10 Essential New Year's Eve Party Songs

Playing DJ for a night can be a daunting task at any party event, as you always want to play music that not only suits the occasion but also pleases as many people as possible. New Year's Eve, the quintessential party event, presents an even more daunting DJing task, as partygoers expect familiar tunes that fit the festive atmosphere. You can certainly tune in to a local radio station and let them do the task for you, but the people attending your party would certainly appreciate a customized playlist. The suggestions below certainly won't last an entire New Year's Eve, but they will at least give you a good idea of what other songs to include on your playlist, should you choose to DJ the entire party yourself. Even if you do end up creating a playlist long enough for the entire party, make sure you prepare for the friend or acquaintance to jump in and say "Hey, can you play that new Cold Play song?" despite your careful planning and exquisite playlist composition. Remember to be flexible, as any playlist won't satisfy the song whims of a culture that can listen to virtually any song anytime, courtesy of the internet. Keeping that last point in mind, you might want to output your internet connected laptop to your stereo system so that you can satisfy any song requests your personal library won't be able to satisfy.

Many of the tracks below are 80s songs. The theme 80s music conveys-carelessness, wasteful abandon, excessiveness, and high energy-certainly bodes well with the theme of most New Year's parties, which, combined with the universal appeal of 80s music, explains their dominating presence on the list below.

1999 by Prince - Although it was the most fitting to play this song nine years ago, on Y2K New Year's Eve, the festive sound of this song is a timeless classic for New Year's Eve parties. I would suggest playing this song about 10 minutes before the ball drops, as it would suggest a fever pitch for New Year's Eve excitement. This gem of a song was originally released in 1983 and rereleased in late 1998.

Everybody Have Fun Tonight by Wang Chung - This classic song 80s will have everyone groovin' and, depending on when it's played, everyone dancing.

It's the End of the World as we Know it by REM - The apocalyptic feel of this song seems to go well with terminating calendar years. The rapid, high energy lyrics is sure to maintain a high energy feel.

Anarchy in the UK by The Sex Pistols - This song was revitalized in pop culture by its inclusion in the popular Guitar Hero video game.

Welcome to the Jungle by Guns & Roses - Everyone's sure to start singing along with Axl when you play this rather loud song.

One More Time by Daft Punk - This club favorite never fails to generate festive dancing and unified singing, whether it's played at home or at the club. Daft Punk is composed of two members, the actual physical appearance of which has been masked from the public because the duo only appears after they're donned in robotic costumes. The music video for this song is the beginning of an anime film Interstella 5555.

Jump by Van Halen - Another pulse pounding 80s rock song everyone will recognize to keep your party grooin'.

Ooh La La by Goldfrapp - Allison Goldfrapp's sexually charged voice and lyrics will have amorous party patrons wondering who they're going to lip lock after the ball drops. I was pleased to hear this song as the soundtrack to an "interesting" scene in Grand Theft Auto IV.

Lust for Life by Iggy Pop - Most people won't recognize this song by the title but if I told you "it's that song from the opening scene of

Trainspotting," and explained to you that it was recently used in a cruise line's commercial, you might know which song I meant without actually hearing the song. The song's actually a herald to drug culture, but the chorus can easily be translated into a lust for the upcoming year, right?

Imagine by John Lennon - I suggest playing this song after the ball drops, after the climax of excitement--when things are winding down and people are wondering whether or not their next year will be better than their last...wondering whether the next president will make a difference in the world, imagining a better future.