Summary
Besides being a romance classic, the Dirty Dancing soundtrack song list adds to its iconic status with classic songs from the 1960s plus some original tunes. Released in 1987 to positive reviews, Dirty Dancing is set in 1963 and follows Frances “Baby” Housemen as she falls in love with a dance instructor while staying at a vacation resort. The movie delivers on its title and is a perfect mix of quintessential star-crossed romance and strong dance performances from stars Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. Though the movie went on to become a 1980s staple, the Dirty Dancing songs have truly stood the test of time.
An immediate box office smash, grossing over $200 million (via Box Office Mojo), Dirty Dancing also won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, for “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” and its soundtrack went 14 times multi-platinum by 2022 (via RIAA). While it’s considered among the best dance movies of all time, Dirty Dancing’s true power is its ability to evoke the bygone era of the 1960s while also being up-to-date with the 1980s sensibility. As a result, the movie has a permanently nostalgic quality, and it was even adapted into a stage musical in 2004.
Here’s every song on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, in order:
“(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life” by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes “Be My Baby” by The Ronettes “She’s Like The Wind” by Patrick Swayze “Hungry Eyes” by Eric Carmen “Stay” by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs “Yes” by Merry Clayton “You Don’t Own Me” by The Blow Monkeys “Hey! Baby” by Bruce Channel “Overload” by Alfie Zappacosta “Love Is Strange” by Mickey & Sylvia “Where Are You Tonight” by Tom Johnston “In The Still Of The Night” by The Five Satins
Here’s every song added to the 20th Anniversary Edition of the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, in order:
“Big Girls Don’t Cry” by The Four Seasons “Do You Love Me” by The Contours “Love Man” by Otis Redding “Wipe Out” by The Surfaris “Some Kind Of Wonderful” by The Drifters “These Arms Of Mine” by Otis Redding “Cry To Me” by Solomon Burke “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by The Shirelles
When Exactly Every Song Plays In Dirty Dancing
“Be My Baby” by The Ronnettes – The classic girl-group doo-wop song plays underneath the movie’s opening title sequence.
“Big Girls Don’t Cry” by The Four Seasons – Acting as the introduction to Dirty Dancing’s Baby (Jennifer Grey), the tune plays while she arrives at Kellerman’s with her family.
“Where Are You Tonight” by Tom Johnston – Made to evoke the 1960s doo-wop sound, this song scores the scene when Baby follows Johnny (Patrick Swayze) to the staff cabin and runs into Billy (Neal Jones).
“Do You Love Me?” by The Contours – The scene featuring The Contours’ hit sees Baby arrive at the staff party and witness the sultry dance between Johnny and Penny (Cynthia Rhodes).
“Hungry Eyes” by Eric Carmen – The song that came to define the movie has a definite ’80s style, and it plays under the montage of scenes where Johnny teaches Baby to dance.
“Stay” by Maurice Williams and The Zodiacs – This song plays in the background during the scene where Baby gives Penny the $250 she was able to get from her dad (Jerry Orbach) so that Penny can get an abortion.
“Wipe Out” by The Surfaris – This silly but iconic surf rock hit is a bit on-the-nose when it plays underneath the scene of Baby struggling to learn to dance — and sometimes wiping out —under the strict tutelage of Johnny.
“Overload” by Alfie Zappacosta – This cheesy ’80s synth rock song plays under the scene where Johnny breaks his car window so that he and Baby can go to practice their dance. No song on the soundtrack represents the decade of Dirty Dancing’s release better than the Zappacosta tune.
“Some Kind Of Wonderful” by The Drifters – A staple of popular movie soundtracks for decades, The Drifters’ big hit plays during the scene where Johnny and company return from the dance at the Sheldrake Hotel.
“Hey! Baby” by Bruce Channel – This song can be heard playing under the iconic scene where Baby and Johnny practice their dance routine in the woods.
“Yes” by Merry Clayton – This song appears twice in Dirty Dancing, first during the scene where Lisa (Jane Brucker) goes to Robbie’s cabin and finds him with another girl, and again during the movie’s credits.
“Love Man” by Otis Redding – This Otis Redding R&B tune underscores the scene where Johnny tries teaching Baby new dance moves. Dirty Dancing is often considered one of Patrick Swayze’s best movies, and that’s partly thanks to him showing off his actual dance skills on screen.
“Love Is Strange” by Mickey & Sylvia – This song is played under the scene where Johnny and Baby work together in the dance studio and begin to fool around together.
“Cry To Me” by Solomon Burke – This song is heard during the scene in Johnny’s room where Baby finally confesses her feelings for him and they dance again.
“(I’ll Remember) In The Still Of The Night” by The Five Satins – This song plays over the scene of Johnny and Baby in bed, and continues into the next scene where Vivian (Miranda Garrison) sees them together outside.
“These Arms Of Mine” by Otis Redding – Johnny and Baby’s ages in Dirty Dancing is one of the movie’s more questionable aspects, and this second Otis Redding tune plays as Baby returns to Johnny’s room despite being prohibited by her father to see him.
“Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by The Shirelles – Another example of a song indicating the emotions of the scene, The Shirelles’ provocative love song plays when Baby leaves Johnny’s room in the morning after they spend the night together.
“You Don’t Own Me” by The Blow Monkeys – The 1980s cover of the classic ’60s tune plays almost imperceptibly underneath the scene where Robbie (Max Cantor) says that Baby is “slumming” with Johnny, and the two men fight.
“Lover Boy” by Mickey & Sylvia – Another Mickey & Sylvia song graces the soundtrack and plays under the scene where Johnny and Baby work feverishly in the dance studio one last time.
“She’s Like The Wind” by Patrick Swayze – The cast of Dirty Dancing is a multitalented lot, and in addition to starring on-screen, Patrick Swayze contributed a song to the soundtrack that plays under the scene where Johnny is forced to leave Kellerman’s.
“(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life” by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes – Essentially the main theme from Dirty Dancing, this song plays during the final dance scene at Kellerman’s where Baby and Johnny reunite and perform their iconic number at the end of Dirty Dancing.
Where To Listen To The Dirty Dancing Soundtrack
Dirty Dancing (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) was originally released in 1987 and featured a fair smattering of songs from the movie. However, subsequent editions of the soundtrack were released over the years, and Dirty Dancing (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Anniversary Edition features more tunes from the movie. Both versions of the Dirty Dancing soundtrack have been made available to stream on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music.
The Most Iconic Dirty Dancing Songs
While the soundtrack features a number of notable inclusions, there are a couple of Dirty Dancing songs that really stand out and have added to the movie’s iconic status. The first is “She’s Like the Wind” which is given an extra boost thanks to the fact that it is Patrick Swayze himself singing on the soundtrack. The song added to his performance in the movie helped to solidify his Hollywood heartthrob status at the time. The song has also lived on outside the movie with it memorably featured in the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack and a recurring joke in that movie.
However, the undeniable selection for Dirty Dancing song that is most iconic is “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life” which has become one of those songs that is immediately tied to a movie. In a similar way, as soon as Dirty Dancing is brought up, it is likely only a matter of seconds before this song pops into people’s heads. The song is a great example of how the perfectly placed and utilized song can elevate a movie. It is hard to imagine Dirty Dancing’s iconic lift dance scene performed with any other song being used. The way the song and that moment are forever tied together will ensure that they both live on in the minds of fans for decades to come.
