The 411 Music Top Five 12.30.08: Top 5 Favorite Party Songs

Posted by Ben Czajkowski on 12.30.2008

New Years Eve brings the biggest, worldwide party day of the year. This week, the 411Music staff lists their favorite party songs to get you in the mood for that ball-drop at midnight. We cover everything from Prince to Journey and the Beastie Boys to DMX. It’s party time, people! Get your drink on!

[Ben Czajkowski]

5. Prince - "1999": Since it's New Years and all, I think adding this song is significant to any party-goers list. It's been 10 years since 1999, and some days it still does feel like the 90s: the death, the destruction. "We could all die any day/I don't wanna die/I'd rather dance my life away… Mommy, why does everybody have a bomb?" Time to dance.

4. AC/DC – "Thunderstruck": One of the better drinking games I've played. It you're not familiar with this one, here's how it goes. The song start, and at the point when "thunder" is said for the first time, that marks the beginning of a game. Every time "thunder" or "thunderstruck" is said, the rotation changes, and that person drinks until the next time "thunder/struck" is said. The buzz factor is very high and is a fast paced song. And whoever is stuck drinking over the solo is boned.

3. Journey – "Faithfully"/"Don't Stop Believin'": The lists were suspiciously bare of anything Journey. So, I thought I'd include at least one entry before people complained. Plus, these two tracks alone are awesome "slow dance" songs, perfect for that moment at the end of the evening when lonely singles (or lecherous men) are going to hook up in the coat room, on a whim.

2. "The Parting Glass/Auld Lang Syne": Should auld acquaintance be forgot/and never brought to mind?/Should auld acquaintance be forgot/and days of auld lang syne? Enough said.

1. Cyndi Lauper – "Girls Just Want to Have Fun": And the #1 party song belongs to all the woo girls (and Ted) out that. What's a whoo girl, you ask?

There you have it. Happy New Year, folks.

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[Dan Haggerty]

Since it's a New Year, I'm going to roll back the clock and think of the songs I heard the most at the parties I went to.   

5. Beastie Boys - "Fight For Your Right":  You couldn't turn around at a party without running into this song, and it is arguably the track to put the Boys on the map.  Who doesn't want to drink till 3 am then yell "Tooooooo...  Paaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrty!!!!!".   

4. The Doors - "Alabama song": You can't go wrong with a song with lyrics like "Show me, the way, to the next, whiskey bar..." - OK, this is a old one, but to many good memories of falling down blind drunk with the guys trying to sing along to this one.  At least, I think their was music playing... 

3. The Clash - "Rock The Casbah":  You can dance to hit.  You can rock to it.  You can get drunk to it.  You can get stoned to it.  Hell, I got laid to it.  I loved the 80's, silly pop punk songs and all. 

2. Oingo Boingo - "Dead Man's Party":  It wasn't a Halloween party without this campy classic from Danny Elfman and company.  To bad the man is losing his hearing, because a reunion would have been great. 

1. Prince - "1999":  The ultimate New Years Eve party song for almost two decades, until the final big blowout when 1999 actually hit.  The artist formerly known as a weird symbol hit a brilliant strategy with this song, insuring it got at every New Year party for years!

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[Ian Parmenter]

5. The Chicken Dance. There's a reason it's played at all your family gatherings, and it's not because your family hates you. Side note: The 'inventor' of the Chicken Dance passed away this year. So this is more of an 'in memoriam' nomination than anything else.

4. "Axel F". The original, not the Crazy Frog bastar... erm, remix. If the volume is set at the right level, this can provide background noise for a good half-hour on repeat before anyone notices. Great for conserving your other music for later.

3. "Ring of Fire". Preferably the Johnny Cash version. Hey, nobody said what -kind- of party this list was for, and this one's a favorite at funerals of people who had a sense of humor. For the more surreal deceased, the Wall of Voodoo cover works just as well.

2. Karaoke. Or, for the more modern version, anything included in Rock Band 1, Rock Band 2, or Guitar Hero: World Tour. Because nothing says 'party' like watching people make fools out of themselves after a few too many drinks... or marveling at someone singing better than the original, and knowing they'll be unable to remember it in the morning.

1. "I Like to Move It Move It". Bonus points for the Madagascar soundtrack version with Sasha Baron Cohen. What, a comedian can't have a dance track? Tell that to Eddie Murphy.

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[Jasper Jones]

Allow me to preface this entry by saying that I am a dork, and most of my friends are dorks too.  These are songs that we all sing along to when played at get-togethers.
 
5. Ray Wylie Hubbard - "Snake Farm": Ray Wylie Hubbard is an old Texas singer, songwriter, and guitarist who looks a bit like Ozzy Osbourne and Warren Zevon mixed in a blender.  I have no idea why I like this song so much, but I do.  It's a simple, guitar groovy song about a snake farm where the singer's girl works.  "Snake Farm! / It just sounds nasty / Snake Farm! / It pretty much is / Snake Farm! / It's a reptile house.  Snake Farm! / *shudders*"  When the song comes on, all the guys sing along and the girls leave the room for drinks or bathroom breaks.  Go figure.
 
4. Gogol Bordello - "Start Wearing Purple":  Here is a song that will make you get on your feet and start dancing around like an idiot.  It's a gypsy ode to wearing purple.  If you've ever heard Gogol Bordello play, then you can imagine what the song sounds like: accordion, organ, fiddle, and lots of energy.  It reminds me of the opening gypsy song from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
 
3. Murray Head - "One Night in Bangkok":  What can I say?  I am a child of the 80s and this song is probably the greatest 80s song that you've never heard or that you've totally forgotten about.  "One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster."  It's a borderline rap song about playing chess.  Yes, a rap song about playing chess.  Stop laughing.  I already told you I was a dork.
 
2. Dirt Nasty - "1980":  "I got a gold chain / Like it was 1980! / I'm on cocaine / Like it was 1980! / I'm like "yo, man" / Like it was 1980!"  "1980" is a rap song by Dirt Nasty, aka Simon Rex, about the decade of excess.  There is no way in hell that I should enjoy this song as much as I do.  First of all, I'm not a huge fan of rap in general.  Secondly, it's fucking Simon Rex who hasn't shown one ounce of talent in any film he's ever been in.  Somehow he knocks this one out of the park.  The whole album is actually pretty great, if you like cynical, funny rap.
 
1.  Ween - "Your Party":  How do I describe this song to someone who hasn't heard it?  It's very hard to do.  It's music only Ween can make.  "Your Party" is a slow grooving, saxophone driven ode to a fantastic party.  The signer tells the host how much "the wife and I" enjoyed the party and then realizes how great it would be if he could throw a party of his own.  The party has beverages, candy, spices, tri-colored pastas, meat drawn from succulent juices, serving platters made of gold, music, dancing, and games of chance.  The awesomeness of this song is impossible to put into words. 

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[Jeff Modzelewski]

5.  Madonna - "Vogue": Simply a great dance song.  You can get a lot of your friends doing stupid drunken dances with this song, and, seriously, what else can you ask from a party song?

4.  Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit": Everyone loves the song that brought Grunge to the mainstream.  No one knows what Cobain's talking about, but no one really cares.  This song will get everyone jumping up and down and pretending to mosh.  Who doesn't want to relive their flannel wearing days?

3.  AC/DC - "You Shook Me All Night Long": A great rock song that everyone loves, and another song that'll get the ladies going wild.  A song that's just dirty enough, without being vulgar.  

2.  Sir Mix-a-Lot - "Baby Got Back": Another song that everyone knows the words to.  This is a great song to get girls who normally won't show off shaking their ass for you.  If you're lucky (and there's a particularly slutty girl around) you can usually get some of the girls to drop their pants in order to show off how much "back" they've got.

1.  Beastie Boys - "Fight for your Right": Seriously, this is the best party song ever.  Everyone knows it, everyone loves it, and it's about partying!  Is there a better song to get drunk to?  I think not.

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[Jesse Coy]

Happy New Year's from Outer Space!

5. Crash Test Dummies - "I Want to Par-Tay!": What's this? It's the band who sang that cute "Mmm-mmm-mmm" song throwing a line in about liking to do a lot of coke? This one is a bopping, bouncing recklessly dangerous party track from the surprising Give Yourself a Hand release. It got panned because they didn't do what they'd already done on their past three releases. It was a huge change of direction, and quite frankly, a very good, if misunderstood, album. It's one of their best releases.

4. Peeping Tom - "How U Feelin'": Ah, Mike Patton does it again. This one from the Mr. Bungle/Faith No More/Fantomas/Tomahawk vocalist is just good fun. It's the apocalypse, but we're "spying on bikinis while sipping on martinis." Hell, that's a party I want to attend. It comes from Peeping Tom's '06 self-titled release.

3. Beastie Boys - "Fight for Your Right to"... er, "Shake Your Rump": The first one might be an obvious choice, because it's got "party" in the title. While it was a sort of party anthem in the 80's, it was written, as I understand it, without much sincerity in mind. Sure, it's fun. But if you want the real party grooves, go with their second release, Paul's Boutique. The first three tracks are great, but it begins with some rump shaking party action via this track.

2. Fishbone - "Party at Ground Zero": I love this song. If you're ever in a down mood, just throw this in and you'll feel much better. Long before Metallica used Johnny Get Your Gun as an inspiration for a song, Fishbone did. This is from their self-titled debut EP. It's a fun party track. You can barely tell there's a war going on. How does it relate to the book that inspired Metallica's "One"? If you read the book, the one line in this song, "Johnny went to Sally's house to kiss her good night, her father said to spend the night"... that's from the book (Sally's dad giving him permission for a bit of booty action with his daughter before he goes off to war). Like I said, the track is so upbeat and full of motion, you won't even know there's a war going on. Time to party...

1. Van Halen - "Panama"/"Jump": On any given day, I could substitute an AC/DC tune here. I could also throw in the Cars' "Let the Good Times Roll" instead. You can get equal party vibes from both of those, or this one. I'll go with VH and DLR here, though. And these two tunes go together like frick and frack. Did you know that for several weeks after 9/11, radio stations were prohibited from playing "Jump"? Just a little factoid (it's true). Anyway, it's vintage 80's, and Dave's last Van Halen participation for quite a while. But it was a strong, party-inspiring finish.

 

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[Jes Tones]

This list is tough.  Going through my music searching for the "Top 5 Best Party Songs" I found myself compiling at least 3 different lists depending on just what kind of party I had in mind.  Is this a frat boy keg party I would've been at 10 years ago listening to "Mony Mony" and "Jump Around", or is a late night drunken dance party after the bars close when I throw on some "Billie Jean" or "Push It"?  Then again, maybe it's just a normal(ish) semi-tame house party where I just wanna listen to classic "party songs" by my all time favorite bands, like "Paradise City" or "I Wanna Be Sedated".  

That said, I ultimately chose my Top 5 based on universal appeal...classics, if you will.

Honorable Mentions (in addition to those mentioned above): Rancid - "Fall Back Down", Michael Jackson - "Thriller", Young MC - "Bust A Move", Notorious B.I.G. - "Big Poppa", Cheap Trick - "I Want You To Want Me", Wild Cherry - "Play That Funky Music", Outkast - "Hey Ya", Black Flag - "Six Pack", Neil Diamond - "Sweet Caroline", Garth Brooks - "Friends In Low Places", Prince - "1999", Def Leppard - "Pour Some Sugar On Me", The Outfield - "Your Love", The Replacements - "Treatment Bound" & "Beer For Breakfast".

5. Kiss - "Rock & Roll All Nite": ...And party e-v-e-r-y day.  Not much to it, but it's quite effective.  Classic party anthem for over 30 years.

4. AC/DC - "You Shook Me All Night Long": I considered "Highway To Hell" and "Back In Black" as well, but ultimately settled on this one.  There's just something about the imagery in the opening verse ("She was a fast machine - She kept her motor clean - She was the best damn woman I had ever seen") that bumps this one up on my list.  Sexy.

3. Bon Jovi - "Livin' On A Prayer": Man, this song really gets to people!  Even my most Hip Hop-lovingest of friends will sing the hell out of this song at karaoke.  I don't know what it is, but it works.

2. Journey - "Don't Stop Believing": Ok, I'm running out of time for the deadline.  Similar to what I said for #3--people are crazy about this stuff.  

1. Beastie Boys - "Fight For Your Right": ...to party!  That's just too easy.  

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[Jon Kinsey]

5.  Queen – "Don't Stop Me Now":  This is the track that you put on if you want to start a good old fashion party sing along.  The fact that it reminds me of the funniest scene in British cinema is purely coincidental.

4.  The Village People – "YMCA": This makes the list because of its sheer ubiquity – weddings, family parties and cheesy town centre nightclubs, all linked by the fact that they will, at some point, stick this on the sound system to get the audience up and dancing.  It is the musical equivalent of a cheap pop and a party wouldn't be a party without it. 

3.  Billy Ray Cyrus – "Achy Breaky Heart":  My abiding memory of this song is singing it in front of four Filipino girls and a drunken cat at a Karaoke bar in Cyprus.  Much like "YMCA", it is one of those songs that can instantly get a whole room dancing (as well as whooping and hollering).  Even people who actively hate it can't help but take to the floor the moment it begins to play, which makes it an absolutely perfect party song in my book.

2.  The Foundations – "Build Me Up Buttercup":  This was the signature tune of all the house parties that we had between the ages of 16 and 18, and is as synonymous with my coming of age as Caffrey's Beer.  Also found a strange resurgence during my university days when one particular grot house on the Aberystwyth sea front instructed all their DJs to play it every night as their penultimate song.  I absolutely loathe it, but that doesn't stop it from making the list!

1.  Bobby Pickett – "The Monster Mash":  You'd be forgiven for thinking that this is an odd choice for number 1, but there is logic to it.  Aside from New Years, Halloween is our biggest party night of the year.  It is planned out months in advance and everyone pitches up, costumed to the hilt, knowing it is going to be a damn fine night.  This song is a big part of that.  It is usually bunged on at about 7.15, after everyone has arrived, but before much else has happened, and kick starts the evening.  Because of this, it is my number 1 Party song; though I fully appreciate that your mileage will probably vary.

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[Michael Adler]

Honorable mention: Ray Parker Jr. - "Ghostbusters": There is no party complete without the rollicking beats of Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters"  This may be the most danceable song to come from a movie soundtrack ever.

5. Korn - "Let's Get this Party Started": I don't know how well this would go over at most parties with the exception of one thrown by a 12 year old dressed in black who hates his parents. Regardless it's about getting a party started metaphorically. And really, after listening to Jonathan Davis sing/growl about how much he hates himself you'll want to get drunk and go to a party to forget your troubles.

4. U2 - "Party Girl": Technically this is a song about how parties will eventually ruin you and leave you empty, but again it's about parties.  It's a great song also.  I miss old U2.

3. The Allman Brothers - "Good Clean Fun": Hey, alright, a non-depressing entry on the list.  This is a great, lesser-known, Allman Brothers song about picking up a chick at a party.  Greg Alman wants a hot chick with no strings attached who'll satisfy him good. Big, hairy southern guy in his forties (at the time of the song's release) prowling for a girl at a bar…not creepy at all.

2. Dio - "Holy Diver": It's fucking Dio! It's awesome; no party is complete without this song.  As a matter of fact, if you attend a party and this song is not played, demand your money back.

1. DMX - "Party Up": It took a "greatest party songs" ever to get rap to number one on my list, but here it is.  Not only is this song the greatest party song ever, it's also the most hysterical song ever written.  I've always wondered whether this song was supposed to be taken seriously, or DMX wrote it as one big joke.  Regardless, if you attend a party and this isn't played, demand double your money back. 

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[Paul Hollingsworth]

I made my list with the idea of the last five songs I'd like to hear as the big clock winds down Wednesday night on 2008. I imagined a list a good DJ might play as a club full of people bids farewell to the year that was and looks forward to the next.

5. The Ohio Players – "Fire": A great, great song which demands everyone to dance and/or act like a fool (which ever your dancing skills permit) while shouting 'Fi-er' at the top of your lungs. You can't have a party without some fire.

4. Sly & The Family Stone – "Dance To The Music": If you're unable to dance, (like me), you can at least pretend reasonably well with this song. Sly makes it easy for people to keep up with the rhythm, especially the rhythm-less. (Like me.)

3. Wilson Pickett – "Land of 1,000 Dances": Another sing-a-long chorus, another song guaranteed to keep wallflowers on the dance floor. Bonus points, and a free drink on me, if you're still able, at this point, to do all the dances mentioned in the song. (You do realize 'party' mostly means 'drink heavily', right?) The song is pure joy and energy.

2. Beach Boys- "Good Vibrations": A little bit of a break from the non-stop energy of the previous three songs as things are slowed down just enough to make the next song explode at the stroke of midnight.

1. Talking Heads – "Life During Wartime": The final song has all the things the previous songs had: a catchy chorus, a danceable rhythm, strong energy, but as a very special bonus, also includes hints of paranoia, suspicion and a dash of melancholy. Every new year, even one as full of promise as 2009, should be greeted with healthy doses of all three.

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[Phil Watts, Jr.]

Want to liven up your New Year's celebration? To hell with it--do you want to liven up ANY celebration? Try dropping the FUNK BOMB on them!

5. James Brown - "Make It Good to Yourself": We start things off with the GODFATHER himself. This is straight from the Black Caesar soundtrack (because everyone had a Black Movie soundtrack back then!) He's had so many party-starters that it's hard to narrow them down to one. Since this particular song is a personal favorite (listen to it and tell me that you get drums like this anymore!), I put it here.

4. Parliament - "Up For The Down Stroke": "--EVERYBODY GET UP!" Who could forget the spaced out funk of the mid-to-late 70's? When some of The Godfather's henchmen jumped on board (Fred Wesley, Maseo Parker, Bootsy), it was on!

3. Kool & The Gang - "Funky Stuff": No disrespect to JT Taylor, who carried the group during the Disco period, but NOTHING beats Kool & The Gang's late 60's/early 70's material.

2. Zapp - "More Bounce Top The Ounce": This group carried funk during the 80's. Roger Troutman wasn't the first to do the robotic vocals, but he was the best that ever did it! He was a damn good guitarist, too!

1. The Bar-Kays - "Holy Ghost": Don't let the title fool you. This ain't no gospel song. This is an 8 1/2 minute drum-filled funk-fest. It doesn't get any better.

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[Tom Santoro]

My partying days are long behind me.  I have kids, a wife, mortgage payments, etc. So when I do "party", I usually am on a bar stool drinking beers and listening to Tom Waits (not exactly fun party music).  Heck, I probably will be in bed by 11pm on New Year's Eve.  So here are the best songs with the name "party" in them. Happy New Year!

Honorable mention: Beastie Boys - "Fight for your Right to Party":  What better anthem to start off my way of partying?  These days I need permission from the wife to go to the bar with the guys.  I also need at least three weeks advanced notice to make my request officially granted. It is a privilege and not a right, so I am told.  So guys stay in your parent's basement, sure there is no female companionship, but at least you have glorious freedom!

5. P!nk - "Get the Party Started": First of all when did her name add the exclamation point instead of the I?  I like to pre party before I go out, so this would some up drinking a beer or two while waiting for the babysitter to show up.  When she does show up, she of course thinks I'm cool because I am listening to this song. 

4. Gretchen Wilson - "Here For the Party": This sums up the arrival.  Make sure you get there first because you can trade up your crappy cheap beer as more people arrive. I then drink everyone else's beer until the only kind left is my crappy beer.  At that point it is time to leave and I thank my host.  Yeah I am that guy!

3. DMX - "Party Up": This is where you get all crazy and break out the karaoke machine and sing this song or some Journey.  Maybe things will get crazy and I'll eat some cake and ice cream.  Maybe some sprinkles if things get out of hand. That would be straight gangster.

2. Eddie Murphy - "Party All the Time":  After I party up, I like to party all the time. Sure it starts innocently enough, maybe I have an ice cream cone or two during my lunch break.  Maybe I snort some sprinkles on a random Tuesday, just to mix it up.  Heed Eddie and Rick James warning on this song! Partying all the time is bad. 

1. Andrew W.K - "Party Hard": Andrew certainly can write a party song…well, that is all he writes.  The energy of this song just made me drink a beer as I type and listen to it.  Man I love to party...hard.  Also try his other party songs: "It's Time to Party", "Long Live the Party", "Party, Party, Party", and the instant classic "Party Til You Puke."

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Alright, folks. Thanks for reading. Here's what you should do. Enter your list in the comment's section. You do not have to register to comment. Here's how your list should look:

Honorable Mentions: If you have any...

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