# Your favorite party playlist songs

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-party-playlist-songs/393695>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [February 26, 2007, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-party-playlist-songs/393695 "2007-02-26T06:49:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 13\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![some\_white\_dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b487fb/32.png) [@some\_white\_dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/some_white_dude)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-party-playlist-songs/393695/1 "2007-02-26T06:49:05Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-party-playlist-songs/393695/2 "2007-02-26T09:11:39Z")

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Southern Coulture on the Skids. cant go wrong with them. check out Plastic Seat Sweat for starters

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**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-party-playlist-songs/393695/3 "2007-02-26T16:53:16Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-party-playlist-songs/393695/4 "2007-02-26T17:10:50Z")

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**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.

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**Author:** ![some\_white\_dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b487fb/32.png) [@some\_white\_dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/some_white_dude)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-party-playlist-songs/393695/5 "2007-02-26T20:04:44Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![NailBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NailBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NailBunny)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-party-playlist-songs/393695/6 "2007-02-26T20:56:07Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-party-playlist-songs/393695/7 "2007-02-26T21:08:07Z")

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[QUOTE=Team of Scientists]

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.  
[/QUOTE]

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](http://www.amazon.com/Pulse-Various-Artists/dp/B00005OBPY/sr=8-3/qid=1172523962/ref=pd_bbs_3/103-3806275-3765405?ie=UTF8&s=music) and [this](http://www.amazon.com/ESPN-Presents-Jock-Jams-3/dp/B000000HMA/sr=1-3/qid=1172524014/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/103-3806275-3765405?ie=UTF8&s=music) and that should take care of all your 90s dance needs.

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**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-party-playlist-songs/393695/8 "2007-02-26T21:14:44Z")

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I will see **Team of Scientists** Scatman and raise him/her one [“Let Me Ride That Donkey”](http://www.lyricsbox.com/69-boyz-lyrics-let-me-ride-that-donkey-3rfgl2d.html) 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

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**Author:** ![tiger\_lily](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/96bed5/32.png) [@tiger\_lily](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiger_lily)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-party-playlist-songs/393695/9 "2007-02-26T22:17:38Z")

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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)

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**Author:** ![dbygawdcapn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dbygawdcapn/32/3995_2.png) [@dbygawdcapn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dbygawdcapn)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-party-playlist-songs/393695/10 "2007-02-26T23:27:01Z")

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“This Party Sucks” - The Slickee Boys  
“Nice Legs, Shame About Your Face” - The Monks  
“Don’t Bogart That Joint” - Fraternity of Man

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**Author:** ![some\_white\_dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b487fb/32.png) [@some\_white\_dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/some_white_dude)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-party-playlist-songs/393695/11 "2007-02-27T05:32:02Z")

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[QUOTE=tiger lily]  
And don’t forget “Cotton-Eye Joe” by Rednex  
[/QUOTE]  
Wow, I haven’t heard that one in years. What a hilariously bad song. Might have to surprise some people with it.

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**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-party-playlist-songs/393695/12 "2007-02-27T05:54:08Z")

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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 😃

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**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-party-playlist-songs/393695/13 "2007-02-27T07:11:44Z")

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[QUOTE=Team of Scientists]  
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.  
[/QUOTE]  
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.
