If you grew up in the ’90s like I did, then you know all about dance music and who was and was not at the top of the charts. During the ’90s, it seemed to be nothing but new dance mixes coming out on a daily basis. So what were the best hits of the ’90s dance music?
Gonna Make You Sweat” (Everybody Dance Now) by C&C; Music Factory
Every time this song was played at a party the entire room would go crazy and everyone would immediately hit the dance floor. This song really did make you sweat, with a great beat and great lyrics. When it comes to 90’s dance music this one is definitely at the top of the charts. The reason why this song was so successful was just because of the dance beat that it had behind it. This group was basically a dance production group, that was coordinated by Robert Clivilles and David Cole. Their song “Gonna Make You Sweat” was even number one other the Billboards, and the R&B; single charts. They had a long history of creating great dance hits during the 1990’s.
” Finally” by CeCe Peniston
This song was definitely one of my favorite dance songs of the 90’s. CeCe Peniston’s song even hit the international number one spot during the 1990’s. It was also number 2 in the UK. The song was also used in a few films and in a few television shows. This was definitely one song that got everyone up and moving as soon as the music started so it is no wonder that it had such great success. In 2005 she made several guest appearances and even the single “Deeper Love” by David Longoria. She definitely contributed greatly to the 90’s dance music craze.
Whoomp! There It Is – Tag Team
This song hit the number one spot on the US R & B charts and went seven weeks in the number two spot on Billboards top 100 after being released early in 1994. Most often you will hear the song “Whoomp! There It Is!, played at basketball games and various other sporting events. It was also used by the Philadelphia Phillies baseball tem during the 1993 World Series. The song has also been remixed dozens of times to fit the current occasion. The group itself consisted of Cecil Glenn also known as Brain Supreme and Steve Gibson also known as Steve Roll’n. Since they did not come out with many hits as big as “Whoomp! There It Is!” they are often referred to as one a one hit wonder group.
Believe (Life After Love) – Cher
Not only did this song win a Grammy award, but it quickly became known as the multi platinum dance song of the year. The song was first released in 1998 and quickly rose to number one on a world wide level. The song was written by Paul Barry, Matt Gray, Brian Higgins, and Stuart Mclellan. The best part is that this song was sung by the one and only Cher. At the age of 52 she released this song and it became the biggest selling dance song that ever sold more than 10 million copies around the world. Cher definitely has had a long successful career including 25 albums and over 34 Billboard top 40 entries. She has even had 16 top ten hits in the UK. Her talent however does not stop at just singing great 90’s dance music, she also won an Academy Award for best actress in the movie Moonstruck. It’s easy to see why she is still known as one of the most popular artists in history.
C’mon N Ride It (The Train) – Quad City Djs
This song was very popular and was released in 1995 and was played in dance clubs everywhere. There were also numerous remixes made of this song. The group that released the song was known as the Quad City DJ’s. The duo consisted of CC.Lemonhead better known as Nathaniel Orange, and Jay Ski better known as Johnny McGowan. The song itself was based on Barry White’s 1974 “Theme from Together Brothers”. Also in 1996 they recorded the theme song for the movie Space Jam.
100% Pure Love – Crystal Waters
Crystal Waters hit number eleven on the Billboard hot 100 with this song and number one on the Dance Club Play Chart. She also won a Billboard award for the “Top Selling Hot Dance Music Club Play”, at the 1994 Billboard Music Awards. Crystal Waters was also famous for the dance hit “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless), which also topped dance charts. The 90’s was definitely a great time for Crystal Waters.
Here Comes the Hot stepper (Heartical mix) – Ini Kamoze
This song was recorded and released in 1994 and was written by Ini Kamoze and Richard Winsland. For the song they used a sample Taana Gardners “Heartbeats” which was released early in 1981. Ini Kamoze was a Jamaican reggae singer who came out with a great dance hit in 1994. After the song was released he quickly became known as the “Hot stepper”. The song itself has appeared on movie soundtracks and is still played in clubs around the world. This song still is the only number one hit that Ini Kamoze ever released.
Tootsee Roll – 69 Boyz
Who could forget the very famous Tootsee Roll which quickly become a dance craze in the 90’s. It was recorded by the 69 Boyz who were a hip hop group from Jacksonville Florida. The group itself consisted of Van Wright, Greg Thomas, and Rottweiler Mike Mike. The group was created by the same members of the Quad City DJ’s. In 1994 the song the “Tootsee Roll” went double platinum and hit number eight on the billboard top 100 charts. The song also became very popular after being used in a movie in 1998.
Take Me In Your Arms – Lil’ Suzy
This song was recorded by Suzanne Casale who was better known as Lil’ Suzy. She became well known for her song “Take Me In Your Arms and even was named “Best New Dance Artist” in 1992 by Billboard magazine. That was one of the biggest dance hits that she ever released and is still played at clubs around the world.
Make It Happen – Mariah Carey
The song was written by Mariah Cary, David Cole, and Robert Clivilles. It was on her second album “Emotions” which was released in 1991. It was an inspirational and motivating song that told people they can make anything they want happen in their lives, as long as they believe in themselves. During 1992 this song received a lot of radio play. It also won a BMI Pop Award. Mariah Carey has had an outstanding career over the years. Billboard also has her listed as one of the most successful artist of the 90’s. She has recorded seventeen number one singles in the United States alone. Even though she has had many struggles along the way of her career she is still making hits. In 2007 she even received a recording star on the Hollywood walk of fame.
Ray of Light – Madonna
The song “Ray of Light” was recorded by one of the top American singer -songwriters of all time Madonna. The 90’s dance craze was released in 1998 and the album itself was certified RIAA Gold, and 4x platinum by March of 2000. The song was written by Madonna, William Orbit, Clive Muldoon, Dave Curtis, and Christine Leach. The song itself received mixed reviews over the course of the years as well as numerous awards. Not only is she an American singer but she is also an actress. The media has often referred to Madonna as the “Material Girl” and the “Queen of Pop. Since her first album was released who has sold well over 200 million albums world wide.
Turn the Beat Around – Gloria Estefan
This song was originally recorded as a disco song by Gerald Jackson and Peter Jackson, but was also recorded in 1994 by Gloria Estefan for the movie “The Specialist. It instantly hit number thirteen on the billboard top 100. The song was also performed by Gloria Estefan on VH1’s first Divas Live. It was also number one on the US dance music/club play chart. It was also her first number one dance hit. Gloria Estefan is a singer songwriter from Havana Cuba, and quickly become known as the “Queen of Latin Pop”. Shi is only on the list for best selling music artist, who has sold over 90 million albums around the world. She has won five Grammy awards in her career and is known today as the most successful crossover performer in Latin music.
Too Legit 2 Quit – MC Hammer
Who could forget the greatest of all the 90’s dance music, MC Hammer. Even though he fell from fame almost as quickly as he got there he is still best known for one of his best dance tracks “Too Legit 2 Quit”. This song was released in 1991 and was produced by Felton Pilate. This song was basically a response to all of the critics he had faced on his previous records. He was basically telling them that he would never quit or give up. The album was also title “Too Legit to Quit” and sold over three million copies world wide. He was best known for his dance moves, and the album even went multi- platinum. Unfortunately do to bad money management his record label still considered his album to be a failure commercially. He is still however well known as the greatest 90’s dance artist.
Dreamer – Livin’ Joy
This song was released in 1994 and quickly became a number one dance single for the Us and the UK. In the first week it sold over 130,000 copies around the world. It has been labeled a dance anthem and was recorded by “Livin Joy”. Livin Joy was a house music group who only released two great dance hits. The lead singer was Janice Robinson and with dreamer they easily climbed the US Dance music/club chart.
So there are some of the best 90’s dance music that has ever been recorded. So what were some of your favorites? Why not post your thoughts on who your favorite dance artist of the 90’s was below in the comments section.
Can You Feel It?– 3rd Party
“Can you Feel It” was created by a three member dance -pop group called 3rd party in 1997. This song is what made them famous and the song is even still played today in many clubs around the world. The lead singer of the group was Maria Christensen and the backup singers were Karmine Alers, and Elaine Borja. All of the member of the group have moved on to bigger and better things but they will always be remembered as the group that had the one hit wonder called “Can You Feel It”.
