For those of us with summer birthdays, parties are on many of our minds. With my birthday right around the corner, it got me thinking about just what the quintessential party tracks may be. In the quest this set me on, I managed to create a short playlist that fits this theme.
Now I want to make one thing clear. This playlist is not necessarily songs you are most likely to hear at a party, but songs about partying and going out. This playlist definitely has more of a middle school dance or wedding vibe than a frat party vibe, and that is just the nature of most songs about partying. With that in mind, here are a few notable selections.
“Jump Around” by House Of Pain
Kicking off the selections and the playlist, we have the undeniable classic dance track “Jump Around.” Few songs demand the crowd to get up and get down as much as this one by these rapping one-hit wonders.
“Turn Down for What” by DJ Snake and Lil Jon
The 2010s equivalent of the previous entry, “Turn Down for What” is another powerful dance command with a bass drop that still hits after all of these years.
“DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” by Usher feat. Pitbull
Few songs make the club sound as romantic as this standard from Usher. This track perfectly captures the temporary moments of euphoria that can come from a party, and the beat still kills.
“Shut Up and Dance” by WALK THE MOON
Another song that perfectly captures that euphoria is “Shut Up and Dance.” This ’80s homage is packed full of hooks, electric energy and hopeless romanticism. One of the best songs of the 2010s, this electric track always gets the dance floor buzzing.
“Macarena” by Los Del Rio
There are many dance line songs out there, but none compare to the world-famous “Macarena.” In both simplicity and structure, this song is the perfect dance craze to break out for a party.
“I Gotta Feeling” by The Black Eyed Peas
Most of the songs on this playlist are about the party itself or about the things one would do during the party. “I Gotta Feeling,” however, is about the pregame. It builds you up and gets you hyped for the night to come, and it will dominate once you reach the party as well.
“Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa
“I Gotta Feeling” might be hyping up before you get to the party, but “Don’t Start Now” is the entrance theme for when you walk into the club. While it may be more of a bounce-back song than a party song, this perfectly slick new disco track is glorious enough to feel like a party within itself.
“We Like to Party! (The Vengabus) Six Flags” by Vengaboys
Yes, this is the Six Flags old man song. Be assured though, there is a very clear reason why this song above all others was chosen for a broken-down old man to bust a move to. It is loud enough to be forceful while balanced enough to not get annoying. The ideal Eurodance song.
“when the party’s over” by Billie Eilish
When the party is about to end and everyone must find their own way home, you need a track that can slow things down and lower the vibe. This song accomplishes that perfectly — a sobering and gut-wrenching ballad about the loneliness that can come when the party ends.
There are plenty of other party songs that can be added to this playlist, and you are welcome to come up with your own suggestions. For a good start, however, you can find these songs and more here.