OutKast, "Hey Ya"
When your jam comes on, it's impossible to stay still. These 50 songs — presented in random order — are just a start.
See the slideshow below for album covers and more background!
OutKast ruled the radio with this 2003 hit.
Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, "Uptown Funk"
And at that time, people still knew what it meant to "shake it like a Polaroid picture." (Would that lyric even work now?) We'll never know what grooves we could have been dancing to from Outkast: After they broke up, their solo careers never quite matched the pop brilliance of "Hey Ya."
So catchy, so upbeat. "Uptown Funk" brought together the smoothest of smooth stars Bruno Mars and the funktastic DJ Mark Ronson.
Aaliyah, "More Than A Woman"
Though it debuted in November 2014, the song was still popular enough to be a key song of the summer in 2015. And the song won Ronson a Grammy for Record of the Year in 2016.
Aaliyah's 2001 slow-jam hit is just one of the songs that make us miss the late pop star, who was tragically taken at age 22 in 2001.
Lady Gaga, "Just Dance"
But her talent lives on: Her voice had warmth and charm, and she was one of the last female pop stars able to sing and seriously dance at the same time.
This Lady Gaga hit was basically unavoidable in 2008, and for good reason. The electronica beat worked up the crowds. And the lyrics hilariously reflected how partying can be a little disorienting.
Michael Jackson, "Black Or White"
Who hasn't got on the dance floor and thought: "How'd I turn my shirt inside out?". Then you get off the floor and think: "Where all my cheese? I lost my phone." We share a motto with Lady Gaga and all her monsters: Just dance!
There are so many Michael Jackson songs that move us to dance. Choosing between his early hits and late career is tough, so we've sprinkled a few on this list from his whole body of work.
Kenny Loggins, "Footloose"
Some might quibble that "Man in the Mirror" is the better song with its slow-build and dramatic mood. But "Black Or White" has those guitar riffs, "eeeyo!" and peppy beats that just get us every time.
Come on. You know you love it.
Kiesza, "Hideaway"
Kenny Loggins captured all the bottled-up small-town frustrations in one great theme song. If you don't dance to this song, at least admit that the dance sequences in "Footloose" are epic.
Kiesza may be the hottest thing to come out of Canada since Ryan Gosling. And she knows how to fill the dance: Put a slick vocal over a fun deep-house beat.
Usher, "Yeah"
And we loved the homemade on-the-street look of the video to this 2014 dance-floor filler.
You can probably identify this song from the firs two notes. Usher's "Yeah" was a must at every club, party, wedding and living room dance jam in 2004. And it still works.
Scissor Sisters, "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'"
Not the mostly complicated lyrics here, but who cares? Watching Usher and crew dance in this video is almost as fun as getting your grind on.
Despite the title of this Scissor Sisters song, it makes everybody dance. The Scissor Sisters had a sound that was hard to place chronologically; They were a new band that sounded like a disco-80s-Abba mash-up.
Michael Jackson, "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"
This song started out as a UK hit in 2006 and then circled the globe bringing more joy than Santa.
Again, how can you choose from the catalogue of the King of Pop?
Ghost Town DJs, "My Boo"
But "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," which Jackson himself wrote, has so much energy and sass, it's pretty much the danciest winner from "Off the Wall," his fifth solo album.
This 1995 one-hit wonder came back for real when it was used for one of the best viral dance videos around: The Running Man challenge.
Beyonce, "Get Me Bodied"
It's internet-powered second life put the song back on the R & B charts and clearly, it's game is still strong, boo!
"Pose for the camera now CLICK!" There's really nothing like early Beyonce to make you shake your derriere. Her 2007 hit "Get Me Bodied" took sexy to another level, which then Queen Bey surpassed in later years.
Simple Minds, "Don't You (Forget About Me)"
But this vintage is still so fine, you just wanna "drop down low and sweep the FLOOR with it!"
It's a little on the slower side, but this Simple Minds hit from the 1985 film "The Breakfast Club" is a classic.
Katrina & The Waves, "Walking On Sunshine"
It kinda makes you sway and think of high school, lost loves and the days when sushi for lunch — in high school — was a new concept.
This 1983 song can lead to spontaneous jumping around and twirling in your living room. So don't knock over any lamps.
Young MC, "Bust A Move"
Katrina & The Waves had British roots and were an international sensation for a while. But they peaked with "Walking On Sunshine."
Oh, the innocence of rap in the 1990s.
Missy Elliott, "Work It"
Young MC, the British-American rapper, won a 1990 Grammy for this song, which sampled beats from numerous existing songs and featured bass guitar by Flea, of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Missy Elliott's "Work It" was released in 2002 and its throwback elements to old school hip-hop made it a signature hit for Elliott as well as for renown producer Timbaland. And the dance moves in the video?
Salt-N-Pepa, "Push It"
So slick, they're worth hitting reverse for again and again.
Originally released as a B-side single in 1987, "Push It" was a hit for one of the few girl groups in rap.
Will Smith, "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It"
The sexual references reflected the freedom of the time, though a little less obviously than 1991's "Let's Talk About Sex." It remains one of the most danceable rap songs — and a fun singalong.
If you loved the disco song "He's the Greatest Dancer" by Sister Sledge, you probably found something to connect with here. It's the basis of Will Smith's 1998 hit, though sped up considerably.
Rihanna, "S&M"
Smith's light-hearted rap over top, and the chorus of kids with their "na na na na na," made this an upbeat crowd pleaser.
So it was risque. It was about bondage.
Nicki Minaj, "Super Bass"
But you could probably change all the words of this 2011 triple-platinum hit by Rihanna and it would still be a dance-floor filler. With its pulsing beats and slick synth, it has dance power with or without the naughty lyrics.
There's something so catchy in the way Nicki Minaj lays down the "boom, badoom, boom, boom" chorus that carries you into a booty-boomin' dance frame of mind.
The Bucketheads, "The Bomb"
This 2011 hit, with lyrics all about having a crush, sold more than 8.2 million copies internationally.
A house music hit of 1995, this song has the power to make anybody get up and bounce along.
The Jackson 5, "ABC"
Easily mixable with other songs, its often a go-to for DJs taking a party to the next energy level.
A classic song that will get all ages movin' and groovin' and singin' along. It was a 1970 hit for the Jackson 5, who debuted in on American Bandstand.
Pitbull, "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)"
While it shares similarities with "I Want You Back," the simplicity of "ABC" makes it a gem.
Pit Bull's celebration of his own lifestyle somehow makes for infectious dances, like this 2009 hit.
Whitney Houston, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"
Don't we all want to be rolling through Miami with celebrity friends and fancy cars?
If sainthood were available to pop stars, Whitney would be up there. And she'd be singing this 1987 global hit that speaks to everybody's deepest vulnerability but in an upbeat way.
Janet Jackson, "Together Again"
That voice, that sweetness. When you hear this song, you pretty much have to stop, drop and dance in honor of Saint Whitney.
Montell Jordan, “This Is How We Do It”
Though it's an upbeat song with a hopeful vibe and house beats, this 1997 song is farewell: Janet Jackson wrote it after she lost a friend to AIDS.
How do you party? Ask Montell Jordan, who answered the question with this 1995 song combining hip-hop, soul and R&B.
Cali Swag District, “Teach Me How To Dougie”
The song also marked a new R&B phase for Def Jam Records, better know for hip-hop.
When the California hip-hop group Cali Swag District released this 2010 song, many didn't really know what they were singing about. Dougie? Is that like a Snuggie? Turned out, the Dougie is a hip-hop move named for Doug E.
House of Pain, “Jump Around”
Fresh. And even if you can't do the move, the song's clear and simple beat still pops. As thsi lyrics say: "This beat was bubble, so I gotta chew it."
In 1992, this hip-hop song by House of Pain absolutely dominated the dance floor.
The B-52’s, “Love Shack”
It even caught the ears of party people from the '60s who heard the opening horn riff and knew it was sampled from the R&B duo Bob & Earl's song "Harlem Shuffle." If this song doesn't make you want to jump around, we don't know what to tell you.
Guaranteed to get your party going, "Love Shack" debuted in 1989 and still feels fresh.
The Isley Brothers, “Shout”
Which has much to do with the B-52's, a high-energy group that melded past and present styles to create a sound ahead of its time.
When you hear "Shout" at a wedding, you have two choices: You can run for the hills (we see you), or twisting all the way down to the floor to shake and shout.
ATC - "All Around The World (la la la la la la la la)"
A hit of 1959, it's still on playlists far and wide.
Even if you didn't know that ATC stands for "A Touch of Class," you probably heard this Europop song plenty in 2000. And beyond.
Michael Jackson, “Thriller”
It was a global hit, and was in fact a cover of a Russian song.
"Thriller." It was a game changer. A cultural milestone.
Prince, “Kiss”
And though the word "iconic" is used for every two-bit wanna be these days, it truly does apply for this 1982 song -- from an album that sold more than 65 million copies.
The late great Prince oozed sexuality. And when you hear this 1986 single, what can you do but your sexy dance.
Pharrell Williams, "Happy"
Regularly picked as one of the greatest songs of all time, the monster hit popped back up on the charts after Prince's tragic death in 2016.
Don't think. Just dance.
Kool And The Gang, "Jungle Boogie"
This infectious 2013 tune can go on for days, and the video did in fact go on for a full 24 hours of people dancing. Which is something Dance.com can get behind.
Can you handle the funk? This 1973 song just doesn't quit, what with the horns, the drums, the crazy jungle sounds.
Guns N' Roses, "Sweet Child O' Mine"
Kool And The Gang had a lot of hits, but this one is a favorite for its nutty creativity.
Hard rock, with extra hair, is rarely so danceable as Guns N Roses's 1987 "Sweet Child O'Mine." It's a solid karaoke song for those with vocal game, since it whips the crowd up.
Wham!, "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go"
And who doesn't hear this song and try to dance like Axl Rose?
Oh, the good times of Wham! The British group evoked many moods in their music, and "Wake Me Up" was for when you wanted to bop around as if it were 1950, only it was 1984.
The Pointer Sisters, "Automatic"
Or right now.
The Pointer Sisters maybe aren't the first girl-group that comes to mind from the 1980s.
Justin Timberlake, "SexyBack"
But this trio had back-to-back hits in 1984: "Automatic" and "Jump (For My Love)." We're going with "Automatic" because in addition to having a steady groove, it captured something of the dawning digital age.
"SexyBack" not only brought sexy back, it also brought JT back in 2006.
After focusing on his acting, the multi-talented star returned to the charts with the album "FutureSex/LoveSounds." The clear beat and fierce attitude made "SexyBack" an original.