25 songs with 'dance' in the title

In 1987, Whitney Houston released “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” She realizes her loneliness without a special someone by her side and would rather spend time with a life partner. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Lee Ann Womack’s 2000 single “I Hope You Dance" holds a much deeper meaning than one showing off their dance moves. Throughout the track, Womack is encouraging listeners to take chances, stay faithful, and live life like there is no tomorrow. In addition to the song being a hit across numerous Billboard charts, it won a Grammy Award for Best Country Song.

Electronic duo Daft Punk recruited Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers to work on the funky single “Lose Yourself to Dance.” Pharrell is repeatedly encouraging listeners to slow down in life and release any stress by dancing.

In 2005, punk rock band Fall Out Boy released their sophomore album, From Under the Cork Tree. It garnered three singles, including the guitar-heavy “Dance, Dance.” On the track, the protagonist details being awkwardly infatuated with a girl and getting a chance to dance with her, but he’s actually hoping to have an intimate night with her. “Dance, “Dance” became a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. 

In the late ‘90s, Raphael Saadiq recruited En Vogue's Dawn Robinson and A Tribe Called Quest's Ali Shaheed Muhammad to form the R&B supergroup Lucy Pearl. The group’s lead single, “Dance Tonight,” was a smooth highlight of going out to have a good time. 

In 2008, Lady Gaga put the pop world on notice with her debut single, “Just Dance.” She teamed up with Akon and producer RedOne to bring the dance track alive, along with additional vocals from Colby O’Donis. Gaga details a tipsy, fun time while dancing the night away. 

Drake’s fourth studio album, Views, showcased elements of dancehall and Afrobeats. He teamed up with Wizkid and Kyla on the album’s second single, “One Dance.” He details dancing with a woman and loving the chemistry so much that he wants another dance. As he says on the hook, “I need a one dance / Got a Hennessy in my hand / One more time ‘fore I go / Higher powers taking a hold on me.” 

Chic member Nile Rodgers produced David Bowie’s 1983 hit single “Let’s Dance,” and his signature guitar sound was evident throughout the song. "Let's Dance" was widely successful in Bowie's discography and sampled by Diddy on his hit song "Been Around The World." 

Donna Summer always made songs that could get people to the dance floor. She’s often referred to as the Queen of Disco. Her hit song “Last Dance” starts as a ballad, but then Summer takes it up a notch to sound like an essential uptempo disco track. The song could easily have two meanings: having one last chance at love or dancing before the disco closes. 

When disco was taking over in the ‘70s, pop group ABBA decided to follow suit with “Dancing Queen.” On the track, the group details the joy of dancing from beginning to end: “You can dance / You can jive / Having the time of your life / Ooh, see that girl / Watch that scene / Digging the dancing queen.” 

The smooth sound of Marvin Gaye’s voice is sure to take any listener to another realm. That’s the feeling when hearing his 1978 single “After The Dance.” Gaye gives listeners the perfect quiet storm vibe on the track, as he details seeing a woman on the dance floor and hoping to “get together after the dance.” 

In 2020, Australian singer Tones and I put the world on notice with her breakthrough single “Dance Monkey.” She details her life as a busker, trying to please her audience. In addition to blazing the song charts, “Dance Monkey” became the most Shazammed song of all time. 

In 2015, Joe Jonas, Jack Lawless, and JinJoo Lee formed the band appropriately named DNCE. One of their most recognized hits is the 2018 single “Dance.” Jonas details his desire to dance with someone he’s infatuated with while hoping they can form a deeper relationship. 

Beyoncé brings a sultry and intimate essence to her 2011 track “Dance For You.” Teaming up with frequent collaborators The-Dream and Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, Beyoncé wants to show her appreciation to her man with a dance. 

Rock band Walk The Moon scored their biggest hit to date with their 2014 single “Shut Up and Dance.” During that year, it seemed like the infectious single was impossible to escape. On the track, the protagonist details meeting someone on the dance floor and feeling like he’s met his life partner. 

Luther Vandross’s 2003 single “Dance With My Father” is an emotional tribute to his late father. Vandross reminisces on his life as a child, spending time with his father, and hoping he could get that time back. In the music video, celebrities are joined by the fathers or their children to emphasize the father-child bond that Vandross misses. 

Sam Smith teamed up with Normani on their smooth 2019 hit “Dancing With A Stranger.” On the track, Smith and Normani detail their loneliness while dealing with a breakup. While trying to move on, they find themselves going out and dancing with someone new. 

Disco and funk band Chic rose to prominence in the ‘70s with a number of upbeat singles, including “Everybody Dance.” The song is about how music can make anyone feel good, as stated in the first verse: “Music never lets you do down / Puts a smile on your face, anytime, anyplace / Dancing helps relieve the pain / Soothes your mind, makes you happy again.” 

When people think of the prime Motown sound, “Dancing In The Street” always comes to mind. Martha Reeves and The Vandellas use the song to encourage people to have a good time, no matter where they are in the world. “Dancing In The Street” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

In 2012, Jennifer Lopez decided to release a greatest hits album, and she teamed up with Pitbull for the lead single, “Dance Again.” On the track, Lopez encourages people to continue to live life and dance, even when things don’t always turn out as they hoped. 

Sometimes songs come with actual dance moves. That was the case for Digital Underground’s 1990 hit “The Humpty Dance.” The group's frontman Shock G had an alter ego called Humpty Hump. On the track, he introduces this alias and shows confidence in his signature dance. "The Humpty Dance" peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

The Bee Gees were a dominant trio in the disco era, and their hit song "You Should Be Dancing" gave them strong headway during that time. For people who recall the movie Saturday Night Fever, the song was used during one of John Travolta's scenes on a dance floor. 

Funk band Sly and The Family Stone always created music that could get people moving. With simplistic lyrics about adding different instruments on their 1967 single “Dance to the Music,” the track sounds like a demo that eventually turned into a solid dance track. 

Rock legend Bruce Springsteen was feeling the pressure of writing a hit song, but his pen slump worked in his favor when he released “Dancing in the Dark.” The hit song became his highest-charting single to date.

In 1974, The Jackson 5 released their groovy single “Dancing Machine.” On the track, the brothers describe a woman who’s also a great dancer — someone who shows off her moves at any given moment — while keeping all eyes on her. "Dancing Machine" reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.