I’m currently working on a playlist for an upcoming party, and I’m searching for ideas. We generally play a hodge-podge of indie rock, classic rock and 80s and 90s novelty songs. Danceability is of no concern.
Examples:
Indie: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth
Classic: Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil
Novelty: Skatman John - Skatman
Anyway, share whatever you want. I’m looking for ideas, but they don’t have to adhere to my own preferences.
Southern Coulture on the Skids. cant go wrong with them. check out Plastic Seat Sweat for starters
I don’t know much about indie or “80s-90s novelty.” Anyway, in terms of classic rock, here are some well-known suggestions that may also get you thinking about others:
The Who: Who Are You, We Don’t Get Fooled Again, Baba O’Riley (a.k.a. the “Teenage Wasteland” song)
Rolling Stones: Paint It Black, Satisfaction, Brown Sugar
Led Zeppelin: Immigrant Song, Black Dog
The Doors: Break on Through, Light My Fire
Grand Funk Railroad: We’re an American Band
Bachman Turner Overdrive: Takin’ Care of Business, You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet
Steppenwolf: Magic Carpet Ride, Born to be Wild
Argent: Hold Your Head Up
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Free Bird
Alice Cooper: Eighteen, School’s Out
Meat Loaf: Paradise by the Dashboard Light, Bat out of Hell
Well, those would be my preferences, I guess. Anyway, don’t forget about bands and people like Rush, Deep Purple, CCR, and Neil Young–the latter two weren’t only folk-rock; they did have some pure rockers. And depending on your guests’ tastes, you may want to include some bands considered “progressive” in their time: early (that is, with Gabriel) Genesis, Supertramp, and Yes.
Spoons is obviously a poster of refined taste, and has already mentioned the immortal Free Bird along with other classics. To that list, I’d add:
Louie Louie
Shout–the one that goes “a little bit softer now Shout…a little bit softer now…shout”
Back in Black and You Shook Me All Night Long from AC/DC
And prolly throw in some Beatles, too.
Lemme reiterate, I don’t want you guys to tell me what I might be looking for, but instead what you like to hear when you’re at parties. Anything. Beethoven, MC Hammer, Elton John, Tiny Tim, NWA, let’s hear it. It’s essentially a poll about your favorite music, and I know how we Dopers like to discuss our favorite music.
Thanks for the suggestions, though. I’ve noted several and will probably use them.
Side question: Does anyone else remember Skatman? That song is so ridiculously over the top. Just wanna know if anyone knows what I’m talking about.
My favourite party songs (not that I go to a lot of “parties” these days, but way back when this is always what we had in heavy rotation):
Love Shack - B52’s.
Big Time Sensuality - Bjork
Flash Light and Up For the Down Stroke by Parliament Funkadelic
No One Lives Forever - Oingo Boingo
Entertain Me/Chips On My Shoulder - Soft Cell
And then, depending on how drunk folks got, it was more than likely that at some point we’d drag out the really bad, fun stuff…Michael Jackson, The Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack, Dolly Parton and that awful, awful song The Cars That Go Boom usually made an appearance.
Is that the one that went “B-B-B-Be Bop a Bodda Bop Bop a Bodda Bop”? Huge hit back in the 90s.
I went to high school and college, not to mention a few summers at the Jersey Shore in the 80s and 90s, so that pretty much takes you across all the best cheesy party music:
80s Hair Metal - Jovi, Crue, Leppard, Poison
90s Gangsta Rap - Cube, Snoop, Dre
80s and 90s Dance and House Music - Throw on this and this and that should take care of all your 90s dance needs.
I will see Team of Scientists Scatman and raise him/her one “Let Me Ride That Donkey” by the 69 Boys. I have only heard that song one place - on Spring Break in Panama City Beach with my fraternity - but for one glorious week, at least twice each hour, it was:
let me ride that donkey donkey
let me ride that donkey donkey
let me ride that donkey donkey
80’s stuff, eh? More alternative in most cases than novelty, but just to throw out some possibilities:
“Desperate But Not Serious” - Adam Ant (or Adam and the Ants, whatever name it was released under)
“Rock Me Amadeus” - Falco
“Din Daa Daa” - George Kranz
“Walk This Way” - Run DMC / Aerosmith
“I Want Candy” - Bow Wow Wow
“Should I Stay Or Should I Go” - The Clash
“Cities in Dust” - Siouxsie and the Banshees
“Sweet Child of Mine” - Guns N Roses
“So Alive” - Love and Rockets
I don’t have my iPod with me or else I could rattle off a bunch more.
And don’t forget “Cotton-Eye Joe” by Rednex (which I see is on msmith537’s second dance music link). Oh, and a few freestyle dance faves:
“Too Turned On” - Alisha
“Move It Like This” - K7
“Funk Boutique” - Cover Girls
“Fascinated” - Company B
“Sending All My Love” - Linear (not TKA’s song by the same name)
“This Party Sucks” - The Slickee Boys
“Nice Legs, Shame About Your Face” - The Monks
“Don’t Bogart That Joint” - Fraternity of Man
Wow, I haven’t heard that one in years. What a hilariously bad song. Might have to surprise some people with it.
While I claim to be primarily a classic rock/folk music aficianado, for party music I am all about bad 70s pop and Motown, with a little bit of 80s stuff thrown in. To wit:
The Night Chicago Died (Paper Lace)
Brandy (Lookingglass)
Gold (John Stewart)
Smoke From a Distant Fire (Sanford Townsend Band)
Heaven On the 7th Floor (Paul Nicholas)
Undercover Angel (Alan O’Day)
Solid (Ashford & Simpson)
Lady Marmalade (LaBelle)
Play That Funky Music (um… whoever that is…)
Funkytown (Lipps, Inc.)
Goody Two Shoes (Adam Ant)
just about anything by the Tempations, Box Tops and/or O’Jays
Car Wash (Rose Royce)
Dancing Machine (Jackson Five)
…and so on. What’s fun about my playlists is that every song is guaranteed to be met with a chorus of groans… and by the end of the song, just about everyone is singing along 
Well, if it’s a kind of “anything goes,” then thinking about a party and tunes I’d like to hear:
Peter Gabriel: Down the Dolce Vita, Solsbury Hill
Genesis: Supper’s Ready (gotta love the “Apocalypse in 9/8 Time”), Get 'Em Out by Friday; see also the Nursery Cryme and Selling England by the Pound albums
Supertramp: Fool’s Overture
Klaatu: Sub Rosa Subway
CSNY’s Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
…and I’ll second the Monks, with “Johnny B. Rotten” added for good measure.