Tropical & Luau Music Ideas

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 Hawaiian Luau 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 Hawaiian Luau party:

• Interject tunes in the spirit of your theme about 1 every 20 minutes or every 5-6 songs. Do not play your theme music continuously, it gets old very quick.
  
• Add humor and nostalgia for surprises & smiles

Edit your song list by:

• Eliminating songs 4 minutes or longer
  
• Include only one song per group or artist

For a dinner party, you may select a list of songs and play your list on shuffle.  You may consider a list for the pre-dinner cocktail hour and a separate list during dinner. 

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 Hawaiian Luau

Apply the same rules 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.

Generally look for a variety including:

• Hit theme-related songs like Elvis Presley's Blue Hawaii
  
• Hawaiian songs recorded by a popular artist, like Johnny Cash's Aloha Oe
• Humorous songs, like The Gilligan's Island Theme
• Hit songs by authentic Hawaiian artists, like Don Ho's Tiny Bubbles
• Nostalgic/retro recordings, like Ray Conniff's Hukilau Song
• Popular songs rerecorded with a Hawaiian feel, like Ukulele Picnic's New York, New York
• Content related songs, like The Surfaris' Wipeout
  

Here are the songs we would include in our playlist:

• Blue Hawaii: Elvis Presley
• Lovely Hula Hands: Junior Brown
• Aloha Oe: Johnny Cash
• Ukulele Lady: Bette Midler
• Pearly Shells: Burl Ives
• Gilligan’s Island Theme
• Hawaii Five-O Theme
• Hukilau Song: Ray Conniff
• Bali Hai: Rosemary Clooney
• Tiny Bubbles: Don Ho
• New York, New York: Ukulele Picnic
• Wipeout: The Surfaris
• Kokomo: The Beach Boys

Some additional Hawaiian Luau theme-related songs:

• Rock-a-Hula, Elvis Presley
• Ray Conniff's Hawaiian Album
• Blue Hawaii
• Pearly Shells
• My Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii
• Don Ho
• Pearly Shells
• Hukilau Song
• E Le Ka Lei Lei (Beach Party Song)
• Lovely Hula Hands
• Shock the Monkey
  
• Fly Me To The Moon, Ukulele Picnic
• Island Girl, Elton John
• Misirlou, Dick Dale
• Surfin USA, Beach Boys
• Surfin Safari, Beach Boys
• Hawaii, Beach Boys
• Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
• Note:  Use a version less than 4 minutes, and make sure this song is not too slow for your party mix.