Attention!!!
Dancing may not be a talent that each and everyone of us can perfect but even a moron is able to follow particular dance steps if they are given. Today I am discussing about specific dances that have become popular through the different eras of music. Some have been universally popular while other were isolated to that time period.
We all know the Hokey Pokey... If you have had primary education, none of us can deny knowing how to put our left legs in and to pull our right hands out. And how can we say we don't know how to do the Chicken Dance. This particular dance is mostly played at weddings and was composed by Swiss accordion player Werner Thomas in the 1950s.
Chubby Checker was the one who made a dance revolution through his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard's R&B hit "The Twist". The song became so popular with its accompanying dance that in September 2008 it topped the Billboard List of the Most Popular Singles to have appeared in the Hot 100 since its debut in 1958. He also came up with Let's Twist Again in 1961 which was more like a sequel.
One of the most popular songs of the disco era was The Hustle by Van McCoy in 1975 and of course the dance that goes along with it is also called the The Hustle. The song scored No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No.3 on the UK Singles Chart.
The disco era also introduced us to the whacky Y.M.C.A. by Village People in 1978 where the arm movements are still done at parties whenever the song is played. The country scene also introduced a line dance through Billy Ray Cyrus's Achy Breaky Heart in 1992. Although it became popular at the time it is now usually limited to the cowboy west.
If you wanna line dance like a zombie, Thriller by Michael Jackson in 1985 would be the ideal song. Although there are no proper steps for your feet the dance challenges you with arm movement, probably because no one can dance like Jackson.
The next song of course is the Macarena by Los Del Rio in 1995. Though a one-hit wonder it was the most popular line dance song till Gangnam Style. The Macarena ranks at No.5 of the Billboard's All Time Top 100. At the time it reached No.1 on the Hot 100 and No.2 on the UK Charts.
Some of the insignificant line dance songs that should however be mentioned are 5,6,7,8 by Steps and Stop by the Spice Girls. Although the songs and the dance were famous at the time, they died a slow death just like the bands that created them.
Another popular song at the parties is DJ Casper's Cha Cha Slide in 2000 which actually lays down the dance steps via its lyrics. It has been re-released many times due to the demand of the song as a craze among the line dance fanatics.
In 2004 Las Ketchup came out with their hit song Asereje more popularly known as the Ketchup Song. It is one of the best selling singles of all time reaching No.1 in almost all the countries it charted except the US where it was No.54.
Soulja Boy came up with a swaggerish song in 2007 when he released Crank That. Quite different from the other line dance songs it catered to the rap fans. While it was nominated for the Best Rap Song at the 51st Grammy Awards it reached No.1 in the US and No.2 in the UK.
Moving to the East Gee by Girls' Generation in 2009 became a dance sensation. The dance is somewhat similar to the twist. It reached No.2 in Japan and No.1 in South Korea and was the most watched K-Pop video till Gangnam Style.
2010 brought the football anthem Waka Waka by Shakira released as the official song of FIFA World Cup 2010. It is the 6th most watched video of all time on YouTube but did not perform all that well on the charts as it reached only No.21 in the UK and No.38 in the US. Nevertheless it is the best selling World Cup anthem of all time.
Of course nothing can beat the awesome Gangnam Style by Psy in 2012. While putting K-Pop on the music map as a definite dance music genre Gangnam Style revived the line dance revolution to new heights. While debuting at No.1 in Korea it also peaked in the UK but reached only No.2 in the US. Currently it is the most watched video on YouTube with over 1.7 Billion views and since it also topped the charts in more than 30 countries world leaders such as US President Barack Obama and UN Secretary General have hailed it as a force for world peace, though the context of why they said such a thing about a song which basically is about the lifestyle of a rich district in South Korea is baffling. The world famous horseriding dance has been performed on many talk shows, concerts and sports tournaments all over by various celebrities.
American DJ Bauuer came up with his Harlem Shake in 2012 which led to over thousand videos on YouTube being uploaded where one person begins the particular crazy dance only to be suddenly overwhelmed by other crazy dancers. This too was a major hit and reached No.1 in the US and No.3 in the UK.
Psy came out with his second single Gentleman in 2013 and the attitude dance which accompanies the catchy beat was inspired by the Brown Eyed Girls' hit Abracadabra. Although this did not surpass the success of Gangnam Style, it is doubtful whether Psy can trump his own achievement.
The newest addition to line dancing is Lean On by Major Lazer & DJ Snake ft. MØ. This extremely addictive track has taken the dance charts by storm and is accompanied by a quirky yet awesome music video which includes its unique Egyptian/Arabian inspired dance.
Therefore, these are the songs that have become popular throughout the various eras of music in different genres for their inherent dance steps. Like I said before not everyone can shake their hips like Shakira or break dance like Michael Jackson, but some of us can make use of the dance steps handed to us and make parties lively with these line dance songs.
Till the next beat...
At Ease!!!
