There are few things in the world as fun as totally letting go and dancing. It doesn’t matter if you’re the worst dancer, ever, or worthy of being Beyoncé’s backup, the truth is that dancing is fun and freeing — especially with friends.
Of course, dancing requires good music. You can’t break it down to slow, moody music. A dance party requires upbeat dance tunes. You need songs that you can’t help but move to. Songs that make you start swaying in your seat. Songs that make you feel like you’ve got to hit the floor. Right. Now.
Maybe you’re planning a party, your wedding day is around the corner, or you just like to have great music to rock out to when you’re home alone. No matter the reason, every person deserves the ultimate dance party playlist so they can bust a move. We’ve got one for you.
Click ahead for the best dance party songs, ever. We can’t guarantee your dance moves will be great, but the music will be.
Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull
When you mix Kaoma’s “Lambada” with synthesisers and Pitbull’s patented hype-man rapping, you get a song that pumps you up so hard that really don’t even need J.Lo to tell you to “tear it up the floor.”
Camila Cabello feat. Young Thug
Trumpets! Piano! Bliss. After 2017, what summer BBQ could be complete without this caliente party starter?
Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars
If you aren’t moving by the time Bruno Mars sings, “Don’t believe me, just watch,” then you might not be human. Just saying.
Michael Jackson
That bass line is enough to get anyone moving. It always starts with small hip sways and grows to full-on attempts at the moonwalk by the first time MJ hits the chorus.
Beyoncé
Do you need help getting people hyped up at your party? Then just play “Get Me Bodied.” They’ll be doing the Naomi Campbell walk and the “Uh-Oh.”
Salt-N-Pepa
Get up on this! Who can resist breaking it down to this one? Even Salt-N-Pepa dance in the music video. Just remember: This dance is for “only the sexy people.”
Spice Girls
I don’t care if you were part of the Spice Girls craze in the ’90s or if you hated them. You will start dancing to this damn song. It’s ridiculous, catchy, and just so good.
Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris
The best thing about this song is it’s a no-pressure dance song. You can jump, you can whine, you can do a dance routine. No one will be judging — they’ll all be dancing.
Earth, Wind & Fire
You may not know all the words to “September,” but you love the beat. Hell, your mum and grandma love the beat. So “party on!”
Kenny Loggins
Do you know there was once a town where kids weren’t even allowed to dance? I don’t care if it’s a fictional story. Do you know how lucky you are to be allowed to dance? Celebrate by cutting footloose with Kevin Bacon.
Taylor Swift
Love her or hate her, you gotta admit that this song is catchy AF. It always makes you want to dance.
Blackstreet ft. Dr. Dre, Queen Pen
“No Diggity” has to go down in history for having one of the smoothest dance beats, ever. When this song plays, you’re guaranteed a good time.
Beyoncé
Maybe you hate Kanye, but he was right: This is one of the most iconic videos of all time. And when you hear the song, you’ve got to break out into the dance.
DJ Kool
There’s a reason every high school marching band, cheerleading squad, and dance team use this beat for routines. It’s sick, it’s hot, it’s perfect.
Icona Pop ft. Charli XCX
If you’ve run out of fucks to give and plan to just let loose, this is your song. Jump, shout, whatever! Just move!
Sean Paul
When Sean Paul starts playing, it’s always time to dance. But when Sean Paul’s “Get Busy” starts playing, it’s time to shake that thing.
Deee-Lite
We need to all thank Parliament-Funkadelic legend Bootsy Collins for the killer bass line on this song. It gets you moving every time.
Marvin Gaye
If you used to be too nervous to really get down, let Marvin Gaye set you free with this one. “No more standing aside the wall” when this song comes on.
Backstreet Boys
The video for this song is absurd, but be real: It makes you want to rock your body.
Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
This song had everybody thinking they could actually dance the conga. Amazing.
Rihanna ft. Drake
This song literally has no purpose other than to make you dance. It’s not here to win best lyrics or vocals. It’s here to make you werk.
The Beatles
There’s a reason that this song is played during the most fun moment of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Everybody loves this song and it makes you want to start dancing.
Daft Punk
Don’t lie to me: You know that this song manages to get you dancing every time you hear it. But hey, that’s just what Daft Punk does.
Whitney Houston
If you play this song at a party, every single girl will start lip-syncing and miming Whitney’s hand movements from the video — even if they’ve never seen the damn video. It just happens. It’s magic.
Sir Mix-a-Lot
If you can resist dancing to “Baby Got Back,” I’m worried about you. Like, actually concerned.
Justin Timberlake
Thank you, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, for giving us this song. It lets us tell everyone that we’re the sexiest person in the room and get down.
MC Hammer
“U Can’t Touch This” makes you want to grab your spandex bike shorts and break it down. Naturally, the “MC Hammer” dance is required.
OutKast
“Shake it like a Polaroid picture” is perhaps the best possible instruction for dancing to this song. Because “Hey Ya!” is a jam that leaves you shaking and shimmying every time.
Rick James
You could just make this list with a bunch of Rick James songs, because they all make you want to dance. That was his gift.
Beyoncé ft. Jay Z
Beyoncé die-hards may point to “Get Me Bodied” as a must at a dance party, but “Crazy In Love” is a song that non-hive members love to dance to. Plus it has it’s own “Uh-Oh” dance.
Usher ft. Lil Jon, Ludacris
It doesn’t matter if you think the best part is Luda’s rap, the chorus, or Lil Jon’s thunderclap call. We can all agree that “Yeah!” is a dance-party anthem.
The Jackson 5
Look, the Jackson 5 (later known as just “The Jacksons”) had a lot of dance songs — “Dancing Machine,” “ABC,” and “Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)” to name a few. But “I Want You Back” makes you happy and makes you want to dance like few songs do.
LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett, GoonRock
LMFAO’s schtick is party rocking. This is the song that started it all. And every time you hear it, you start shuffling.
Marcia Griffiths
Wait, your family doesn’t do the electric slide at every family gathering? Then…what exactly do you do?
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
These Sad Songs Will Make You Cry In A Minute