The Best Dance Songs of the 50s

What are the best dance songs from the 50s?

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During the 50s, there were several dances that were "it" at the school prom, the high school homecoming dance, and anywhere a band could play a tune. So, now's the time to kick back the rug, remember some of those old dances and how to do them with us. Put on a record on the record machine and have yourself a sock hop!

The Bunny Hop: The bunny hop was created at Balboa High School of San Francisco in 1952. It is a social dance mixer, sometimes also referred to as a "party" or "dance party" dance. The dance has been generally done to Ray Anthony's big band recording of the song.

The Chicken Dance: The Chicken Dance is an oom-pah song composed by Swiss accordion (Handharmonika) player Werner Thomas from Davos, Switzerland in the 1950s and the corresponding fad dance.

The Bop: When you dance the bop, you usually dance separately from your partner. It's a lot like jive or swing, but there's a lot of toe tapping involved, and you don't hold hands. Usually you alternately tape the heel and toe of either foot as you dance.

The Stroll: The stroll was one of the most popular dances of the 50s. It is basically two lines of dancers with a large space in the middle. Lead dancers are on one side, their partners on the other. Dancers do a step pattern to advance the line, and leaders do a solo routine though the line, joining it at the end. The dance continues this way through the music.

Swing: A holdover from the 40s, the swing remained popular during the 50s. Swing is one of the few dances of the fifties that is still practiced today, and still inspires many young people to learn how to dance.

The Hand Jive: Anyone who has ever seen the movie Grease will recognize this dance--and probably still has the song stuck in your head. This is one dance you can even do sitting down. Basically, the dance is a series of hand and arm movements done in a pattern. The song "Willy and the Hand Jive" came out in 1958 and stayed at the top of the charts for 16 weeks, so if you were anybody in 1958, then baby, you can hand jive.

Hokey Pokey: Hokey Pokey, it became popular in the USA in the 1950s. Larry LaPrise, Charles Macak and Tafit Baker were granted the copyright for the song in 1950.

Limbo: Limbo is a dance that originated on the island of Trinidad, though Hawaii is often mistakenly associated with limbo. The dancer moves to a Caribbean rhythm, then leans backward and dances under a horizontal stick without touching it. Upon touching it or falling backwards, the dancer is "out". When several dancers compete, they travel in single file, and the stick is gradually lowered until only one dancer--who has not touched either the stick or the floor--remains.

The Madison: The Madison is a line dance that features a regular back-and-forth pattern interspersed with called steps. It first started in the late 1950s and gained popularity in the 1960s. There were several dance sequences with specific steps, and some of the sequences referred to some very popular television shows of the time, like Jackie Gleason.

The Cha Cha: The Cha Cha first appeared about 1949, but it really hit its stride in the 1950s, when it became quite a popular nightclub dance. The Cha Cha is a blend of two Latin American dances, the Puerto Rican Danzonette and the Cuban Danzon, and evolved into many different forms of Cha Cha here in the U.S.

Located below you will find a list of some of the best dance songs of the 1950s. For your convenience, we have included links to the sheet music on Sheetmusicplus.com as well as the CD on Amazon.com whenever available. If you are looking to purchase the mp3 or would like to listen to a sample, then click on either the Amazon, Rhapsody, or iTunes links.

Rhapsody provides both music subscriptions as well as individual mp3s for sale in WMA format and iTunes only provides MPEG-4 audio files for sale. However, Amazon does offer mp3s that are compatible with both Windows Media Player and iTunes. For more information about where to purchase music online, we provide it on our Music Downloads page or our Music Subscriptions page.

These singles are considered among the best dance songs to hit the charts in the 1950s.

"Ain't That A Shame" performed by Pat Boone or Fats Domino
Find it on: Rhapsody Sheetmusicplus
"Banana Boat Song (Day O)" performed by Harry Belafonte
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"Charlie Brown" performed by the Coasters
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"Good Golly Miss Molly" performed by Little Richard
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"Great Balls of Fire" performed by Jerry Lee Lewis
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"Little Darlin'" performed by the Diamonds
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"Let the Good Times Roll" performed by Shirley & Lee
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"Party Doll" performed by Buddy Knox
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"Poison Ivy" performed by the Coasters
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"Queen Of The Hop" performed by Bobby Darin
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"Rock Around The Clock" performed by Bill Haley & His Comets
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"Rock-A-Billy" performed by Guy Mitchelln
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"The Rock & Roll Waltz" performed by Kay Starr
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"Short Shorts" performed by Royal Teens
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"The Stroll" performed by Bill Haley & His Comets or The Diamonds
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"Tequila" performed by The Champs
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"Tutti Frutti" performed by Little Richard
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"Wake Up Little Susie" performed by the Everly Brothers
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"Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" performed by Jerry Lee Lewis
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"Willie And The Hand Jive" performed by Johnny Otis
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"Witch Doctor" performed by David Seville or Sha Na Na
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