Covering The Best Roller Skating Music of All Time
Skating and roller skating music go hand in hand. Whether you are skating at a rink indoors or skating outdoors with a pair of headphones, it’s highly likely that you are jamming to some good tunes.
I love a good mixture of both some new tunes mixed in with my favorite old school roller skating songs. So, in today’s article, I am going to break down some of the best roller skating songs of all time. I am going to give you my top 10 songs. There is so much great roller skating music out there, it was hard to choose
These tunes are designed to get you on your feet and get rollin’. Be sure to let me know your favorites in the comments below, because with only 10 per decade, I had to cut out a ton of good music!
Put on your bell bottoms, knee high socks, headbands and tie dye shirt and lets go over some roller skating music!
1. Aneessa – Gonna Be Alright
Co-composed and co-produced with her husband Michael B. Sutton (Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross), the song boasts a liberating message sure to incite line dances and skate parties wherever it is heard. It’s a really great song and one to add to your playlist.
2. September – Earth, Wind & Fire – 1978
Any list of the top roller skating songs of the 70s wouldn’t be complete without Earth, Wind & Fire’s awesome song September. Another great upbeat song that will have your feet moving and have you singing along.
September hit #1 on the US Billboard Hot Soul Singles in 1978. It also was ranked #8 in the Billboard Top 100 and #3 on the UK Singles chart. It is one of a number of Earth, Wind & Fire songs that I love. Others include Boogie Wonderland and Let’s Groove – both of which are awesome roller skating songs. I just like September best of those three.
3. That’s the Way (I Like It) – KC and the Sunshine Band – 1975
KC and the Sunshine Band’s hit song That’s the Way is a 70s roller skating music classic. I still hear it played often at my local skating rink here in town. Everyone loves skating to this classic hit. In 1975, this song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot R&B Singles charts. According to music historian Carol Chace, it even hit #1 in Canada and the Netherlands of all places!
When it was released, the song was considered rather risqué by some because of the lyrics and song title. Today, it seems quite tame in comparison to today’s tunes.
If you are looking for a few great roller skating songs from the 70s, then KC and the Sunshine Band are a good place to start. They also have classic hits like Get Down Tonight, I’m Your Boogie Man, Shake Your Booty and many, many more.
4. Old School Party– Michael B. Sutton – 2024
Discovered by Stevie Wonder who led me to work at Motown, I had the pleasure of working with some of the greatest, Berry Gordy, Hal Davis, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson, The Originals, Chuck Brown, Cheryl Lynn, Ray Parker Jr., Thelma Houston & Jerry Butler, Anita Pointer, Switch, and more…. This song isn’t just a tune; it’s a throwback to the authentic ’70s sound we all adore. Think good times, genuine vibes, and the heart of music. It’s my way of inviting you to join the party, dance it out, and relive the joy we all miss!- Michael B. Sutton
5. Play That Funky Music – Wild Cherry – 1976
One of my all-time favorite songs is Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry. This song has an awesome funky baseline and just makes me want to boogie anytime I hear it. Released in 1976, this song was the only hit for Wild Cherry.
The song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles charts. It also #93 on Billboard’s All-Time Top 100 songs. I wouldn’t disagree. It’s one of my all-time favorites. Be sure to watch the video above and check out the trumpeter twirling his trumpet towards the end. Pretty cool.
6. Superstition – Stevie Wonder – 1972
Stevie Wonder is one of the all-time great musicians. And in 1972, Stevie released a funk masterpiece called Superstition. It’s one of my favorite roller skating songs of the 70s on my playlist. Every time it comes on, I just want to skate (and dance).
Superstition topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973. It also reached #1 on the Soul Singles charts. In 2004, Rolling Stones magazine ranked it at #74 in the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. I’d have to agree. If you are looking for a great roller skating song of the 70s, then I’d add this one to your list.
Of course, Stevie Wonder has so many great songs to choose from. You could easily make a 2 hour long skating playlist of just Stevie’s hits. Sir Duke, Signed Sealed Delivered, Isn’t She Lovely, I Wish, I Just Called to Say I Love You, Part Time Lover, Living for the City, Master Blaster and the list goes on and on and on. Stevie is one of the best ever.
7. I Will Survive – Gloria Gayner – 1978
I Will Survive is an awesome up-tempo, disco, funk song that will have you singing along and skating all out anytime it plays. Gloria has an amazing voice and the lyrics of this song are perfect for anyone ever going through a breakup.
This hit roller skating song of the 70s sold over 14 million albums worldwide and went platinum. The song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in both the US and the UK in 1979. It’s one of my favorite songs from this decade.
8. You Should be Dancing– Bee Gees – 1976
How could you have a list of 70s roller skating music without songs by the Bee Gees? This trio of brothers tore up the charts during the decade with a number of hit songs. One of my favorite roller skating songs from the 70s is their hit You Should Be Dancing. It was the first big hit by the Bee Gees and is still one of my favorites.
The song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, #1 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart and #5 on the UK Singles Chart. If you’re looking for a great tune to get your feet going, this is a good one.
9. Stayin’ Alive – Bee Gees – 1977
Stayin’ Alive is one of the Bee Gees signature songs. Popularized in the movie Saturday Night Fever with John Travolta, this song was one of the Bee Gees best songs. It’s one of my favorites to roller skate to because it just gets me movin’!
Released in December of ’77, Stayin’ Alive became the 2nd song by the Bee Gees to reach #1. Other great roller skating songs by the Bee Gees include Night Fever, Jive Talkin’, How Deep is Your Love, How Can You Mend a Broken Heart and Too Much Heaven. Those last 3 songs in that list are good slow couple skate songs for those of you out there skating with your sweetie.
10. Rock with You – Michael Jackson – 1979
The king of pop makes an entrance in the 1970s with his hit song Rock with You. I love to roller skate to this song. While this song didn’t hit #1 until the 80s, it was officially released in 79, so it makes the 70s roller skating songs list.
This song hit #1 in 1980 on both the Billboard Pop and R&B charts. It’s considered to be one of the last great disco hits as the 1980s rolled in and killed disco (which still kinda makes me sad). Roller skating and disco kind of were born together at the same time. It’s great that this hit song (his third #1) was the last one in our list of best roller skating songs of the 70s. It’s a great segway to the 1980s!
Top 10 80s Roller Skating Music
The 1980s. The decade that brought us the one-hit wonder, big hair, big hats, hairspray, sequins gloves, MTV, parachute pants and neon also brought us some of the best roller skating music ever.
The late 80s is when I first started DJing at my local roller rink. I have a lot of fond memories of that first job. Spinning vinyl and a few cassettes, CD players had just come out and were still too expensive for our rink to use.
Just like the 70s roller skating music top 10 list above, this list of 80s roller skating music was tough to whittle down. There is just so much great music in the 80s. If I forgot one of your favorites (or 10 of them), be sure to tell me about it in the comments below.
Here is the list of the best roller skating songs of the 80s.
1. Thriller – Michael Jackson – 1982
The king of pop is back in the decade that he just flat out dominated. I could easily make a top 10 list of just Michael Jackson songs for the 80s. He had so many great songs and music videos, but Thriller is for sure one of my all-time favorites. MTV wore this music video out back in the early 80s.
I was a huge Michael Jackson fan – red leather jacket, sequins gloves….yep, I had it all. Big time fan boy. And I still have this great roller skating song on my playlist whenever I’m skating. It’s a great song to skate to in the dark when the rink turns the lights down low.
Thriller hit #1 on every music chart in the world including in Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, UK and of course here in the US. The song even hit #6 in Japan.
There are so many great Michael Jackson songs to choose from. I could have went with Beat It, Billy Jean, Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ or Smooth Criminal just to name a few out of a dozen from this decade. But I wanted this list to be diverse, so you only get one.
2. Another One Bites the Dust – Queen – 1980
I am a huge fan of Freddy Mercury and Queen. One of the best lead singers and bands of all time. This is another band where you could easily make a top 10 list just of their music. One of my favorite Queen songs to skate to is Another One Bites the Dust. It has an excellent, funky bassline – a must in my book for a great roller skating song.
Another One Bites the Dust hit #1 in the US, Canada, Spain and Israel (an odd list). It only hit #7 in the UK, which is a bit odd. Regardless, it’s a great song to skate to and get down and boogie.
Other great roller skating music by Queen includes Bohemian Rhapsody, One Vision (one of my all-time favorites for a fast skate song), Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Somebody to Love, Under Pressure, Fat Bottomed Girls, We Will Rock You and so many more.
Plus, this band had one of the greatest live performances ever. If you’ve never seen their set at Live Aid, you are really missing something.
3. Livin’ on a Prayer – Bon Jovi – 1986
If the 80s was known for anything, it was definitely known for big hair. And no band symbolized that better than Bon Jovi. Livin’ on a Prayer takes a little bit of time to get going, but the bridge and chorus of this song are awesome. It also has a really cool synthesized background “ooo ooo ooo ahh ahh ahh” playing throughout the verses. It’s a good fast skate song and one on my playlist.
Livin’ on a Prayer hit #1 in the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand and Norway. Bon Jovi had a number of other hits including I’ll Be There for You, Bad Medicine, Wanted Dead or Alive and You Give Love a Bad Name, but Livin’ on a Prayer was their most iconic song.
4. Take on Me – A-Ha – 1985
One of my all-time favorite songs on and off the rink floor is A-Ha’s Take on Me. This song was huge in the MTV era. Still 35 years later, this is one of the coolest videos I’ve ever seen. The song has that classic 80s uptempo Casio keyboard sound. Add in a high-pitched falsetto lead singer (Morten Harket – I still can’t hit that high note) and you have a classic 80s one-hit wonder.
The song hit #1 all over the world including in the US, Canada, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Switzerland and Sweden. The song and the video were both hugely popular.
And, if you’re looking for a slow skate version of this song, you can’t go wrong with the unplugged version sung by the band in 2017. This slower version was also featured in the movie Deadpool. It’s a beautiful remake, though, quite slower (like watching paint dry compared to the original version).
5. Push It – Salt-N-Pepa – 1986
I love, love, love skating to this classic 80s roller skating song. Salt-N-Pepa’s Push It is really one of the best songs to roller skate to of all-time. It’s got a great up-tempo beat. that’s funky, fun and takes me back to my days rolling around the rink. I can’t tell you how many times I spun this record at my rink. It was super popular.
This #1 hit topped the charts hit #1 in Belgium and the Netherlands of all places, but only hit the top 20 on the US charts. Push It also got tons of airplay at almost every rink I visited during the 80s and 90s. How can a song called Push It not be on the top 10 list of the best roller skating music ever? I mean, come on. Just get out on the floor and push it already!
6. Bizarre Love Triangle – New Order – 1986
Club music in the 80s was popular in roller skating rinks, too. One of the bands I got turned onto as a teenager while skating was New Order. One of my favorite up-tempo, club hits was Bizarre Love Triangle. The video above is the original radio cut. My favorite version of this song is the Extended Dance Mix and is the one I always played at my rink. I still listen to it every time I skate. It just takes me back to the 80s. Good stuff.
New Order was never very big when it comes to chart toppers. This song hit #4 on the US Dance Club songs, but I don’t care. This is my top list and this is one of my favorites so it’s on the list. 🙂
