4 Songs From 1983 That Are Still Perfect for a Dance Floor Today

Some of the best dance songs came out in the 1980s. The entire decade is filled with songs that are perfect for a dance floor, including these four songs. All out in 1983, they still make me want to dance today.

“Flashdance… What A Feeling” by Irene Cara

Irene Cara’s only No. 1 single, “Flashdance… What A Feeling” is part of the soundtrack for Flashdance, a blockbuster film out in 1983. The song also appears on What A Feelin’, Cara’s sophomore record. Cara wrote “Flashdance… What A Feeling” with Keith Forsey.

The motivational song says, “What a feeling, being’s believing / I can have it all / Now I’m dancing for my life / Take your passion / And make it happen / Pictures come alive / Now I’m dancing through my life.”

 “Flashdance… What a Feeling” gave Cara a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

“Let’s Dance” by David Bowie

“Let’s Dance” is the title track of an album David Bowie also released in 1983. Written by Bowie, “Let’s Dance” became a three-week No. 1 single for him.

The song begins with, “(Let’s dance) put on your red shoes and dance the blues / (Let’s dance) to the song they’re playing on the radio / (Let’s sway) while color lights up your face / (Let’s sway) sway through the crowd to an empty space.”

Let’s Dance also includes “China Girl” and “Modern Love”, both big hits for Bowie.

“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper

Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” is the first single from her freshman She’s So Unusual album. Robert Hazard is the only writer of this feel-good song.

“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” says, “But girls, they wanna have fun / Oh, girls just wanna have / That’s all they really want / Some fun / When the working day is done / Oh, girls, they wanna have fun.”

Interestingly, Hazard first recorded a version of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” before Lauper made it famous.

“Let The Music Play” by Shannon

Shannon’s first single, “Let The Music Play” also became her first No. 1 hit. The title track of her debut album, “Let The Music Play” was written by Chris Barbosa and Ed Chisholm.

A six-week No. 1 hit on the dance chart, “Let The Music Play” says, “Let the music play, he won’t get away / Just keep the groove, and then he’ll come back to you again (Let it play) / Let the music play, he won’t get away / This groove he can’t ignore, he won’t leave you anymore (No, no, no.)”

After “Let The Music Play”, Shannon had two other singles reach the top of the dance charts. The follow-up single, “Give Me Tonight”, went all the way to No. 1, as did “Do You Wanna Get Away”. The latter, released in 1985, became her final No. 1 single.

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