West Coast Swing

i5 : Ladidi Ladida (116 bpm)
I first heard this song at the Decadance spring show 2004. It made an impression on me both because Decadance does compelling choreographies and because it's a catchy song. The lyrics aren't particularly interesting, but the song has a good beat -- clear triple steps -- and some interesting background instrumentation, which I can't identify.

Rachel Stevens : Sweet Dreams My LA Ex (130 bpm)
Another catchy pop song. It's bouncier than "Ladidi Ladida," but also has nice percussion. Having never danced to the version I have, I only just realized that it's too fast for a comfortable west coast swing dance, especially given that it's 3:30 minutes long. I'd recommend slowing it down by at least 6% and cutting the second verse-chorus pair, which is about a minute of music. The resulting length is around 2:40, which is a good length for the still-fast adjusted tempo (120-123 bpm depending how much you slow it down)

J. Geils Band : Centerfold (114 bpm)
Also bouncy, but a much more comfortable tempo for dancing. My edited version is almost a minute shorter than the original, but I forget what I cut. It took me a while to find this song after I first heard and liked it. I originally mis-heard the word "centerfold" as "semaphore" (multi-threading on the brain, perhaps?) and couldn't figure out what the song was about. The actual lyrics are cute, though.

Lisa Ekdahl : Vem Vet (126 bpm)
Hmm this song is on the fast side as well. It's the most mellow of this lot, with a jazzy feel; the trumpet at the beginning and end are particularly nice. In fact, it might be better as just a regular triple-count swing (lindy hop). I've never heard it played anywhere, but presumably it has been danced to because I got it from someone else's dance music collection. Anyway, it's a lovely little Swedish swing.

Joss Stone : Tell Me 'Bout It (110 bpm)
I think it's fun to have a bit of fresh, popular music in a dance set, and this song was a big hit on the radio last year. Not only do the tempo and beat seem like a natural fit for west coast swing, but it also has an attitude that works well in my mind for this style of dance. Dancing as a follow, it makes me want to almost strut the two forward steps of a sugar push :).