Help me dance my way to a cleaner home!

November 8, 2012 6:34 PM

I need to build a house cleaning playlist.

I like to listen to music and wear ballet slippers when I clean the house, because cleaning is more fun when you're dancing. Lately, I've found that anthem-y songs really motivate me, so I'm looking for your best foot stamping anthems. For examples of what I'm looking for, Queen's We Will Rock You, James' Sit Down, and Fun's Some Nights all suit my needs. Please help me keep my house clean by giving me some songs to add to my cleaning playlist.

posted by Ruki to home & garden (22 answers total)

Another one bites the dust
posted by belladonna at 6:38 PM on November 8, 2012

Run the World -- Beyonce
Get Me Bodied -- Beyonce
Get on Your Feet -- Gloria Estefan
So What -- P!nk

Run the World is particularly motivating IME :P
posted by These Birds of a Feather at 6:41 PM on November 8, 2012 [1 favorite]

All These Things That I've Done - The Killers
posted by yellowbinder at 6:47 PM on November 8, 2012

Drop the Hate - Fat Boy Slim
posted by bunderful at 7:06 PM on November 8, 2012

Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes is a good one for feeling good about your home!

And seconding Get Me Bodied but make sure to get the "Extended Mix", such a fun song.
posted by bleep at 7:11 PM on November 8, 2012 [1 favorite]

Foxy Shazam! Unstoppable and Oh Lord and Dangerous Man and Connect.

I also find I like dusting to Pizzicato Five Twiggy Twiggy vs. James Bond. It's not anthemic, but peppy and perfectly suited to twisting around your living room with an ostrich plume duster.
posted by apparently at 7:15 PM on November 8, 2012

This seems like a job for GAY DISCO. Village People: "YMCA", "Go West". Pet Shop Boys: "Where the Streets Have No Name/Can't Keep My Eyes Off of You". Bronski Beat: "Hit That Perfect Beat". "Supermodel (You Better Work)" by Ru Paul.

Branching out a bit: "She Drives Me Crazy" by Fine Young Cannibals, the cover of "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)" from the Tank Girl soundtrack by Joan Jett and Paul Westerberg, "Harder Better Faster" by Daft Punk, "Justified & Ancient" by the KLF (the "Stand by the Jams" mix, with vocals by Tammy Wynette), "Suffragette City" and "Diamond Dogs" by Bowie, "Bullshit" by Grace Jones, "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" by Cake, "You Can't Stop the Beat" from the musical Hairspray,
posted by rmd1023 at 7:42 PM on November 8, 2012 [1 favorite]

"Car Wash" for the uh, cleaning aspect.

(hah, typed "saspect." Sass-pect?)
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:44 PM on November 8, 2012 [1 favorite]

The only time I'm really interesting in listening to Led Zeppelin is when I'm doing a serious deep clean of the house (like, I'm talking, the tops of the cupboards, dusting the molding around the window and door frames and wiping the tops of the doors, wiping down unfinished woodwork, etc).

So basically my fall/spring cleaning playlist, for the things I only do a few times a year, it's the sum total of the Led Zeppelin in my iTunes.
posted by padraigin at 8:12 PM on November 8, 2012

Battle bagpipes
posted by wandering_not_lost at 8:14 PM on November 8, 2012 [1 favorite]

If you want "anthem-y" -

Bruce Springsteen, We Take Care Of Our Own

Peter Gabriel, Come Talk To Me and Solsbury Hill*

And another Queen one to go with the one you've got is Don't Stop Me Now, of course. If Simon Pegg can kill zombies to it, you can clean house to it.



* No, I don't know why the video for "Solsbury Hill" ends with a woman walking through a car wash made of cabbages.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:04 PM on November 8, 2012

Who's Stopping You (Semisonic)
Remedy (Little Boots)
posted by insufficient data at 9:24 PM on November 8, 2012

Hard to beat 60's soul for stayin' in the groove.. take you pick of artist, but off the top of my head
Wilson Pickett: Mustang Sally, 634-5785, Funky Broadway, Don't Let the Green Grass
Aretha: Think, Chain of Fools, Baby I Love You
Marvin Gaye: Can I Get a Witness, Got to Give it up, Stubborn Kinda Fella
James Brown: Get Up Offa That Thing, I Feel Good
Junior Walker: Shutgun, Roadrunner
Sam and Dave: Hold on I'm Comin', You Don't Know Like I Know, I Thank You
Four Tops: It's the Same Old Song, Can't Help Myself,
Temptations: The Way You Do the Things You Do, Ain't to Proud to Beg
Supremes: Love is Like an Itchin' in My Heart(the lovebug done bit me), Baby Love
Stevie Wonder: Fingertips and on and on and on
Sly and Family Stone: Dance to the Music, Everyday People, Life, Thank You
Martha and Vandellas: Dancin' in the Street, Heatwave, Nowhere to Run
posted by PaulBGoode at 11:59 PM on November 8, 2012

I'm surprised with all the talk of Queen and house-cleaning, no one's yet mentioned I Want To Break Free ...
posted by iotic at 12:00 AM on November 9, 2012 [1 favorite]

I've been sprung vacuuming to "Thriller".
posted by flutable at 12:26 AM on November 9, 2012

Oh, another Queen - would "Fat-Bottomed Girls" do?

And I don't know about anthemic, but they definitely get me grooving, and so the B-52's have been my housecleaning companions for a few years now. They even have a song about housework.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:34 AM on November 9, 2012

Oh, wait, duh -

U2 is pretty much an internationally recognized wellspring of Songs With Big Humongous Anthemic Power Chords. A sampling:

"Pride (In The Name Of Love)"
"Where the Streets Have No Name"
"Beautiful Day"
"City of Blinding Lights"
"Elevation"
"Get On Your Boots"
"Gloria"
"Mysterious Ways"
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:41 AM on November 9, 2012

I don't know if I'm just old, or what. My favorite housecleaning music is:

Ella Fitzgerald sings the Cole Porter Songbook

I love to sing along as I wipe down the cabinetry.

It's a double album and after I played all 4 sides (yes, I'm THAT old) the house would SPARKLE.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 7:28 AM on November 9, 2012

Wavin' Flag by K'naan.
posted by The corpse in the library at 11:16 AM on November 9, 2012

Oh, this version is even more anthemic (and would answer the "where do I know that song from?" question you might be having).
posted by The corpse in the library at 11:18 AM on November 9, 2012

Just Dance - Lady Gaga
Stronger - Kelly Clarkson
I can't decide - Scissor Sisters
Take me on the Floor - The Veronicas
Hot n Cold - Katy Perry
Set Fire to the Rain - Adele
Rumpshaker - Wrecks 'n' Effects
I don't want your love - Duran Duran
Jump in the Line - Harry Belafonte
I love you always forever - Donna Lewis
Touch my body - Ashanti

Some of these are from my dance playlist, most are for exercising. For me, at least, they motive me to move fast.
posted by Margalo Epps at 12:08 PM on November 9, 2012 [1 favorite]

I often weedeat to a loop of Battleflag. Makes me aggressive. Work harder.
posted by maggieb at 6:26 PM on January 7