The Best Soft Rock Hits That Still Get Boomers In Their Dancing Shoes

Disco classics from the '70s and club hits of the '80s weren't the only tunes that got music-loving boomers moving across the floor. There were also plenty of soft rock songs that had the magic to make dancing a part of the listening experience. The best part was that you didn't need to know any trendy steps to join in on the action, or even have a dance floor handy for the occasion. The best, most danceable songs from the soft rock scene were groovy enough to inspire shoulder shaking and hip swaying without a night at the club; you could jam along in the grocery store, your living room, or behind the wheel. Anyplace where boomers had access to airwaves was fair game.

We scooped up our five favorite soft-rock tunes that are prepped and primed for a boomer dance-athon. Though some of these fluffy tunes, like "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" by Leo Sayer and "Dance With Me" by Orleans, use dancing as a lyrical theme, that's obviously not a requirement; all a soft rock song needs to get boomers shuffling in their Hush Puppies is an infectious beat and an energetic delivery that sends sparks through the nervous system and a flood of fun, grooving memories through the brain matter.

The loose strumming of the rhythm guitar, the funky riffs from the lead guitar, the strutting bass line — could English singer Leo Sayer have produced a more dance-inspiring soft rock song than his hit "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing?" It doesn't matter if you're not in the mood (or the proper setting, or the right shoes) to dance; if you're a boomer with a whiff of remembrance for this easy-going disco-adjacent bouncer, you're going to be recalling your old moves when the twangy jangle taps you on the eardrum. It's irresistible, thanks in part to those snaky guitar lines that come courtesy of musical greats Ray Parker, Jr. and Larry Carlton. Sayer's bebopping falsetto delivery created its own rhythm, different from the backing tracks and every bit as boogie-inspiring.

This Grammy-winning charmer was the first of Sayer's two No. 1 hits in 1977, and it was much more than "When I Need You," the slow-tempo love song that followed it to the top of the charts. Boomers expecting other soft rock jams that set their feet on fire were out of luck, but at least they have a little of Leo left on their playlists to stir their dancing memories.

If boomers ever needed a reminder of just how dance-oriented their youth was, Elton John put it all in a musical package with a hip-shaking bow wrapped around it called "Crocodile Rock." It was literally a melodic coming-of-age story about the dance-hall days of the '50s and '60s, complete with descriptions of gold Chevys and record players. It was also a story about a doomed romance between the narrator and his beloved Susie, who had the time of their lives doing a dance named the Crocodile Rock when the weekend hit. There was no getting past the pull to do your favorite dance moves when John's piano kicked into high gear — and the compulsion to shake, rattle, and roll is just as strong when it plays today.

The needle dropped on this all-timer at the end of 1972, and by early 1973, it had become a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It holds the distinction of being John's first trip to the top of the charts, though it certainly wouldn't be the last. Through all of his various incarnations and musical evolution, the innocent charm of "Crocodile Rock" has never worn off. It still has the power to pull boomers out of their seats, filling their hearts with memories and reminding them of the bebopping moments of their younger days.

The starry-eyed, feel-good vibe of "Reminiscing" gave Little River Band a meta moment wrapped in a tune that actually portends the dancing to be done down the line. "'I can hardly wait,' I said to myself when we're old / we'll go dancing in the dark / walking through the park / and reminiscing." It's a setup that was too good to skip back in 1978, when it made the soft rock scene all glowy and shuffle-footed, and now it's "Inception"-style nostalgia-within-nostalgia for boomers who dance to it today and remember how they danced to it back then, too.

You can't argue with the song's chart success; it danced all the way to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Songwriter Graeham Goble told Goldmine Magazine that he was truly inspired by the jazz-inspired dance masters from the golden age of musical cinema and big band music of those sparkly, romantic times. So when boomers tap their toes and shake their shimmy to it now, they're celebrating the long-standing history of dance music and its undying magic.

The bouncy shuffle that permeates "What a Fool Believes" by Doobie Brothers isn't exactly the sort of edgy rhythm that would have lit up the dance floor at Studio 54. But for boomers who favored soft rock over edgier genres, this unusually cheery tune of post-romantic regret was like a pulsating heartbeat that coaxed even the most demure dancer to lose their inhibitions. It was after the Doobies pulled a switcheroo and shifted from the rootsy biker-loved rock of their earlier days into a distinct adult contemporary mode, thanks to the introduction of Michael McDonald into the line-up.

The song came together when Kenny Loggins walked up to McDonald's door for a songwriting session. Loggins heard the now-iconic opening figure and began coming up with lyrics, requesting that this be the first tune they worked on. Both Loggins and the Doobie Brothers recorded their own versions of the finished song, but it was the Doobies' and McDonald's husky delivery that became the better-known of the two. Whether it's the mournful romantic implosion in the storytelling or the upbeat arrangement that backs it up, this song has boomers up on their feet from the opening notes.

Romantic firelight moments with your special somebody had a slow-dance soundtrack in Orleans' mid-tempo twirler "Dance With Me." Any boomer who lacked the language or the boldness to ask for a dance floor adventure could simply let the lyrics do the wooing: "Dance with me / I want to be your partner, can't you see? / The music is just starting, night is calling / and I am falling." If Hallmark had started cranking out soft rock singles in the '70s to match their syrupy greeting cards, this would have been the tune to start with. The romance is real, though; the song was written by Orleans vocalist John Hall and his wife, Johanna. It headed all the way to No. 6 in 1975 and inspired a jukebox musical by the same name in 2000. The line-up also included Orleans' No. 5 hit "Still the One," another highly danceable boomer favorite written by the husband-and-wife team.

You can practically picture all the boomer weddings that used this song, and the soft-hearted nostalgia hearing it today summons up. The opening chords provide a warning tone for anyone in the mood to slow-dance with their boo or bae. That might mean limbering up a little, if it's been a while since the Me Generation has hauled out their dancing shoes for a spin. Once those joints get working, it's slow dance city again for the soft rock lovers in the house.