Daily Party Dish

18 Songs for Your New Year's Eve Party Playlist

Here is my playlist of songs about time, change and looking forward... all themes that work perfectly with celebrating the New Year!

• 1999 - Prince
• Stayin' Alive - The Bee Gees
• Celebration - Kool & The Gang
• Rock and Roll All Nite - Kiss
• The Times They Are A-Changing - Bob Dylan
• Turn, Turn, Turn (To Everything There is a Season) - The Byrds
• I Wanna Go Back - Eddie Money
• Don't Stop Believing - Journey
• Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper
• If I Could Turn Back Time - Cher
• A Change is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke
• It's The End Of The World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine) - R.E.M.
• It's Gonna Get Better - Genesis
• Don't Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow) - Fleetwood Mac
• Reelin' In the Years - Steely Dan
• Rock Around the Clock - Bill Haley and His Comets
• Yesterday - The Beatles
• and of course Auld Lang Syne - Jimi Hendrix, Live at the Fillmore East

What is on you New year's Eve Playlist?

• New Year's Eve Party Ideas from Party411.com
• New Year's Eve Party Kits
• 2012 New Year's Party Favors

Thankgiving Playlist: Songs to Stuff Your Face To

For many of us, Thanksgiving dinner has a common soundtrack... the football game on TV in the next room. This year during dinner turn down the TV and play some party music instead. It's easy to create a festive atmosphere with a fun and eclectic Thanksgiving playlist filled with songs about family, home and giving thanks.

Songs about Family and Friends
What is more important than family and friends on Thanksgiving? (FYI, pie is not the correct answer.)

• We Are Family -  Sister Sledge - Not only for weddings! Break out this fun song while the family is gathered for the holidays too!
• Thank You For Being A Friend - Andrew Gold - Although this song reminds me of the Golden Girls, I think it is a great one to play as we gather with our friends and family.
• Happy Together - The Turtles - Another excellent Thanksgiving song which reminds us how wonderful it is to bring family together.
• Thank You - Led Zeppelin - The first song written entirely by Robert Plant, it is near perfect for letting those you love know how thankful you are to have them in your life.

Songs about Thankfulness
Thanksgiving is not just about gorging on turkey, although it one of my FAVORITE parts. It’s also about giving thanks for all of life’s blessings.

• Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) - Sly and The Family Stone - Recognized as one of the greatest funk songs of all time, this song will add an unconventional sound to your Thanksgiving soundtrack.
• What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong - This is the perfect song to remind us give thanks for life's many bessings during the holidays.
• Count My Blessings - Irving Berlin - Sung by Bing Crosby in "White Christmas", it is also great for Thanksgiving. It speaks to reflecting on our own good fortunes to put worries in perspective.
• I've Got Plenty to be Thankful For- Bing Crosby - From another Bing Crosby movie "Holiday Inn", the crooner reminds everyone to be thankful for all they’ve got despite life’s hardships.
• Thank Heaven for Little Girls - Maurice Chevalier - Originally from the musical GiGi, this lighthearted song reminds us to appreciate one of life's greatest blessings; our children.
• It's a Great Day to be Alive - Travis Tritt - My favorite county song. The chorus says it all... "And it's a great day to be alive, I know the sun's still shining when I close my eyes. There's some hard times in the neigborhood, but why can't every day be just this good?"

Songs about Home
Who doesn't want to be home for the holidays? Include a few songs about coming home in your Thanksging playlist.

• Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver - This soft longing for the "place where I belong" is a great Thanksgiving song.
• Home - Michael Bublé - A beautiful slow song about traveling far and wide to beautiful places, but wanting to be home.
  
• Who Says You Can't Go Home - Bon Jovi - A wonderful song about leaving, and then returning home.

Songs About America
Add a few patriotic songs to your playlist to honor those who are not with their families this Thankgiving because they are protecting you and yours. We all can be grateful for our freedoms and the blessings we enjoy as American citizens.

• This Land is Your Land – Woody Guthrie - Bruce Springsteen had it right when he said this was "perhaps the greatest song ever written about our home".
• My Country ‘Tis Of Thee – Crosby & Nash - There are many versions of this song, but this is my favorite.
• Born in the U.S.A.- Bruce Springsteen -This one is guaranteed to have everyone singing along!
  
• America The Beautiful - Ray Charles - Has there even been a more stirring and powerful rendition of this classic?

What songs would you put on a Thankgiving playlist? Add your favorites in the comments!

One-Hit Wonder Karaoke Party

Saturday September 25th is National One-Hit Wonder Day, and what a great party theme! Everyone loves a great music theme party. If you want to do a specific decade of music, we have ideas for 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's parties in our Music Theme Parties section. But whether you do a specific decade or not, One-Hit Wonder Day definitely deserves a karaoke party!

So here are a few of our best tips for an enjoyable karaoke party.

• Music. A list of VH1’s One-Hit Wonders is a great place to start. Make a playlist and have it playing while your guests arrive. The dancing and frivolity will start right away.
• Equipment. A karaoke machine is necessary. However, if you want to make your party legendary, get a smoke machine. (Make sure your venue can handle it.) Your guests will love this added touch.
• Costumes. When you invite everyone ask them to dress up as their favorite rock star or one hit wonder, or band manager or even a groupie! Think of it as a tune up for Halloween.
  
• Cameras. If you have a smoke machine and everyone is dressed in costume, you have to take pictures. You owe it to yourself to capture all of this on film. Of course, no video capturing! You want everyone to sing their hearts out and don’t want them to be self conscience.
• Liquid Courage. Let’s be honest here, not all of us are natural born singers. In fact some of us are terrible. (Put me in that category. I was booed off the stage once. Painful.) A few adult beverages for your guests will help put them in the mood to sing any and every song.

Remember this is a karaoke party so it’s supposed to be fun and good natured.  Enjoy a few music party games before the singing starts to get the party started. Remember, I’d rather be a one-hit wonder than a no hitter.