HOW TO SAVE A DANCE FLOOR: 10 UNDERAPPRECIATED WEDDING BANGERS THAT BRING EVERYONE BACK

You can feel it as a DJ: you have a song playing and you're losing momentum. Maybe you've worked them too hard and they need a break at the bar, or they are following the bride & groom outside somewhere. Maybe the song just ain't hitting---but slowly the head bobs and movement are less noticeable, bigger gaps appear in the dance floor as people head off and as a DJ you're going to make an audible on that next track that mixes and flows so smoothly because regardless of the transition...you've got to pivot and get the floor back, pronto.

There are several songs that can pull this off. If you play Euchre, it's like having the off-suit jack. You're holding the song for just the right time, but sometimes you just got to lay it down and get your points while you can --and need them.

So here's ten songs that bring people back to the floor if I run into one of those 'break glass in case of emergency' moments when the dance floor starts to fade a bit that help me always get it back right away. There are also ten honorable mentions that will do the trick if you need to save a few of the bangers for your peak dancing times.

Rules: I've excluded group dances like The Cupid Shuffle or Cha Cha Slide, as well as slow songs...because those are easy ones to refill your dance floor, no matter the moment. Also excluded are what I call my Burn It Down List which are no brainers like Mr. Brightside, No Hands, I Love It, Hotel Room Service, Pink Pony Club, and Yeah. Too easy with those and I save that all for the mind-melting final hour.

Some of these songs depend on timing; as a few songs you can fire off in the early hours of dancing and a few are for the late part of the night when we get a bit ratchet. I've put them in order of power from least to most:

10 - "Glamorous" - Fergie | Always brings the ladies who want to flex their independent side and a nice chill vibe that feels like a slower jam, yet sets you up for successful transitions at 120bmp.

9 - "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" - Big & Rich | A quick genre flip to Country and a song that will liven up any party. That plucky banjo at the beginning is a soundtrack to feet stomping back on the dance floor.

8 - "Unwritten" - Natasha Bedingfield | I try to save this for the last hour, but if I have to get some girlpower back on the floor (including the bride) I can offer this one up and fill in the blanks later at night with an honorable mention.

7 - "Back That Azz (Thing) Up" - Juvenile | A millennial anthem. That intro (which goes about 15 seconds) gives everyone time to react, realize the song and make it to the dance floor before the song kicks into high gear. I won't even mix it in...just hit the intro cold. Not advisable if I'm already wearing them out with throwback hip-hop though.

6 - "Dancing Queen" - ABBA | Usually one of my first five songs to start the night. But I can hold this for up to an hour after we start. It's a great party-restart especially after your first slow song. If this doesn't work, I'm going home.

5 - "Tipsy (A Bar Song)" - Shaboozey | This 2024 banger is a great mid-set floor filler. Everyone from your Uncle Bill to your college roommates will hit the floor. I don't mix out of this and let it go the full distance. Most older people really enjoy it and it could be their last dancing song of the night before we go into the 'club vibe.' A guaranteed hit.

4. - "Love Shack" - B-52's | If I don't play it...maybe nobody notices. But another song like Dancing Queen that can absolutely get the party moving after a slow song brings down the energy. That intro and chorus can't help but bring anyone over the age of 30 onto the floor. Props to the kids under 30 who can appreciate this fun wedding classic.

3 - "Low" - Flo Rida | My guy Flo has a lot of songs that are dance floor hits, but that little intro with the "hmmm mmmm mmmm" mixes into just about anything and triggers that little brain alarm in people that they know we're about to hit the best part. The song starts with a crushing "Shorty had them apple-bottom jeans (jeans)--boots with the fur!" I have other Flo Rida songs I can work in later if I need to.

2 - "Love Story" (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift | Whether our couple are Swifties or not, this song pulls in everyone who is there to celebrate love. This version has a great dance intro and drops into a cappella at the first verse --which triggers receptors in people's brains that make them wanna not miss anything that may happen during the song. An easy way to get Taylor into the lineup early.

1 - "Get Low" - Lil John | All ages, even grandma sing this loud. Of course, if it's before 9pm or there are still kids around, I'm playing a radio friendly version. But it doesn't matter because everyone is shouting out the lyrics as they're written. I always lead the group pointing out the architectural features of the venue---namely the windows and the walls. But I leave it there and let them tell me where the sweat drips down from.

I don't know how other DJ's do it, but these songs are the best bullets in my gun. If the floor is jamming (as it usually is with Palladium DJ) they mix right in and make people think you can't miss. But in that event where there may be some distractions like a beautiful night, a photo booth, dessert, or whatever---they're terrific songs to keep the party moving through moments when a less dancy crown gets a bit weary or bored with what is happening on the floor.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order) Shut Up and Dance - Walk The Moon

Timber - Ke$ha

I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Whitney Houston

Shots - LMFAO w/Lil' John

Fergalicious - Fergie

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. - Taylor Swift

Man I Feel Like a Woman - Shania Twain

Crank That (Soulja Boy) - Soulja Boy

Buy You a Drink - T-Pain

Baby Got Back - Sir Mix-A-Lot