Honestly, if you grew up in the early 2010s, you probably have a core memory of flailing your arms around in a living room to the Just Dance 3 music list. It was a weird, golden era for gaming. We were right in the middle of the "Kinect vs. Wii" wars, and Ubisoft was basically printing money.
But here is the thing: most people remember the hits, but they totally forget how messy the actual tracklist was depending on which console you owned. It wasn’t just one list. It was a fragmented collection of regional exclusives, store-specific "Special Editions," and DLC that has mostly vanished into the digital ether now that the old shops are dead.
The Just Dance 3 Music List: The Core 57
Most official counts say there are 57 songs. That is technically true for the "base" experience, but it’s a bit of a lie if you were a Wii player compared to an Xbox 360 owner.
The 2011 lineup was peak pop culture. You had LMFAO at the height of their powers with "Party Rock Anthem." You had Katy Perry appearing multiple times because, well, it was 2011 and she owned the radio. But the list also leaned hard into the "weird" factor that the series is known for. I’m talking about Robin Sparkles.
Yes, "Let's Go to the Mall" from How I Met Your Mother is a real, playable track.
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Every Song You Remember (And Some You Definitely Forgot)
If you're looking for the heavy hitters, they're all here. But notice the weird mix of legends and "Wait, who is that?" artists:
- The Pop Icons: "California Gurls" by Katy Perry (feat. Snoop Dogg), "Price Tag" by Jessie J, and "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz.
- The Throwbacks: "I Was Made For Lovin' You" by KISS, "Venus" by Bananarama, and "Boogie Wonderland" by Earth, Wind & Fire.
- The "Ubisoft Originals": They always threw in these random tracks credited to "The Girly Team" or "Sweat Invaders." These were usually covers to save on licensing costs, like their version of Britney’s "...Baby One More Time."
- The International Weirdness: "Kurio ko uddah le jana" (Bollywood Rainbow) and "African Ladies" with "Pata Pata."
The Great Console Divide
This is where the Just Dance 3 music list gets confusing for collectors. If you bought the game on PS3, you actually got four "exclusive" tracks that were originally meant to be Wii-only extras. This included "Baby Don't Stop Now" by Anja and "Jambo Mambo" by Ole Orquesta.
The Xbox 360 version was the "fancy" one. Because of the Kinect, it tracked your whole body instead of just your right hand. It also had a completely different menu structure. While Wii users had to scroll through a horizontal list, Xbox players had an alphabetical grid.
The "Best Buy" and "Target" Exclusives
Back then, retailers loved exclusive content. If you bought the Just Dance 3 Target Edition, you got two extra tracks:
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- "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry
- "E.T." by Katy Perry
Basically, if you didn't shop at Target, you were living in a Katy Perry-deprived world. Best Buy had similar deals, often bundling the game with "Only Girl (In The World)" by Rihanna. If you're trying to find these songs now, it’s a nightmare. The Wii Shop Channel is gone. The Xbox 360 Marketplace is a ghost town. Unless it's on the disc, you're probably out of luck.
Why This Specific Tracklist Still Matters
JD3 was the turning point. It was the first time the series felt like a "platform" rather than just a wacky Wii game. It introduced Mashups, where you’d dance to one song but the "coaches" from other songs would swap in and out.
It also had "This Is Halloween" by Danny Elfman. To this day, that routine is a cult favorite. It proved that the Just Dance 3 music list wasn't just about radio hits; it was about theatricality.
The DLC Grave
We have to talk about the DLC. There were over 20 songs released as downloadable content. We got "Baby Shark" (long before it became a meme-pocalypse), "Katti Kalandal," and even "Heart of Glass."
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But here is the sad reality: because of how digital rights work, these songs are basically "lost media" for the average person. If you didn't download them ten years ago, you can't officially get them on those consoles today. They’ve been superseded by Just Dance+ or Unlimited, but many of the original JD3 choreographies feel different in the new engines.
Actionable Insights for Retro Gamers
If you're looking to revisit the Just Dance 3 music list today, don't just grab any random copy you see at a thrift store.
- Check the Box Art: Look for the "Special Edition" or "Target Edition" branding if you want those extra Katy Perry tracks. They aren't on the standard disc.
- Go PS3 for the "Extras": If you want the most songs on a single disc without needing DLC, the PlayStation 3 version is technically the most "complete" out of the box.
- Kinect is the Workout: If you actually want to sweat, the Xbox 360 version is the only one that knows if you're actually moving your legs or just sitting on the couch shaking a remote.
- Wii is the Vibe: For the pure, nostalgic, lag-free experience, the Wii version is still how most people prefer to play "Apache (Jump On It)."
The era of Just Dance 3 was a specific moment in time when pop music was loud, neon, and incredibly catchy. It’s a snapshot of 2011 that we probably won't ever see replicated, mostly because licensing 50+ massive hits on one disc has become a legal headache that even Ubisoft struggles with now.