Birthday Party Playlist
A birthday party has guests of many ages, so the best songs are cheerful and familiar. This list mixes older party hits with newer pop. It has a few birthday-themed songs, but most picks are plain good dance songs.
The playlist
Arrival and cake
Bright songs for the first hour.
- Happy — Pharrell Williams
- Can't Stop the Feeling! — Justin Timberlake
- Walking on Sunshine — Katrina and the Waves
- Best Day of My Life — American Authors
- Good Time — Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen
- Birthday — The Beatles
- Birthday — Katy Perry
- Lovely Day — Bill Withers
- Stand by Me — Ben E. King
Dance floor
The songs people ask for.
- Celebration — Kool & the Gang
- September — Earth, Wind & Fire
- Dancing Queen — ABBA
- Girls Just Want to Have Fun — Cyndi Lauper
- Love Shack — The B-52's
- Footloose — Kenny Loggins
- Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go — Wham!
- Dancing in the Street — Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
- Ain't No Mountain High Enough — Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
- Uptown Funk — Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars
- I Gotta Feeling — Black Eyed Peas
- Shake It Off — Taylor Swift
- Sugar — Maroon 5
- Cake by the Ocean — DNCE
- Levitating — Dua Lipa
- Blinding Lights — The Weeknd
- Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) — Katy Perry
Wind down
Songs to sing as people leave.
- Don't Stop Believin' — Journey
- Mr. Brightside — The Killers
- Shut Up and Dance — Walk the Moon
- Firework — Katy Perry
- Roar — Katy Perry
- Take Me Home, Country Roads — John Denver
Tips for your birthday party music
- Play cheerful songs during cake and photos. Keep the volume low so the group can sing.
- Ask the guest of honor for five must-play songs and five do-not-play songs.
- For a milestone birthday, add songs from the year the guest of honor was 16.
- Check explicit tags in Apple Music if children are at the party.
- Stop the music for a toast, then restart the queue.
Let guests vote instead of playing DJ
Jukebox lets the birthday guest and everyone else vote and request songs. The host starts a session from Apple Music and guests join by QR code, code or by being nearby. The party recap after the night shows who voted for each song.
Here is how it works. The host starts a session from Apple Music. Guests join by 6-digit code, QR code or by being nearby. They vote on songs, request their own and vote to skip. The most-voted song plays next. Guests need no account, and only the host needs Apple Music.
Frequently asked questions
What songs should I play at a birthday party?
Pick upbeat songs that guests of all ages know, such as Celebration, Happy and Dancing Queen. Add the guest of honor's favorites.
Should I play Happy Birthday songs all night?
No. Play one or two at cake time. The rest of the night works better with general party songs.
Can guests request songs at a birthday party?
Yes. Guests request songs and vote in Jukebox from their phones, and the most-voted song plays next.