1990s Party Playlist: Songs And Running Order

Britpop, big pop and dance builds - the decade everyone in the room can sing.

This is the decade for a 30th, 40th or 45th. 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 1990s

• 1990 - Thatcher resigned, Gazza cried, and the country spent a fortnight thinking England might actually win it. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1990
• 1991 - Bryan Adams would not get off the top of the chart, the Soviet Union ceased to exist, and Freddie Mercury died. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1991
• 1992 - Black Wednesday, a general election nobody predicted correctly, and the Premier League arrived. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1992
• 1993 - Mr Blobby was Christmas number one, which is somehow not the strangest thing about the year. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1993
• 1994 - The Lottery started, the Channel Tunnel opened, and Wet Wet Wet would not leave the number one spot. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1994
• 1995 - Blur against Oasis on the Six O'Clock News, and Toy Story changed films for good. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1995
• 1996 - Football came home, nearly, and the Spice Girls arrived and took the entire decade with them. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1996
• 1997 - A landslide in May, a death in August, and the best-selling single in British history. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1997
• 1998 - The Good Friday Agreement, a World Cup sending off nobody forgave, and Furby. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1998
• 1999 - An eclipse over Cornwall, a millennium everybody was quietly worried about, and boy bands everywhere. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1999
• That is every 1990s year we have written up so far: 1990 to 1999.

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.

1990s openers

• Pulp - Disco 2000
• Blur - Girls and Boys
• The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony
• Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy
• Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop (That Thing)
• Supergrass - Alright

1990s floor-fillers

• Robin S - Show Me Love
• Fatboy Slim - Praise You
• Whigfield - Saturday Night, if the room takes itself lightly
• Spice Girls - Wannabe
• Haddaway - What Is Love
• Blackbox - Ride On Time

1990s singalongs to finish on

• Oasis - Don't Look Back In Anger
• Pulp - Common People
• Take That - Never Forget
• All Saints - Never Ever
• Robbie Williams - Angels

1990s deep cuts

• Faithless - Insomnia
• Chemical Brothers - Block Rockin' Beats
• Deee-Lite - Groove Is In The Heart
• Salt-N-Pepa - Push It
• Corona - The Rhythm Of The Night

What to be careful with

• Common People takes nearly six minutes and is worth every second - but not two big long songs in a row.
• Don't Look Back In Anger is a closer, not an opener. It ends a night better than almost anything.
• Handbag house from 1993 to 1996 is the most underused part of this decade at British parties.

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 1990
• Look back to 1991
• Look back to 1992
• Look back to 1993
• Look back to 1994
• Look back to 1995
• Look back to 1996
• Look back to 1997
• Look back to 1998
• Look back to 1999
• 1950s party playlist
• 1960s party playlist
• 1970s party playlist
• 1980s party playlist
• 2000s party playlist
• 2010s party playlist
• 2020s party playlist
• 90s kids' TV shows
• 90s quiz questions
• Decade music round questions
• Look back to the 1990s
• 1990s 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
• Sympathy and bereavement cards
• Sympathy cards guide
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What should a 90s themed party playlist include?

Britpop for singing, 90s dance for the peak and big pop for everyone else: Oasis, Pulp, Spice Girls, Take That, Robin S and Fatboy Slim between them cover almost any room.

How many songs do you need for a 1990s 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.