Here you have a comprehensive list of music that irresistibly compels me to dance against my will, even when the only dance skills I have are jumping and pumping my arms. Whether it’s the emotion or the beat or the voice, something just makes my heart swell and I just have to sing along very loudly. (If the title seems specific to you, it’s because I do this fairly often when home alone. It’s cathartic. Please give it a try.)
I highly recommend this experience. The compulsion to dance and the vibes from the music cure all cases of stress and anxiety. You can see my earlier post on dopamine hacks for a detailed description of the magic of dance and serotonin, but it’s science! But more importantly, music and dance are something very important to humanity. It’s a form of sharing and expression that comes and goes straight from the heart. It takes a lot of elements to make up a good song – the voice, the rhythm, the tempo, the layers, the instrumentals – and dances can have some complicated steps, but I believe that these things are base, foundational experiences in our lives as humans. Even the most rich and complex song is simple in how we connect to it so easily, simple in its pure, unhindered delivery of emotion to the audience. And no matter your experience, anyone can dance with a good song to guide their improvised moves.
Here’s the list! You may know some of these, but whether or not you do, I encourage you to listen to each song while reading the description, and maybe dance along too.
1. If You Wanna by The Vaccines
The inspiration for this blog post. Pure energy. Please listen. The chorus makes me jump in circles and sing along even though I quickly run out of breath and my voice drifts off-key just as fast. Even when I forget to pay attention to the music, or don’t immediately recognize the song, the emotions hit me hard and fast – adrenalin, joy, and the feeling that I have something out there to grab onto. (For the record, most Vaccines songs are great! Especially their album “What Did You Expect From the Vaccines?” But none match the high spirits and energy this song encapsulates).
2. Jackie and Wilson by Hozier
Surprised? Most of Hozier’s songs are dark, slow, and deep. This one keeps that undertone of something dark, but the chorus really picks up the tempo and layers on the drums and guitar enough to get that rocking sound going. I really haven’t looked into the lyrics much beyond the chorus (because I historically can’t ever make out the words people sing, ever), but the story line there is really fun to visit: young and exciting love, mystery, protective and caring relationships. The heart and soul that defines Hozier is still in there, but the mood is brand new, built up into something hopeful and exciting by the drum beats that were created to bounce along with and the jazzy, blues rhythm of the song that brings life to it. Not to mention Hozier’s voice, a smooth gift from God himself. This one makes me want to get into my car and
3. Heroes by David Bowie
Uhhhh, yes. This song! I first heard it from the movie adaptation of Perks of Being a Wallflower (please give it a watch, Logan Lerman and Emma Watson and Ezra Miller are beautiful and the movie is too), and ever since it still gives me the feeling of being on top of the world. There’s no quick drum beat to jump along to, but the swell in my chest just won’t let me sit still when it comes on. The emotion that Bowie puts into every syllable is unbelievable, and his voice is even better. The drums, although not fast enough to jump to, are steady and powerful and lift me up so high from my lows. It’s the kind of song you can put your hands up to and sway along to the visions he evokes of having power and time and love, of being invincible and indomitable and enjoying life in its purest, simplest forms. It makes me feel free, and freedom makes me want to dance. I hope that you can get some of the same rush that I do when you hear this song.
4. Under Control by The Strokes
This one is more of a “roll the windows down and put the aux on full volume” kinda song, no matter the weather, but it warrants a mention in this category. First, I have to express my endless love and devotion to the deity that is The Strokes. If you haven’t listened to them, I beg you to drop everything and play just one song. You literally can’t pick a wrong one – I’ve yet to find a Strokes song that I don’t immediately like. Their new album came out last May and I’m still not over it’s beauty and power. Now that the endorsement is over, we can return to our regular programming. “Under Control” definitely makes top 5 Strokes (a high endorsement, considering the volume of music they’ve produced). It has a steady rhythm and the classic lingering notes of most Strokes songs, but they vibes! I’m honestly at a loss to how this song, with its medium pace and low-pitched voice, but somehow the drums just before the chorus get me anticipated enough to head bang in the car and bounce on my toes when I’m at home. If you disagree with its presence on this list, that’s perfectly valid, but I inexplicably understand that it belongs here, at least for me.
For me, a lot of music has meaning because of the memories I connect with it. Listening to Under Control sometimes vividly evokes the time I heard it in the car on the way to the orthodontist. If You Wanna makes me remember the emotional crisis I was having between the emotional high of pulling off a conference I had spent a year planning and the stress of senior year finals. These memories – and more importantly, the feelings associated with them – come back to me every time I listen to them. Maybe the force of emotion I felt the second time I heard If You Wanna is what makes it so powerful for me now, even if the experience now is joyful and cathartic instead of crying-on-the-floor overwhelmed. Music is personal and messy and so entangled in our lives that no two people could ever hope to experience it in the same way. Even so, I hope that this list inspires you to make your own and to branch out in your own music taste.
Thanks for reading! I would do a review of Red, White & Royal Blue, which I just read this week, but I’d be lying if I said it would be anything but keyboard smashes in all caps. P L E A S E read though, highly recommended.