Hi Sam,

this is a decepitvely hard post to respond to.

Are you looking for songs;
- that you like?
- that your friend will like?
- that we, the forum members like?
- that will go down well with the guests (in which case we need to know something about their age group and background)?
- that you can (reasonably easily) learn and sing?
- that are suited to a fun party atmosphere (maybe this will rule out some of the more introverted and reflective folky stuff)?
- some combination or compromise of the above?

This is, of course, a huge generalisation but most people will probably identify in particular with the music that was around when they were in the 16-30 age bracket, as this, again probably, was when they were going out the most and being exposed to popular music.

As users of this forum, most of us are probably atypical in that we’re nuts about music.

This brings our search up to the 70s/80s more than the 60s.

There are huge differences across borders too. Acts that were popular in the UK in the States may not even be known by nationals from other countries.

Once you have narrowed down your target, my favoured search techniques are to look at charts (as already advised) but better still is to find track listings of compilation albums which represent the time and vibe you are looking for.

Good luck, and let us have the finalised set list!

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