The 40 best party songs ever made

Release date: 2017

A modern classic house track from the effortlessly cool DJ-producer Yaeji, ‘Raingurl’ is effectively a loop of infectiously catchy chanting – ‘Make it rain girl, make it rain (mother Russia in my cup)’ – interspersed with atmospheric whisperings sung in English and Korean for a bit of dancefloor relief. As the track rolls on, each time the chorus hits that little bit harder, and it’s near impossible not to sing along and jump up and down to the hard, drilling beat while you’re at it. Put this into a DJ set and you’re onto a winner – it is so beautifully simple that even newbies can sing along from the get-go.

Release date: 2023

Brat isn’t going anywhere, but anyone who’s only recently donned their Charli’s Angels wings must not sleep on this song. Don’t get me wrong, I love the spooky original version of ‘Welcome to My Island’, but Caroline’s witchy vocals take on a whole new vibe in this thumpy, racing remix created by George and Charli in the early days of their relationship. The lyrics are feral, the pace is ferocious, and it’s a sure-fire way to eject crazed energy into any party.

Release date: 2024

You know those sun-drenched summer days when a few beers on the beach slowly turns into a margarita-fuelled night of dancing, flirting and laughter – where the night feels seemingly endless, like time has stood still? They might be few and far between, but this track does a damn good job of transporting you into those magic, peak-summer moments. With trancey melodies and bouncing, snappy percussion and soft, feminine vocals singing a simple story of summer love, it’s a party soundtrack if I ever heard one.

Release date: 2023

Her fans have loved her for a while, but this year was the year TikTok became utterly obsessed with Peggy Gou (aka, she went mainstream). By the time her iconic party track Nanana came out in June 2023, half the world had already listened to a TikTok clip of it 100 times over. And were we disappointed? Absolutely not. Nanana is light, catchy, and makes you wish you were dancing on a boat in Ibiza. Of course, a rightful shout out to ‘Starry Night’ while we’re here. Long live Peggy.

Release date: 1990

If you want to turn your ego-boosting novelty tune into a dance-floor sensation, you can do far worse than to start with an already-proven funk smash like Rick James’s ‘Super Freak’ as your backing track like Stanley Kirk Burrell did. The official video seals the deal: Even Hammer’s baggy trousers scream confidence.

Release date: 2014

There is something beautiful about seeing a room of people screaming ‘I’mma ruin you, c*nt’ at the top of their lungs. Because this potty-mouthed banger, by problematic fave Azealia Banks, is guaranteed to get people jumping and yelling at any party. With its instantly recognisable bumping house backing track, filthy lyrics and unbeatable vocals from Banks, this track goes off every time. And then there’s the bridge, a sultry, slowed down section with a menacing feel, that launches us straight into the deliciously shouty chorus. Over ten years after it’s release this song is still relevant, a timeless bop.

Release date: 1990

Bop bop-bedop bop-bedop-bedop pow! If there’s a more indelible drum sample than that one that leads off this 1990 marvel, we’ve yet to hear it. The tune that follows is a clinic in new-jack-swing excellence, a classic caveat-emptor tale concerning an irresistible femme fatale (‘cut’, as it were, ‘like an Afro’), set to a staccato shuffle beat and crowned with that heavenly Ricky Bell hook. Yep, pure dance-floor venom.

Release date: 1990

‘Everybody, dance now!’ So goes this song’s yelled refrain, and we’ll wager you’ll have a hard time not shaking what your mama gave you when the beat kicks in. Masterminded by American production duo C+C Music Factory (David Cole and Robert Clivillés), ‘Gonna Make You Sweat’ paved the way for a slew of chart-friendly house hits in the early ’90s, and made wearing cycling shorts okay. Rejoice!

Release date: 1959

Yeah, yeah, it’s over 50 years old and your grandparents might’ve made out to it. But good gosh if this isn’t one of the sexiest, wildest songs on this list. It starts out pretty civilised, with that unmistakable keyboard intro, and lickety-split cymbal beats. Then Ray starts singing about lovin’ you all night long with wicked intent, the brass starts up, the backing singers join in, and you have one hot, fine mess.

Release date: 1986

You’re not just encouraged to dance during this jam, one of the all-female rap crew’s first and biggest hits; you’re actually ordered to hit the dance floor and work up a sweat. Given the song’s thumping beats, it’s pretty much impossible to ignore that request. (We’ll ignore the ruling from Hurby ‘Luv Bug’ Azor, who guests on the song, that pushing it is ‘only [for] the sexy people.’)