Songs That Make You Move
As the air gets cooler, the Flat Hat Magazine staff would like to recommend a catalog of songs that will get your blood moving. When these tunes come on, you cannot help but move. Dance down Electric Ave listening to these groovy jingles by scanning the code above.
“Twistin’ the Night Away - Live at the Harlem Square Club” by Sam Cooke
There’s really nothing like live music to make you want to dance, but even more so when you combine Sam Cooke’s flawless vocals, King Curtis’ swingin’ band, and overjoyed lyrics about doing the twist. If I had a time machine, my first stop would be Miami’s Harlem Square Club on January 12th, 1963 so that I could twist the night away to this live performance of one of my all-time favorite vocalists.
— Mary Beth Bauermann ‘24
If the 80s band at my junior prom had played this song, it’s possible that the guys awkwardly standing on the sidelines scowling and refusing to dance would have had a change of heart. The beat is unbeatable (pun intended). I’ll admit that I have even danced to this song while putting groceries away, chanting “What if I were Romeo in black jeans” like I’m in some sort of emo Shakespeare cult.
— JR Herman ‘24
Jon Batiste is perhaps one of the great musical geniuses of our time, but he’s not pretentious about it, as evidenced by the joyful, grooving, “gen-u-ine” “I NEED YOU.” Without taking a break from musical and lyrical brilliance, he crafts a song basically insisting that you dance. For its 2-minute 37-second run time, you’re on a sunny street in New Orleans or dancing the lindy hop in a 1950s New York jazz club. And “in this world with a lot of problems,” it’s exactly what we need.
— Mary Trimble ‘23
Honestly, this entire album is perfection, but “Pure/Honey” makes me feel like the baddest bitch on campus. Strutting to class with the lyrics “It should cost a billion to look this good” reverberating in your stapedius. . . chef’s kiss.
— Ellie Kurlander ‘24
“Latch” by Disclosure & Sam Smith
This intoxicatingly wavy and visceral song comes on, and I feel like I’ve been injected with five pounds of ecstasy. I have no choice but to start moving, suddenly convinced I have what it takes to make Syndicate.
— Marion Biondi ‘24
“Get Ready” by The Temptations
There’s something about this song that truly makes you want to bust a move. I hear the opening measures and I’m immediately hooked. It’s catchy, it’s groovy, and it gets stuck in your head for days. And honestly, I’m not gonna complain about it.
— Rebecca Altman ‘25
In eighth grade, I walked down the halls blasting this song in my headphones thinking I was the coolest girl in school (I was). I begged my mom for Hayley Williams’ iconic orange hair because of the music video, and I spent many nights performing this song on my bed with a flashlight as a microphone. Is there a better song to jam to? No.
— Emma Saunders ‘24
“#thatPOWER” by Justin Bieber and will.i.am
I memorized the entire #thatPOWER Just Dance when I was 9.
— Kay Carter ‘25
“Beyond the Sea” by Bobby Darin
I’ve never been one for dancing, but once when I was younger I found myself with my first girlfriend in a parking lot overlooking the Pacific as the sun faded below the horizon. Something compelled me to put this song on and slow dance with her. I impressed no one with my dancing, but it still made her night and mine. I’ve used it since for similar reasons, to great effect.
— Ethan Kula ‘24
I grew up dancing competitively, and this song was one of the first songs I danced to with a group in competition — I dare you to ask me to do my sixth-grade dance to this song. I still remember the entire thing.
— Livia Martinez ‘25
This song’s epic intro is what really gets me into my groove, injecting jolts of electricity through my limbs until I’m wildly gesticulating and bouncing along to the beat. It’s also just a beloved inside joke with my boyfriend, as I make a point to pull out the most extreme, silly dance moves every time this song comes on — we always end up laughing our asses off. Also, for the record, it’s the perfect walk-up song; if I were ever to fight in UFC, I would walk out into the ring to the first 35 seconds of this song, arms raised and confidence soaring.
— Vivian Hoang ‘24
This song is a bop. It’s the kind of song you get so into that afterward your head kind of hurts because you jumped and head banged just a little too hard. Whenever it comes on, I have to listen to it at least three times in a row before I’m willing to move on. I am convinced I could listen to this song on repeat for an hour in my car and dance the entire time.
— India Turner ‘24
“Move Me” by Lewis OfMan and Carly Rae Jepsen
Released by OfMan a few months before CRJ’s newest album “The Loneliest Time,” this disco dance-pop-inspired collaboration is sure to make you move. This song is relatively undiscovered but deserves significantly more spotlight. Jepsen provides angelic, almost sassy, vocals, while OfMan delivers a strong bass line and piano-based chords. The song generally feels like a collaborative dance between two partners (lovers?) moving ever so close as the song closes.
— Justin Sherlock ‘22
“Free” by Florence + The Machine
Not only is the message of the song applicable and rewarding, but the strumming of the guitar mixed with her vocals always makes me want to dance. As a Gemini and a highly sensitive person, my moods are flippant and powerful, a combination this song addresses and celebrates. If you want a pick-me-up or something to groove to in your room with your cat like me, then definitely give it a listen.
— Georgia Thoms ‘23