Hands Up
June 6, 2011 1:55 PM   Subscribe

Looking for songs with the lyrics `hands up`, `hands in the air` or 'touch the sky' or otherwise signals the dancers to put their hands up

Anything that signal the dancer to put their hands / arms in the air , touch the sky, roof etc.

Examples of such songs
Hands up for detroit - Fedde Le Grande
Fatman Scoop - Put your hand up
posted by MechEng to Media & Arts (56 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Space Jam Theme Song - "Wave your hands in the air if you'll feel fine / We're gonna take it into overtime."
posted by Apropos of Something at 1:56 PM on June 6, 2011


"Big Poppa" - Notorious B.I.G.
"Raise Your Hands" - Bon Jovi

Does "Hands To Heaven" by Breathe count?
posted by DWRoelands at 1:56 PM on June 6, 2011


Had to sing this at summer camp. So embarassing.

Ottowan - Hands Up "Hands up, baby hands up / Give me your heart, gimme gimme your heart"
posted by theartandsound at 1:58 PM on June 6, 2011


Bloodhound Gang, "Fire Water Burn"
Captain Dan and the Scurvy Crew, "Real Swashbucklers (Throw Yer Hooks In The Air)"
posted by Faint of Butt at 2:00 PM on June 6, 2011


Black Eyed Peas - Hands Up
posted by Arbitrage1 at 2:00 PM on June 6, 2011


Bloodhound Gang - Fire, Water, Burn

Come on party people.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 2:01 PM on June 6, 2011


DJ Khaled, "All I do is Win"
posted by kellyk801 at 2:01 PM on June 6, 2011 [1 favorite]


Jennifer Lopez - On the Floor
posted by redfishbluefish at 2:02 PM on June 6, 2011


Kanye West - So Appalled
posted by SoftRain at 2:02 PM on June 6, 2011


"Throw your hands in the air"- Elephant Man.
posted by jade east at 2:02 PM on June 6, 2011


Cameo - Word Up (wave your hands in the air like you don't care)
posted by misteraitch at 2:03 PM on June 6, 2011


Kanye West - Touch the Sky
posted by jangie at 2:03 PM on June 6, 2011


"Get Em High" by Kanye West feat. Talib Kweli and Common.

N-now throw your motherfuckin hands, get 'em high
All the girls pass the weed to your motherfuckin man, get 'em high
Now I ain't never told you to put down your hands, keep 'em high
And if you're losin' your high then smoke again, keep 'em high


See also: "Touch the Sky"
posted by milk white peacock at 2:03 PM on June 6, 2011


S Club 7 - Reach
posted by fight or flight at 2:04 PM on June 6, 2011 [1 favorite]


The Bird and the Bee, "Polite Dance Song"
posted by fiercecupcake at 2:08 PM on June 6, 2011 [1 favorite]


Surprised nobody mentioned Black & White Brothers - Put Your Hands Up... and you can't forget the classic X-Press 2 - London X-Press from 1993.
posted by reptile at 2:12 PM on June 6, 2011


Beyoncé - Single Ladies
posted by zoetrope at 2:13 PM on June 6, 2011


I'm embarassed that I'm the one to come in with this suggestion, but Miley Cyrus's Party in the U.S.A. may work for you:

So I put my hands up, they're playing my song, the butterflies fly away,
Noddin' my head like "yeah!" Movin' my hips like "yeah!"

posted by Comic Sans-Culotte at 2:13 PM on June 6, 2011 [2 favorites]


Flo Rida ft. will.i.am, In the Ayer
posted by inging at 2:15 PM on June 6, 2011


It's new, and it's slower than you'd expect, but Lady Gaga - Bloody Mary: I'll dance dance dance with my hands hands hands above my head head head...
posted by psoas at 2:16 PM on June 6, 2011


Are there any criteria to narrow what you're looking for? I am guessing there are literally thousands of songs that would fit this.

(This search, for instance, for "put your hands in the air" says it yields 1000 results, but my sense is that means "over 1000" results, as searching for "love" also yields 1000 results...)
posted by ManInSuit at 2:17 PM on June 6, 2011


Jay-Z, Izzo (that's the anthem, get your damn hands up)

Does Petey Pablo's Raise Up count? The instructions are a little more complicated: take your shirt off, twist it around your head, spin it like a helicopter.
posted by Metroid Baby at 2:18 PM on June 6, 2011


Taio Cruz, Dynamite

*shame*
posted by athenasbanquet at 2:25 PM on June 6, 2011 [2 favorites]


Kylie, Put Your Hands Up: "Put your hands up / if you feel love tonight"
posted by bcwinters at 2:28 PM on June 6, 2011


Destiny's Child, Independent Women : "Throw your hands up at me."
posted by lrrosa at 2:32 PM on June 6, 2011


Katy Perry, California Gurls:

Westcoast represent
Now put your hands up


Word Up, Cameo is probably the go-to one though.
posted by DarlingBri at 2:35 PM on June 6, 2011


Duran Duran, Reach Up For The Sunrise
posted by gnomeloaf at 2:36 PM on June 6, 2011


Finding a video for this song just made my day.
Tony Lee- Reach UP!

posted by jade east at 2:55 PM on June 6, 2011


Foreign language example: Arash - Dastaa baalaa (دستا بالا = hands up)
posted by Gordafarin at 2:56 PM on June 6, 2011


"If you ever loved somebody put your hands up" (Nelly, Just a Dream)
posted by Paul the Octopus at 2:59 PM on June 6, 2011


LMFAO-Party Rock Anthem
posted by brilliantine at 3:32 PM on June 6, 2011


I think it'd be easier to list dance pop that doesn't mention this idea.

But my contribution to this little list is House of Pain, "Jump Around," because I'm oldschool like that.

Get up, stand up, come on, throw your hands up
If you've got the feelin' jump across the ceilin'

posted by SomeTrickPony at 3:39 PM on June 6, 2011


I can't believe that I still remember this, but these lyrics are included in "Funky, Funky Christmas" by the New Kids on the Block:

Throw your hands in the air - pause
Kick the ballistics Santa Claus

posted by meggie78 at 3:47 PM on June 6, 2011


Chris Brown's Yeah 3x includes the lyric "Hold your glasses up, people everywhere / Now everybody put your hands in the air."
posted by Spyder's Game at 4:05 PM on June 6, 2011


Memphis local Kenny Hays "Tro Yo Hands".
posted by raisingsand at 4:06 PM on June 6, 2011


Put it Down by Wookiefoot

If we put it down and come out with our hands up
you gotta put it down and come out with your hands up
I gotta put it down now and come out with my hands up
my hands up

posted by belladonna at 4:07 PM on June 6, 2011


The (otherwise truly appalling) lyrics to Mambo #5 mention hands clapping and doing other things as well as "touch the sky".
posted by Cookbooks and Chaos at 4:13 PM on June 6, 2011


Not exactly right, but too good not to mention: The Safety Dance, which features maybe the strangest music video ever made and the line "everybody look at your hands!"

(plus, their hands *are* in the air an awful lot)
posted by dizziest at 4:24 PM on June 6, 2011


Kanye West, "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" ("throw your diamonds in the sky if you feel the vibe"); "Big Brother" ("if you feel the way I feel why don't you wave your hands")

Lil Sonic ft. Lil Wayne, "Hands in the Air"

Gotty Boi Chris, "Huslaz At" ("throw your hood up, throw your ward up, middle fingers up")

Err, also the Sarah Palin rap from SNL ("all the mavericks in the house, put your hands up; all the plumbers in the house, pull your pants up")
posted by sleepingcbw at 4:50 PM on June 6, 2011


Stanton Warriors Hands Up.

(Caution: Bootie Breaks)
posted by poe at 5:09 PM on June 6, 2011




Busta Rhymes Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See
posted by citron at 5:18 PM on June 6, 2011


Boy Band by the Arrogant Worms.
posted by thatdawnperson at 5:39 PM on June 6, 2011


Reach for the Sky, Social Distortion
posted by martianna at 5:48 PM on June 6, 2011


From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea by the Cure.

Put your hands in the sky
Surrender, remember we'll be here forever
And we'll never say goodbye

posted by Judith Butlerian Jihad at 6:16 PM on June 6, 2011


Arome - Hands Up -- I used to play the hell out of this when I was DJing at raves still.
posted by empath at 6:46 PM on June 6, 2011


This is another I used to play: Vandalism - Throw your hands up.
posted by empath at 6:51 PM on June 6, 2011


Oh god, why did this pop into my head:
I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the sky
posted by gemmy at 7:05 PM on June 6, 2011


Big Business - Hands Up
posted by neckro23 at 7:08 PM on June 6, 2011


Girl Talk's "Hands in the Air" meets the criteria, although the reference is a sample from Yo Majesty's "Club Action." The Girl Talk mash-up is better.
posted by jeffmshaw at 7:22 PM on June 6, 2011


flo rida's: the club can't handle me:

You know I know how
To make em stop and stare as I zone out
The club can't even handle me right now
Watchin you watchin me we go all out
The club can't even handle me right now (yeahhhhh)
(Put your hands up! )
(Put your hands up! )
(Put your hands up! )
posted by anitanita at 11:23 PM on June 6, 2011


Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight "just throw your hands up in the air / and party hardy like you just don't care"
posted by theartandsound at 12:12 AM on June 7, 2011




For extra shame: Ke$ha, Tik Tok (with 100% more Star Wars!)
posted by athenasbanquet at 4:32 PM on June 7, 2011


From Ms. Vegetable:

Backstreet Boys, "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"
posted by a robot made out of meat at 5:25 PM on June 7, 2011


late to the party: Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros, Arms Aloft
posted by scody at 5:58 PM on June 9, 2011


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