Now Gangnam Style is officially the most viewed video on Youtube EVER, I thought it was about time we looked back on some of the best, worst, and weirdest dance-based music videos we've seen over the years.
10. MC Hammer - U Can't Touch This
MC Hammer's 1990 super hit was once voted #26 on VH1's Greatest Songs of Hip-Hop. It was also voted #6 on AOL Radio's 100 Worst Songs Ever, so make of that what you will.
MC Hammer trousers available £15.99 at Party Delights
The much parodied pop-culture phenomenon lovingly ripped off sampled 80's funk tune Super Freak, leading to MC Hammer being sued by original songwriter Rick James. The video has been watched nearly 50 million times on YouTube.
Here it is in all it's rainbow coloured glory:
9. Steps - 5,6,7,8
The saccharine video to Steps' first ever release graced our televisions in 1997, arguably (very arguably) creating an interest in line dancing outside of country and western clubs for the first time ever.
There is NOT enough mixed pop bands anymore.
At the very least, everyone born in the eighties can probably still remember the moves to the chorus.
Watch Lee and H dance around in their baggy shorts here:
8. Jamiroquai - Canned Heat
Released in 1999, Jamiroquai's disco tune Canned Heat reached #4 on the UK chart, and further earned it's place in our hearts in the 2004 movie Napoleon Dynamite.
Our first example of the tricky 'dancing on table' technique.
Purveyor of funk Jay Kay also danced spectacularly in the video for Virtual Insanity, a futuristic, magical groove around a padded insane asylum. But Canned Heat won it for me for the "flying through the television, definitely hadn't taken any drugs before storyboarding this" bit.
Here he is getting his groove on:
7. Beyoncé - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Beyoncé's super-hit was released in 2008, just after Jay-Z actually did put a ring on it. Having now sold over 6 million digital copies, been registered quadruple-platinum (doesn't even sound like a real thing), and winning countless awards including a 2010 Grammy for 'Song Of The Year', Single Ladies will still mainly be remembered for inspiring a generation of overweight straight men to don leotards and wiggle their booty.
Don't try this at home: you will NOT look like Beyoncé. NB Requires wind machine.
In the video, Beyoncé appears as her sexy, sassy alter-ego Sasha Fierce, and tells girls everywhere to dump their fellas if they appear unwilling to propose. Possibly easier to say when you're one of the sexiest women in the world.
FACT: In this video, Beyoncé's legs are approximately seventeen miles long:
6. Prince - Kiss
An interesting entry, as the video to Kiss isn't entirely dance focused. Earns it's place, however, as Prince has more rhythm effectively walking round a room than than the rest of these videos put together.
Picture not to scale - the actual Prince is around six times the size of this picture.
Prince originally wrote Kiss for another band, but stole it back when he realised how good it was. NME voted this 1986 hit #4 in their 150 Greatest Singles Of All Time.
I can't embed the video, so go and watch it over on YouTube here to see him shake his little bottom around a big orange room.
5. Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights was written by Kate Bush when she was just 18, and stayed at UK #1 for four weeks, despite the fact record label EMI didn't want her to release it in the first place. Two music videos were made - the trippy, white-dressed UK version, and the gentler, red-dressed USA release.
Heathcliffe, it's meeeeee, your Cathyyyy, I've come hoooome.
This was the first time a female had written and performed a song that got to #1, and was released up against Blondie's first single Denis, which was held at #2. Also, Alan Partridge is almost as good at being Kate Bush as Kate Bush is.
Watch Kate being gorgeous, and a little bit mental:
4. Radiohead - Lotus Flower
Radiohead released the video to Lotus Flower on their YouTube channel in February 2011 and the internet went mad, prompting a Twitter hashtag (#Thomdance) and hundreds of people dubbing alternative tunes over Thom's frightening moves.
Described on Youtube as 'a hipster being tasered'.
An official law was passed across all Indie Disco's that no strobe lighting was to be used while this song was played, as it was impossible to tell whether people were emulating Yorke or having an epileptic fit.
If you already thought Thom Yorke was a little freaky, this might give you bad dreams:
3. Scissor Sisters - Let's Have A Kiki
Scissor Sister's sleeper 'gay anthem' Let's Have A Kiki is their final single so far, after announcing at the end of 2012 they are thinking of taking a break. According to Ana Matronic, "Kiki is drag queen slang. It can mean gossip or a good time". In the same interview she also said "Women are amazing kissers.". So there's some information for you.
I hope you're up girl, 'cause we are aaaaaall coming over!
The clip, labelled 'Instructional Video', portrays the gang performing their routine in a dance studio, while musicians Babydaddy and Del Marquis groove along at the sides. It also features one of the campest monologues since Jack from Will and Grace performed his solo show, Just Jack.
Learn the moves here:
2. Michael Jackson - pretty much every video he was ever in, ever.
Whatever you think of Michael Jackson, he was really quite good at dancing.
What do you mean I'm not at #1?
I don't even need to add anything to this.
1. Fatboy Slim - Weapon Of Choice
The multi-award winning video to 2001's Weapon of Choice features secretly-musical-theatre-trained Christopher 'Crazy Legs' Walken groove his way around an empty hotel lobby, being the coolest man that ever danced on this planet.
This video is the best thing that has ever happened.
Walken's moves are second only to his facial expressions. It was voted VH1's 2002 Best Video Of All Time - it's combined Youtube views clock in at around 1.2 million - if it was released today, I reckon it would be 100 times that.
Particularly as you can watch it 45 million times before it even starts feeling like overkill:
What have I missed? Tweet me at @natwalks and let me know.
