15 Songs About Dancing

When you want to celebrate life and have some fun, dancing is the best way to do so. These are the best songs about dancing. They range from upbeat tunes that make you want to dance to lyrics that are all about dancing. The songs about dancing are from a range of genres and decades, so there is something for almost everyone on this list.

1. The Dance by Garth Brooks

This is not one of the songs about dancing that makes you actually want to dance, but the lyrics are all about dancing. Released in 1990, this song is about a man who remembers sharing a dance with his ex. Even though his heart is broken now, he realizes that he would not have changed anything. He is suffering from heartache and emotional turmoil, but he is still happy that he went through it all so that he could be with her. If you like country music, then this is a good song to choose.

Best Lyrics:

“And now I’m glad I didn’t know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I’d have to miss the dance.”

2. Can’t Stop the Feeling by Justin Timberlake

This is one of the more recent songs, and it was just released in 2016. It has an upbeat sound to it that just makes you want to start dancing and have some fun. Wouldn’t be great to have that electric feeling in your body and a bit of sunshine in your pocket? If you wanted a song to uplift your spirits and make you feel like dancing again, this is the best option to go with.

Best Lyrics:

“I got that sunshine in my pocket
Got that good soul in my feet
I feel that hot blood in my body when it drops.”

3. Party in the U.S.A. By Miley Cyrus

Released in 2009, this is a happy-sounding, upbeat song. This pop song was released as Miley moved from Nashville to Los Angeles. The song is all about how dancing makes her feel like it will all be okay. Even though she has just gone through this major move and completely changed her life, everything will end up working out for the best. It ended up becoming an international hit when it was released. After the terrorist, Osama Bin Laden, was killed in 2011, the song became popular again.

Best Lyrics:

“I got my hands up,
They’re playin’ my song
You know I’m gonna be okay
Yeah, it’s a party in the USA.”

4. Let’s Dance by David Bowie

This song was released in 1983 and instantly started to climb the international charts. In the song, David Bowie sings about putting on his dancing shoes to sway with his partner. He wants to dance along with his partner under the moonlight. This is a good song about dancing if you want to capture that poetic, romantic feeling of dancing with someone you love or care about.

Best Lyrics:

“And if you say run, I’ll run with you
And if you say hide, we’ll hide
Because my love for you
Would break my heart in two
If you should fall into my arms
And tremble like a flower.”

5. Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5

This song was sung by Maroon 5 and features Christina Aguilera. Released in 2010, this show is all about someone who has an amazing dancing ability. In the song, he promises that he will be as sexy and talented at dancing as Mick Jagger, who was famous for his hip shaking, footwork and rooster strut. Interestingly, Jagger’s moves actually came from Tina Turner and her backup dancers. When they were on tour with the Stone back in the 1960s, Mick Jagger received some lessons from them. He later credited his mom for his moves, but his nimble dancing first came from Tina Turner and her fellow dancers.

Best Lyrics:

“Take me by the tongue and I’ll know you
Kiss me ’til you’re drunk and I’ll show you all the moves like Jagger
I’ve got the moves like Jagger
I’ve got the moves like Jagger.”

6. I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack

This song is not good for actually dancing to, but it is by far one of the most touching songs about dancing. Released in 2000, this song is the protagonist singing to her daughter about how she wishes that she will be unafraid to take risks in the dance of life. She wants her to never lose her sense of wonder, keep hoping, give faith a chance and remain true to herself.

Best Lyrics:

“Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance.”

7. Dance the Night Away by Van Halen

This song will definitely make you want to dance the night away. Originally released in 1979, this classic song is about Van Halen noticing a classy woman in an nightclub. He thinks that it is love at first sight, and romance is instantly at the top of his mind as he watches her dancing.

Best Lyrics:

“A live wire, barely a beginner
But just watch that lady go
She’s on fire, ’cause dancin’ gets her higher than-uh
Anything else she knows.”

8. The Twist by Chubby Checker

This is certainly one of the older songs on this list, but it is definitely a dancing song that everyone will know! The Twist is a fun dance as well as a song. Released by Chubby Checker in 1960, this classic tune will leave you wanting to just dance the night away.

Best Lyrics :

“My daddy is sleepin’
And mama ain’t around
Yeah, daddy just sleepin’
And mama ain’t around
We’re gonna twisty twisty twisty
‘Till we tear the house down.”

9. Shake Your Groove Thing by Peaches & Herb

Are you ready to shake your groove thing? This song from 1978 is another one of the classic songs about dancing. For a while, this classic dancing song was an international hit. Interestingly, the duo of Peaches & Herb was not actually Peaches and Herb forever. Over time, there were a total of seven different women who ended up singing the part of Peaches, but Herb remained the same.

Best Lyrics:

“Groovin’ loose or heart to heart
We put in motion every single part
Funky sounds wall to wall
We’re bumpin’ booties, havin’ us a ball.”

 

10. Footloose by Kenny Loggins

While the Footloose movie was recently remade, the classic film and soundtrack are really too good to miss. In the original movie, a bunch of teenagers live in a town where dancing is not allowed. They secretly learn to dance and then try to push the town to let them have a prom. This dancing song from Footloose was released in 1984 and is bound to make your feet start tapping!

Best Lyrics:

“I’ve got this feeling
That time’s just holding me down
I’ll hit the ceiling
Or else I’ll tear up this town
Now I gotta cut loose
Footloose, kick off the Sunday shoes.”

11. Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira

No list of songs about dancing would be complete without at least one song by Shakira. This Colombian singer has really got the dancing moves down. Apparently, she started bellydancing while she was still attending a convent school. From that day onward, her hips kept moving to the beat. She became an international hit in a variety of languages and countries. You can dance to this with someone else, but you can also bellydance alone to the fun beat.

Best Lyrics:

“And I’m on tonight you know my hips don’t lie
And I’m starting to feel it’s right
All the attraction, the tension
Don’t you see baby, this is perfection.”

12. Lose Control by Missy Elliott

If music makes you feel like you are about to lose control, then this song is perfect for you. It has an upbeat, fun feel to it that is perfect for a night of dancing. Released in 2006, this Missy Elliott song features Ciara and Fat Man Scoop.

Best Lyrics:

“I’ve got a cute face
Chubby waist
Thick legs n shape
Rump shaking both ways
Make you do a double take.”

13. Pump It by the Black Eyed Peas

Released as a part of the 2005 album, Monkey Business, Pump It was written while the band was in Brazil before they recorded it in Tokyo. While the song managed to make the charts before it was even released, other songs on the album actually performed better later on. At any rate, this song will make you want to get dancing. In the music video, two bands are facing off against each other in a basement for a dance off. If you are trying to have a real-life dance off, then this song is for you.

Best Lyrics:

“Live and direct, rocking this scene
Waiting on down for the B-boys
And B-girls waiting, doin’ their thing
Pump it, louder come on
Don’t stop, and keep it goin’.”

14. Dancing Queen by ABBA

This is another one of the older songs on this list. This classic tune was originally released in 1976. ABBA was a Swedish band, and this Europop song has remained a lasting favorite. Later, the A-TEENS re-released the song as a tribute in 2000. Originally, the demo was first recorded in 1975, but it was called Boogaloo at first. While the song premiered on Japanese and German television first, its Swedish premier was at the Royal Swedish Opera as a part of a celebration honoring the marriage of Siliva Sommerlath and King Cal XVI the next day.

Best Lyrics:

“You are the dancing queen
Young and sweet
Only seventeen
Dancing queen
Feel the beat from the tambourine.”

15. Dancing in the Street by Martha and the Vandellas

This song was written by Ivy Jo Hunter, Marvin Gaye and William Stevenson. When they showed it to Martha Reeves, she asked if she could change it around and perform it. The song became a hit. It was inspired by seeing children in the Detroit summer dancing and cooling off in an opened fire hydrant. While the song was intended to be a dancing song, it ended up getting used by the Civil Rights movement as a social anthem calling for demonstrations. This is one of the songs about dancing that has remained popular over the years. While it was originally released in 1964, it has been covered by groups like the Mamas & Papas, Van Halen, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, the Everly Brothers, the Kinks and the Grateful Dead.

Best Lyrics:

“Calling out around the world,
Are you ready for a brand new beat?
Summer’s here and the time is right
For dancing in the street.”