When it comes to pleasing the dancers, you need to play the top 100 salsa dance songs. But, what are they and who decides what the top 100 salsa dance songs are?
That is a question that many salsa DJs have pondered, when trying to play the top 100 salsa dance songs for their audience. There’s just such a wide variety in styles, speeds, singers and songs that makes choosing a full hand (or even the one to play next) such a dilemma. A good DJ always finds a way to please the majority, though. On the other hand, a novice DJ, who doesn’t have the skill level, knowledge or has ever been a true, dances to the meaning of the song and music, salsero… well, a disaster is an understatement.
There have been times, when I have had a PARTICULARLY hard day and I’m so stressed out! I go to the salsa clubs, in hopes of hearing some of the top 100 salsa dance songs that will transform my stress to joy. Some DJs, from the first note/beat just manage to truly perform miracles, by playing songs that are not only fun to listen to, but exiting to dance. The blood starts circulating and yet there’s a chill in your spine. The feet start moving… and no matter how aware of people staring at you, that you are, you just can’t help but move your feet (and get lost in that rhythm!).
Then, there are those DJs that don’t understand the music or the words, much less the meaning or feeling, of the songs. The kind of DJs that either play the same songs over and over, in the same sequence even, every time they DJ at an event/club. OR even worse, the kind that seems like they just stopped at the local Starbucks, saw a salsa CD in between the Frank Sinatra and the Yoga Relaxation Jazz CDs and decided… “sounds good, I’ll play that all night”.
As an “Old Style” salsa dancer, who understands what the singer is singing (and his “soneos” [improvisations]), that stuff just totally turns my salsa joy dial, almost, all the way down, as disappointment sets in, longing to hear any of the top 100 salsa dance songs instead.
What you will find, below, is a list I have compiled of the top 100 salsa dance songs that are being played by DJs all over the world. It is a compilation of the most common songs found on DJ website and articles from all over the world. I spent 2 months researching, asking questions and listening to each song to prove it’s validity (It started as a list of 500; but I’ve taken out all Cha-cha’s and some Merengues that sneaked their way in). I also broke the list down to 5 top 100 salsa dance songs lists. KEEP in mind, there are many more than these top 100 salsa dance songs out there; These are just THE ones, DJs all over the world have chosen (to post, at least), according to my research; plus a few of my own, that I play when DJing. Also, they are in alphabetical order and NOT in order of popularity or dance-ability. If you would like to submit YOUR top songs for consideration for this list, leave us a comment with your suggestions.
Here’s the top 100 salsa dance songs…
|Name| Artist| Album| Duration|
|1-800- Love me| Luisito Rosario | Rumba of the neighborhood | 4:06|
|1-800-Love me (Remix)| Luisito Rosario | Rumba of the neighborhood | 5:02|
|To Dance Inside| The Solution Orchestra | to dance | 4:23|
|To Cali| Classic Set| congratulations| 3:16|
|To Him| Oscar D’Leon| Critical Hits| 3:47|
|A Blow Of Folklore| Niche Group| To the Blow of Folklore| 4:59|
|To Enjoy| Jose Alberto “The Canary” | I dream of you | 3:34|
|At the time they call me I go| Candido Fabre | 4:30|
|At the time they call me I’ll go| Jose Alberto “The Canary” | OnTime| 5:11|
|To the Memory of the Dead| Fruko and his Tesos | 4:22|
|It Smells To Me| Mulenze Orchestra| Party Sauce!| 4:11|
|To My Father-in-Law (Don Pedrito)| Various Artists| Stellar Hard Salsa Collection | 3:55|
|Steel Bongo| Typical 73 | 4:36|
|Tell my Opponent| Mandinka Group | Back to the 70s| 4:13|
|Sharpen| Louie Ramirez – Ray De La Paz | Classy Taste| 6:06|
|Hot Ajiaco| Eddie Palmieri | Mozambique| 5:38|
|The Love| alex leon Caleta Sauce| 5:06|
|Street Love| The Latin Brothers | Best of the Latin Brothers | 4:51|
|Repent Sinners| Willie Rosario | Back To The Future / 40th Anniversary | 4:31|
|Repent| Broadway Orchestra | Party Sauce!| 4:01|
|Repent| Ray Barrett| At His Best of him | 5:14|
|Rice With Butter| Oscar D’Leon | With The Latin Dimension| 4:00|
|I like you chubby like that| nicolas caesar | the best of the best| 4:00|
|Asi Soy Yo (That’s How I Am)| Larry Harlow | That’s how I am | 5:42|
|This is how you don’t love anyone| Typical 73| 3:52|
|Strike Again| Joe Cuba Sextette | Cooking The Sauce | 3:25|
|Stir me up the stove| Willie Rosario | Gold Salsero – 20 Hits | 5:07|
|Daring| KING RODRIGUEZ | In The Sound Of Today Vol 1 | 4:38|
|Even if you cry for me| Raphy Leavitt| Salsero Gold 20 Hits Vol 2 | 4:52|
|Ave Maria Lola| Sonora Carousels| Heavy Sauce| 4:08|
|Tell My Opponent| Tobacco and Rum Orchestra | Sauce of Truth| 7:14|
|Oh Wow| Adalberto Santiago | Popeye the Sailor | 5:31|
|Sugar Pa A Bitter| Oscar D’Leon | With The Latin Dimension | 2:54|
|Babaila| Soneros of the Neighborhood | Following The Tradition| 4:41|
|Barabari| Titus Bridge | Live At Birdland-Dancemania ’98| 8:29|
|Dance That Dance| Jose “The Canary” Alberto | Crystal Series: Greatest Hits| 4:48|
|banban| Joe Arroyo | Greatest Hits, Vol. 2| 3:12|
|Flag (A Little Flag)| Larry Harlow | That’s how I am | 5:36|
|Shoulder bag| Hector Lavoe | Comedy| 9:34|
|Bar And Drinks| Various Artists| Salsakidd’s Salsa Mix | 4:17|
|Black Quarter| Hot 990| Ultra Mix The Best Of Salsa Tropical Dance| 5:34|
|Hint| Willie Colon | The Big Break – The Great Escape| 5:37|
|Bembelequa| Celia Cruz | Unrepeatable | 4:55|
|Gypsy Kiss| Colombia Sings to You Ii| Colombia Sings to You II | 5:14|
|Beunaventura Has Sweetness| Guayacán Orchestra | Guayacan and the Good | 5:19|
|Black and White| Joe Arroyo | 20th Anniversary| 5:03|
|Liar Mouth| Andy Montanez | Gold Sauce | 4:44|
|Boricua Rumbero Salsero| adalberto santiago | fat sauce | 4:05|
|Bravo Rumbero| Alfredo Naranjo and El Guajeo | At 6 is the date | 3:28|
|Good Venture and Caney| Niche Group| History Music, Vol. 1 | 6:19|
|Bonaventura The Time Has Come| Huber Angel | Enjoy me | 4:18|
|Search The Rhythm| Willie Rosario | Gold Salsero – 20 Hits | 5:35|
|Looking For A Love| Orch. Matecana/Orch. Guayacán| Battle Series | 4:22|
|I’m looking for yours| Fania All-Stars | Fania All-Stars “Live”June 11, 1994| 7:01|
|I seek to forget you| Willie Rosario | Back To The Future / 40th Anniversary | 4:35|
|He jokes| Fruko & His Treasures| Fruko And His Tesos – Power Salsa| 4:57|
|Cali De Rumba| Fruko & His Treasures| Fruko And His Tesos – Power Salsa| 5:26|
|Cali Flamenco Mix| Marshmallow | My Best Hits | 6:21|
|hush ox| Hector “tempo” Alomar| the best of the best| 5:13|
|Mayoral Bell| Jose Mangual Jr. | 5:15|
|Singing| The Niches| Greatest Hits| 4:29|
|Singing He Gone| Cuckoo Valoy | Sonero| 4:18|
|Abacua Singing| Ray Barrett| At His Best of him | 8:17|
|Lily Bud| Oscar D’Leon | The Pancake Maker | 4:32|
|Carnival| Joe Arroyo | And the Truth| 5:06|
|Punish her| Cesar Nicholas | The Best of the Best| 4:10|
|Celebrating| The Puerto Rican | Puerto Rican Orchestra: 20th Anniversary| 5:02|
|Celia| Jose Alberto “The Canary” | OnTime| 6:00|
|Chimpun Callao| Macondo Orchestra| Ultra Mix The Best Of Salsa Tropical Dance| 3:43|
|How is it possible| Louie Ramirez| Louie Ramirez and Super Band | 5:04|
|As I Sing| Spanish Harlem Orchestra | Across 110th Street| 4:32|
|How to forget you| Oscar D’Leon| 4:01|
|Road Companion| Raphy Leavitt | Gold Salsero 20 Hits – VOL 1| 4:04|
|Heart of Steel| Cuckoo Valoy | Sonero| 4:14|
|When I see you| Mandinka Group | Back to the 70s| 4:08|
|When I See You| Spanish Harlem| Across 110th Street| 4:50|
|Guitar Body| Various| This Is Real Sauce! | 5:32|
|Guilty| GALE GROUP | Latin essence | 4:17|
|Cumanian| Valentin Valdez Drinks Salsa | 4:17|
|Once Enjoying| La Sonora Carousels | Once Enjoying | 5:17|
|Download ’73| Typical 73 | 4:53|
|Full Discharge| maraca| Latin Village Salsa (Mixed By DJ Mauri)| 6:00|
|Return My Joy| Willie Rosario | More Rhythm| 4:10|
|Let yourself be loved| Jose Alberto “The Canary” | wounded| 5:11 |
|I say| Niche Group| History Music, Vol. 1 | 4:58|
|Tell me yes| Anthony Cartagena | Tell me yes | 4:25|
|Tell me yes| Gilberto Santa Rosa Three With Cache | 4:19|
|Tell me if I arrived on time| Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco| Tremendous Cache | 3:51|
|Dynamite| Fania All-Stars| Commitments| 4:50|
|Pain And Love| Ismael Miranda and Orch. Harlow| Open Step | 3:57|
|Pains| Cano Estremera| Opera Ecuajey| 4:26|
|Dominican I am| Raulin Rosendo | Dominican For The World| 4:54|
|Don Toribio| Mandinka Group | Back to the 70s| 4:26|
|Two Friends| Sunday Quinones | Greatest Hits| 4:00|
|Throwing Pa’Lante| Oscar D’Leon | The Cachumbambe | 3:57|
|The Apartment| Willie Rosario | Back To The Future / 40th Anniversary | 4:19|
|The Famous Artist| Robert Blades | 5:51|
|The Ace of Rumba| Jose Alberto “The Canary” | Back to the Mambo: Tribute to Machito | 4:48|
|The Dancer of the Avenue| Sonora Carousels| With All The Irons | 4:11|
|The padlock and the key| Titus Allen | The Untouchable | 4:34|
Don’t get me wrong, there are multiple opinions on what the “top 100 salsa dance songs” are and aren’t. But there are quite a few selections that are considered THE top 100 salsa dance songs all over the world. In LA and in NY, in Italy and South Korea, in Puerto Rico and Venezuela, in Colombia or Panama… these songs will fill the dance floors and keep salseros (and salseras) happy and dancing until they drop!