The 2000s gave us many great things. And, in the world of music, there was no shortage of new artists with new sounds, old artists with new sounds, and just plain new sounds getting born seemingly out of the ether.
The internet became the source of everyone’s music. Many artists decided to start interacting with their fans directly through social media and independent music-sharing platforms. Some artists were even able to get major label deals thanks to YouTube and SoundCloud.
The 2000s was a decade worth remembering…
Especially if you like dance music. Dance tracks are anything that can make a room full of people shake their hips and have a good time. So, I’ve decided to take a look at some of the best 2000’s dance songs. These tracks are in no particular order or ranking, so let’s get started with…
Top 54 Best 2000’s Dance Songs
1
Lean Back by Terror Squad (feat. Fat Joe & Remy Ma)
Album: True Story
Anyone who played “Need For Speed Underground 2” should recall this hypnotically funky number from Terror Squad. If not for that game, you would have heard it on the radio and dancefloor.
The track features production by Scot Stoch, who also helped write the song. Fat Joe puts in one of his greatest performances. And the second verse by Remy Ma adds the perfect dynamic. Fat Joe described the ‘lean-back move’ as simply throwing back either one of your shoulders to the beat.
The track was helped a lot by getting featured in one of the most popular games of the time, The Hip Hop Dance Experience. It managed to climb to #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, where it stayed for seven weeks. It also topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks.
2
Calabria 2007 (Club Mix) by Enur (feat. Natasha)
Album: Calabria 2007 (Single)
Whenever this track’s saxophone hook blasts over some speakers, you can be sure that hands are going in the air and hips are going to start moving. It’s one of those iconic hooks that will forever make people go, “What a track!”
The original was dropped in 2003 by Danish producer and DJ Rune Reilly Kölsch. The track did become quite well known for that great hook. It might be one of the most well-known dance songs saxophone hooks.
Sparking something new…
But, it wasn’t until the short-lived duo, Enur, added some vocals from Danish reggae singer Natasja Saad and released the new fusion remix in 2007 that things took off. It sparked a revival of the tune and resulted in one of the sauciest music videos of the period.
The track reached #46 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Airplay chart. It was a Top 10 dance hit in various other countries as well.
3
Day ‘n Nite by Kid Cudi
Album: A Kid Named Cudi
When Cudi was a young man, he moved from Cleveland to New York to pursue a music career. He stayed with an uncle who was an accomplished Jazz drummer. The situation became less than ideal when things didn’t pan out for Cudi as quickly as he’d hoped. And it resulted in him being told to leave. This experience is in part what led Kid to write “Day ‘n Nite.”
The track features production by Kid’s long-time friend and producer Dot Da Genius. Initially, it was made available as a downloadable song on Kid Cudi’s MySpace page, then onto his first mixtape, A Kid Named Cudi. Later, it became the lead single for his debut album, Man on the Moon: End Of Day.
Since its release…
It has become a 2000s song synonymous with dancing and sparked a myriad of samples and covers. At one point, there were two songs in the Top 5, each of which sampled “Day ‘n Nite.”
The track helped Cudi get signed to Kanye’s label and launch his career into another dimension. The track peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100; it has been certified five times platinum in the US and platinum in the UK.
4
Gotta Get Thru This by Daniel Bedingfield
Album: Gotta Get Thru This
If you’ve heard this song on the radio at half-past-four on a Friday afternoon while stuck in traffic, you know what kind of an effect it can have.
There was a time you’d be grateful NOT to hear it once in the car on the way to a party. And then again, as soon as you get there. These days though, it brings back only fond recollections of simpler times.
An inspiration of love…
Bedingfield was in love with an American redhead when he was inspired to write and record this song. He had felt anguish at the distance separating them. And, when walking across Tower Bridge in London, the song came to him.
He decided to make a small investment in microphones and a piece of software called Making Waves. The track, along with the others on his first album, was recorded in his bedroom.
The beginning of self-produced music…
It is an awesome dance song from the 2000s. But, it is also one of the first tracks to show how computers and software were going to empower people to do things by themselves that they could never have done before.
“Gotta Get Thru This” has been certified platinum in the UK and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording. Hands down, one of the best 2000’s dance songs.
5
Where’s Your Head At by Basement Jaxx
Album: Rooty
Featured in the 2001 action film “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” this raunchy club banger gained much praise due to its multi-award-winning music video, which was the directorial debut of Traktor.
You know the music video…
A man who appears to be some kind of record exec shows up at the studio where he’s been promised the newest hot thing in Pop music. To his astonishment, this appears to be a group of monkeys playing musical instruments and freaking out. Eventually, he reaches a room where a man’s and a monkey’s minds are connected with wires, and we begin to see the deeper message of “Where’s Your Head At.”
It was an international hit for Basement Jaxx, reaching the Top 10 in Canada and the UK. It was a Top 20 hit in Australia and peaked at #39 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks.
6
Every time We Touch by Cascada
Album: Every time We Touch
I’m almost dead sure that this track is played at least once a day in a club in Europe somewhere. Also, at ice skating rinks. Whether the track meets approval or not, one cannot deny that it is a defining track in Eurodance music. And one of the biggest dance club tracks ever created.
Starting a new musical genre…
The track’s production was carried out to perfection, and it paid off. The pulsating kick drum and staccato synthesizers may sound irritating and outdated now. But, they laid the foundation for what would become Progressive Electronic Dance Music over the next two decades.
The track was an international hit reaching #1 in Ireland and Sweden, and the Top 5 in Austria, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. It peaked at #10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and is still one of the most successful Eurodance tracks ever to get onto the chart.
It has been certified double-platinum in Sweden and the UK, and platinum in Canada, Denmark, and the US.
7
Can’t Get You Out Of My Head by Kylie Minogue
Album: Fever
Simplicity has time and time again been highlighted in great pieces of music. And here, we have simplicity all through the track. This extends even to the writing of the song.
Vocalist for D Mob turned songwriter Cathy Dennis and fellow Englishman, Rob Davis, were brought together in 2000 by Universal Publishing to work on music. What started with a simple drum loop in Cubase bloomed into the first demo for “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” within three hours.
When pitched to Kylie, all that was required to convince her was 20 seconds of playback. Even though the final cut is a somewhat fragmented composition, its “La la la” hook just keeps it going and going. As a result, it’s one of the most popular dance songs from the 2000s.
An international smasher…
This was the Australian singer’s first Top 10 in the United States in thirteen years. “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100.
It was #1 in 40 countries and has been certified multi-platinum in the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium, and Minogue’s homeland of Australia.
8
Hey Ya! by Outkast
Album: Speakerboxxx / The Love Below
Andre 3000’s prowess as a songwriter was already clear on the group’s earlier releases, but on SpeakerBoxxx, he found his stride. A simple acoustic guitar and some inspiration from groups like The Ramones, The Smiths, and The Buzzcocks were all he needed to compose the basic structure.
Lyrically, the song showcases Andre’s ability to flawlessly unfold a theme like a piece of cloth onto a cutter’s table and expertly cut out what he needs to dress his song.
The protagonist wonders about the value of living up to society’s expectations about relationships and love. Yet, has he got the courage to do something? And so it goes, “Hey Ya!”
An anthem of the 2000s…
“Hey Ya!” has become synonymous with the 2000s. One of the things that make it great is that you can relate either to the story, or just shake your behind to that catchy beat while forgetting your troubles and singing along to the chorus.
The track was #1 in the United States, Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Norway, and Sweden. It has been certified platinum in multiple countries, including the US, UK, Italy, and Denmark.
All of them pale in comparison to Australia, where “Hey Ya!” has been certified platinum nine times. If you want one of the best 2000’s dance songs, you just found it.
9
SexyBack by Justin Timberlake
Album: FutureSex/LoveSounds
One time, when discussing the track, Justin explained that he was singing in a Rock style rather than traditional R&B to achieve a different effect. His idea was to embody someone like David Bowie or David Byrne, covering a James Brown hit like “Sex Machine.”
Looking at the success that Timberlake had with SexyBack, one could say that he achieved his goal. Never before had a Pop star crossed over into such territory. Suddenly, chicks in biker bars thought he was cool.
And cool he was…
SexyBack was Timberlake’s first #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it managed to stay for seven weeks. It topped many of Billboard’s other charts, including the Top 40.
The track charted well internationally and won the Grammy for Best Dance Recording. SexyBack has been certified platinum and multi-platinum in various countries, including the US, Canada, and Australia.
10
Just Dance by Lady Gaga (feat. Colby O’Donnis)
Album: The Fame
Gaga explained that around the time she was allowed to record in LA, she was depressed and not living a good life in New York. When she got to the recording studio, she realized this was her shot at writing the song that would change her life.
With the help of Akon and legendary producer and musician RedOne, that’s what she ended up doing. The song is for when you find yourself in a position where you can’t seem to do anything. Well then, there is no point in fretting further until you’re able to, right? So just dance.
The track and music video use the metaphor of partying and burning yourself out. But it’s just a reminder to unplug from the system when it starts to poison you.
“Just Dance” took some time to shine…
But, after spending five months on the Billboard Hot 100, it eventually climbed to #1. It was also #1 in Australia, Canada, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
Similarly, it was nominated for a Grammy and has been certified multi-platinum in seven countries, including nine times in the US. It is one of the best-selling singles in history, with more than ten million copies sold.
11
Yeah! by Usher (feat. Lil Jon and Ludacris)
Album: Confessions
A short eight-note hook on a synthesizer and a great beat is what you hear in the first few seconds of this track. Yet, it had and still has so much power that it came to make a stadium full of people get up and move.
Usher had already recorded and submitted his fourth album to the label in 2004. However, they felt that there wasn’t a strong enough single to carry the album. So, they asked that he record more material.
Usher turned to rapper and producer Lil Jon, who helped him put together “Yeah!” Lil Jon decided to leak the track to radio stations over the holiday. So, when executives returned to business in the new year, the track had received enough attention to merit its selection as the album’s single.
The track blew up…
It climbed to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for twelve consecutive weeks. Funny enough, the song to knock it down was “Burn,” from the same album.
Despite this, “Yeah!” was the year’s longest-running #1, which resulted in the track topping the year-end chart as well, proving Lil Jon right.
It has been certified multi-platinum in Germany, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. In Australia, it has been certified nine times platinum.
12
Days Go By by Dirty Vegas
Album: Dirty Vegas
Quite a few hits have been classified as sleeper hits over the years. This track can easily rank as one of the biggest ones of the decade. Originally recorded and released for the UK trio’s debut album in 2001, it would take some time, and an appearance in a Mitsubishi Eclipse advert to get the track noticed.
The vague lyrics allow for a wide range of interpretations, and one can explore the possible themes almost endlessly. The music video explores the theme of lost love to which one remains loyal. It also features some of the coolest dancing you’ve ever seen a middle-aged man do.
After being featured in the Eclipse advertisement…
The track managed to re-enter the UK Singles chart a year after release and beat its previous best of #27 by peaking at #16.
It also topped the UK Dance Singles chart. It went to #14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and won the Grammy for Best Dance Recording.
13
Don’t Stop The Music by Rihanna
Album: Good Girl Gone Bad
Of course, “Don’t Stop The Music” is by no means the only track that comes to mind when one thinks of the best 2000’s dance songs. However, it’s the one that seems to have the most enduring quality.
The track makes very clever use of a “Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-koosa” sample from Michael Jackson’s 1983 single “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.” Los Angeles-based producing duo, StarGate, received much praise for mixing Rihanna’s voice into a dance context so well.
The music still hasn’t stopped…
“Don’t Stop The Music” was #1 in nine countries, including Australia, France, Germany, and Switzerland. It peaked at #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was submitted to the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
It has been certified five times platinum in Australia and six times platinum in Spain and the US. The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers recognized “Don’t Stop The Music” as one of the most performed songs of 2009.
14
My Humps by Black Eyed Peas
Album: Monkey Business
The Black Eyed Peas were already The Beatles of Hip Hop by the time they got round to writing their fourth record. Sure, folks were already shaking their hips to many songs in the group’s catalog. But, nothing as thumpy and saucy as “My Humps” had come out.
The track’s lyrics and subject matter, as well as the music video, have been the subject of controversy due to the objective view of women. Many critics cited it as moving backward when compared to tracks like “Where Is The Love.”
Despite this…
The track became a huge hit. Whenever I hear it in a club, I see people flaunting what they got and having fun, nothing more, which is kind of the point, I think.
“My Humps” proved to be the most controversial AND the most successful single from the album. It managed to chart before its official release. And it would eventually peak at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stay there for six weeks.
The track has been certified platinum in various countries and double-platinum n the US, with more than two million copies sold. The music video won an MTV Award for Best Hip-Hop video.
15
Crazy In Love by Beyoncé (feat. Jay-Z)
Album: Dangerously In Love
Rich Harrison sampled “Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)” by the Chi-Lites to make a beat long before he met Beyoncé. He’s flaunted it to many friends, but no one “got it.” Good thing they didn’t. Otherwise, we might not have one of the most successful 2000s dance songs.
When he was contacted by Beyoncé to help her with one of the most anticipated records in the world, he pulled out this secret weapon. Initially, the singer was reluctant. She said if he could make a great song using the sample in two hours, she’d give it a shot.
Two hours later, he’d written the verses and created some backing tracks. Beyoncé got the inspiration for the bridge section when seeing her unkempt self in a mirror and saying loudly, “I look so crazy right now,” to which Rich replied, “That’s the hook.”
And everyone took the bait…
“Crazy In Love” was #1 in the US as well as the United Kingdom and various other countries. VH1 ranked it as the greatest song of the 2000s, while Rolling Stone declared it the greatest song of the 21st century so far.
The track won two Grammy Awards for Best R&B Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. The track has been certified eight times platinum in Australia and six times platinum in the US.
16
One More Time by Daft Punk
Album: Discovery
Truth is, when I started this list, “One More Time” was the very first song I thought of. For me and many others, Daft Punk defined the future of dance music. And, to a large extent, Pop music as well when they dropped Discovery in 2001.
The track was already finished by the time the French duo was finishing up the previous album, Homework. They considered “One More Time” the perfect link between the two records, and that’s why it was placed first.
The heavily auto-tuned vocal performance by Romanthony can be considered a landmark. It foreshadowed a sound that would be all over popular music soon.
“One More Time tied with Daft Punk’s previous hit, “Around the World,” by reaching #61 on the Billboard Hot 100. It topped the French Singles chart and peaked at #2 on the UK Singles chart. The track has been certified platinum in the United Kingdom.
17
Lean Back by Terror Squad (feat. Fat Joe & Remy Ma)
18
Gotta Get Thru This by Daniel Bedingfield
19
Day ‘n Nite by Kid Cudi
20
Where’s Your Head At by Basement Jaxx
21
SexyBack by Justin Timberlake
22
Hey Ya! by Outkast
23
Can’t Get You Out Of My Head by Kylie Minogue
24
Just Dance by Lady Gaga (feat. Colby O’Donnis)
25
Yeah! by Usher (feat. Lil Jon and Ludacris)
26
Days Go By by Dirty Vegas
27
My Humps by Black Eyed Peas
28
Don’t Stop The Music by Rihanna
29
Crazy In Love by Beyoncé (feat. Jay-Z)
30
Fergalicious by Fergie (feat. will.i.am)
31
One More Time by Daft Punk
32
Music Sounds Better With You by Stardust
33
Sandstorm by Darude
34
Mr. Brightside by The Killers
35
Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly
36
Love Generation by Bob Sinclar
37
Crazy by Gnarls Barkley
38
In Da Club by 50 Cent
39
I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas
40
Say My Name by Destiny’s Child
41
Gold Digger by Kanye West (feat. Jamie Foxx)
42
Temperature by Sean Paul
43
The Way You Move by Outkast (feat. Sleepy Brown)
44
Party in the U.S.A. by Miley Cyrus
45
A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton
46
Lose Control by Missy Elliott (feat. Ciara & Fatman Scoop)
47
Apologize by Timbaland ft. OneRepublic
48
Hung Up by Madonna
49
Don’t Cha by Pussycat Dolls ft. Busta Rhymes
50
Sandstorm by Darude
51
Gold Digger by Kanye West ft. Jamie Foxx
52
Lady (Hear Me Tonight) by Modjo
53
Get Busy by Sean Paul
54
Crazy by Gnarls Barkley
Looking for Older Songs That Never Get Old?
If so, take a look at our detailed reviews of the Best Songs of The 2000s, the Best 90s Hip Hop Songs, the Best 90s Love Songs, the Best 70s Rock Songs, and the Best Funk Songs of All Time for more timeless song selections.
And, you’ll want to listen to those tunes. So, check out our in-depth reviews of the Best Party Speakers, the Loudest Portable Bluetooth Speakers, the Best Waterproof Speakers, the Best Tailgate Speakers, the Best Wireless Outdoor Speakers, and the Best Smart Speakers you can buy in 2023.
Best 2000’s Dance Songs – Final Thoughts
From saucy Hip Hop swingers and Eurodance bangers to epic club classics and just a random dude with a laptop in his bedroom, the 2000s delivered great songs for the dance floor. And they came in all shapes and sizes. Many of the sounds forged in the decade are still present in the songs of a decade later. That simply attests that much more to their quality.
One thing is for sure if you blast any of these hits through club speakers today, hands are going up and down, and hips are moving side to side, and that’s that.
Until next time, happy listening.