Xposition - September, 2017

Attention!!!

The month of September opened with the announcement of the nominations for the 51^st Annual CMA Awards with Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert leading with five nods each competing against each other in 3 categories: Music Video of the Year, Single of the Year and Song of the Year. Little Big Town is close behind with four nods which also helps Taylor Swift garner a nomination at the awards in three years after her transition from County to Pop for her songwriter credits for Better Man. The awards will take place on 08 November hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood.

The coveted Mercury Prize 2017 was awarded to Sampha’s Process. His win is quite significant as he battled for this award against the short listed fan favorites Ed Sheeran and Stormzy as well as 9 other nominees including Blossoms, J Hus, Kate Tempest and The xx. Actor Idris Elba gave Sampha his £25,000 prize at a ceremony with performances from the shortlisted artists at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, London.

The Latin Recording Academy has decided to bestow Lifetime Achievement Awards on the Macarena hit makers Los Del Rio along with Lucecita Benitez, Ilan Chester, Victor Heredia, Guadalupe Pineda, Cuco Valoy and Joao Bosco as a prelude to the 2017 Latin Grammy Awards which will be held in November.

The Corrs announced their much awaited comeback through their seventh studio album Jupiter Calling which shall be preceded with a show at the Royal Albert Hall. The Corrs are not the only ones who had returned to the studio, as Shania Twain announced her fifth studio album Now 14 years after her last album.

Linkin Park announced that a special show in honor of their former member Chester Bennington titled Linkin Park and friends will be held in October to celebrate the life of the 41 year lead vocalist of the band who committed suicide earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Demi Lovato was named a Global Citizen Ambassador at the 2017 Global Citizen Festival. She along with the fund will expansion of a Save the Children pilot program, Healing and Education through the Arts, to violence scarred youth living in Iraq’s Kirkuk and Salah al Din areas.

The latest victims of copyright law suit are Taylor Swift and Mark Ronson. The songwriters behind 3LW’s Playas Gon’ Play Sean Hall and Nathan Butler has sued the female superstar over her hit Shake It Off. This may be a tough one for the songwriters to win as the Copyright Act does not protect short phrases including catchwords, catchphrases, mottoes, slogans or short advertising expressions. Ronson was sued by Lastrada Entertainment Company Ltd, the music publishing house that holds the copyright for Zapp’s More Bounce to the Ounce, which claims that most parts of the 2015 year-end no.1 was copied from Zapp’s 1980 classic. Lastrada is seeking damages of up to USD 150,000 per infringement, a permanent injunction against profiting from the alleged infringement and a jury trial on the matter.

Avril Lavigne has been named the most dangerous person online. Cybersecurity firm McAfee said that Lavigne is the most likely celebrity to land users on websites that carry viruses or malware. Bruno Mars was second on the list followed by Carly Rae Jepsen, Zayn Malik and Celine Dion.

Moving onto chart news, in the US, Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber’s Despacito continued its reign at the top accumulating 16 weeks at the top and tying the record of Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s One Sweet Day for the most number of weeks spent at No.1 in the US. Despacito could have broken this record by spending a 17^th week at the top if not for the ascension of Taylor Swift’s Look What You Made Me Do, which soared to the top of the charts with huge sales in its second week. It remained at the top for the remainder of the month. During the month Liam Payne featuring Quavo’s Strip That Down, Yo Gotti featuring Nicki Minaj’s Rake It Up and Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid’s 1-800-273-8255 all entered the top 10.

In the UK, Taylor Swift’s Look What You Made Me Do started off the month at the top which effectively ended the reign of Dua Lipa’s New Rules. Swift was dethroned in the third week by Sam Smith’s Too Good at Goodbyes which ruled for the next two weeks of the month. During the month Demi Lovato’s Sorry Not Sorry, Zayn & Sia’s Dusk Till Dawn and Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug’s Havana all entered the top 10.

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

1.       Taylor Swift – …Ready for it?

2.       Post Malone ft. 21 Savage – Rockstar

3.       Avicii ft. Rita Ora – Lonely together

4.       Macklemore ft. Kesha – Good old days

5.       Mabel ft. Kojo Funds – Finders keepers

6.       Maroon 5 ft. SZA – What lovers do

7.       Khalid – Young, dumb & broke

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

The Latin Resurgence

Attention!!!

Despacito is the newest buzz word in town for any dance party. The global phenomenon of this titanic hit has led to the mainstream resurgence of a genre that has been dormant for sometime. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee never expected their music video to go viral, neither did they expect the Justin Bieber remix of the song to become one of the best-selling singles of all time. 

Latin music has been a genre since the 1940s but it was only in the 1980s that it became quite popular with hits from Julio Iglesias, Juan Gabriel, Roberto Carlos and Celia Cruz. The early 90s saw the gradual rise and decline of Eurodance wherein certain hits were infused with Latin music. Selena's contribution to Latin music via her push for Tejano was short lived following her tragic death in 1995. 

By the mid 90s it was clear that Latin music was here to stay with the mega hit Los Del Rio's Macarena taking the world by storm with its Bayside Boys Mix. The hit which was accompanied by a step dance and a memorable music video was the biggest hit of the 90s. Post Macarena era witnessed Latin Pop becoming the ambassador for Latin music in the mainstream. Young artists such as Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias, Marc Anthony and Shakira entered the mainstream with monumental force in the late 90s and ruled the charts in the early 2000s. Particularly songs such as Martin's Livin' La Vida Loca, Iglesias' Bailamos and Shakira's Hips Don't Lie made a massive impact on the charts. 

After Latin Pop's gradual decline, Reggaeton took over in the mid 2000s with artists such as Daddy Yankee, Wisin & Yandel and Nina Sky. However, while their songs were a staple on the dance floor at the time, they did not make much of an impact on the charts. The last of the sub-genres of Latin music to crossover to the mainstream was Bachata where Prince Royce and Romeo Santos are making a recognizable impact. After 2010, Latin music was all but in the past, with no real presence in the charts except for the one off hit by either Iglesias, Jennifer Lopez or Shakira. 

In 2014, Iglesias made a huge comeback with Bailando which soared to the top in many charts and was a global floorfiller at parties. However, it never managed to score success in the charts that mattered - US, UK and Australia. While proving to be definitely one of the best Latin songs of all time, it was evident that the mainstream was not ready to embrace Latin music as a whole. 

All of this changed with Despacito. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's original Spanish version did not fare all that well in the English speaking countries. However, the Bieber remix proved to be more successful than the collaborators ever imagined. Justin Bieber not only contributed his vocals to the remix perfecting the Spanish lines, his association with the single alongside the fact that he is the most influential and successful artist of yesteryear not to forget the fact that he is also the most sought after artist to be featured at present made this song the Song of the Summer of 2017 and also equaled a record which was set in 1995. 

With Despacito it is clear that Latin music is enjoying more popularity than before. The first song to experience this is J Balvin and Willy William's Mi Gente. Next up we have Iglesias re-releasing his Súbeme la Radio as a Spanglish version with X Factor winner Matt Terry and Sean Paul. This was followed by Jennifer Lopez's newest single Ni Tú Ni Yo. The last to enter this party was Little Mix where they collaborated with the new Latin boy band sensation CNCO and re-released a Spanglish version of the latter's hit Reggaetón Lento. 

Others that could possibly join this fold include Pitbull, Shakira, Sean Paul, Maluma, Nicky Jam, Don Omar, Wisin, Camila Cabello, Kat DeLuna and even Ricky Martin who might use this opportunity to make his long awaited comeback. All in all this resurgence could very well be a result of the mainstream swaying gradually towards a more tropical taste given the rise of Reggae Fusion as well as tropical beats entering Pop, Hip-Hop, R&B and Rap. It could also be just a fluke with the recent resurgence attributable to the Bieber Remix of Despacito. At the end of the day we will have to wait and see, whether Latin music is here to stay in the mainstream or will disappear as soon as whence it came. 

Till the next rhythm...

At Ease!!!

Best Dance Hits of the 90s

Attention!!!

If you were born in the 80s, you know almost all these songs by heart. 90s dance music is a genre in itself as theme parties are still held around the globe to accommodate the music buds of us 'twentinagers', who grew up in the 90s. It was during the 90s that pop music once more gained the forefront of the mainstream music industry and the genre shifted more or less to the fast paced european beats with a heavy influence of disco. Eurodance shaped the first half of the decade while the various  boy bands and the girl groups shaped the end of the decade and laid the foundation for the 2000s dance music based solely or mostly on dance pop and europop. 

Line/step dancing was also a trend during the 90s and it was the global one-hit wonder Macarena by Los Del Rio that really infiltrated almost all parties after its release. The song ranks at No.7 on the Billboard's All Time Top 100 and also Billboard's No.1 Dance Song of All Time. The song was released in 1992 but it was the English remix by the Bayside Boys which made it a worldwide hit. Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, Steps, NSync and BWitched were some of the all boy or girl bands which released dance hits while Real McCoy, Snap!, Haddaway, Mr. President and T-Spoon are some of the eurodance artists which have entries in this list. 

Another interesting fact to notice is that it was at the very end of the decade that some of the best selling artists of our time, particularly the 2000s became popular such as Britney Spears, Enrique Iglesias, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera and Marc Anthony who all initially started out with their own dance hits. Michael Jackson's best hits may have been in the past but he still released some awesome dance singles in the 90s and the King of Pop leads with 5 entries in the list alongside Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls who also have 5 entries each. Then with 4 entries each we have Aqua, Will Smith and Ace of Base who also released a number of dance singles. So without further rambling here is the list of the Best Dance Hits of the 90s:

1. Los Del Rio – Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)
2. C+C Music Factory ft. Freedom Williams – Gonna make you sweat (Everybody dance now)
3. Haddaway – What is love
4. Inner Circle – Sweat
5. Snap! – Rhythm is a dancer
6. Cher – Believe
7. Will Smith – Gettin’ jiggy wit it
8. Real McCoy – Another night
9. Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg – The next episode
10. MC Hammer – U can’t touch this
11. Alice Deejay – Better off alone
12. No Mercy – Where do you go
13. Lou Bega – Mambo no.5
14. Backstreet Boys – Everybody (Backstreet’s back)
15. Ace of Base – Beautiful life
16. ATB – 9 p.m. (Till I come)
17. Aqua – Barbie girl
18. Jennifer Lopez – Waiting for tonight (Hex Hector Remix)
19. Everything But the Girl – Missing (Todd Terry Mix)
20. Enrique Iglesias – Bailamos
21. Vengaboys – We like to party
22. Sir Mix a Lot – Baby got back
23. Chumbawumba – Tupthumpin’
24. EMF – Unbelievable
25. Marc Anthony – I need to know
26. Michael Jackson – Blood on the dancefloor
27. C+C Music Factory – Here we go (let’s rock & roll)
28. Britney Spears – Baby one more time
29. Spice Girls – Wannabe
30. Eiffel 65 – Blue (Da ba dee)
31. Billy Ray Cyrus – Achy breaky heart
32. Peter Andre – Mysterious girl
33. T-Spoon – Sex on the beach
34. Sash! ft. Rodriguez – Ecuador
35. Technotronic – Pump up the jam
36. Ricky Martin – Livin’ la vida loca
37. The Wonders – That thing you do
38. Steps – 5,6,7,8
39. Michael Jackson – Black or white
40. House of Pain – Jump around
41. Vanilla Ice – Ice ice baby
42. Carrapicho – Tic tic tac
43. Diana King – Shy guy
44. Imi Kamoze – Here comes the hot stepper
45. Mr. President – Coco Jamboo
46. Vanessa Amorosi – Absolutely everybody
47. Santana ft. Rob Thomas – Smooth
48. Shaggy – In the summertime
49. Tag Team – Whoomp! (There it is)
50. Sonique – It feels so good
51. Whigfield – Saturday night
52. Dee-Lite – Groove is in the heart
53. Backstreet Boys – Quit playing games with my heart
54. Dr. Alban – It’s my life
55. Snap! – The power
56. Snow – Informer
57. Ricky Martin – The cup of life
58. Vengaboys – Boom, boom, boom, boom
59. Jennifer Lopez – If you had my love
60. Ace of Base – The sign
61. Culture Beat – Mr. Vain
62. Black Box – Strike it up
63. Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch ft. Loletta Holloway – Good vibrations
64. Gala – Freed from desire
65. Reel 2 Real ft. The Mad Stuntman – I like to move it
66. Daft Punk – Around the world
67. Rozalla – Everybody’s free (to feel good)
68. 2 Unlimited – No limit
69. Technotronic – Pump up the jam
70. Run DMC vs. Jason Nevins – It’s like that
71. Michael Jackson – They don’t care about us 
72. Spice Girls – Who do you think you are
73. Real McCoy – Come and get your love
74. 2 Unlimited – Twilight zone
75. Red Nex – Cotton eye Joe
76. La Bouche – Be my lover
77. ATC – Around the world (La, la, la, la, la)
78. Amber – This is your night
79. Corona – The rhythm of the night
80. DJ Bobo – Somebody dance with me
81. C+C Music Factory – Things that make you go hmm…
82. Montell Jordan – This is how we do it
83. Faithless – Insomnia
84. Robin S. – Show me love
85. Cappella ft. The Bootmasters – U got 2 let the music
86. Scatman John – Scatman
87. Alexia – Uh la la la
88. Robert Miles – Children
89. Spice Girls – Spice up your life
90. Gloria Estefan – Turn the beat around
91. Ricky Martin – Maria
92. Steps – Tragedy
93. 2Pac – California love
94. Billie – Because we want to
95. Ace of Base – All that she wants
96. Mariah Carey – Fantasy
97. Notorious B.I.G ft. Puff Daddy & Mase – Mo money mo problems
98. Next – Too close
99. Savage Garden – The animal song
100. TLC – No scrubs
101. NSync – Tearin’ up my heart
102. Puff Daddy ft. Faith Evans & 112 – I’ll be missing you
103. Five – When the lights go out
104. Fatboy Slim – The rockafeller skank
105. Enrique Iglesias – Rhythm divine
106. The Cardigans – Lovefool
107. The Offspring – Pretty fly (for a white guy)
108. 911 – Bodyshakin’
109. BWitched – C’est la Vie
110. Will Smith – Miami
111. Stardust – Music sounds better with you
112. Olive – You’re not alone
113. M People – Movin’ on up
114. Gina G – Ooh aah… just a little bit
115. Beats International – Dub be good to me
116. Janet Jackson – Runaway 
117. Shania Twain – That don’t impress me much
118. Hanson – MMMbop
119. Will Smith – Wild wild west
120. Blondie – Maria
121. Backstreet Boys – Larger than life
122. Spice Girls – Stop
123. Kriss Kross – Jump
124. Aswad – Shine
125. Five – Keep on movin’
126. Vengaboys – We’re going to Ibiza
127. Blackstreet ft. Dr. Dre – No diggity
128. T-Spoon – Tom’s party ‘98
129. Eiffel 65 – Move ya body
130. Destiny’s Child – Bills, bills, bills
131. Meredith Brooks – Bitch
132. Wes – Alane
133. Twenty 4 Seven – Slave to the music
134. Britney Spears – (You drive me) crazy
135. Aqua – Roses are red
136. Shanks and Bigfoot – Sweet like chocolate
137. The Corrs – So young (K-Klaas Remix)
138. Michael Jackson – Remember the time
139. Whigfield – Sexy eyes
140. Jamiroquai – Virtual insanity
141. 2 Unlimited – Get ready for this
142. Shaggy – Boombastic
143. Christina Aguilera – Genie in a bottle
144. Mariah Carey – Dreamlover
145. Cleopatra – Cleopatra’s theme
146. Faithless – God is a Dj
147. Backstreet Boys – We’ve got it goin’ on
148. New Kids on the Block – Step by step
149. Fun Factory – I wanna b with u
150. Aqua – My oh my
151. Right Said Fred – I’m too sexy
152. Madonna – Ray of light
153. OMC – How bizarre
154. Destiny’s Child – No, no, no
155. Sham Rock – Tell me ma
156. Spin Doctors – Two princes
157. Jimmy Ray – Are you Jimmy Ray?
158. Lutricia McNeal – Someone loves you
159. Ace of Base – Don’t turn around
160. M2M – Everything you do
161. Janet Jackson – That’s the way love goes
162. Usher – You make me wanna...
163. Backstreet Boys – Get down (you’re the one for me)
164. Paradisio – Bailando
165. Gina G – I belong to you
166. Spice Girls – Say you’ll be there
167. Digital Underground – The humpty dance
168. Boyzone – Love me for a reason
169. Captain Hollywood Project – More and more
170. Steps – Last thing on my mind
171. Michael Jackson – In the closet
172. 2 Brothers on the 4^th Floor – Dreams (will come alive)
173. Whitney Houston – Step by step
174. Robyn – Show me love
175. Jamiroquai – Virtual insanity
176. Lauryn Hill – Doo wop (that thing)
177. Will Smith – Men in black
178. Ace of Base – Cruel summer 
179. The Double U – Please don’t go
180. Ace of Base – Living in danger
181. Roxette – Joyride
182. NSync – I want you back
183. Heavy D & The Boyz – Now that we found love
184. Aqua – Dr. Jones
185. Mariah Carey – Honey
186. Crystal Waters – 100% pure love  
187. Boys II Men – Motownphilly
188. BWitched – Rollercoaster 
189. Groove Armada – I see you baby (Fatboy Slim Remix)
190. Magic Affair – Omen III
191. East 17 – Let it rain
192. Quad City DJs – C’mon n’ ride it
193. Real McCoy – Runaway
194. Sugar Ray – Fly
195. LFO – Summer girls
196. La Bouche – Sweet dreams
197. Christina Aguilera – What a girl wants
198. Kylie Minogue – Better the devil you know
199. The B52’s – Love shack
200. Madonna – Vogue

Till the next beat…

At Ease!!!  

Best Floor Fillers of All Time

Attention!!!

A floor filler is simply a song that is so catchy and popular that it get everybody dancing. Almost all floor fillers have two things in common, and that's an awesome rhythm accompanied by memorable lyrics. Almost all genres and decades are covered as dancing is not a new concept and the good old days had The Beatles and Elvis Presley to keep our parents and grandparents occupied on the dance floor just like Pitbull, Swedish House Mafia and Avicii keep us in the groove. The most terrifying nightmares of all DJs and for some party organizers is when the dance floor is empty due to the lack of good music. This is when most DJs resort to floor fillers to get things going. The leading genre is of course Pop followed by House, Techno, Eurodance and Disco. Although, some of these songs may be classics, they are still played at parties and are most of the time surpass the popularity of the newer songs in their demand. La Bamba definitely tops the list as it is definitely the favorite song of the DJs to literally fill the dance floor. So here are the best floor fillers of all time.

1. Los Lobos – La bamba
2. Black Eyed Peas – I gotta feeling
3. Shakira ft. Wyclef Jean – Hips don’t lie
4. Psy – Gangnam style
5. Elton John – Crocodile rock
6. Michael Jackson – Billie Jean
7. Chubby Checker – The twist
8. Los Del Rio – Macarena
9. Bon Jovi – It’s my life
10. Flo Rida ft. T-Pain – Low
11. Sean Paul – Get busy
12. Guns N’ Roses – Sweet child of mine
13. Bryan Adams – Summer of ‘69
14. LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock – Party rock anthem
15. Alexandra Stan – Mr. Saxobeat
16. Shakira ft. Freshlyground – Waka waka (This time for Africa)
17. Sasha Lopez ft. Broono & Andreea D – All my people
18. C&C Music Factory ft. Freedom Williams – Gonna make you sweat
19. Village People – Y.M.C.A.
20. The Beatles – I saw her standing there
21. Las Ketchup – The ketchup song (Asereje)
22. Avicii – Levels
23. Pitbull – I know you want me (calle ocho)
24. Don Omar ft. Lucenzo – Danza kuduro
25. Ottawa – D.I.S.C.O.
26. Elvis Presley – Burning love
27. Eddie Grant – Gimme hope Joanna
28. The Drifters – Save the last dance for me
29. Los Lobos – Cancion del Mariachi
30. Swedish House Mafia ft. John Martin – Don’t you worry child
31. Michael Jackson – Beat it   
32. Bob Sinclar – Love generation
33. Yves Larock ft. Jabba – Rise up
34. Nayer ft. Pitbull & Mohombi – Suavemente
35. Baccara – Yes sir, I can boogie
36. 50 Cent – In da club
37. Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris – We found love
38. Olivia Newton John & John Travolta – You’re the one that I want
39. Snap! – Rhythm is a dancer
40. The Beatles – I want to hold your hand
41. Robin Thicke ft. T.I. & Pharrell Williams – Blurred lines
42. Timbaland ft. Keri Hilson & D.O.E. – The way I are
43. Culture Club – Karma chameleon
44. Flo Rida ft. David Guetta – Club can’t handle me
45. Wham! – Wake me up before you go-go
46. LMFAO – Sexy and I know it
47. Yolanda Be Cool & D Cup – We no speak no Americano
48. Haddaway – What is love
49. Taio Cruz – Dynamite
50. Pitbull ft. Kesha – Timber
51. Bellamy Brothers – If I said you had a beautiful body
52. Albert West – Knock three times
53. The Wonders – That thing you do
54. Real McCoy – Another night
55. Usher – Yeah
56. Beyonce ft. Jay-Z – Crazy in love
57. Tom Boxer ft. J. Warner & Morena – Deep in love
58. Flo Rida ft. Ke$ha – Right round
59. Pitbull ft. Ne-Yo & Nayer – Give me everything
60. Lipps Inc. – Funky Town
61. Edward Maya ft. Vika Jigulina – Stereo love
62. ABBA – Dancing queen
63. Modjo – Lady (hear me tonight)
64. MC Hammer – U can’t touch this
65. Enrique Iglesias – Tonight (I’m fucking you)
66. Bee Gees – You should be dancing
67. Simon & Garfunkel – Cecilia
68. Shakira – Whenever wherever
69. Eiffel 65 – Blue (da ba dee)
70. Madonna ft. Timbaland & Justin Timberlake – 4 Minutes
71. Vengaboys – Sha la la la la
72. Gypsy Kings – Volare
73. ‘N Sync – Bye bye bye
74. Billy Ray Cyrus – Achy breaky heart
75. Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull – On the floor
76. Barry White – You are my first, my last, my everything
77. Arrow – Hot hot hot
78. Daddy Yankee – Gasolina
79. Lou Bega – Mambo No.5
80. Smokie – Who the fuck is Alice
81. Inner Circle – Sweat (La La La La Long)
82. Boney M – Daddy cool
83. Kuwait Sand Band – Asha
84. Kool & the Gang – Celebration
85. Van Morrisson – Brown eyed girl
86. The Contours – Do you love me
87. Bee Gees – Stayin’ alive
88. Spiller ft. Sophie Ellis Baxtor – Groovejet (If this ain’t love)
89. Baha Men – Who let the dogs out
90. Wild Cherry – Play that funky music
91. T-Spoon – Sex on the beach
92. Chilli ft. Carrapicho – Tic tic tac
93. Hues Corporation – Rock the boat
94. Pitbull ft. Mark Anthony – Rain over me
95. Chumbawumba – Tubthumpin’
96. Mr. President – Coco jamboo
97. Vanessa Amorosi – Absolutely everybody 
98. Technotronic – Pump up the jam
99. Hot Chocolate – You sexy thing
100. Dr. Alban – It’s my life 

Til the next chord…

At Ease!!!

Greatest Dance Hits of All Time

Attention!!!

Well, we all love dance music. Those of you who don't have something terribly wrong with them. Not all of us are great dancers, but one should not be a good dancer in order to take to the floor and have fun. Dance music doesn't necessarily have to be techno, house or electropop as it is now. It can be anything that makes your feet tap and body move. But from all of these songs a few can be recognized for their rhythmic value and awesome beat. When those songs start playing you can't help but bust a move. My list of the 100 greatest dance hits are based on their performance on the dance charts, accolades received, overall popularity and the characteristics such as the beat, rhythm and lyrics which makes you keep on dancing and make parties a BLAST!!!

1. Los del Rio - Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)

2. Chubby Checker - The Twist

3. Psy - Gangnam Style 

4. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean

5. Flo Rida ft. T-Pain - Low

6. Shakira ft. Wyclef Jean - Hips Don't Lie

7. Alexandra Stan - Mr. Saxobeat

8. Bee Gees - You Should Be Dancing

9. LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock - Party Rock Anthem 

10. Bon Jovi - It's My Life

11. Las Ketchup - The Ketchup Song (Asereje)

12. Ricky Martin - Livin' la Vida Loca

13. Elvis Presley - Burning Love

14. Los Lobos - La Bamba (Original by Richie Vallens)

15. Elton John - Crocodile Rock

16. Flo Rida ft. David Guetta - Club Can't Handle Me

17. Don Omar ft. Lucenzo - Danza Kuduro

18. Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling

19. Usher - Yeah!

20. Pitbull - I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) 

21. MC Hammer - U Can't Touch This

22. Sean Paul - Get Busy

23. Michael Jackson - Beat It

24. 50 Cent - In Da Club

25. Sasha Lopez ft. Andreea D & Broono - All My People

26. Pink - Get the Party Started

27. Snap! - Rhythm is a Dancer

28. Billy Ray Cyrus - Achy Breaky Heart

29. Eddie Grant - Gimme Hope Joanna

30. Los Lobos ft. Antonio Banderas - Cancion del Mariachi

31. The Beatles - I Saw Her Standing There

32. Barry White - You are My First, My Last, My Everything

33. Kaoma - Lambada

34. Electric Light Orchestra - Rock and Roll is King

35. Michael Buble - Save the Last Dance for Me (Original by The Drifters)

36. Lipps Inc. - Funky Town

37. Albert West - Knock Three Times

38. Rihanna - Don't Stop the Music

39. Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child of Mine

40. Counting Crows - Accidentally in Love

41. The Wonders - That Thing You Do

42. Black Eyed Peas - Let's Get It Started

43. Smash Mouth - I'm a Believer (Original by The Monkees)

44. C+C Music Factory ft. Freedom Williams - Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)

45. Beyonce ft. Jay-Z - Crazy in Love

46. Bryan Adams - Summer of '69

47. Eve - Tambourine

48. Lady Gaga - Poker Face

49. Nelly - Hot in Herre

50. The Beatles - The Ballad of John and Yoko

51. David Guetta ft. Akon - Sexy Bitch

52. The Contours - Do You Love Me

53. Pussycat Dolls - Sway (Original by Dean Martin)

54. Van McCoy - The Hustle

55. Missy Elliot - Get Ur Freak On

56. Edward Maya ft. Vika Jigulina - Stereo Love

57. Madonna ft. Timbaland & Justin Timberlake - 4 Minutes 

58. Haddaway - What is Love

59. Swedish House Mafia ft. Tinie Tempah - Miami 2 Ibiza

60. Shakin' Stevens - You Drive Me Crazy

61. Technotronic - Pump Up the Jam

62. Nayer ft. Pitbull & Mohombi - Suave (Kiss Me)

63. John Paul Young - Love is in the Air

64. Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive

65. Eiffel 65 - Blue (Da Ba Dee)

66. Donna Summer - Last Dance

67. Yves Larock - Rise Up

68. Bellamy Brothers - If I Said You had a Beautiful Body

69. Daddy Yankee - Gasolina

70. Olivia Newton John & John Travolta - You're the One that I Want

71. Kool & the Gang - Celebration 

72. Gloria Estefan - Turn the Beat Around (Original by Vicki Sue Robinson)

73. Vengaboys - Sha-La-La-La-La (Original by the Walkers)

74. Bob Sinclar - Love Generation

75. Timbaland ft. Keri Hilson & D.O.E. - The Way I Are

76. Hues Corporation - Rock the Boat

77. Boney M - Daddy Cool

78. Far East Movement ft. The Cataracs & Dev - Like a G6

79. Ottawa - D.I.S.C.O.

80. Village People - Y.M.C.A

81. Soulja Boy - Crank That

82. Justin Timberlake - Sexy Back

83. Avicii - Levels

84. Lou Bega - Mambo No.5

85. Inna - Hot

86. Yolanda Be Cool & D Cup - We No Speak No Americano

87. Tom Boxer ft. Morena & J. Warner - Deep in Love

88. Baha Men - Who Let the Dogs Out 

89. Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby

90. Gypsy Kings - Volare

91. Will Smith - Gettin' Jiggy Wit it

92. Will.I.Am ft. Britney Spears - Scream and Shout

93. Jennifer Lopez - Let's Get Loud

94. Smokie - Who the Fuck is Alice

95. Kelis - Milkshake

96. Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg, Kurupt & Nate Dogg - The Next Episode

97. Inner Circle - Sweat (La, La, La, La Long)

98. Miami Sound Machine - Conga

99. Kylie Minogue - Can't Get You Outta My Head

100. Daft Punk - One More Time

Til the next ballad...

At Ease!!!

Do that Dance!!!

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!!!