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1970–1999

School Dance

Gym floors, Aqua Net, first kisses, and awkward slow dances.

The basketball hoops are folded up, crepe paper hangs from the walls, and a disco ball spins over the gym floor while teachers stand guard pretending not to watch. The air is sweat, perfume, Aqua Net, and pure nervous anticipation. For weeks everyone agonized over who to ask; now friends cluster by the punch bowl, couples try not to look awkward, and the DJ works a folding table stacked with speakers and CDs. The fast songs got everyone moving, the slow songs made your heart race, and the last song of the night felt like the end of something. Junior-high dance, homecoming, prom, or the last dance before graduation — these are the songs that filled gymnasiums across America from the '70s through the '90s, where countless love stories began.

🎲 Surprise me

All 68 tracks

68 tracks
Celebration (Single Version) by Kool & The Gang — cover art
Celebration (Single Version)
Kool & The Gang
1980
Walking On Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves — cover art
Walking On Sunshine
Katrina and the Waves
1985
Footloose by Kenny Loggins — cover art
Footloose
Kenny Loggins
1984
Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper — cover art
Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Cyndi Lauper
1983
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham! — cover art
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
Wham!
1984
Let's Hear It for the Boy by Deniece Williams — cover art
Let's Hear It for the Boy
Deniece Williams
1984
Walking on Broken Glass by Annie Lennox — cover art
Walking on Broken Glass
Annie Lennox
1992
Love Shack by The B-52's — cover art
Love Shack
The B-52's
1989
Mony Mony by Billy Idol — cover art
Mony Mony
Billy Idol
1987
You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) by Dead or Alive — cover art
You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)
Dead or Alive
1984
Bust a Move by Young MC — cover art
Bust a Move
Young MC
1989
Y.M.C.A. by Village People — cover art
Y.M.C.A.
Village People
1978
Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix) by Los del Río — cover art
Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)
Los del Río
1996
Mambo No. 5 (a Little Bit of...) by Lou Bega — cover art
Mambo No. 5 (a Little Bit of...)
Lou Bega
1999
Walk Like an Egyptian by The Bangles — cover art
Walk Like an Egyptian
The Bangles
1985
Jump Around by House of Pain — cover art
Jump Around
House of Pain
1992
Whoomp! There It Is by Tag Team — cover art
Whoomp! There It Is
Tag Team
1993
Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) by C+C Music Factory — cover art
Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)
C+C Music Factory
1990
Good Vibrations (feat. Loleatta Holloway) by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch & Loleatta Holloway — cover art
Good Vibrations (feat. Loleatta Holloway)
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch & Loleatta Holloway
1991
U Can't Touch This by MC Hammer — cover art
U Can't Touch This
MC Hammer
1990
Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice — cover art
Ice Ice Baby
Vanilla Ice
1990
Cotton Eye Joe by Rednex — cover art
Cotton Eye Joe
Rednex
1995
Barbie Girl by Aqua — cover art
Barbie Girl
Aqua
1997
Tubthumping by Chumbawamba — cover art
Tubthumping
Chumbawamba
1997
Groove Is in the Heart by Deee-Lite — cover art
Groove Is in the Heart
Deee-Lite
1990
Don't Stop Believin' by Journey — cover art
Don't Stop Believin'
Journey
1981
Any Way You Want It by Journey — cover art
Any Way You Want It
Journey
1980
Jessie's Girl by Rick Springfield — cover art
Jessie's Girl
Rick Springfield
1981
Centerfold by The J. Geils Band — cover art
Centerfold
The J. Geils Band
1982
Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams — cover art
Summer of '69
Bryan Adams
1985

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▸ Did you know

  • The fast songs got everyone moving; the slow songs made your heart race.
  • Sweat, perfume, and a fog of Aqua Net — the unmistakable smell of a school-gym dance.
  • The final song of the night always felt like the end of something important.