996, this pre-fab British girl group took the world by storm. With infectious pop dance hits such as this one, Posh, Scary, Baby, Sexy and Sporty were a true phenomenon in the mid to late 90's before fizzling out soon after. This was their first hit and it was a big one, reaching #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Chart in 1997. Check out the girls singing "Wannabe" here.

#14 - Insomnia - Faithless

"This immensely popular club hit from British dance super group Faithless was their biggest back in 1995. Though not a classic rap tune, the vocals by deep voiced singer Maxi Jazz depict the insomniac in very authentic way: "I toss and turn without cease, like a curse, open my eyes and rise like yeast." Coupled with the effective musical arrangement, this tune was always great for late night dancing in the clubs." Take a listen here.

#13 - Push the Feeling On - The Nightcrawlers

This late night club track is dark, hypnotic, and full of soul. The song reached #7 on Billboard's Hot 100 Dance Charts back in 1993 and is always a crowd pleaser even if the lyrics are difficult to figure out. Check it out here.

#12 - If You Could Read My Mind - Stars on 54

This remake of Gordon Lightfoot's tender 1969 ballad was featured on the soundtrack to the movie "54" in 1998. The group is comprised of three of the 90's hottest dance stars: Ultra Nate, Jocelyn Enriquez and Amber and was a natural fit for the dance floor. Watch Stars on 54 performing the tune here.

#11 - Nobody's Supposed to Be Here - Deborah Cox

Back in 1998, R&B singer Deborah Cox released her 2^nd album, "One Wish", which contained two versions of this song. The success of the down tempo R&B version never quite matched up to the dance remix of the song, which shot to #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Dance Charts and became a bona fide dance club anthem. Watch the singer perform "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" right here.

#10 - Finally - CeCe Peniston

Probably the most soulful of tunes on this list, "Finally" was a major international hit in 1991, selling over 3 million copies worldwide. Watch the video to this great, great tune here.

#9-- Good Vibrations - Marky Mark

Before he became the accomplished actor known as Mark Walberg, this younger brother of New Kids on the Block member Donnie ventured into the music business as a rapper in 1991 and scored his biggest hit with this one. The song is another one of those hit songs that overlaid female vocals to a rap, featuring samples of Loleatta Holloway's dance smash "Love Sensation." The song is catchy and great fun! Check it out here.

#8 - We Like to Party - Venga Boys

"The Venga bus is coming..."

This silly song from late in the decade never quite hit the top spot on the dance charts, but always gets the crowd jumping with its irresistible, hard thumping musical track. Watch the equally silly video for "We Like to Party" here.

#7 - Show Me Love - Robin S.

This oft-sampled song by New York born Robin S. reached the top spot on the dance charts in 1993 and was also a big pop hit, reaching #5 on Billboard's Hot 100 that same year. This one's a real dance floor filler! Check out this video clip of the singer doing her thing here.

#6 - Believe - Cher

1999 marked a triumphant comeback for one of American music's most recognizable stars. In her first album in two years, Cher's "Believe" album spawned several hit singles, including this one, her first #1 in 25 years (1974's "Dark Lady" was her previous). The song won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording and is one of the most loved dance songs of all time. Watch Cher's video for "Believe" here.

#5 - Free - Ultra Nate

This #1 dance hit from 1997 is a classic dance floor anthem, with soft, moving verses crescendoing into a powerful, sing-a-long chorus. Check it out here.

#4 - Groove is in the Heart - Deee Lite

I remember always thinking of Deee Lite as a dance club version of the B-52's. With larger than life personas and innovatively funky tunes, the group reached the pinnacle of their success with this one. As a disc jockey during the 90's, I can attest to the popularity of this catchy song by how it filled the dance floor every time I played it. Great fun! Check out the video for "Groove is in the Heart," featuring funk superstar Bootsy Collinshere.

#3 - Be My Lover - La Bouche

This hard-driving ditty from 1995 hit the top spot on Billboard's Hot 100 Dance Charts for three weeks in December of that year and the combination of powerful female lead interspersed with male raps made for another massive hit that lit up dance floors everywhere. Watch the video for "Be My Lover" here.

#2 - Vogue - Madonna

Arguably one of Madonna's successful singles of all time, this homage to a gay dance craze hit #1 in 30 countries worldwide and was the biggest selling single of 1990. The video, shot in black and white and reminiscent of the "Golden Age of Hollywood", features some of the best choreography of its time and is as memorable as the song. Check it out here.

#1 - Gonna Make You Sweat - C&C Music Factory

"Everybody dance now!"

Martha Wash's call to dance, followed by the hard driving guitar riff, is probably one of the most recognizable openings to a dance song anywhere. This one was one of the first of a genre that would populate hot radio airplay throughout the decade, combining rap and vocals to create irresistible dance music. It stayed atop the Billboard Hot 100 Dance Charts for 5 weeks during the winter of 1990-91 and still gets em moving on dance floors whenever it's played. Check out the video for "Gonna Make You Sweat" here.

Honorable mentions:

Missing - Everything But the Girl

Get Ready for This - 2 Unlimited

Everybody, Everybody / Strike it Up - Black Box

Your Loving Arms - Billy Rae Martin

Getting Jiggy with It - Will Smith

This is Your Night/Above the Clouds/Sexual - Amber

Do You Miss Me - Jocelyn Enriquez

*For more top music lists from this writer, see

Top 20 Dance/Club Hits of the 1980's

Collected Works: Musical Top Tens

Sources:

Personal experience

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