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Top 40 Dance Songs of the 80s

The ultimate 80s club dance tracks, a playlist of the best dance songs from the 80s: from ABC to Pet Shop Boys and everything in between. The hottest MTV dance tracks.
The 80s brought us wild hair and clothes, unique styles, MTV, zipper shirts, parachute pants, and some of the best music ever made. The 80's also introduced a lot of us to the dance floor in wild clubs, with mood lights and fog machines. So many great songs came from the 80s, but we're looking here at the top dance songs - the songs that powered the dance clubs. From Top2040, these are the Top 40 Dance Songs of the 80s:



1 - Always On My Mind by The Pet Shop Boys, the guys who brought so many songs to the purple fog dance floor; from Suburbia to Domino Dancing, their version of the Willy Nelson song is probably the ultimate 80s dance track.

1/tie - The Safety Dance by Men Without Hats, the most famous dance song from the 80s, does anyone not know this infectious beat? 

2 - Victim of Love by Erasure, who have a whole list of dance songs that powered the 80s, Oh L'Amour, Sometimes, A Little Respect...


3 - Bizarre Love Triangle
by New Order, while "True Faith" is their most famous video, it's BLT high energy that got the DJ's attention week after week.

4 - Theme from S'Express by S'Express; it's a natural, you can't resist to dance.

5 - Let the Music Play by Shannon, who also brought "Give Me Tonight."

6 - It's My Life by Talk Talk, played every Friday and Saturday with extra fog.

7 - Tell It To My Heart by Taylor Dayne

8 - Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat

9 - Get Into the Groove by Madonna

10 - When Smokey Sings by ABC

11 - Tainted Love by Soft Cell

 


12 - Big in Japan by Alphaville... great song with a fantastic drum snap.

13 - Cruel Summer by Bananarama

14 - Just Like Heaven by The Cure, one of their best club dance songs.

15 - Engola Gay by OMD Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark

16 - Let's Go! by Wang Chung

17 - Vacation by the Go-Go's, just like Our Lips are Sealed the beat gets you every time.

18 - Strangelove from Depeche Mode was one of the smoothest 80's songs with a kicker bassline

19 - When Doves Cry … Prince & the Revolution

20 - Together Forever by Rick Astley. This got a big resurgence in the Tik Tok era of the last few years.



21 - Word Up by Cameo, the funniest video, the coolest beat and... Star Trek's LeVar Burton in the mix!
 
22 - Girl in Trouble by Romeo Void. The MTV videos of these songs were ... really out there. ha! but we loved them.

23 - Electric Dreams … Phil Oakley & Giorgio Morodor

24 - Tarzan Boy from Baltimora

25 - Suboceana by the Tom Tom Club. Great underwater 3/4 beat!

26 - Relax ! by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Remember: Frankie Say Relax! T-shirts?

27 - You Spin Me Round (Lie a Record) from Dead or Alive

28 - Caribbean Queen by Billy Ocean

29 - You Dropped A Bomb On Me - The Gap Band

30 - Don't Go by Yaz (aka Yazoo: Alison Moyet & Depeche Mode's Vince Clarke)

31 - Call Me by Blondie

32 - It's Raining Men by the Weather Girls 

33 - Let's Hear it for the Boy (Footloose) Deniese Williams

34 - Don't You Want Me by the Human League

35 - Swept Away by Diana Ross

36 - Super Freak by Rick James

37 - Maniac (from the Flashdance soundtrack) Michael Sembello

38 - Let it Whip! ... the Dazz Band

39 - Open Your Heart by Madonna

40 - Rhythm of the Night by Debarge



Bonus Track: p:Machinery by Propaganda... the 8-minute Polish remix is magnificent. This might even tie with the #1 song; even though it lacked fame - it was played in every club night after night!

Beat Dis by Bomb the Bass deserves a special mention too.  

There you have it, the ultimate 80's megamix dance CD! Good times remembered... all those clubs, friends, songs, and memories of the 80s.

More here on Top2040.com 



Many acts, such as Duran Duran and Cindi Lauper sang great songs in the 80's, but not really dance songs. They'll appear on our 80's MTV & radio hit list, instead of the 80s dance song mix.
Now get under the lights and scream to the dance floor.

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