"Billie Jean" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson, released by Epic Records on January 3, 1983, as the second single from his sixth studio album, Thriller (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson and produced by Quincy Jones and co-produced by Jackson. "Billie Jean" blends post-disco, R&B, funk, and dance-pop. The lyrics describe a woman, Billie Jean, who claims that the narrator is the father of her newborn son, which he denies. Jackson said the lyrics were based on groupies' claims about his older brothers when he toured with them as the Jackson 5.
"Let the Music Play" is a song recorded by American singer Shannon and released on September 19, 1983, as both her debut single and the lead single from her 1984 debut studio album of the same name. Written by Chris Barbosa and Ed Chisolm, and produced by Barbosa and Mark Liggett, "Let the Music Play" was the first of Shannon's four number ones on the US Dance Club Songs chart, reaching the top spot in October 1983. It also became a huge crossover hit in the US, peaking at number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1984. It was Shannon's only Top 40 hit in the US. Some mark "Let the Music Play" as the beginning of the "dance-pop" era. "Let the Music Play" was ranked 43rd on the 2009 VH1 Special 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 1980s, while Rolling Stone and Billboard featured it in their lists of "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time" and "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time" in 2022 and 2023. The song also appears in the video games Dance Central 3 and Scarface: The World Is Yours.
"Yeah!" is a song by American singer Usher featuring American rappers Lil Jon and Ludacris. The song is written by the featured artists alongside Sean Garrett, Patrick "J. Que" Smith, Robert McDowell, and LRoc. The song incorporates crunk and R&B—which Lil Jon coined as crunk&B—in the song's production. The song was released as the lead single from Usher's fourth studio album Confessions (2004) on January 10, 2004, after Usher was told by Arista Records, his label at the time, to record more tracks for the album.
"I'm Every Woman" is a song by American singer Chaka Khan, released in September 1978 by Warner Bros. as her debut solo single from her first album, Chaka (1978). It was Khan's first hit outside her recordings with the funk band Rufus. "I'm Every Woman" was produced by Arif Mardin and written by the successful songwriting team Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. The single established Chaka's career outside the group Rufus, whom she would leave after their eighth studio album, Masterjam, was released in late 1979.
"The Bomb! " is a house music track by Kenny Dope's musical production team the Bucketheads, released in February 1995 by Positiva and Henry Street Music. It was later dubbed into the project's sole album, All in the Mind (1995). The single was a commercial hit in the United Kingdom, reaching number five on the UK Singles Chart, while in the United States, it peaked at number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 41 on the Cash Box Top 100. Its music video was directed by British directors Guy Ritchie and Alex De Rakoff. In 2020, Slant Magazine ranked "The Bomb! " number 48 in their "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time" and in 2022, Rolling Stone ranked it number 77 in their "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time".
"Finally" is a song by American singer-songwriter CeCe Peniston, released in September 1991 as her debut single from her first album of the same name (1992). It received critical acclaim, becoming Peniston's first hit song, peaking at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 1992. It is also her only US top-ten hit to date. Prior to that, the track was a major success on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, where it spent two weeks at number one in late 1991. In addition, a dance remix of the song, the "Choice Mix", peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart in March 1992. The remix appeared on many dance music compilations in the early '90s. Its music video was directed by Claude Borenzweig. Billboard ranked "Finally" among the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time" in 2023.
"Music Sounds Better with You" is the only song by the French house trio Stardust, released on 20 July 1998. Stardust comprised the producer Thomas Bangalter, the DJ Alan Braxe and the vocalist Benjamin Diamond. They wrote "Music Sounds Better With You", a dance track, using a guitar riff sampled from the 1981 Chaka Khan song "Fate".
"Silence" is a song by Canadian electronic music group Delerium featuring Canadian singer and co-writer Sarah McLachlan, first released as a single in May 1999. Over the years, its remixes have been hailed as one of the greatest trance songs of all time, over two decades after its initial release. The Tiësto remix of the song was voted by Mixmag readers as the 12th-greatest dance record of all time.
"Breathe" is a song by English band the Prodigy, released in November 1996 as the second single from their third album, The Fat of the Land (1997). It features a drum break from the song "Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed" by Thin Lizzy. The whiplashing sword sound effect is a sample of "Da Mystery of Chessboxin" by Wu-Tang Clan. As with "Firestarter", Jim Davies played the guitar in the song.
"Now You're Gone" is a song performed by Swedish dance musician Basshunter in cooperation with DJ Mental Theo's Bazzheadz. The single uses the same music as "Boten Anna", Basshunter's major European hit in 2006, but its lyrics, performed in English by Sebastian Westwood, are completely different.
"Circus" is a song by American singer Britney Spears. It was released on December 2, 2008, through Jive Records as the second single from her sixth studio album of the same name. Written by Dr. Luke, Claude Kelly and Benny Blanco, "Circus" is a metaphor for the public's perception of Spears' life. After she listened to the track for the first time, she felt inspired to create an album and a tour with a circus theme. "Circus" is an uptempo electropop and dance-pop song with elements of pop rock and "half-rapped" vocals. The song's lyrics talk about being an entertainer and putting on shows.
American indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs have released five studio albums, one compilation album, four extended plays, 15 singles, two video albums, and 15 music videos. The band formed in New York City in 2000, and consists of lead singer Karen O, drummer Brian Chase, and guitarist Nick Zinner.
"I Remember" is a song by Canadian electronic music composer Deadmau5 and American DJ Kaskade. It was produced by Deadmau5, co-written by Kaskade with Finn Bjarnson and features vocals by Haley Gibby. It was released as the fifth single from Deadmau5's third studio album, Random Album Title, on 15 September 2008.
"Hands" is a song by English duo The Ting Tings. It was written by both Katie White and Jules De Martino and mixed by label-mate Calvin Harris. The single was released to radio airplay on 18 August 2010 after premiering on the Huw Stephens show on BBC Radio 1 at 9:30 pm; a remix was also released for free via digital download on 11 October 2010 on the band's Facebook page. The song was performed at the Wireless Festival, as part of the setlist; they were joined with dancers holding signs, saying work, which when flipped around, would say dance. The song debuted at number 29 on the UK Singles Chart. The line spoken by De Martino at the start of the song, "I don't want to go out. I want to stay in." is a reference to the first lines spoken in the David Bowie song "Modern Love", 'I know when to stay out, I know when to stay in and get things done.'
"Yeah 3x" ; sometimes stylized as "Yeah 3X") is a song by American singer Chris Brown, released as the lead single from his fourth studio album F.A.M.E. on October 25, 2010. It was written alongside Kevin McCall, Sevyn Streeter, and producer DJ Frank E, with Calvin Harris receiving an additional writing credit following his accusation of plagiarism. Brown recorded the song for his pop audience as he had been doing a lot of mixtapes and urban records. "Yeah 3x" is an uptempo dance-pop, Europop, and electro house song; it uses a video game-type beat and features a thick bassline and big synth chords.
"Till the World Ends" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale (2011). It was written by Kesha, Dr. Luke, Alexander Kronlund, and Max Martin, while the production was handled by Luke, Martin and Billboard. It was released as the second single from the album on March 4, 2011. "Till the World Ends" is an uptempo dance-pop, electropop and Eurodance song with an electro beat. It opens with sirens, and has elements of trance and Eurodance. The song features a chant-like chorus, and lyrics in which Spears sings about dancing until the end of the world. "Till the World Ends" received universal acclaim from critics, who deemed it a catchy dance track and complimented its anthemic nature.
"Promises" is a song by British EDM trio Nero that appears on their debut studio album, Welcome Reality on 5 August 2011. The song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the group's first chart-topping single. It sold 46,700 copies in its first week, the lowest first-week sales for a number one in 97 weeks. In 2013, the Skrillex and Nero remix of the song, won the Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical. "Promises" was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award in the category of Best Contemporary Song. The song was featured on a Hewlett-Packard TV commercial in the United Kingdom, France, United States and Latin America, giving it a broader audience and more recognition. It was also featured in trailers from the video game Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. It also featured in the 2013 video game Saints Row IV.
American DJ and music producer Skrillex has released three studio albums, seven extended plays, 46 singles, and 54 music videos.
"Latch" is a song by English electronic music duo Disclosure, featuring vocals from English singer Sam Smith. It was released as a digital download on 8 October 2012, by PMR Records. The lead single from their debut studio album, Settle (2013), the song debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 26 and peaked at number 11. In the United States, "Latch" was a sleeper hit, peaking at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 in August 2014.
CamelPhat are an English DJ and production duo, consisting of Dave Whelan and Mike Di Scala, formed in Liverpool in 2006.
