When is a sausage a New Year’s Eve sausage? Or to put it another way, what separates the best songs for New Year’s Eve events from the routine party starters you might include on any mid-year playlist? Many of you will be asking yourself these questions as you sit in front of Spotify, wondering what music your intimate dinner party or wild house party needs to last until 00:01 on January 1, 2025, and beyond.
There are some general rules that come with creating a playlist for any large event. Firstly, Match that occasion. Don’t play drum and bass when you’re having canapés and champagne. secondly, Respond to your audience. If the mood becomes a bit listless, stop eating the cold sausage. If everyone is still enjoying the sitting and chatting phase of the evening, keep things light. Related to that, it’s always a good idea to do that Taking (some) ordersespecially if it is an intimate occasion. Just make sure you approach any wannabe playlist monopolists politely but firmly.
finally, Don’t be so cool. The goal of the evening is to have fun, not to show off your knowledge of deep Arabic funk songs. Which brings us to the most important question: What makes the best New Year’s Eve songs as successful as they do? They generally need to be festive and forward-looking – a musical booster rocket to launch you, full of bright optimism, into the year ahead. For a ritual-bound night like New Year’s Eve, it’s not a bad idea to rely on the classics and tap into the emotions accumulated from all the New Year’s Eves that have come before. Depending on the type of party, you may also want to offer a little hint of sadness – flying off for another year can be a bittersweet feeling sometimes.
Here are our top suggestions. We (almost) dodged “Auld Lang Syne,” but if you want to play it at midnight, we won’t blame you.
Oppa, “Give me! Give me! Give me! (Man After Midnight)”
