Generation X are the parents of the target audience (Millennials) for Just Dance. Generation X were born between 1965 and 1980. This generation listened to hits from the 1980s and 1990s in their youth and grew up watching popular music videos on MTV. Popular music genres of the time encompassed many styles from gangster rap to hip hop. The music that this generation grew up with encompasses the songs included in the 2009 release of Just Dance like "Eye Of the Tiger", "Fame", the songs analyzed below, and more.
Released in 1989 by Technotronic, “Pump Up the Jam” was a big hit topping the charts in late 1989. The song spent six weeks in the top ten hitting number two on the charts and fifteen weeks in the top seventy-five. The song became popular in the late 80s into the early 90s making it a perfect choice to target a Generation X audience. "Pump Up the Jam" uses a mix of electronic dance music (EDM) and pop to bring a nostalgic feel to the parents listening to it. Lyrically, the song implements a call to action for the Generation X audience as well as the younger Millennials. Technotronic uses "the jam" as a metaphor for life encouraging audience members to amplify life and embrace it. They also call the listeners to jump into the moment and never take it for granted. The choreography incorporated in the game includes moves that have up and down motions and side to side motions reminiscent of "pumping up the jam". These motions help place emphasis on the musical meaning of the song. The moves are fun and easily accessible for audiences of all ages which encourages Generation X to participate in the dance with their children.
"U Can’t Touch This” released in 1990 by MC Hammer was quickly popularized by its beat. This song topped the charts in 1990 spending eight weeks in the top ten and reaching number three on the charts. The song’s popularity in the early 90s makes this song choice popular for the parents of children that would be interested in the game. MC Hammer's use of the sampled song "Super Freak" by Rick James also helps bring together older elements of music that appeal to the Baby Boomers. This song is a great example of how a combination of songs from different generations can help capture a wider audience. "U Can't Touch This" is an anthem celebrating and bragging about the success of MC Hammer. Hammer's iconic repetitive line reminds his audience how much further ahead of the industry he is compared to other artists in his category. The dancer in the game looks strikingly similar to MC Hammer mimicking the look that he wore in his music video only with different colors. The choreography of this dance level is also similar to the music video produced by MC Hammer but with simplified moves as the players likely would not have been able to replicate MC Hammer’s style of dance. What is noticeably missing from the Just Dance video is the recognizable "Hammer Dance" that MC Hammer coined through his song and dance video. The addition of this dance move would surely get more of Generation X interested in dancing along with their children.
“I Like to Move It” by Reel 2 Real features The Mad Stuntman and was released in 1993. It became a hit in 1994 reaching number five in the top charts and staying in the top ten for eleven weeks. Charting in the early 90s this song was popular in a time the parents of those interested in Just Dance would have been familiar with it. This song also connects with two generations of target audiences with the addition of the song in the hit movie "Madagascar". The animated movie was released in 2005 and quickly rose to popularity with the Millennial audience. Just Dance was smart in implementing this song into the game because it would encourage parents to dance with their children given that the song is known by both audiences. "I Like to Move It" inspires the listeners to embrace the music and dance. Although some of the Just Dance videos seem to follow closely to the artists music videos, the Just Dance version of "I Like to Move It" falls short of this standard. Reel 2 Real's video takes place in a clubbing scene and throughout a city. The video, although authentic for Reel 2 Real, would not be marketable to a younger audience as it shows many women dancing in tight and cropped outfits. This is most likely why Just Dance chose to keep it simple in their video (although they keep some Reel 2 Real authenticity with her outfit choice). The choreography sticks to the literal meanings with a lot of pointing emphasizing lyrics like “I like to move it” by pointing at self and “you like to move it” by pointing outward.