I decided to do this post this week because I had been planning on writing it for a while and now just seemed like the perfect time. The new Just Dance 2018 game is coming out towards the end of this month and I'm really excited for it. I always like waiting to see which songs will be featured on each new edition of the game, and the soundtrack for this one looks really fun (You can dance to megahits like "24K Magic" by Bruno Mars, "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi ft Daddy Yankee, "Shape Of You" by Ed Sheeran, and "Side To Side" by Ariana Grande ft Nicki Minaj.) This brings us today's post, where I'm going to list my favorite songs to ever be featured on the series. The series has featured tons of songs over the years, many of which I absolutely love. This made it really hard to narrow it down to just ten, but somehow I was able to do it. The song selections were based on how much I like the actual song, how much enjoyment I get out of the gameplay, and how much sentimental value it has to me (or however much sentimental value a dance video game can have). I wouldn't dare try to rank these from best to worst, so they're just listed in order from the song that appeared on the oldest game to the newest. I'll try to keep this relatively short, but knowing me, that's highly unlikely. Finally, the links in the titles of each song are links so you can watch (and dance along) if you please. Let's get started!
1. "Hey Ya!" by Outkast (Appeared on Just Dance 2)
Just Dance 2 is the earliest game in the series that I own (I don't have the first one, and the only time I've ever played it was at a friend's house) and I got it in early 2012 with a Christmas gift card at Target. I got it shortly after I got Just Dance 3. I remember one day I was playing the game with my brother and I chose to do this song. His response was "Emma, why are you doing a nerd song?" And my response was, "Because the song is awesome." The song is a classic ("shake it like a Polaroid picture" is one of those lyrics that everyone knows) and it's very upbeat, making it fun to dance to. The character for this one is a nerd, but the nerd's got some pretty sweet moves. The choreography is dorky in the best way and a surprisingly good fit for the song. It's my favorite song on Just Dance 2.
2. "California Gurls" by Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg (Appeared on Just Dance 3)
Towards the end of last week's post, I went on a somewhat angry rant on Katy Perry, specifically her newer material. A big part of the reason why I don't like Katy Perry anymore is because she's made a bunch of amazing songs and her new stuff is just disappointing. Katy's music has been featured on most of the Just Dance games, and although most of them are pretty fun (I was tempted to choose "Birthday" from Just Dance 2015), I had to choose this one. "California Gurls" isn't super-deep or complex, but it's the perfect dumb-but-fun guilty pleasure pop song. The character is clearly modeled after Katy herself and she looks like the perfect California girl. The choreography fits the song perfectly, but what really stands out is the background. The dancing lime-green teddy bear in the background that starts dancing along around Snoop's verse is hilarious, and my brother and I used to try to copy his moves when we were little.
3. "Take On Me" by A-ha (Appeared on Just Dance 3)
When my youngest brother was about three years old, he thought it would be a great idea to cram a bunch of our Wii games into the console, including our copy of Just Dance 3. We got another, previously used Wii from our aunt and uncle since the old one was broken, and although most of the songs on Just Dance 3 still work, there are a few random songs we can't play without them crashing. Sadly, one of those is "Take On Me", which has always been one of my favorites. If I were asked to pick my favorite '80s song, this would probably be my pick, and Just Dance is a big part of the reason why. My mom used to play Just Dance with us, and we would always do this song. The dancer looks pretty cool and the whole dance looks like it's on the set of an '80s music video. The choreography is, again, a little dorky, but it manages to fit with the song. And of course, everyone knows the song. It's iconic, cheesy in the best way, and just awesome. I really miss being able to play this song, and I still haven't forgiven my brother for taking it away from me.
4. "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz (Appeared on Just Dance 3)
I selected three songs from Just Dance 3 for this list, more than any other game. It's not that the game was my favorite (I don't know which one is TBH), it just has a lot of sentimental value to me since it was the first one I got. I have a lot of fond memories of playing the game with my mom, and this song in particular was one of our favorites. I remember my mom and my aunt would always compete to see who could get the highest score, and it got pretty intense. The song itself is one that I've always loved since it first came out and it was a great choice for the game. It's a Dance Crew dance, which means there are four characters for you to choose from. The aesthetic of the dance is very clearly influenced from the 1920s and 1930s, and while it doesn't look like it fits the song (a dance-pop banger from 2010), it fits weirdly well. I always choose the female character in the blue who looks like a flapper. I love her design and I feel like she has a lot of sass in her movements. This one's really fun to do with a group.
5. "Disturbia" by Rihanna (Appeared on Just Dance 4)
Rihanna is one of the current queens of R&B and pop music, so, like Katy Perry, her music has been featured on the Just Dance games many times. This is my favorite song by her and my favorite song in Just Dance 4 (which I actually think is my favorite, to be honest). It's spooky in the best way and you can bet I'll be listening to it come October 31st. The gameplay reflects the creepy quality of the song perfectly. The dancer's wearing this two-toned dress with spikes and matching hair, and she's got some intimidating eye makeup. She looks pretty freaking awesome. The choreography is also pretty eerie, with some moves that are clearly inspired by Michael Jackson's "Thriller", the ultimate Halloween song. Just Dance usually has one Halloween-themed song every game, and although this one isn't in-your-face-Halloween (no ghosts or pumpkins here), it's still the best spooky song on the game ever.
6. "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction (Appeared on Just Dance 4)
A good amount of these songs are solely on the list because of nostalgia, and this one is no exception. My mom, brother, and I would always play this song whenever we did Just Dance 4, and we always had a blast doing it. The characters are clearly modeled after the boys of One Direction, and although I like One Direction to some extent, I'm a little disappointed they never (to my knowledge) did full-on choreography like this. I always dance as the one second from the left in the cyan (I'm pretty sure he's supposed to be Zayn?). I always chose that one because that was my favorite color when I was younger (now it's pink) and it's sort of become a habit since then. The choreography is cheesy in the best way and it's fun to pretend I'm a part of a boy band. And allow me to repeat: WHY DON'T MODERN BOY BANDS DO MORE CHEESY CHOREOGRAPHY? It's entertaining. I like the song as well. It's more of a guilty pleasure but it's catchy and fun to dance to, making it the perfect type of song for the series.
7. "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga ft. Colby O'Donis (Appeared on Just Dance 2014)
It just wouldn't feel right to make this list without including the very song the franchise is named after. You'd probably expect the makers of the series to put this on from the very beginning, but for whatever reason, they decided to wait until Just Dance 2014 to include it. The wait was worth it, however. I've always loved the song, which is easily my favorite by Lady Gaga. It's just a remarkably catchy, fun, and memorable pop song. The dancer is somewhat modeled after Gaga herself, and she looks amazing. Her outfit is so cool. The choreography looks difficult the first time you do it, but it's surprisingly easy to learn. I've gotten five stars (the highest score) nearly every time I've done it. I also think the backgrounds are awesome. I couldn't find a picture of the specific background I'm referring to, but at one part, it looks like it's in a church with stained-glass windows decorated with characters from previous games (including "California Gurls", "Disturbia", and "Hey Ya", just to name a few from this list). It's a cool nod to the series' history that hardcore fans (like myself, don't judge me) will really appreciate.
8. "Get Low" by Dillon Francis ft. DJ Snake (Appeared on Just Dance 2015)
I've never really cared for Just Dance 2015 that much. I didn't know that many of the songs and there were only a few I really liked. Still, there were some gems, including this one. I actually discovered this song from the game, and I've liked it ever since. It's not anything deep (it only has, like, six words), but it's an absolute banger. It's a slightly insane-sounding song and the dance reflects the mania of it perfectly. The color scheme is very bright and the graphics are crazy. I love the pendulums in the background during the main drop (which you can see in the picture). The two dancers are really energetic and fun. They're on two separate platforms, and they have some interactions with each other that I find really cool. I usually choose the one on the right. The choreography is intense and pretty difficult (There's this one part...I'm not sure how to describe it, so I'll just put a picture at the bottom...that I've never been able to do), but it's exhilarating. This is a trap song, so naturally the moves are more hip-hop inspired. They're fun though! I don't know how to wrap this one up so I'll just end with a picture of the one move that I can't do. It goes way too far back!
9. "Want To Want Me" by Jason Derulo (Appeared on Just Dance 2016)
A common theme for this list is that most of the songs from the earlier games (2 to 4) are on the list because of nostalgia and the songs from the later games (2014 onward) are on more because I like the songs. That's definitely true for "Want To Want Me", my favorite song on Just Dance 2016. I have adored the song ever since I first heard it, and it even made my Top 15 Songs of 2015 list on my old blog (and it's one of the picks I don't regret!) I think that if I were to order that list, I'd actually put it at number 2, with only Walk the Moon's "Shut Up And Dance" ahead of it. I play this song pretty much every time I play Just Dance 2016 mostly because I like the song, but the actual gameplay is pretty cool too. I like the design of the character a lot. His outfit is pretty cool and flashy and I feel like it's how my brother would dress if he was rich. The aesthetic is awesome as well. I love the color scheme mainly consisting of red, white, gold, and black with some blue and purple mixed in (as you can see from the picture). There are random silhouettes of women in the background for some reason, and while I'm not sure why they're there, I still think it's cool. The choreography is somewhat difficult (meaning I have yet to get five stars on it) but it's still fun to do. Like the last song I've chosen for my list, I've danced to this song so many times mostly because I love the song so much. And speaking of that last song...
10. "Into You" by Ariana Grande (Appeared on Just Dance 2017)
The last song I selected for this post is "Into You" by Ariana Grande. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned in a few posts how much I love Ariana, both as a singer and a person. She's one of, if not my favorite celebrities and I've loved her since her days on Victorious. Her music has appeared on a lot of the more recent songs on the game, and this is the best one. This isn't my absolute favorite song by her (there are a few deep cuts from her albums I love even more), but it's close, and it's by far the best single she's released. "Into You" is bar-none the song from Just Dance 2017 that I've played most. I don't even really like the choreography that much (the move the dancer does when Ari sings "Tell me what you came here for" is ridiculous), but the dancer herself is pretty and the backgrounds are astonishing. I LOVE the aesthetic of this dance. But in the end, I've done this song so many times because the song is pretty much perfect in my opinion. I could write an essay about everything I love about it (and probably will, since I'm planning to make my top 10 Ariana Grande songs at some point), and it's low-key what I want all pop music to sound like. This is one of my favorite songs of all time and the inclusion of it on Just Dance makes me really happy.
I was going to include a few honorable mentions, but this isn't a properly ranked top ten so I decided against it. These aren't the only songs from Just Dance that I love, so I'll probably make a sequel to this post at some point. As for next week's post, I have no idea what it'll be about (which is usually what happens with these) but you can find it next Wednesday! I'm Stellar in Neverland, and I'll see you then. Peace!
Stellar
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