10 Best Songs With The Word 'Dance' In The Title

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Whenever I hear the word dance, I can’t help but think back to the 1970s when the film Saturday Night Fever turned the world upside down. The explosion of disco across so many forms of culture, from music, dress, language, and, of course, dancing, fueled both celebration and distress, depending on which side of the art form you were on. For us rockers, it was a severe threat to our music and lifestyle. Or at least that’s what we thought. Of course it wasn’t, rock and roll lived on, and all was well. Although if you ever went to a Twisted Sister show at a local bar at the time, you would have thought the world was ending, the way they attacked that music.

Yet, disco was just another style of an art form that goes back to the start of time. Dancing has been around forever and has always been a form of expression across cultures. I sound like Kevin Bacon in Footloose. Nonetheless, this article is not really about dance; it’s about songs whose titles include the word. And that, my friends, can mean many different things. Here are ten that are notable for many different reasons. And no, I am not listing “The Safety Dance” on this list.

We are only going to include the singular form of the word ‘dance’ on this list. The plural form ‘dancing’ will have its own separate list.

# 10 – Dance On A Volcano – Genesis

I always open up these title song lists with the first song that comes to mind. Well, this time, it was this one by Genesis called “Dance on a Volcano.” The song was released on one of our favorite post-Peter Gabriel-era Genesis albums, titled A Trick Of The Tail.

# 9 – Dance Little Sister – The Rolling Stones

I’ve always loved the guitar riff on this track. It was a little deeper and darker than usual rhythm guitar riffs on the Stones albums, which are always, of course, fabulous and a big part of the Rolling Stones sound. But there was something about this one that was unique.

# 8 – Dance With Me – Orleans

There’s just something magical about this song that will bring you back to the 1970s. If you were actually there in the 1970s. Orleans had a couple of big hits during that decade. This and “Still The One” were the biggest.

# 7 – Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance) – Leo Sayer

This was always one of my favorite pop tunes in the 1970s. Between the piano playing at the start, the addictive groove and, of course, Leo’s spectacular vocals, this one was just so highly memorable. And on further note, I’ve interviewed a lot of rockers, and Leo Sayer is one of the nicest people I’ve ever spoken with.

# 6 – Creole Dance – Emerson, Lake & Palmer

I added this to the list because I just wanted to celebrate the late, brilliant Keith Emerson once again. This is from a live concert in 1997. I saw ELP in 1977 at MSG, and they just blew the roof off the arena.

# 5 – Time To Dance – The Shoes

If you have never heard of this band or never seen this video, I highly recommend you take the time to check it out. This was a very interesting group. They remind me of the B52s.

# 4 – Dance The Night Away – Van Halen

Van Halen’s ” Dance the Night Away ” is one of the most interesting songs in their catalog. The song is heavy, but it’s probably one of the most pop-oriented tunes they’ve ever released. It was the first single release from their sophomore album Van Halen II. It would become their highest-charting single release in the 1970s. It was also the highest-charting song of the band’s career up to that point, until it was topped by their 80s cover of “Pretty Woman.”

# 3 – Let’s Dance – David Bowie

Can you believe that the guitar work on this song was by the legendary Stevie Ray Vaughan? At that point, Stevie Ray Vaughan’s career was just breaking. He was all set to tour with Bowie, but at the last second dropped out to pursue his own career, which turned out to be the right decision. Although that would have been some tour, Bowie and Stevie Ray.

# 2 – Do You Wanna Dance – The Ramones

The Ramones took this old classic song and made it their own. For me, one of the best scenes in any music-oriented motion picture was the final scene in which they’re playing the tune with P.J. Soles (Riff Randall) walking through the halls of the high school in the film Rock And Roll High School.

# 1 – I’m Happy Just To Dance With You – The Beatles

It just felt right to end this list with the Beatles’ classic. The song was first released on A Hard Day’s Night album. It was cool to see and hear George Harrison singing lead. That was a first for many people.

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