Pandemic Playlist: Going out is 'Risky Business'! These Top 5 songs will make dancing in your undies cool again
Are you practicing responsible social distancing? Making sure to wash your hands while walking around with a coveted bottle of hand sanitizer strapped to your hip, locked and loaded, ready to take aim and fire at the first hint of a certain coronavirus?
If you are slowly losing your will to stay cooped up at home because there's nothing to do, especially now that you've finished binge-watching everything you had on your 'what-to-do-while-quarantined' list, it's time to throw on your favorite pink shirt, slide out into your living room in your underwear and socks, and show your imaginary studio audience exactly how cool you really are! And to help you out, we've curated some of the best dance numbers the '80s had to offer so you can make dancing in your underwear look as cool and iconic as a young Tom Cruise in 'Risky Business'. Well, ALMOST as cool.
Pandemic Playlist: Making the Most of Isolation
Bruce Springsteen - 'Dancing In The Dark'
Is there a more iconic song that really encompasses the absolute joy that goes along with casting off all that self-doubt and throwing caution to the wind as you do your best version of 'The Carlton' in the comfort of your own living room? Probably not.
So go on, let loose. Grab your partner if you've got one. Be the Courtney Cox to their Bruce Springsteen. No that's not an obscure joke, that really is her on stage with him in the video!
Kenny Loggins - 'Footloose'
And speaking of letting loose, how about getting totally footloose?!
"Been working so hard / I'm punching my card / Eight hours, for what?" Oh Mr Loggins, you sure do know how to speak straight to our souls. If you're stuck working from home during the day then what could possibly be a better way to de-stress than by kicking off those Sunday shoes and cutting footloose?
This song describes all the pent up frustration one feels from not being able to dance and is honestly the perfect and most cathartic song for what we're all probably feeling right about now.
Los Lobos - 'La Bamba'
Next up is a song about dancing for us all to dance along to. That's right, 'La Bamba' is a song that is entirely about dancing the 'Bamba'.
The lyrics "Para bailar La Bamba / Se necessita una poca de gracia/ Una poca de gracia" loosely translate to "To dance the Bamba / one needs a bit of grace."
A fun fact about this song is that while 'Bamba' is the name of a dance, it doesn't actually mean anything on its own. The closest translation comes from the Spanish verb 'bambolear', which means 'to shake' or 'to stomp'. It could also stem from an onomatopoeia, or in other words, it's a word that resembles the sound of the music to which this dance is performed.
We learn something new every day. Now everybody say "ay, arriba!" and dance the 'Bamba'! If you're not sure how to do it don't worry, just let the music take you away.
The Bangles - 'Walk Like An Egyptian'
Speaking of dance names that have no meaning, how about we all take a breather from the energetic 'Bamba' and 'Walk Like An Egyptian' for the next few minutes?
"Slide your feet up the street / Bend your back / Shift your arm, then you pull it back / Life is hard you know (oh way oh) / So strike a pose on a Cadillac." In the absence of a luxury car to scuff with the heel of our dancing shoes, we can all settle for doing the 'Egyptian' on our respective couches. Unless you've got one of those luxury couches, in which case we recommend staying on the good old floor.
Not sure how to do the 'Egyptian'? Well, it's simple you see, you just raise one arm and bend it at the elbow with your palm facing up, and repeat this with the other arm except you bend your arm down and face your palm to the floor. And then you slide your feet as you walk around.
Why, you might ask, would one engage in a dance that so closely resembles a zombie walk? Well, this song has absolutely nothing to do with the African continent or its people, so it stands to reason that it would lead to the creation of an equally nonsensical dance. The song even found itself banned in a few places so as not to offend anyone! Nevertheless, it remains one of the most popular dance anthems for anyone wanting to cut loose.
Bob Seger - 'Old Time Rock and Roll'
You know we have to end this dancing-in-your-underwear playlist with THE classic! Now that you've loosened those joints and given your limbs a good stretch, it's time to take on Tom Cruise's epic dance routine yourself.
Pour yourself a highball cocktail, Jack Daniels and coke if you've got it — heavier on the Jack if we're getting totally authentic! And then, get your pointer fingers and your hips ready and warmed up because this one comes with a whole lot of, well, finger-pointing. And hip swaying. Lots and lots of hip swaying. And also some flailing on the couch.
Make sure you've got a good pair of socks on, because if you don't slide into frame and lipsync the lyrics "Just take those old records off the shelf" passionately into a candlestand...well, then you're doing it wrong.
Wild hips, couch flailing, and lipsyncing aside, there's another reason this song is the perfect jam for when you're home alone with nowhere to go.
The lyrics of this classic tune include the lines "I'll sit and listen to 'em by m'self" / "I like that old time rock and roll" / "The kinda music just soothes the soul." And ain't that the absolute truth!
Pandemic Playlist is a daily list of songs that will keep you entertained instead of feeling drained while you're isolated at home. Look out for a fresh selection of great tunes from MEAWW to refresh your mood every day!