80s Party Songs: The Ultimate Playlist for a Retro Party

The 1980s gave us some of the best party music ever made. From Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna to INXS, Bon Jovi, Whitney Houston, New Order and Salt-N-Pepa, there's no shortage of great 80s songs to choose from.

But a great 80s party playlist needs more than a collection of big hits.

I'm Kev from Rhythm and Beats DJ Services, and having played plenty of 80s music at weddings, birthdays and events around Melbourne, I've found the best 80s sets combine familiar dance-floor favourites with singalongs, Funk, Rock, New Wave and a few forgotten classics.

So if you're building an 80s playlist of your own, here are some of my picks.

Best 80s Party Songs

If I wanted a solid starting point for an 80s party, these are some of the songs I'd have on the shortlist:

• Michael Jackson – Billie Jean

• Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance with Somebody

• Prince – Kiss

• Madonna – Like a Prayer

• Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Want to Have Fun

• Wham! – Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

• Bon Jovi – Livin' on a Prayer

• a-ha – Take on Me

• Kenny Loggins – Footloose

• Queen – Another One Bites the Dust

• Lionel Richie – Dancing on the Ceiling

• Salt-N-Pepa – Push It

• The B-52's – Love Shack

• Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up

• Journey – Don't Stop Believin'

• The Pointer Sisters – I'm So Excited

• Soft Cell – Tainted Love

• Dead or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)

• Katrina and the Waves – Walking on Sunshine

• Dexys Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen

  
  

You don't necessarily need every obvious hit. The trick is having enough familiar songs to give everyone something they recognise while leaving room to explore the different sounds of the decade.

For more inspiration across different eras and genres, have a look through my curated DJ music playlists.

80s Dance Songs

If getting people onto the dance floor is the priority, I'd lean heavily into songs with a strong groove and instantly recognisable hooks.

Some reliable 80s dance songs include:

• Michael Jackson – Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough

• Whitney Houston – How Will I Know

• Madonna – Into the Groove

• Prince – 1999

• Chaka Khan – I Feel for You

• Kool & The Gang – Celebration

• Earth, Wind & Fire – Let's Groove

• Technotronic – Pump Up the Jam

• New Order – Blue Monday

• The Pointer Sisters – Jump (For My Love)

• Paula Abdul – Straight Up

• David Bowie – Let's Dance

• The Human League – Don't You Want Me

• Bananarama – Venus

• Kylie Minogue – The Loco-Motion

  
  

One thing I've learned from DJing is that an 80s playlist doesn't need to stay in one musical lane.

Pop, Funk, New Wave, R&B, Rock and early Hip Hop can all work together. Changing direction at the right moment is often what keeps an 80s set interesting

80s Pop Singalongs

Not every great party song is about dancing.

Sometimes you want the whole room singing.

For that, it's hard to go past:

• Bon Jovi – Livin' on a Prayer

• Journey – Don't Stop Believin'

• Bryan Adams – Summer of '69

• Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Want to Have Fun

• Wham! – Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

• Toto – Africa

• Dexys Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen

• The Proclaimers – I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)

• George Michael – Faith

• Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is a Place on Earth

• Madonna – Like a Prayer

• John Farnham – You're the Voice

  
  

Songs like these can work particularly well later in the night when the party has loosened up and people are ready for the big communal singalong moments.

80s Funk, Disco & R&B Classics

This is one part of the decade I'd encourage people to explore beyond the obvious hits.

The early 80s picked up where Disco left off and moved into Funk, Boogie, Post-Disco, R&B and Synth-Funk. The result was some brilliant dance music.

Try:

• Shalamar – A Night to Remember

• The Gap Band – Outstanding

• Cameo – Candy

• Patrice Rushen – Forget Me Nots

• Evelyn "Champagne" King – Love Come Down

• Chaka Khan – Ain't Nobody

• The Whispers – And the Beat Goes On

• Midnight Star – Midas Touch

• Billy Ocean – Caribbean Queen

• Luther Vandross – Never Too Much

• Diana Ross – Upside Down

• Kool & The Gang – Get Down on It

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This is a sound I particularly enjoy playing. If it's your thing too, I've put together an 80s Funk Classics DJ Mix that goes much deeper into this side of the decade.

80s Rock Anthems

A good 80s playlist can also benefit from a burst of Rock — particularly when you've got a crowd that wants to sing rather than just dance.

Some favourites:

• Bon Jovi – You Give Love a Bad Name

• Queen – Another One Bites the Dust

• Bryan Adams – Summer of '69

• Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child o' Mine

• Def Leppard – Pour Some Sugar on Me

• Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – I Love Rock 'n Roll

• Europe – The Final Countdown

• AC/DC – You Shook Me All Night Long

• The Romantics – What I Like About You

• Billy Idol – Mony Mony

  
  

You don't need an hour of Rock to make it work. At a mixed party, two or three well-timed songs can completely change the energy of the room before moving somewhere else.

Australian 80s Party Songs

For an Australian crowd, there are also some home-grown 80s classics worth adding.

• INXS – Need You Tonight

• Men at Work – Down Under

• Kylie Minogue – The Loco-Motion

• Icehouse – Electric Blue

• John Farnham – You're the Voice

• Mental As Anything – Live It Up

• Dragon – Rain

• Choirboys – Run to Paradise

• Divinyls – Pleasure and Pain

• Pseudo Echo – Funky Town

  
  

Some are dance-floor records, others are singalongs, but they're songs Australian crowds tend to recognise quickly.

70s and 80s Party Songs Work Brilliantly Together

If your party isn't strictly 80s themed, don't be afraid to mix decades.

Late-70s Disco and Funk transition naturally into early-80s dance music.

Think:

Bee Gees → Chic → Earth, Wind & Fire → Diana Ross → Kool & The Gang → Shalamar → Michael Jackson → Prince.

Likewise, late-80s Hip Hop and R&B can lead naturally into the 90s.

That's how I tend to approach music when I'm DJing a mixed crowd. Rather than treating decades as separate boxes, I look for connections between songs that allow the music to move naturally.

You can hear that broader approach across my Melbourne DJ music collection, including live sets, mixtapes and playlists.

Planning an 80s Party in Melbourne?

If you're planning an 80s-themed birthday, anniversary or celebration in Melbourne, I can obviously do more than give you a list of songs.

We'll plan the music together beforehand, including your favourites, must-plays and anything you don't want to hear. Then on the night, I'll mix that with requests and what I'm seeing from the crowd to keep the dance floor moving.

And it doesn't have to be strictly 80s.

As an open-format DJ, I can move between 70s Disco, 80s Pop and Funk, 90s R&B and Hip Hop, 2000s favourites and current music depending on the kind of party you want.

Find out more about my Melbourne Party DJ Hire, or explore my DJ playlists and mixes for more music inspiration.

Kev