1970s Party Playlist: Songs And Running Order

Glam for the singing, disco for the dancing, and ABBA whenever the room dips.

This is the decade for a 50th, 55th or 60th. Below is the playlist in four parts - what to open with, what fills the floor, what everyone sings and what to save for the people who know the decade properly.

One rule before you start: never play your three biggest songs in the first hour. Everything else is detail.

Years covered in the 1970s

• 1970 - England defended the World Cup, the Beatles ended and eighteen-year-olds got the vote. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1970
• 1971 - Decimal Day, the first Glastonbury as we know it and Slade on the way up. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1971
• 1972 - Miners' strikes and power cuts, Ziggy Stardust and a very good year for glam. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1972
• 1973 - Britain joined the EEC, the oil crisis hit and Slade wrote Christmas. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1973
• 1974 - Two general elections, the three-day week and Abba winning Eurovision. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1974
• 1975 - Bohemian Rhapsody, the EEC referendum and Fawlty Towers. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1975
• 1976 - The heatwave, the drought and the first stirrings of punk. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1976
• 1977 - Silver Jubilee street parties, Star Wars and the summer punk went overground. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1977
• 1978 - Grease, the first test-tube baby and the start of the winter of discontent. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1978
• 1979 - The winter of discontent, the first woman Prime Minister and the last year of the seventies. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1979
• That is every 1970s year we have written up so far: 1970 to 1979.

The running order

• First hour, arrivals and talking: openers only, loud enough to fill the room and quiet enough to hear each other.
• Second hour, the room fills: start dropping floor-fillers, alternating one known song with one lesser-played track.
• Third hour, the peak: the biggest songs, back to back, no ballads.
• Last twenty minutes: the singalongs, finishing on one everybody knows every word to.
• Three hours of music is about 45 songs. Build 60 so you have room to skip.

1970s openers

• Stevie Wonder - Superstition
• Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way
• Bill Withers - Lovely Day
• Al Green - Let's Stay Together
• David Bowie - Life On Mars?
• Carly Simon - You're So Vain

1970s floor-fillers

• Chic - Le Freak
• Sister Sledge - We Are Family
• Earth, Wind and Fire - September
• Donna Summer - Hot Stuff
• KC and the Sunshine Band - Get Down Tonight
• The Jackson 5 - I Want You Back

1970s singalongs to finish on

• Slade - Cum On Feel The Noize
• T. Rex - Get It On
• ABBA - Dancing Queen
• Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody, once, and accept you lose six minutes
• Wizzard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, at Christmas only

1970s deep cuts

• The Sweet - Ballroom Blitz
• Mud - Tiger Feet
• Candi Staton - Young Hearts Run Free
• Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music
• Hot Chocolate - You Sexy Thing

What to be careful with

• Prog rock and long album tracks are for the car, not the party.
• Saturday Night Fever is the obvious disco route and it still works, but mix in Chic and Sister Sledge or it turns into a theme night.
• Glam is the best value in the decade: three minutes, a chorus, and everybody shouting.

Practical bits people forget

• Download it. Venue wifi failing mid-party is the most common way a playlist goes wrong.
• Turn off shuffle and turn off the auto-playlist that kicks in at the end.
• Check clean versions if children or grandparents are in the room.
• Put one person in charge of the music and let them ignore requests after eleven.
• Print the track list and pin it up - people read it all night and it doubles as a quiz round.

Shop prints and posters

Music prints and lyric posters

A5, A4 and A3, ready to frame.

Decorations for a decade party

Banners, balloons, cake toppers and confetti, plain enough to take any era theme.

Milestone birthday cards

Blank inside, kraft envelope, printed in the UK.

How to write it so it lands

• Build the playlist around the years they were 15 to 25, not the year they were born.
• Hold your three biggest songs until the room is full.
• Download it rather than streaming it, and turn shuffle off.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1970
• Look back to 1971
• Look back to 1972
• Look back to 1973
• Look back to 1974
• Look back to 1975
• Look back to 1976
• Look back to 1977
• Look back to 1978
• Look back to 1979
• 1950s party playlist
• 1960s party playlist
• 1980s party playlist
• 1990s party playlist
• 2000s party playlist
• 2010s party playlist
• 2020s party playlist
• 70s kids' TV shows
• 70s quiz questions
• Look back to the 1970s
• 1970s retro gift guide
• Decade recipes: dishes and food trends by era
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Retro party playlist by decade
• Nostalgia birthday party by decade
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Milestone birthday cards
• Party supplies
• Posters and prints
• Shop birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Birthday cards for kids
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What songs should be on a 70s party playlist?

Disco for dancing - Chic, Sister Sledge, Earth Wind and Fire - and glam for singing: Slade, T. Rex, Sweet and Mud. Add ABBA whenever the floor thins out.

How many songs do you need for a 1970s party?

About 15 songs an hour, so roughly 45 for a three hour party. Build 60 so you can skip anything that isn't landing without a gap.

Should the playlist be all one decade?

No. Keep the middle of the night in the decade and let the last hour drift either side of it. A single decade for four hours starts to feel like a theme night rather than a party.

Do you sell music?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints, pin badges and stickers, and we stock party decorations - all printed in the UK. The playlist is free to copy.