Last year this time, Lady Gaga cut her dancefloor teeth with first single "Just Dance", and no one besides her hairdresser had heard of La Roux. Fast forward one year to 2009 and these flamboyant DIY dance mavens have conquered the floors and charts the world over.
Best Dance Songs of 2009 – Lady Gaga
Easily claiming top artist of 2009, Lady Gaga hit big in her native U.S. after her ode to partying “Just Dance” soared to the top of the charts in Canada. That single continued to smoulder at the top when follow-up "Poker Face" began to charm the world. Both number one singles, they were quickly joined at the top by "Lovegame" and "Paparazzi" giving Lady Gaga a total of four number one dance hits.
By year's end her record company re-released, The Fame, which spawned these singles, with an additional bonus CD comprising eight new compositions including "Bad Romance". At year’s end that track sits comfortably at the top establishing Lady Gaga as the top dance artist of 2009.
2009’s Best Dance Music in the UK – La Roux & David Guetta
In the UK, flame-haired La Roux's success mirrored that of Lady Gaga. Jumping straight into penthouse their first time out with debut single "In For The Kill", La Roux merged 80’s inspired electronic dance music with razor-sharp lyrics.
Led by the shrilly vocals of frontwoman Elly Jackson, the duo followed up that success with a second number one "Bulletproof". Though their success wasn't duplicated on the Billboard Hot 100, at year's end "Bulletproof" remained in the top ten on the dance charts.
DJ turned superstar David Guetta became the first French artist to score two number one hits in the UK within mere weeks. He first capped the summit with the summer breakthrough "When Love Takes Over" featuring ex-Destiny’s Child star Kelly Rowland and then with "Sexy Bitch" featuring in-demand rapper Akon. Though not credited in the title, David Guetta also produced worldwide number one “I Gotta Feeling” by The Black Eyed Peas, giving him his third number one single in the UK.
Though not as successful on the Billboard Hit 100, peaking outside the top 40, "When Love Takes Over" kept the dancefloors burning in U.S. discos all summer long. Meanwhile “Sexy Bitch” prowled into the top ten becoming Guetta’s biggest hit in the U.S. to date, with the exception of the aforementioned Black Eyed Peas track.
Record Number One Songs from The Black Eyed Peas and Madonna
The Black Eyed Peas put extra miles between them and their hip hop roots by fully embracing dance music in 2009. The results, two little tracks called "Boom Boom Pow" and "I Got a Feeling", which ruled the dancefloors and the charts for most of the summer spending a record 26 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
Madonna also made Billboard chart history when "Celebration", the title track from her third greatest hits collection topped the dance chart, giving the 52 year old Queen of Pop her 40th number once dance track – easily the biggest overall star on this list of the best dance songs of 2009.
Best Dance Songs of 2009 (20 – 1)
20. Mika – Rain
19. Timbaland - Morning After Dark (feat. Nelly Furtado & SoShy)
18. Britney Spears – 3
17. Sean Kingston – Fire Burning
16. Shakira – She Wolf
15. Black Eyed Peas – Boom Boom Pow
14. La Roux – In For The Kill
13. Lady Gaga – Paparazzi
12. Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling
11. Royksopp – The Girl and The Robot (feat. Robyn)
10. Lady Gaga – Lovegame
9. Madonna – Celebration
8. Dizzee Rascal – Bonkers
7. Little Boots – Remedy
6. Freemasons - Heartbreak 'Make Me a Dancer' (feat. Sophie Ellis-Bextor)
5. Cascada – Evacuate The Dancefloor
4. La Roux – Bulletproof
3. Lady Gaga – Bad Romance
2. David Guetta - When Love Takes Over (feat. Kelly Rowland)
1. Lady Gaga – Poker Face
David Guetta, The Black Eyed Peas, La Roux and especially Lady Gaga racked up hits in 2009, but the dancing stopped on June 25, 2009 as the world wept collectively following the saddening news that the King of Pop, Michael Jackson had died suddenly.
One of world’s biggest stars and creator of some of the most memorable dance music of the last four decades, Jackson's passing marked the end of an era and the passing of a star the likes of which the world probably will never see again.
Dance music exploded in 2009, a year when new stars were born, old stars returned and one in particular passed away. In the first part of this year end wrap-up, Suite 101 counts down the Top Forty Dance Songs of 2009.
James W. Coates - A nomad at heart, James W. Coates has been combining his passion for music, writing and traveling ever since his father packed the family ...
