New Year’s Eve Party Songs - 2009

Last year a friend asked me to compile a list of well-known pop tracks that should be on his party playlist, and I happily obliged.  I did the same this year, albeit hastily.  As I said to him:

“These aren’t necessarily my favorites, but these are some of the biggest tracks of the year from the pop, indie, and rap scenes.  (I didn’t include a bunch that aren’t really suitable for parties like Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, etc.)”

MAJOR POP

  • Drake - Best I Ever Had (Skeemix) (feat. R. Kelly)
  • Kid Cudi - Make Her Say (feat. Kanye West, Common & A-Trak)
  • The Black Eyed Peas - Boom Boom Pow
  • Lady Gaga - Just Dance (feat. Colby O’Donis) (or Paparazzi, or Bad Romance…)
  • The Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling
  • Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)
  • Beyonce - Halo
  • Kanye West - Heartless
  • T.I. - Dead and Gone (feat. Justin Timberlake)
  • T.I. - Live Your Life (feat. Rihanna)
  • The Fray - You Found Me
  • Kings Of Leon - Use Somebody
  • Keri Hilson - Knock You Down (feat. Kanye West & Ne-Yo)
  • Jamie Foxx - Blame It (feat. T-Pain)
  • Pitbull - I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)
  • Soulja Boy Tell ‘em - Kiss Me Thru The Phone (feat. Sammie)
  • Jay Sean - Down (feat. Lil Wayne)
  • Katy Perry - Hot N Cold
  • Jay-Z - Empire State of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys)
  • Ciara - Love and Sex and Magic (feat. Justin Timberlake)

LESS KNOWN BUT REASONABLY WORTH PLAYING

  • Gucci Mane - Wasted (feat. Plies)
  • The-Dream - Rockin’ That Shit
  • Chris Brown - Crawl
  • Major Lazer - Pon de Floor (feat. VYBZ Kartel)
  • Major Lazer - Keep It Goin’ Louder (feat. Nina Sky and Ricky Blaze)
  • 50 Cent - Baby By Me
  • Mary J. Blige - The One (feat. Drake)
  • LMFAO - I’m in Miami Bitch
  • Basement Jaxx - Raindrops

INDIE HITS

  • Micachu and the Shapes - Golden Phone
  • Discovery - Orange Shirt
  • La Roux - Bulletproof
  • Röyksopp - Happy Up Here
  • Passion Pit - The Reeling
  • Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll
  • Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
  • Phoenix - 1901
  • Animal Collective - My Girls
  • The XX - Islands

INDIE AND OUT THERE

  • Joker & Ginz - Purple City
  • Matias Aguayo - Rollerskate
  • Four Tet - Love Cry