Everyone has their favorite vintage dancing tunes, and, for many years, these rhythms were the soundtrack to which American men and women lived their lives. Even today, ABBA, the Bee Gees, Pat Benatar, Britney Spears, and other artists paint with their musical notes a colorful picture for us of those years gone by and grant us a sense of nostalgia that simply cannot be replaced by Lady Gaga. While no doubt Mother Monster will make her way onto a future list of top songs of the 21st Century, this blog post honors the best tunes of the latter half of the 20th Century, and, hopefully, get you all pumped up for our school’s Decades Dance on November 3rd!
So put on your dancing shoes, turn up the radio, and rock out with these top five songs from each of the past five decades.
The 1950s:
1. “Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley
2. “Twistin’ the Night Away” by Sam Cooke
3. “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry
4. “Beyond the Sea” by Bobby Darin
5. “Rockin’ Robin” by Bobby Day
The 1960s:
1. “Do You Believe in Magic?” by The Lovin’ Spoonful
2 “Build Me Up, Buttercup” by The Foundations
3. “You Can’t Hurry Love” by The Supremes
4. “Happy Together” by The Turtles
5. “Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys
The 1970s:
1. “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)” by Billy Joel
2. “American Pie” by Don McLean
3. “Imagine” by John Lennon
4. “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder
5. “Bennie and the Jets” by Elton John
The 1980s:
1. “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel
2. “Bad” by Michael Jackson
3. “When Doves Cry” by Prince
4. “Killer Queen” by Queen
5. “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey
The 1990s:
- “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana
- “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana
- “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana
- “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana
- “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana
Why is there only one song from the 1990s? The answer is simple.
There was not another song from the decade that lived up to the artistic and commercial success of this single by the famed Kurt Cobain and his much-loved band. It defined the wild spirit of a new decade’s generation and all their desires. Even today, it captures the essence of the American youth and is regularly played on radio stations across the country. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is known not only as the best song of the 1990s, but also as one of the very best in rock history.
Didn’t see your favorite decade songs on this list? Add yours to the Comments below! We’d love to hear from you and the artists you love!
Rep Image: Adam Lofting