Readers’ Poll: The Top 10 Dance Songs of All Time

The Bee Gees' 1977 smash "Stayin' Alive" is one of the most iconic anthems of the disco era, in part because it was used in the opening sequence of Saturday Night Fever. Amazingly, the song was never intended as a single, but it became a major hit after listeners flooded radio stations with requests for the tune after the debut of the movie trailer.

Chic's 1978 disco hit "Le Freak" may seem like a celebration of the scene at disco mecca Studio 54, but it was actually inspired by band members Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards being refused entry to the club on New Year's Eve 1977, despite being invited by Grace Jones. The song has long outlived Studio 54, and it has the distinction of hitting the Number One position on the Billboard Hot 100 on three non-consecutive occasions.

Deee-Lite's "Groove Is in the Heart," a seamless blend of disco, funk, hip-hop and house music, is one of the most joyful songs of the early Nineties.  In this clip filmed live at the Rock in Rio festival in 1991, the group perform the tune with a backing band featuring funk legends Bernie Worrell and Bootsy Collins. Everyone onstage appears to be having the time of their life, most especially singer Lady Miss Kier, who looks absolutely fabulous in a backless golden jumpsuit.

Michael Jackson is responsible for some of the biggest dance hits of all time, so his relatively low placement on this list can be attributed partly to vote-splitting. He's best known for doing the Moonwalk to "Billie Jean," but the highest number of votes went to "Thriller," maybe because its iconic video features such memorable group choreography.

The Isley Brothers' 1959 single "Shout" didn't leave much of an impact on the pop charts when it was originally released, but over time, it's become an inescapable part of pop culture thanks to its ubiquity in movies and at wedding receptions and sporting events. The song has been covered many times, but nothing matches the raw energy and elemental simplicity of the Isleys' original.

As with Michael Jackson, Madonna has so many top-shelf dance hits that her placement on this list suffered somewhat from vote-splitting. ("Into the Groove" just narrowly missed the Top 10, FYI.) Still, if only one Madonna hit could make this list, "Vogue" was an excellent choice. On top of being one of her signature hits, its music video – as well as this live performance at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards – features some of her most iconic dance moves.

Justice's jubilant tribute to Michael Jackson is the most recent song on this list, but it already seems like an enduring classic. Still, it's somewhat surprising to see that the French duo actually outpaced the King of Pop himself in the polling.

The Beatles ended up becoming such a hugely influential cultural force that it can be easy to forget they got their start in show business by playing raucous covers of R&B hits. "Twist and Shout," their rendition of a tune penned by Phil Medley and Bert Russell, was one of their earliest singles, and it remains a guaranteed floor-filler to this day.