Song selection for an 80s-themed party

May 19, 2009

A party centered on reliving the fashion trends of the 1980s can be a lot of fun and only strengthened by a great soundtrack selection to accompany the night.

While there are songs from the decade that are still popular today such as Journey's Don't Stop Believin' and anything from Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet album, choosing somewhat forgotten musical gems may make your party more memorable for your guests.

For example, remember Was (Not Was)'s hit Walk the Dinosaur? It had the chorus of "Open the door/Get on the floor/Everybody walk the dinosaur."

Or how about Cyndi Lauper's Goonies 'R' Good Enough, a song many may remember playing during the film The Goonies.

And, believe it or not, there are some 80s songs that have developed a life of their own in current times.

Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up became a strange internet pop culture phenomenon with people "Rickrolling" each other (essentially sending fake links to trick people into watching the music video of the song).

Also, for fans of the movie Napoleon Dynamite, playing Alphaville's Forever Young may be equally enjoyable.