Why 'Dancing in the Street' by Martha and the Vandellas is the Ultimate Summer Anthem

The first day of summer is officially 13 days away, but the season is basically here already. Temperatures are rising, people are out and about enjoying the sun and there's lots of fun to be had.

When you think of summer, certain songs inevitably come to mind. Arguably the top summer song of all time was released 62 years ago and still stands the test of time.

"Dancing in the Street" by Martha and the Vandellas peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1964, but one outlet rated it the "best" summer song ever as recently as last year.

Why "Dancing in the Street" is a summertime anthem

First of all, it's right there in the opening stanza. "Summer's here and the time is right/For dancing in the street." What else is there to say?

In 2025, Brett Milano of UDiscoverMusic.com put "Dancing in the Street" at No. 1 on his "Essential Summer Playlist" of the top 100 summer songs ever.

"When Martha Reeves sent out her "invitation across the nation" to get people on their feet, she had no idea it would evolve into a civil-rights anthem," Milano said. "Thanks to the one-two punch of famed Funk Brother James Jamerson on bass and Marvin Gaye on drums, "Dancing In The Street" became one of the best summer songs on record in 1964 – and lost none of its infectious energy in the decades that followed."

Rolling Stone seems to agree

Rolling Stone didn't name "Dancing in the Street" its No. 1 summer song of all time--that honor went to Chic's "Good Times"--but it did put the Motown classic at No. 2 on June 2022 list, calling it "the ultimate invitation to get outside and cut loose."

"Dancing in the Street" also has "the greatest party-jam lyrics ever written and the drums hit like a gunshot," the publication noted.

"Martha Reeves sounds like she's doing more than just kick off a party – she sounds like she's starting a revolution," Rolling Stone said.

Often imitated, not quite duplicated

Over the years, "Dancing in the Street" has been covered by a number of prominent acts, including The Kinks, David Bowie and Mick Jagger, The Mamas & The Papas, Van Halen and the Grateful Dead.

Almost all of them have achieved some level of success with their renditions, but none have had the impact of Martha Reeves and the Vandellas' original version.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 11:11 AM.