Megan's love of dance pop

Yes, you read that correctly.  I have a secret love of dance pop.  Believe me, my husband laughs at me constantly about this.

I listen to pop music in two distinct situations: while exercising and cleaning : )  At the activity center in town, I take about three Zumba classes, two Spin classes, and 2 CRT classes a week, and we do all of our exercises to top 40 pop hits!  (If you think that's overloading...I've lost almost 30 pounds in 6 months thanks to exercising 6 days a week).  And there's nothing that can get me psyched up to clean a bathroom or tackle a pile of dishes after dinner like One Direction, am I right?

2012 was an awesome year for dance pop, so here are my favorites (along with the rest of the country):

Kesha, Die Young - Yes, it's full of debauchery, but it allows me to reminisce about my crazy clubbing nights in Aberdeen as an exchange student.  I drank A. LOT. and danced with probably too many boys.  But it's the only time in my life when I've been that crazy. 

f.u.n., We Are Young - The best song for a hill in spin class

Psy, Gangam Style - Yes, I have done the silly dance in Zumba class.  There is no way to dance to this song without smiling, and I love it!  I also thought the backstory to the song was interesting, that Psy wrote it as a social commentary* on the consumer driven culture of South Korea and ridiculous rap stars. 

One Direction, What Makes You Beautiful - I enjoy this song because it makes me smile and we do a pretty awesome routine to it in spin class involving push ups.  Slate also had a great comparison of One Direction with the boy bands of our adolescence here.

Taylor Swift, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - This is a fave of my cleaning routine, because you kind of have to bounce around while listening to it, and that gives me the energy needed to do unpleasant tasks.

Flo Rida, Good Feeling - Just a fun song, and you can't help but dance to it, even if you are washing dishes.

Maroon 5, Moves Like Jagger - Okay, I guess this was a 2011 song, but I really only started listening to it this year.  This is one of my top songs because we do a kick ass abs routine to it in Zumba class.

So if you want to see me dance in public, come to the San Marcos Activity Center most evenings, but you'll probably regret it.  It has been fun to mix up my usual prog rock and indie rock leanings with some good dance pop, and I hope 2013 brings with it some more awesome hits!




* Anyone who can reference my disdain for this term, and the person associated with it, earns a prize