With silly season almost upon us, we´ll all be going to a Christmas or New Year party somewhere soon.
You may have the annual office party coming up or a family get together soon. Whatever you have planned there will be no escape from those typical party songs.
You know the ones I mean. The songs you can´t stand but cannot avoid dancing to.
I´ve noticed that in the UK and in Spain that some of these songs are exactly the same. Some songs that I particularly remember to always crop up in parties in the UK are Whigfield´s Saturday night and the Time Warp from the Rocky Horror show. One of the songs with a dance routine that I used to love was Oops upside your head by the Gap band. For this it was the done thing to sit on the floor and make lines of people. Moving forward, backwards and sideways as the music changed. These tunes aren´t so well know in Spain.
YMCA by the Village people would be my choice if I had to choose one of these dancing songs. Everyone knows it and you can actually cope with the tune until the end. They also know this in Spain.
One of my least favourite tunes is the Birdy song which I just find unbearable. (Agadoo doesn´t even warrant a mention ; ) The Birdy song was originally called the Chicken dance. Unfortunately this one is often played in Spain too. So even moving out of the country didn´t ensure that I wouldn´t hear it anymore. In Spain it´s know as Pajaritos por aqui .
If you are spanish or live in Spain the songs you are most likely to hear at Weddings and celebrations are some of these ones. Paquito el Chocolatero has been around since 1937 (15 years older than the Birdy song) the name means Paco the chocolate maker. The dance consists in a bowing movement from the waist to the beat of the movement. This is my least favourite party song in Spain. No party ends without it being danced to at least once.
The Conga is often played at big parties, with all the guests snaking in a long line around the dances. This is international. In Spain the song Macarena by Los del Rio is almost always played too. A couple of the least irritating choices (in my opinion) are Mayonesa literally means Mayonnaise, this song from the nineties has a latin american vibe. This dance involves a stirring movement as if you are beating mayonnaise in your kitchen! The other one that is bearable is the Roof is on fire or follow the leader. This involves dancing in lines, the movements are set and are part of the song. (follow the leader, move up, move down etc) 
Hope this post gets you in the mood for the festive season ahead.
What is the song that gets you dancing at a party?
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My guilty pleasure at Spanish weddings is 1, 2, 3, Caramba! I do genuinely like it and not only ironically. But usually music at Spanish weddings is uniformly atrocious. I tend to harangue the DJ to put on some Manu Chao.
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So I guess the Macarena is the real crossover party song that should be compulsory at all expat and Spanish gatherings..?
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Follow da leeda leeda leeda… Follow da leeda.. ¡sigame! this seems to get all ages going here in Spain. All walking from one side of room to the other waving arm in air!
What gets me dancing is the wine not always the song, mind you here in France we get Christmas music on French radio stations all year round.
Really weird when it’s mid summer and you are shopping in a supermarket for ice-creams.
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