Need something to make you believe in dance music again? Here are a few songs from 1978 that will revive your spirits in no time; and they could single-handedly keep clubs open today.
“Blame It On The Boogie” by The Jacksons
This groovy song was actually written with Stevie Wonder in mind but ended up on The Jacksons’ 1978 album Destiny. It’s a dance song about dancing; what could be more perfect? In his memoir Moonwalk, Michael Jackson described this song as:
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“…an uptempo, finger-poppin’-time type song that was a good vehicle for the band approach we wanted to cultivate. I had fun slurring the chorus: [the lyric] ‘Blame It on the Boogie’ could be sung in one breath without putting my lips together.”
“Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen
Everybody goes crazy whenever “Bohemian Rhapsody” is played on the dance floor, and this song is honestly a close second. “Don’t Stop Me Now” has been used in a number of advertisements and TV placements, including an episode of Doctor Who. It’s also been covered in Glee and on The Muppet Show, which are always good benchmarks for success. This song is simply about having a good time and not wanting to stop. It also helps that the lyrics of “Don’t Stop Me Now” are impossibly fun to sing.
I’m burnin’ through the sky, yeah
Two hundred degrees, that’s why they call me Mister Fahrenheit
I’m traveling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic man out of you.
“Heart Of Glass” by Blondie
“Heart Of Glass” is one of Blondie’s most signature songs. It’s disco, it’s rock, and it’s perfect for the dance floor. Miley Cyrus covered this song in 2020, and it’s one of my favorites she’s ever done. I think it fits her voice so well.
“Hold The Line” by Toto
Honestly, Toto does not get enough credit for having some of the most danceable songs ever. This one, which appears on their self-titled debut album, seeks to debunk expectations when it comes to romantic love. It’s not always perfect, but that doesn’t mean it can’t work.
Hold the line
Love isn’t always on time, whoa-whoa-whoa
Hold the line
Love isn’t always on time, whoa-whoa-whoa.
Photo by: Pete Still/Redferns
More The List
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Garth Brooks performs at Shoreline Amphitheatre on June 21, 1991 in Mountain View, California. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images) -
Charley Pride one of the biggest country music stars of the 1970s -
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THE JOHNNY CASH SHOW – "History of Country Music" – Airdate: January 21, 1971. (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) MERLE HAGGARD -
UNSPECIFIED – CIRCA 1970: Photo of KC & Sunshine Band Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images -
Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images -
LOS ANGELES – AUGUST 22: American folk-pop musicians (from left) Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon, of the duo Simon and Garfunkel, sing and play guitar as they perform on the CBS variety program 'The Red Skelton Hour,' USA, August 22, 1966. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
