Here's one of the most loved tunes of the year by pop rock band Walk the Moon. It's such a happy and sweet song, it's no wonder Billboard named it to be the #6 song for the year on its Hot 100 chart. It's definitely one of those songs I've heard a lot during the year, that's fo sho! Anyway, Happy New Year, enjoy and please, just shut up and dance with me....
Hello and welcome to John's
Music World's annual Top 50 Dance
Songs of the Year countdown. For
those of you who follow this blog, you know that I love dance music, especially
the poppier style of dance, and so the songs on this countdown are chosen
randomly by me, and are of the style of music I like and that you usually see
here. All of the songs on this list have
been posted by me here and some have links to the original Song of the Day posts where they were shared. For others, you'll see the vids right here.
So without further adieu, here are my picks for the best 50
dance songs of the year. Enjoy!
Ms. Jackson returned this year with a brand new set of songs
called Unbreakable. It was her first since 2008's Discipline. One of the better dance tunes off the album
features classic Janet funkiness and a little help from another comebacker,
Missy Elliot.
#49 - Peanut Butter Jelly - Galantis
This year's prize for silly dance anthems goes to Swedish electronic
duo Galantis and their song Peanut
Butter Jelly. Oh yeah, spread it
like peanut butter jelly...
#48 - She Knows - Ne Yo, featuring Juicy J
I love the sound of Ne Yo's smooth R&B voice! It works so well with club music and this
jam, recorded in late 2014, but featured here
back in April is the latest of his several dance classics.
#47 - One More - Elliphant
C'mon now sugar, come
I really don't want to go home
Stay with me be a friend
These
streets so cold and my money's so full of ghost
This darkish tune from Swedish electronic act Elliphant is simply
hypnotic. Check out One More...
#46 - Hold Up, Wait a Minute - Zhu, with Bone Thugs n Harmony
& Trombone Shorty
A dancey mix of funk, hip hop and jazz, this one burned up
dance floors all over the place in 2015.
#45 - Expensive - Tori Kelly, Featuring Taye Jack
This is one big song from powerful-voiced singer Tori Kelly
with a little help from rapper Taye Jack.
Check out Expensive on John's
Music World.
#44 - Where Are U Now - Skrillex & Diplo, with Justin
Bieber
Justin Bieber has had a fantastic year with a stellar new
album Purpose, and it all started back in February with this collaboration with
two of the greatest names in dance music today.
Where Are U Now isn't necessarily a big dance tune, because it's more
R&B than dance, but I've heard the original version at the clubs both at
the beginning and end of the night. Love
this one! Check it out...
#43 - Alors En Dance - Stromae
The only foreign language song on this countdown (it's French!) is by hot
Belgian singer Stromae, who recorded the song way back in 2009. Nevertheless, the tune gained steam
throughout its six-year life and it came under my radar just this year. I posted it in October, in commemoration of the
artist's debut at Madison Square Garden as a headline act. Check it out here.
#42 - Bitch I'm Madonna - Madonna, featuring Nikki Minaj
We go hard or we go
home, we gon' do this all night long
Madonna had a big year in 2015 with her Rebel Heart album,
and this fast and frenzied song grew on me throughout the year. Check out the equally crazy video on John's
Music World.
#41 - On My Mind - Ellie Goulding
One of the most pleasant surprises of the year for me was
Ellie Goulding's third album Delirium. The set is jam packed with upbeat and
danceable songs and this, the lead single, is one of the best on the record. I posted it here
back in November, so check it out.
#40 - Real - Gorgon City, featuring Yasmin
I first discovered the British electronic duo Gorgon City a
little over a year ago, and I've become a big fan ever since. This one was actually their first single,
released back in 2013, but I posted it once or twice here
and it garnered a lot of page views. The
sultry tune features singer Yasmin and it's oh so chill!
#39 - Get Dirty - Xenia Ghali, featuring Wyclef Jean
One of the lesser known comebacks of 2015 came in the form
of two new tunes, one a new collaboration with Avicii (take a look further on
down this list) and the other as a guest vocalist on this funky, bassy sexy
jam. Love it!
#38 -GDFR - Fo Rida, featuring Sage the Gemini and Lookas
Flo's latest entry into the world where rap and dance
collide. Oh yeah, it's goin' down for
real!
#37 - Love is Free - Robyn, La Bagatelle Magique, featuring Maluca
After way too long a hiatus, my Swedish queen also returned
this year, and once again it was within another collaboration. This time new music came from a newly formed entity
called La Bagatelle Magique and the music shows off Robyn's more funk-dified
side. Check out the recently released
video for the wild and crazy Love Is Free
on John's
World.
#36 - Another You - Armin van Buuren, featuring Mr. Probz
Here's a late comer from Dutch deejay Armin van Buuren, just
posted
by me just a couple of weeks ago. It features
Waves singer Mr. Probz.
#35 - Straight Into the Fire - Zedd
Dance deejay/producer Zedd scored big this year with his
newest set, True Colors. I've chosen
three songs off the album to be included on this list and this is probably the
least known of the three, but it's my favorite.
Singer-songwriter Julia Williams voice sounds a little like Ellie
Goulding and the song itself is just so sunshiney. Check it out here.
#34 - Magnets - Disclosure, featuring Lorde
I was generally disappointed in Disclosure's newest set, Caracal, with the exception of this one
featuring the one and only Lorde. Check
it out on John's
World.
#33 - Go All Night - Gorgon City, featuring Jennifer Hudson
Here's another Gorgon City song that's big and dancey and it
features big-voiced Jennifer Hudson.
Check out the awesome, funky Go All Night...
#32 - Same Old Love
- Selena Gomez
Here's one that's been getting so much airplay lately. It's a slow, sultry jam off the newest by Ms.
Gomez.
#31 - For a Better Day - Avicii
Avicii's new Stories album was another general disappointment
for me, especially after his last gem of a record, True. This is one of the bright spots for me on the
set. It's got Avicii's signature
style...a little country-western twang set to an uplifting dance track. Check it out on YouTube.
Avicii fared much better to me with his out of his own
record collaborations in 2015 than on his own set, and here's a song that grew
and grew on me the more I heard it.
Somewhat soft for a dance song, but Wyclef, oh Wyclef...love your voice
on this one! Check it out on John's
World.
#29 - Automatic - Zhu & AlunaGeorge
This collaboration between dance music producers Zhu and
AlunaGeorge is one deeply funky tune!
Check it out right here.
#28 - Show Me Love - Robin Schulz
Robin Schulz is one of my favorite current artists, and his
album Sugaris chock full of great chill/lounge/dance tunes spun in his own unique
style. Here is one of the great ones off
of the album, a melodic radio-friendly, easy breezy tune...
#27 - How Deep Is Your Love - Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris is yet another producer whose latest
contribution to dance music has left me somewhat disappointed, though this
happy jam is one of the brighter spots on Motion.
#26 - Ocean Drive - Duke Dumont
Here's a recent entry in the dance music books and it's by
hot dance artist Duke Dumont. The song's
got an great 80's feel to it. Check out
a recent post of it on John's
Music World.
#25 - Feel the Vibe - Bob Sinclair, featuring Dawn Tallman
French dance music producer Bob Sinclair has been making
hits for almost two decades now and this, his latest with powerhouse singer Dawn
Tallman, is simply fun. Check it out on YouTube.
Oh yes, one of my newest favorite tunes is a new take on an
old classic. Olivia Newton John and Matt
Lattanzi's daughter Chloe recorded this updated take on mom's Xanadu classic
Magic in the funnest of ways. Check out the
vid right here.
#23 - Secrets - Tiesto, featuring Vassy
Oh won't you stay for awhile
I'll take you on a ride if you
can keep a secret
Here's a dance tune by famed producer Tiesto that I just
love. Starts off slow, then bam! Check it out right here.
Here's a great song that unfortunately didn't get a lot of
attention this year. It's one of those
uplifting tunes that a lot of fun, with whistles and melodic and uplifting
lyrics and such...and the video's pretty fun, too. Check it out...
#20 - Zero Gravity -
Borgeous
From the very first time I heard this one, I couldn't help
but think of Zedd. Nice tune! Check out Zero
Gravity on John's Music World.
#19 - Something Better - Audien, featuring Lady Antebellum
In the year 2015, country went dance, as Lady Antebellum joins
forces with producer Nate Rathbun, AKA Audien, to create this beautiful dance
song. Check it out right here.
#18 - Right Here, Right Now - Giorgio Moroder, featuring Kylie
Minogue
After a long hiatus from the music world, superstar producer
Giorgio Moroder joind forces with Aussie super diva Kylie Minogue for this wonderful
dance song. Check it out...
#17 - I Want You to Know - Zedd, with Selena Gomez
Youngish diva in training Selena Gomez lends her voice to
probably one of the biggest hits off of Zedd's True Colors album.
#16 - Beautiful Now - Zedd
Another track off of True
Colors, this one's simply beautiful!
#15 - Let It Breathe - Treasure Town
I could be the flame that'll
light you up
I could be, I could be
I could be the rain that cools
you down
I could be, I could be...
Love, love love this beautiful song...check it out on John's
Music World.
Haha, yeah I said I was disappointed in Calvin Harris'
latest set, but here ya go, another song in my Top 50 list. Check out Thinking Bout You...nice,
easy and breezy!
#13 - November Skies - Carnage
Here's an entry from late in the year by DJ Carnage, with
Tomas Barford and Nina Kinert. It got A
LOT of hits when I posted it in, of course, November. Great, fast-paced dance tune. Check it out...
#12 - Through the Night - Cedric Gervais, featuring Coco
Simply funky, simply awesome. Check it out right here.
#11 - Hide Away - Daya
I just discovered this one back in November and I absolutely
love it! Love the voice, love the music,
love the chorus...check this hot one onJohn's
Music World.
#10 - Hold My Hand - Jess Glynne
Here's one I just posted earlier today. Many people loved her vocals on Clean
Bandit's beautiful Rather Be, and the
sweetness of this one'll have ya kicking up your heels and singing at the top
of your lungs.
#9 - Can't Feel My Face - The Weekend
One of the biggest stories of the year was the breakout of Canadian
artist known as The Weekend. This funky
jam with the killer hook was a smash all over the world and you can check out
the video right here.
#8 - Sugar - Robin Shulz, featuring Francesco Yates
The title cut that started it all for Robin Schulz this year
is one of the coolest...check that...flyest...jams on the album is the kind of
song ya just can't get outta your head after a listen. Check it out right here.
#7 - Sorry - Justin Bieber
As I mentioned somewhere up above, Justin Bieber's Purpose is one great record, and this
light-hearted and fun dancey tune is my personal favorite of all the cuts. Check out Sorry...
#6 - You Know You Like It - DJ Snake & AlunaGeorge
Man, there are a lot of guys with the moniker "DJ"
on this list. I guess it's to be
expected on any type of dance song listing.
Anyway, DJ Snake had one of the biggest dance hits of the year with this
hypnotic gem. Check it out on John's
Music World.
#5 - Lay It All On Me - Rudimental, featuring Ed Sheeran
(Sultan + Shepard Remix)
Another artist to have a huge breakout year this year (and
last!) was Ed Sheeran. One of his latest
and greatest hits of the year was a guest spot on Rudimental's Lay It All On Me. I saw some end of year lists already that had the remix of this one at the top spot, though I found just a few more that I liked
better. Nevertheless, Sheeran's great
vocals lend themselves nicely to this dance jam. Check it out...
#4 - Hey Mama - David Guetta, featuring Nikki Minaj
The hottest track off of Guetta's latest album, Listen, is a
fast and frenzied dance anthem that reunited the world-famous deejay/producer
with the current queen of rap. Oh, and
another superstar producer, Afrojack, did his own thang to the jam. Check out the vid right here.
#3 - Roses - The Chainsmokers
2015 was the year I fell in love with The Chainsmokers, a
relatively unknown production team until they had put this awesome record
out. Check it out on this post
from my blog, and say you'll never let me
go...
#2 - Lean On - Major Lazer & DJ Snake
One of the most iconic dance tunes of the year features some
great female vocals, catchy lyrics, and
some happy beats. It is by far one of
the best dance tunes of the year, and if I weren't such a Madonna fan, it'd
probably be my #1. Check it out on John's
Music World.
#1 - Wash Over Me - Madonna (Avicii remix)
In a world that's changing I'm a stranger in a strange land There's a contradiction And I'm stuck here in between
Life is like a desert An oasis to confuse me So I walk this razor's edge Will I stand or will I fall?
Turn a blind eye, try to pretend that Nothing is what it seems Torn between the impulse to stay or Running away from all this madness
Who am I to decide what should be done? If this is the end then let it come Let it come, let it rain Rain all over me Like the tide, let it flow Let it wash all over me, over me Let it wash all over me, over me Let it wash all over me
I may be heavily biased, but this Avicii remix of Madonna's Wash Over Me is the perfect dance song. The
original version of the tune is slow and it works much much better as a club
jam. The lyrics are simply beautiful and
so are the beats. Check this one out...
So there you have it, my top 50 dance songs of the year
2015. I hope you've found some tunes in
this list that you'll agree with. In any
case, if you follow John's Music World,
there should be no surprises here. Stay
tuned for my list of the Top 20 Pop Songs
of the Year and a whole lot more.
One of my favorite songs of the year is this sparkler by English singer Jess Glynne off of her debut record I Cry When I Laugh. I don't know anyone who doesn't like this one, so click play below and enjoy...
Though not quite as successful as his previous two records One Love and Nothing But the Beat, David Guetta's 2014 Listen produced one smash dance jam, and that's Hey Mama, another fab collaboration with Nicki Minaj. This one's fast and frenzied and oh so danceable. Check it out...
As I mentioned the other day, I am in the midst of creating this year's lists of the best songs in both pop and dance music, and I'll be posting some of the best of 2015 all week long. We begin with this mesmerizing tune that was a big hit not only here in the U.S, but all over the world, too. Check out Lean On...
The Chainsmokers are a deejay/producing duo that's been making nice dance music for a few years now, and even though they hit it really big back in 2014 with the smash, Selfie, it seems that this year has made them more of a consistent act and I'm definitely looking forward to hearing more from them in the future...
I discovered this gem just a couple of days ago while researching for my upcoming Top Dance Songs of 2015 countdown. Anyone who was around back in 1980 will surely recognize the sample backdrop to this hot dance tune. Yes, it's the original Aussie diva Olivia Newton John's Magic accompanying the funky beats and sultry vocals of none other than Olivia and Matt Lattanzi's talented daughter Chloe. The song was recorded in commemoration of the 35th anniversary of mama's classic disco fantasy Xanadu. Such a fun dance tune! Check out You Have to Believe...
For those of you who do not know Pentatonix, an amazing vocal group from Arlington, Texas, then you're in for a nice treat. These five talented singers have been picking up steam ever since they broke out in 2011-12 with unique acapella covers of popular songs, having recorded four full-length albums, being nominated for all sorts of industry awards (and winning several of them!), and performing to sellout crowds all over the world. In November of 2012, Pentatonix released their second album, PTXmas, whose deluxe version contained their version of my favorite Christmas song. Check out Pentatonix's The Little Drummer Boy...
In case you haven't heard, Australian dance goddess Kylie Minogue released her first ever Christmas album just a little over a month ago. Like most other Christmas albums, this one's got new takes on old standards (including The Waitresses' Christmas Wrapping), but she's written and performed several new tunes just for this album. One of these, the second single released off of Kylie Christmas, is a discoey duet with sister Dannii and I'm just loving it. Check out 100 Degrees...
Today is a very special day...my mom's 73rd birthday. Though I don't get to see her too often these days, she lives on in my heart each and every day, and I appreciate her always. She is one special lady, never having had an easy life, yet always with plenty of love to give to all of those around her. This is the most recent picture of us together, taken on Thanksgiving. I'm lucky, aren't I? I got the good fortune of having inherited her good, youthful looking genes. She looks like she could be in her fifties, right? So anyway, Happy Birthday Mamma Mia, and have an awesome day! Love you!
It's Christmas week! Though I won't be posting Christmas songs every day (I am sure we've all been hearing enough lately!), I will post one or two. We get things kicked off with my absolute favorite Christmas song ever. The Waitresses' Christmas Wrapping is very new wavey and oh so much fun. Oh, and I'd love to check out this light show in person with the speakers blasting throughout the neighborhood. Happy Monday and an early Merry Christmas...
I'm sure a lot of you have been listening to Adele's hot new 25 album, and you're enjoying every moment just like I am. Admittedly, after that first go around of listens during the couple of weeks that followed its release, I did little listening to the record. That's not because I wasn't enjoying it, but because I've got so much other new music lately to check out as well.
So I revisited 25 this weekend and happily rediscovered all of the gems that are to be found hear, true ear candy. I'm loving the fact that there are some lighthearted tunes on the CD are as pleasing to the ears as any of her sad, oftentimes monumental tragic love songs. Here's one sweet song called Water Under the Bridge, as our star performed it on Jimmy Fallon. It's been in my head all weekend long and I thought I'd share it with you this morning. Check it out...
I've been starting to think gathering some of the year's top songs for my annual countdown and here's one that's sure to be in there somewhere. This happy lil ditty's been in my head for about 24 hours now, and it's a great song to start off the weekend with. Check out Want to Want Me....
As we patiently wait endlessly for something new from RiRi, here's an all-time favorite from just over four years ago. This collaboration with Calvin Harris was, and still is, something really special. Press play and enjoy...
Here's a nice dance jam by veteran Dutch deejay producer and Dutch countryman singer Mr. Probz. The song's got a nice feel to it and brings a whole new dancey dimension to Famed Waves singer Mr. Probz raspy voice. Check out Another You...
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