Top 10 Slow Dance Songs of All Time

Top 10 Slow Dance Songs of All Time

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Top 10 Dance Songs of All Time - Best of WatchMojo

These are the tunes that make you wanna get a lil closer on the dance floor. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 slow dance songs of all time. For this list, we’re basing our choices on those songs that were popular at high school dances and/or prom celebrations. They’re sure to bring back lots of memories, whether they’re good, embarrassing or something else entirely. This is a part of a series of slow dance songs ranging from the 1970s to the 2000s.

#10: "Chasing Cars" (2006) Snow Patrol

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Chasing Nomads Lovestruck

And now, grab your partner for one last dance. This song, and the band itself, gained significant attention in the United States after it was featured on popular shows like “One Tree Hill” and “Grey's Anatomy.” This attention has translated into over three million copies of “Chasing Cars” being sold, #1 status on both Billboard Adult charts and top 10 entries on multiple country charts. But it’s undoubtedly the alt rock song’s romantic lyrics and fittingly simple but unforgettable atmosphere that land it here.

One of two ultra-famous songs written by Slowhand about the former Mrs. George Harrison, Pattie Boyd, this one finds EC at his tender-est and sincerest. True to the nature of the lyrics, Clapton actually wrote this while patiently waiting for Pattie Boyd to doll herself up for a party. Long a prom and wedding staple as well as a favorite of guys with blonde girlfriends everywhere, “Wonderful Tonight” was a top 20 Billboard Hot 100 single, while a live version earned the musician top 40 status in the UK 14 years later.

Credited as a George Michael solo single in some countries, this song was also included on Wham!'s Make It Big album in ‘84. It’s one of the duo's few singles to be co-written with Wham-er Andrew Ridgeley, as Michael usually wrote their songs himself. The singer claims to have composed the track - sax solo and all - mentally while riding on a bus. Still viewed - along with “Father Figure”- as one of the most definitive songs in Michael's career, “Careless Whisper” has since sold 6 million copies and nabbed the top spot in much of the music-loving world.

#7: "Take My Breath Away" (1986) Berlin

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Top 10 Dance Songs of All Time

Forever etched in even the most macho of minds as the love theme from “Top Gun,” this Oscar-winning song was a top 10 hit in many countries and a chart-topper in both the U.S. and the UK. Written by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock - the same team that wrote Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone”- “Take My Breath Away” was first offered to The Motels before being recorded by Berlin. With its synth drones and sterile drums, it is unmistakably ‘80s, but thanks to its soft sound and gentle vocals, it’s the perfect song to share a dance to in any decade.

#6: "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" (1991) Bryan Adams

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Top 10 Slow Dance Songs of the 2000s

Released on both the “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” soundtrack and the singer's Waking Up the Neighbours album, this soft rocker went to number one in over 15 countries, including the United Kingdom, where it spent a record setting sixteen weeks at the top of the charts. "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" was such a major smash with the public that it became one of the best-selling singles ever, netting both a Grammy win and an Oscar nomination. Meanwhile, couples on the dance floor hoped the DJ played the track’s album version, as it’s almost 2-and-a-half minutes longer than the radio edit.

#5: "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (1998) Aerosmith

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Top 10 Slow Dance Songs of the 1990s

While power ballads were hardly a novelty by '98, this Aerosmith offering from the “Armageddon” soundtrack still came as a surprise for many. It also came in on top, debuting at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. While the song became the band's first #1, it is ironically one of the few in their catalogue written entirely by an outside writer. Owing to the song’s popularity, country singer Mark Chesnutt soon recorded a successful cover, but it’s the Steven Tyler-led pop and soft rocker that continues to monopolize dance floors to this day.

#4: "One" (1992) U2

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Top 10 Slow Dance Songs of the 1980s

While the band famously experimented with sounds that U2 weren’t really known for throughout the ‘90s, the initial decision to do this was not an easy one. The group had actually considered dissolving but became a reunited front when working on this track. Guitarist The Edge hit on the basis of what would become “One” while working on “Mysterious Ways.” After following a suggestion from producer Daniel Lanois to split the two songs, this Achtung Baby smash was born. Despite being a breakup song, it is nonetheless popular at school dances and weddings with couples that aren’t bothered by its lyrics.

#3: "You Are So Beautiful" (1974) Joe Cocker

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Top 10 Slow Dance Songs of the 1970s

Written by the unlikely combo of Beach Boy drummer Dennis Wilson, Bruce Fisher, and gospel singer Billy Preston, this track gained new life when it was slowed down and treated to Cocker's powerful vocals. Due to its simple melody, even simpler lyrics, and ready emotion, this one is perfect for slow, gentle dancing. Hitting #5 on the Hot 100, this would be the Sheffield Soul Shouter’s highest charting tune until the release of another slow dance favorite, “Up Where We Belong” in 1982.

#2: "Time After Time" (1984) Cyndi Lauper

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Top 10 Pop Songs of All Time

This is the ballad that really put the “unusual” girl on the map. Although Lauper had already recorded the eventual hits “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “She Bop,” producer Rick Chertoff felt her debut album needed just one more song. The result of that request was this timeless and enduring collaboration between Lauper and Rob Hyman. The track came together in the studio very quickly and went on to be a Billboard #1 - even being covered by jazz legend Miles Davis the next year. Honorable Mentions "You and Me" (2005) Lifehouse "End of the Road" (1992) Boyz II Men "Baby, I Love Your Way" (1975) Peter Frampton "Faithfully" (1983) Journey "Hero" (2001) Enrique Iglesias

Choose your partner wisely for this one, ‘cause you're going to be with them for awhile. “Stairway” is many things to many people, but its suitability to soundtrack a teenage tango cannot be denied. Its slow building first half is ideal for shy hip-holding, its solo is take-a-chance-and-spin-your-partner approved, while its amped up second half is your chance to comfortably rock out ... or bail and sneak way into the darkness. Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite slow dance song of all time? For more groovy Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.