For this lonely New Year’s, a party playlist with the sounds of revelry baked right in
It’s been true throughout the entire pandemic: One of the activities that could most alleviate our prolonged isolation—getting together! With lots of people! At a party!—is one of the most dangerous, and one that would only further prolong said isolation. So, no New Year’s Eve parties this year. It’s best, as it’s been since March, to just stay home. But that doesn’t mean it has to sound like people aren’t doing it up in your less-than-packed house or apartment. [Infomercial voice]: What if we told you that we’d assembled a playlist where the sounds of a party are in the songs themselves? That’s right, when these tracks were recorded in the studio, the artists decided to add in some party noises: people talking or cheering or clinking glasses or singing along. Unsurprisingly, many of these songs are about parties—parties that get out of control or that you have to leave because you drank too much. Or they’re what you’d play at a party to get some dancing going. (If “Soul Finger” doesn’t do it for you, please check your pulse.) Others sound like musicians merely playing to a live audience: a rock band in a bar, a crooner in a trattoria, or a group of dudes breaking out into a jam session, albeit a very good one, in your living room.
So while nobody should be celebrating at a house party or inside their neighborhood bar this New Year’s, that doesn’t mean it can’t sound like it. Scroll down to listen to the playlist on Spotify, and as they say, please enjoy responsibly.
“I Should Have Known Better” by The Beach Boys
“Since I Left You” by The Avalanches
“Revolution 909” by Daft Punk
“Got To Give It Up” by Marvin Gaye
“Groove Is In The Heart” by Deee-Lite
“We Run This” by Missy Elliott
“Che La Luna” by Louis Prima
“Anything Can Happen” by Ezra Furman
“Undone—The Sweater Song” by Weezer
“Sober Driver” by Dengue Fever
“All Night Long (All Night)” by Lionel Richie
“Soul Finger” by The Bar-Kays
“Sherry Darling” by Bruce Springsteen
“The Maestro” by Beastie Boys
“Party Out Of Bounds” by The B-52s
“Barbara Ann” by The Beach Boys