Party Music
..and I’m not talking about The Coup…
Since I know you Scrabbllers love making lists of the things you love…
I’ve been charged with the heavy task of making a playlist for a friend’s party. I’ve got the standards and some fun additions, but I want to know what music do you all like to hear at parties.
Comments
I will respond to this when I am feeling less burnt out. I have a long list of great party music, but at the moment it all sounds irritating.
what are some of the standards and fun additions you already have…? so i know what we’re dealing with here. i’ll gladly give you a list.
Yeah, good question. My version of party music may be different from yours.
I will say that some songs are just a given, no matter who the crowd. The Talking Heads’ Burning Down the House, for one, is a classic. And while Michael Jackson fever is waning, you can’t go wrong with Don’t Stop till you Get Enough if you’ve already got people on the dance floor.
Just make sure Passion Pit is well represented, and Heartbeats!
A good deal of 80’s new wave is a must. From Erasure’s “Respect” to Ah Ha to Tears for Fears to even some Smiths or The Cure. There’s no way a song like “This Charming Man” or “Boys Don’t Cry” won’t get every sensitive boy out dancing like crazy.
I have built quite the reputation of pissing of my neighbors by dancing and singing with friends in my tiny apt late at night. So here are some songs I highly recommend.
ANYTHING by Basement Jaxx
Damian Marley “Give Dem Some Way”
Aloe Blacc " Are you Ready"
Dirty Sanchez “Fucking on the Dance Floor”
De La Soul “Me myself and I”
Prince " Lets go Crazy"
J Boog " Love Session"
Gogol Bordello " Sally"
And some oldies for when the party is has settle but aint over…
Chuck Berry " Little Queenie"
Ray Charles “What I Say”
forget the arists name but “Run Around Sue” is always fun
The Velvet Underground “Rock and Roll”
Few people know the majority of those songs. I think as a rule, you have to lean towards songs people know. You can throw a random banger in there now and again, but if people here song after song that they’ve never heard before, it rarely matters how good the song actually is, they’ll get bored and drunker and want to hear something they can sing/yell along to.
The trick is finding the songs that everyone knows, but few are sick of.
…..The only song in that list that isn’t big is Aloe Blacc. I guess there’s a difference in our circle of friends, because when I put on dirty sanchez…all hell breaks loose.
Maybe you just getting old…old man. grey hairs…..mr. grey!
- New Order – Bizarre Love Triangle or Blue monday
- Elvis Costello – Pump It Up
- Pulp – Common People
- LCD Soundsystem – North American Scum or Daft Punk is Playing in My House
- Vampire Weekend – Walcott
- Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart
- The Strokes – Reptile or Last Night or The Modern Age
- Joe Jackson – Steppin’ Out
- Steely Dan – Reelin’ in the Years
- Beck – Loser or where it’s at
- Blur – Girls and Boys
- David Bowie – Let’s Dance or Fame
- Self – Trunk Fulla Amps
- Digital Underground – Humpty Dance
- The Police – Message in a Bottle or Roxanne
- Toto – Africa
- Pixies – Debaser
- Ida Maria – Oh My God
- Harvey Danger – Flagpole Sitta
- h3. Weezer – El Scorcho
- Lisa Loeb – Stay
- Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run
- Iggy Pop – Lust for Life
- The Stooges – Search and Destroy
- Interpol – PDA
- The Kingsmen – Louie Louie
- Black Lips – O Katrina
- The Kinks – You Really Got Me
- The Rolling Stones – Street Fighting Man
- The Rapture – House of Jealous Lovers
- The Postal Service – Such Great Heights
- The Thermals – Pillar of Salt
- The Walkmen – The Rat
- The Who – My Generation
- !!! – Dear Can or Pardon My Freedom
I realize I have no old school hip hop here. I’d probably sprinkle some in there, but to be honest, hip hop stopped making my party mixes as much once I stopped smoking weed.
- Yaz – Move Out
- Dead or Alive – Spin Me Round
- The entire Talking Heads “Stop Making Sense” album.
Danzig – Mother.
And with that, I just realized that I am effectively building the playlist from mine and Gosia’s wedding. Fuck, was that a great party.
John said:Danzig – Mother.
And with that, I just realized that I am effectively building the playlist from mine and Gosia’s wedding. Fuck, was that a great party.
you’re building the playlist from every get together that you attend at our house, too.
christina said:John said:Danzig – Mother.
And with that, I just realized that I am effectively building the playlist from mine and Gosia’s wedding. Fuck, was that a great party.
you’re building the playlist from every get together that you attend at our house, too.
HA. She’s right: don’t invite Hutch unless you want someone to plug in their iPhone/iPod and commandeer your soundtrack.
I’ll agree with almost everything John listed. He’s right about 80’s New Wave. At this point in time it’s hard to go with 80’s New Wave, both the popular and the more alternativey stuff that was never massive (Cure, Smiths, etc.).
Although…..Africa by Toto? What the!?!?!? Make no mistake about it, that song is totally fucking backed on every level. But I cannot fathom how it makes it on a mix or list of “party songs”.
Kevin said:Although…..Africa by Toto? What the!?!?!? Make no mistake about it, that song is totally fucking backed on every level. But I cannot fathom how it makes it on a mix or list of “party songs”.
Put it on. Watch everyone stand around during the verse looking happy and excited as the prospect of singing at the top of their lungs “SOMETHINGSOMETHINGSOMETHINGSOMETHING DOWN IN AAAAAAFRICAAAAAA!”
Oh this is sooooo good! For the party, there’s going to be a mix of people who will just appreciate good tunes, no matter if they know them or not, a smattering of q102ers (yes. I said it), music freaks like me, and the people who like the old standards.
As for Africa. It’s one of my favorite songs. It’s up there with Take on Me. I can’t deny it, however it IS one of those songs that I’ll put on late in the evening once everyone has imbibed.
And Brittany – De La Soul FUCK yes.
Yes, there will be a smattering of Whodini and Kool Moe Dee. I’m known to do the Worm from time to time, so that’ll be my cue.
This is good. Keep them coming!
Ok, here’s my start after thinning out the old crap from the party mix, and a quick scan through what I already have:
Adrenaline – The Roots
All Day and All of the Night – The Kinks
Beat It – Michael Jackson
Blue Monday – New Order
Brass Monkey – Beastie Boys
The Breaks – Kurtis Blow
Bust A Move – Young MC
Call the Shots – Miss Fairchild
Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) – Us3
Children’s Story – Slick Rick
The Dance – Elias And The Wizzkids
Don’t push Me cause I’m close to the edge – Grandmaster Flash
Down in Mexico – The Coasters
Dreaming of You – The Coral
Enjoy the Silence – Depeche Mode
Fight For Your Right To Party – Beastie Boys
The Final Countdown – Europe
Five Fingers – Aesop Rock
Fly Pape – K-OS
Freeze – k-os
Galang – M.I.A.
Gin ‘n’ Juice – Snoop Dog
Go Go Gadget Flow – Lupe Fiasco
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger – Daft Punk
Heads Will Roll – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Heavy Metal Drummer – Wilco
Hip To Be Square – Huey Lewis and the News
Hot Sex – A Tribe Called Quest
Hot Thing – Talib Kweli
I Got A Man – Positive K
I Just Want To Love You (Give It To Me) – Jay Z
I Need Another Bitch – Notorious BIG
Jay Z & DMX – Money, Cash, Hoes – Jay Z
Juicy – Notorious BIG
Last Cigarette – Dramarama
Let’s dance – DAVID BOWIE
Major Tom – Shiny Toy Guns
Mama Said Knock You Out - LL Cool J
Miss Fat Booty – Mos Def
Mother – Danzig
My Minds Playing Tricks on Me - Geto Boys
Nasty Boy – Notorious BIG
Natalie’s Rap (feat. Natalie Portman & Chris Parnell) – The Lonely Island
Oh My Gosh - Basement Jaxx
Paul Revere – Beastie Boys
Raspberry Beret – Prince
Ride The Fence – The Coup
Robot Rock – Daft Punk
Rock the Casbah – The Clash
Saturday Night – Ozomatli
Shes A Maniac
Sister – Captain Black
take on me – A Ha
This Is How We Do It – Montell Jordan
To All My Niggas (Remix) (Feat. Biggie & Eminem) – 50 Cent
Touch It - Busta Rhymes
Turning Japanese – The Vapors
Virtual Insanity – Jamiroquai
Walcott – Vampire Weekend
We Want the Funk – George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic
Wild Thing – Tone Loc
Woo Ha – Busta Rhymes
You Say He’s Just A Friend – Biz Markee
It’s Time To Party -Andrew W.K.
5446 That’s My Number – Ball And Chain-Sublime
okay i didn’t scrutinize everyone’s lists as well as i should have, so i may have sme duplicates. that merely means you SHOULD have those songs on your mix.
all day and all of the night – the kinks
italian leather sofa – cake
twist and shout – the beatles
a little respect – erasure
since u been gone – kelly clarkson
elevators – outkast
ted leo and the pharmacists – the high party
happy people – r. kelly
steven’s last night in town – ben folds five
good ones! I like that a song as weird and singular as A Little Respect has been mentioned twice.
I think if R. Kelly is to be included the song needs to be “Ignition”.
Jay said:I think if R. Kelly is to be included the song needs to be “Ignition”.
def my favorite r. kelly song, but i was trying to pick one that everyone would like and hardly anybody knows.
Jay said:I think if R. Kelly is to be included the song needs to be “Ignition”.
Definitely have to have “Ignition” up on that party list. Given my current music tastes, I just thought of a few hip-hop songs at first:
- Cam’ron “Hey Ma”
- The Fugees “Fu-gee-la”
- Beyonce “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”
- Notorious B.I.G. “Hypnotize”
- Head Automatica “Beating Heart Baby”
- Vampire Weekend “A-Punk”
- The Police “Don’t Stand So Close To Me”
That’s a quick list.
- The B-52’s “Rock Lobster”
- Weezer “Buddy Holly”
- As Hutch suggested, most Talking Heads songs
- Ramones “Blitzkrieg Bop”
- R. Kelly either “Feelin’ On Yo Booty” or “Happy People”
- M.I.A. “Paper Planes”