# Do middle aged black people play the same songs at their parties as white people? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 12, 2006, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768 "2006-12-12T01:46:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2006, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768/1 "2006-12-12T01:46:47Z")
The repertoires of most Wedding Party - Company Christmas Party etc. DJs are astonishingly similar with the Electric Slide, Mustang Sally, a conga line, and etc. etc. with all the usual golden oldie suspects that lets a bunch of middle aged people (like me) hop around like kangaroos. What do middle aged black people play at wedding and social events when the 30+ year old people want to get out onto the floor and shake a leg? Same basic stuff? Completely different? ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2006, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768/2 "2006-12-12T02:07:36Z")
Old R&B\*, and the electric slide (that’s universal). I don’t think black people do conga lines. \*an actual middle-aged person will need to fill in the names of songs/bands. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2006, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768/3 "2006-12-12T03:10:01Z")
> [@](#): > > Electric Slide, Mustang Sally, a conga line Yikes! Speaking as a middle aged person, around here we’re strictly a Talking Heads/Violent Fammes crowd. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2006, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768/4 "2006-12-12T03:19:15Z")
[QUOTE=Shoshana] Yikes! Speaking as a middle aged person, around here we’re strictly a Talking Heads/Violent Fammes crowd. [/QUOTE] Talking Heads is always part of middle aged dance party music. Violent Femmes not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2006, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768/5 "2006-12-12T03:56:36Z")
I’m on the younger end of middle-aged (mid-30s) but I wouldn’t be caught dead playing those songs. I thought you meant a party at your home at first; typically we play classic blues songs, which is probably not the typical “white middle-aged” selection but goes over well. If I went to a wedding lately, a lot of different rock/alternative/dance/house music would get me going, I guess. If I had my choice I’d play a ton of metal, including death metal and Scandinavian black metal, but that’s not exactly a favorite of my friends. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2006, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768/6 "2006-12-12T06:30:17Z")
Last year I went to a party that was hosted by a 40ish black woman and most of the other guests were 40+ and black. There was live entertainment, but it was Lionel Ritchie so I don’t know how typical the music was, with L.R. not being your usual party band. Hey! Sometimes there are benefits associated with working in Tuskegee, Alabama. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2006, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768/7 "2006-12-12T06:43:08Z")
I can’t accurately answer this, because my middle-aged Black people parties are typically populated by Jamaican, Belizian, Trinidadian, and other West Indians. So lots of soca, calypso, “jump up” type music. Someone will occasionally throw on a Motown record for the gringos, I guess. I always thought middle-aged White people played Motown… It was in _The Big Chill_! (I know they were thirtysomethings back then but they’re middle-aged now.) I can pretty much assure you that you will be hard pressed to hear Talking Heads at such a function. Never Violent Femmes… which gives me a chance to tell a story. I was an orientation advisor at the University of Texas in the early 1990s. We used to have a dance on the last night of orientation, for all of the frosh to get their nervous energy out (and not venture out to Sixth Street). There was always a tension between “White” music vs. “Black” music. Funnily enough, my music collection looks more “White” than “Black,” but I did agree that if you wanted people to dance you’d be better off playing Boyz II Men’s “Motownphilly” or some BBD than Nine Inch Nails. Anyway, after a spirited debate, I co-DJed one session with another guy - he was firmly into playing rock over R&B and hip-hop. He then put on “Blister In The Sun,” which I had never heard before - and I swear to you, every White kid in the house squealed and ran out to the dance floor. I only saw this phenomenon for that song, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” and “Love Shack.” To this day I consider “Blister In The Sun” the mid-90s White teen national anthem. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2006, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768/8 "2006-12-12T07:48:21Z")
My parents’ neighbors used to be middle-aged black people (when I was growing up there…now they are a bit older) and they’d occasionally party in their garage. They always played R&B and Motown. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2006, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768/9 "2006-12-12T13:46:41Z")
Hit songs by Stevie Wonder, Frankie Beverly and Maze, Earth Wind and Fire, and Parliment come to mind when I think of middle-aged black folk house parties. ---
**Author:** ![auntie\_em](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2006, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768/10 "2006-12-12T14:01:51Z")
[QUOTE=you with the face] Hit songs by Stevie Wonder, Frankie Beverly and Maze, Earth Wind and Fire, and Parliment come to mind when I think of middle-aged black folk house parties. [/QUOTE] Actually, that sounds like MY playlist . . . oh, crap. Is 36 middle aged? It is, isn’t it? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2006, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768/11 "2006-12-12T14:50:11Z")
[QUOTE=you with the face] Hit songs by Stevie Wonder, Frankie Beverly and Maze, **Earth Wind and Fire** , and Parliment come to mind when I think of middle-aged black folk house parties. [/QUOTE] I haven’t thought of EW&F for ages. I used to be their answering service! On the upper edge of middle-age here, and I lived for Motown. I’m sure anyone under 40 would probably expect that music to be accompanied by a freekin’ bubble machine. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2006, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768/12 "2006-12-12T15:11:15Z")
[QUOTE=auntie em] Actually, that sounds like MY playlist . . . oh, crap. Is 36 middle aged? It is, isn’t it? :eek: [/QUOTE] Of course not, dear. ( pats her hand comfortingly ) There there. Let’s brew you a nice cup of Postum while we wait for the Metamucil to kick in, shall we ? 😃 😃 😃 ( Flees for life ) Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2006, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768/13 "2006-12-12T15:11:37Z")
30s is “middle aged”? I have trouble viewing guys like Dane Cook, Johnny Knoxville, and Owen and Luke Wilson as “middle aged” as all are well in their 30s (and have the maturity of a 12 year old). I generally think of a middle aged guy as a fat, balding, Al Bundy-esque person in his 40s-50s. Anyhow, my white 30-something friends pretty much play the same thing the 20-somethings play - a mix of contemporary generic dance tunes and Top 40. Pretty much what you might find on those Now That’s What I Call Music CDs. The only difference AFAIKT is my 30-something friends mix in some 90s Dre and Snoop Dogg and 80s hair bands (especially Bon Jovi because of their Jersey heritage). Except a few years back 80s music was considered “retro” so the kids probably played that as well. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2006, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768/14 "2006-12-12T16:15:36Z")
The jam song at middle-age black parties is “Gotta Give it Up” by Marvin Gaye. The jam song at white parties is “Time Warp” from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Once I was at an ecologist meeting and there was a scheduled social night, featuring a DJ and everything. Everything was pretty mellow until the stampede towards the dance floor. I’m like, “What the hell?” Then I hear it: “LET’S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN!!!” Shaking my head, I backed slowly away from the crowd. ---
**Author:** ![Renob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8c91f0/32.png) [@Renob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renob)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2006, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768/15 "2006-12-13T00:35:21Z")
[QUOTE=auntie em] Actually, that sounds like MY playlist . . . oh, crap. Is 36 middle aged? It is, isn’t it? :eek: [/QUOTE] That’s my playlist, too, and I’m only 29. Of course, I’m an old soul. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2006, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768/16 "2006-12-13T00:58:53Z")
I would think that it would vary greatly from group to group depending on culture and taste. ---
**Author:** ![velvetjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f9b8f/32.png) [@velvetjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velvetjones)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2006, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768/17 "2006-12-13T19:00:10Z")
I don’t think it has as much to do with the audience as the DJ. Oh, how I would love a party DJ that had a bit more imagination. I think that similarly aged groups of people tend to like what they’re nostalgic for from their childhood/young adulthood. ---
**Author:** ![Roboto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@Roboto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roboto)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2006, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768/18 "2006-12-13T19:12:07Z")
Do middle aged black people dance better than middle age white people? I’m going to assume that they do. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2006, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768/19 "2006-12-13T19:35:09Z")
How odd that this should come up now. My sister wants me to put the music together for my Moms birthday in December. My oldest borther is 41 the youngest is 33. In addtion to **you with the faces’** list I’m throwing in Cameo, Prince, Michael & Janet Jackson, The Time and Luther Vandross. I’ll also be playing current stuff like the Black Eye Peas, Young Joc, Cierra and Justin Timberlake and going into my Moms collection for The Platters and BB King (My grandmother and great uncle will be there) and a few others. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2006, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768/20 "2006-12-13T20:20:46Z")
Yes, we like Harry Belafonte too! 😛 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-middle-aged-black-people-play-the-same-songs-at-their-parties-as-white-people/383768.md?page=2)