Music is a key factor in setting the mood at your party and should be planned with care. We have provided:

• Guidelines for selecting songs for your playlist
• Suggestions for a Nautical party
• Additional suggestions for a Bon Voyage/Farewell party
  

Guidelines for Building Your Playlist

For any type of cocktail party, it is strongly recommended that you prearrange a list of songs. Choose a mix of popular songs, recognizable standards, and your personal favorites. Here are our guidelines for selecting your playlist songs:

• Choose upbeat tempos for a light and happy mood
• Mix genres to appeal to all tastes
• Vary styles to add interest
• Contrast artists for diversity and to avoid sameness

and for a Nautical party:

• Interject tunes in the spirit of the Nautical theme, about 1 every 20 minutes or every 5-6 songs.
  
• Add humor, nostalgia, and contrasting styles for surprises & smiles

Edit your song list by:

• Eliminating songs over 4 minutes (exceptions allowed)
  
• Include only one song per any single group or artist (no exceptions)
  

For a dinner party, you may select a list of songs and play your list on shuffle.  You may want to choose a list for the pre-dinner cocktail hour and a separate list for during dinner that is a little more low-key. 

For more about making a general playlist refer to Cocktail Party Planning: Making Music and Dinner Party Planning: Selecting the Music.

Musical Suggestions For A Nautical Party

Apply the same suggestions above for selecting theme-related songs as for building your playlist.  Choose upbeat, fast tempos to maintain the party spirit. Do not include songs over 4 minutes long and incorporate only one song per any single artist into your playlist.

Nautical Songs

We have compiled a list of possibilities for a Nautical song playlist, as well as, our suggested artist for each:

• Anchors Aweigh (with vocals), Pat Boone
• In the Navy, Village People
• Sittin On The Dock Of The Bay, Otis Redding
• Beyond the Sea, Bobby Darin
• Rock the Boat, Hues Corporation
• Sea of Love, Honeydrippers
• Under The Sea (pop version), Little Mermaid
• To The Bottom of the Sea, Voltaire
• Captain Sad and His Ship of Fools, The Cowsills
• Sea Cruise, Herman’s Hermits
• Sail On, The Commodores, Destiny’s Child
• Sail On, Sailor, Beach Boys
• I’ll Sail My Ship Alone, Patsy Cline
• Orinoco Flow, Sunday’s Best, or Celtic Woman
• Ride Captain Ride, Blues Image
• Time & Tide, Basia
• The Tide Is High (short version), Blondie
• Son of a Son of a Sailor, Jimmy Buffet
• Fantastic Voyage, Coolio
• Harbor Lights, Platters
• Midnight Voyage, The Mamas & the Papas
• Ship of Fools, Erasure
• Sail Along Silvery Moon, Andy Williams
• Sailing On, The Derek Trucks Band
• Gilligan’s Island Theme
• Popeye, The Sailorman
• Love Boat Theme

Bon Voyage/Farewell Songs

There are an endless number of possibilities for songs related to goodbye and farewell.  Here is list of familiar tunes to help you create your Bon Voyage/Farewell party playlist:

Our top 12 picks:

• So Long, Farewell, from The Sound of Music Soundtrack
• The Last Farewell, Roger Whitaker
• Hit the Road Jack, Ray Charles
• Someday We’ll Be Together, The Supremes
• Remember Me, Diana Ross
• Aloha Oe, Elvis Presley
• Changes In Latitudes, Jimmy Buffet
• Go West, Pet Shop Boys, Village People
  
• The Power of Goodbye, Madonna
• Leaving On A Jet Plane, Slightly Stoopid, Frank Sinatra, or Ray Conniff
• Never Can Say Goodbye, Jackson 5
• Every Time We Say Goodbye, Rod Stewart

More bon voyage/farewell options to choose from:

• Sentimental Journey, Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme
• Goodbye, Miley Cyrus
• Hello, Goodbye, The Beatles
• Goodbye, Kristinia DeBarge
• Here Comes Goodbye, Rascal Flatts
• Goodnight & Goodbye, Jonas Bros.
• Last Time I Saw Him, Diana Ross
• Already Gone, Eagles
• For the Good Times, Ray Price
• We’ll Be Together Again, Louis Armstrong
• Go Where You Wanna Go, Mamas & the Papas
• Goin Up The Country, Canned Heat
• Gone Going, Black Eyed Peas
• Goodbye Girl, Squeeze
• Got Til It’s Gone, Janet Jackson, Joni Mitchell
• Gotta Get Away From It All, The Cowsills
• Can’t Let You Go, Matchbox Twenty
• Leavin On Your Mind, Patsy Cline
• Keep On Truckin, Eddie Kendricks
• King of the Road, Roger Miller
• Steve’s Last Night In Town, Ben Folds Five
• Opportunities, Pet Shop Boys
• I Will Survive, Gloria Gaynor
• All Alone Am I, Brenda Lee
• Vacation, Go-Gos

And you may want to include a song specific to your guest of honor's destination, such as:

• California Dreamin, The Mamas & the Papas
• New York, New York, Frank Sinatra
• Blue Hawaii, Elvis Presley
• Hawaii, Beach Boys
• Georgia On My Mind, Ray Charles, Willie Nelson
• I’m Going Back Home, Nina Simone
• I’m Going Home, from The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Find more information about making a musical party playlist in Cocktail Party Planning.