Long before every Katy Perry song was breaking 124 BPM and Pitbull was ruining our favorite big room tracks, artists and labels had to get dance music on FM radio in America by disguising it as straight pop. Here are eleven definitive songs that broke the Billboard charts long before dance music was cool in the USA.
11. Unbelievable – EMF
This one-hit-wonder came and went from UK dance group EMF hitting #1 on the Billboard charts in 1991. EMF stands for Epsom Mad Funkers, the name of a New Order fan club. The band was signed after only playing 4 shows with no demo tape, which is rather Unbelievable, but probably has a great deal to do with why they fell off so immediately.
10. Breathe – The Prodigy
The bassline intro from this track is forever bored into your mind from the very first play. The Prodigy burst onto the American scene in 1997 with Fat of The Land, which fueled the rage of adolescent boys and angsty girls alike. I always thought the lyric was ‘bake sale’ not ‘exhale’, but I was also 11.
9. Barbie Girl – Aqua
Good luck forgetting this song, it sounds like pure cane sugar cut with moonrocks and connotes timeless childhood imagery. Aqua sold 33 million albums worldwide thus making them the single most successful Danish band of all time.
8. Let Me Love You Down – INOJ
INOJ was actually a cover artist who re-recorded this track, originally written by an 80′s group called Ready For The World. “Oh I really liked the original better,” said no one ever.
7. Groove Is In The Heart – Deee-Lite
This song brought actual scratching to FM radio in 1990 and presented a group with a totally unique format. Deee-Lite, led by vocalist Lady Miss Kier, was backed by 2 DJ’s from New York City and derived their aesthetic from the Lower East Side drag queen scene. They came out of the gate strong, but maybe a little too strong because Deee-Lite will never live down or live up to this song.
6. What is Love? – Haddaway
Haddaway was lucky enough to create the absolute perfect theme song for Saturday Night Live’s iconic ‘Roxbury Boys’ and thus receive checks in the mail for all time (or until old SNL goes out of syndication). Try not to hurt your neck doing the move – you know which one.
5. Believe – Cher
Cher made Auto-Tune hip with her 1998 hit ‘Believe’ off her 23rd studio album (HOLY SHIT!). The vocoder sound would literally go on to be known as the ‘Cher effect’ and bolster millions of mediocre vocal recordings across the music industry, thus making the careers of Ashlee Simpson, Ke$ha and T-Pain.
4. Closer – Nine Inch Nails
This track was one of the edgiest songs to break FM radio in the 90′s and put Nine Inch Nails on the map. In true EDM fashion, the drum track was actually a modified sample taken from Iggy Pop’s ‘Nightclubbing’. And yes, the music video is every bit as terrifying as you remember – enjoy.
3. Around The World – Daft Punk
Off Daft Punk’s 1996 album Homework, ‘Around The World’ cracked FM radio in 1997 and earned them a Grammy nomination. Believe it or not back in the Homework days, Daft Punk were wearing exaggerated dog masks – several minutes of scouring the internet for photographic evidence yielded no results so you’ll have to take our word for it.
2. Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) – C&C Music Factory
Can you think of any other 90′s vocal sample that permeated more heavily than “EVERYBODY DANCE NOW”? C&C Music Factory’s massive hit made it all the way to #2 on the Billboard charts and was licensed in countless films and commercials. They attempted an awkward comeback in 2010 much to the excitement of at least 6 people.
1. Praise You – Fatboy Slim
No one penetrated the FM radio universe quite like Fatboy Slim with his 1997 smash single ‘Praise You’ – this guy was making viral videos before there was even a means to share them. Watch the official music video and tell me this isn’t perfect Youtube fodder just 10 years too soon. Although ‘The Rockafeller Skank’ was the first single off You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby, it didn’t hit until after ‘Praise You’ was picked up in 1999.
