#4 Namie Amuro, "What A Feeling"

Hitokage no nai ofisugai mayonaka
Birudingu no mado garasu miraa ni shite

Can you have a controlled rave? That's what Japanese singer Namie Amuro's dance-pop reworking of the famous Flashdance song feels like. For those of us with no understanding of Japanese, the vocal part becomes just another element of the synth-washed backing track, interweaving its way in and out of the alternately spiky and euphoric synths as if it's only of slightly higher priority than its instrumental (though maybe the English words scattered throughout act as tent poles or signposts to keep our attention from wandering). That doesn't stop it or the song as a whole from being appealingly catchy, though--if anything, it only makes this celebration of dance with a little edge to it even more capable of sweeping you up in its rhythms. Dancing to "What A Feeling" has never been this fun, especially during the middle 8 and when you've got a video as fantastic as the one for this song to inspire you.

Find it on: Best Fiction