1980s Party Playlist: Songs And Running Order

The most reliable party decade there is, as long as you hold the big four back.

This is the decade for a 40th, 45th or 50th. 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 1980s

• 1980 - The decade opened with the SAS on live television and John Lennon's death in December. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1980
• 1981 - A royal wedding, riots in several cities and the first London Marathon. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1981
• 1982 - The Falklands, the launch of Channel 4 and the arrival of the Spectrum. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1982
• 1983 - Breakfast television, the pound coin and a general election landslide. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1983
• 1984 - The miners' strike, the Brighton bombing and Band Aid at Christmas. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1984
• 1985 - Live Aid, the first EastEnders and a very bad year in football. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1985
• 1986 - The Hand of God, Chernobyl and Neighbours arriving on daytime television. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1986
• 1987 - The great storm, Black Monday and a third election win. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1987
• 1988 - Acid house, Kylie's first number one and a grim run of disasters. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1988
• 1989 - Hillsborough, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the decade. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1989
• That is every 1980s year we have written up so far: 1980 to 1989.

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.

1980s openers

• Talking Heads - This Must Be The Place
• The Cure - Just Like Heaven
• The Smiths - This Charming Man
• Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World
• Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
• Prince - Raspberry Beret

1980s floor-fillers

• Wham! - Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
• Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
• Madonna - Into The Groove
• Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody
• Dead Or Alive - You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)
• New Order - Blue Monday

1980s singalongs to finish on

• Journey - Don't Stop Believin'
• Bon Jovi - Livin' On A Prayer
• Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse Of The Heart
• Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up
• Queen - Don't Stop Me Now

1980s deep cuts

• Kool and the Gang - Fresh
• Bananarama - Cruel Summer
• Soft Cell - Tainted Love
• Yazoo - Situation
• Womack and Womack - Teardrops

What to be careful with

• Billie Jean, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Don't Stop Believin' and Livin' On A Prayer are your four biggest cards. None of them before nine o'clock.
• Indie and guitar 80s is talking music, not dancing music. Use it early. Shop this card
• A power ballad at the end works. A power ballad in the middle stops the night dead.

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 1980
• Look back to 1981
• Look back to 1982
• Look back to 1983
• Look back to 1984
• Look back to 1985
• Look back to 1986
• Look back to 1987
• Look back to 1988
• Look back to 1989
• 1950s party playlist
• 1960s party playlist
• 1970s party playlist
• 1990s party playlist
• 2000s party playlist
• 2010s party playlist
• 2020s party playlist
• 80s kids' TV shows
• 80s quiz questions
• Cassette tapes and taping the charts
• Look back to the 1980s
• 1980s 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
• Wedding cards
• Wedding cards guide
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What is the best 80s party song?

For a dance floor, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go or Billie Jean. For the end of the night, Don't Stop Believin'. Keep all three back until the room is full.

How many songs do you need for a 1980s 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.