I Can Make Those People Dance - Songs for the Exhausted, Bar 1

At times we all feel down and in need of a proper energy boost. Arriving home from a hellish day at work or some equally harrying trial, you collapse at your doorstep wondering how to muster the strength to drag yourself indoors and check for vital signs. You muster your last strength, grab for your mp3 player, weakly clasp the headphones to your head and with shrinking field of vision you press play clutching to the last straws of consciousness; the 15th and the last on the list of great power tracks hits you like a shot of adrenalin...

15 - Billy Idol - Rebel Yell



Billy Idol, a powerhouse as an artist, figures as a good last place. The powerful and erratic vocals override the flow of the backup which would otherwise leave the song to sedate to figure on the list.

14 - Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music



Although there are numerous similar disco songs, I have never seen any of them fill a formerly deserted dancefloor like this did, and surely that is a testimony to its envigorating effect.

13 - ZZ Top - I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide



The sturdy two thirds, iconically bearded Texas trio has had a knack for delivering energic and playful rock hits with a strong link to blues which provides a strong rhythm and avoids songs like Nationwide becoming stressful.

12 - Aerosmith - Last Child



Sooner or later the Boston Bad Boys would have to appear on this list. Although somewhat outside their more well-known street of ballads, Last Child incorporates some of Aerosmith's exuberant energy and makes you want to put on oversized, Tyleresque sunglasses and stride confidently down the road, making heads turn.

11 - Roxette - The Look



For some, including this scriblerian, Roxette is the epitome of 80's energy. The sligthly rasping voices, the energetic hits, the sharp or shabby hairstyles and the in-your-face attitude of the band should serve as a musical pick-me-up for anyone.

Slightly reinvigorated with promising spasms and rising blood pressure a faint hope glimmers; that you once more shall once more obtain an array of arias, a batch of ballads, a clique of choruses, a deportment of ditties or something in the same alliterative genre.

And it just so happens that you're in luck, as there soon will be a Bar 2 in this Songs for the Exhausted series!