Everyone loves a beach party! As the temperature heats up, more and more of us are likely to seek relief on sandy coastal shores. Complete any beach, pool or lake-front party with the following top 20 beach party tunes, in no particular order. Be it rock, pop, country or R&B;, these songs are sure to keep your guests on their feet.
1. Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys
Predictable, but I challenge anyone to name an artist or band more appropriate for a beach party than The Beach Boys. While any song from their impressive roster would be a classic fit, “Good Vibrations” is my personal favorite feel-good Beach Boys song. The upbeat, toe-tapping doo-wop harmonies give just what the title promises: a good, happy feeling all over. You’re sure to find a chuckling guest or two as someone is likely to try a one-man harmony karaoke on this one, but as we all chuckle, we’ll probably recall a time when we made the same embarrassing display. After all, who can resist?
2. Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay – Otis Redding Slow it down just a bit, grab a nice frothy beverage with a pretty paper umbrella and kick back in a lounge chair for this one. Any song that drifts off in a lilting, cheerful whistle has to just leave you feeling warm all over. Redding turns to the nostalgia of the carefree childhood that we can all relate to; a simpler time when we could all waste a little time appreciating the beauty of the world around us.
3. Funkytown – Lipps Inc.
A one-hit wonder, no doubt, but Lipps Inc can sure kickstart a party with their smash hit, “Funkytown”. It’s one of those songs that you recognize from the first 3 notes, and immediately react with an enthusiastic recall from the depths of your memory. In the tradition of “YMCA” and “The Macarena”, “Funkytown” is a song that’s sure to find everyone gettin’ down.
4. Hot, Hot, Hot – Buster Poindexter
Keep that conga line a-movin’ with Buster Poindexter’s “Hot, Hot, Hot”. Though an apparent goof from an artist about on par with Weird Al Yankovich, it’s infectious and undeniably motivating. Just how wild can your guests really get? This one will test their animal instinct and bring out the wild side in even your most conservative friends.
5. Chattahoochee – Alan Jackson Alan Jackson’s buoyant hit “Chattahoochee” will find you with an insatiable urge for tailgating with your toes in the sand and a beer in your hand. Even if your nearest coastal party place doesn’t lay in the southern region, you’ll find yourself hollering a hearty “Yeehaw” and wishing you had a Stetson hat to tip. Try to keep up with the catchy quick lyrics as you kick back with a cool one and a few good friends making cherished summer memories.
6. Stir it Up – Bob Marley
Whisk yourself away to a land of Caribbean dreams, even if your beach-front is a lake-front. Bob Marley’s Jamaican stylings accompanied by the rhythms of steel drums magically create a tropical paradise for the mind. As the palm trees sway in the ocean breeze, you feel your cares simply melting away. Whether your horizon is endless or hampered, “Stir it Up” is guaranteed to leave you drifting peacefully on the blissful seas of tranquility.
7. Walking on Sunshine – Katrina & the Waves
Another feel-good song, “Walking on Sunshine” has a snazzy swing that burrows right into your brain. With a toxic tempo that lingers long after the song has ended, you’re sure to find yourself humming this one repeatedly as it continues to emerge from your clinging subconscious. This Katrina & the Waves hit will certainly put a spring in your step.
8. Red Rag Top – Tim McGraw
Promote a lazy hazy day on the water with a little help from country crooner Tim McGraw. Hearkening back to a time of adolescent love and lighthearted living, “Red Rag Top” is a perfect soundtrack to a Utopian summer day.
9. Margaritaville – Jimmy Buffett
An obvious addition to any beach party set is the ever-popular, timeless classic “Margaritaville. The ultimate example of a typical Key West beach bum, Jimmy Buffett created a beach anthem in this, his signature tune. Let the margaritas flow as you sing along with the lyrics that promote the idea that nothing’s really as bad as it seems when you’re sitting at the water’s edge with not a worry in the world.
10. Under The Boardwalk – The Drifters
The snap-happy, jazzy bounce of The Drifters hit, “Under the Boardwalk” flows like a breeze of serenity. With whimsical, rejuvenating sing-song melodies and flawless harmonies, you just can’t go wrong.
11. The Way You Do the Things You Do – UB40
UB40 endeared themselves to widespread audiences with “Red, Red Wine”, although they had been performing together long before its release. Always unique, UB40 again received high praise for their original take on The Temptations’ classic “The Way You Do the Things You Do”. Putting their notable reggae spin on the song, UB40 took a well-known standard and gave it new life as a fun, modern tune.
12. Vacation – The Go Go’s
The Go Go’s are probably not a band that will thrill the male populace at your beach shindig. However, nostalgic ladies will squeal with delight as the famed 80’s girl-band hit causes a flood of sunny memories. Provoke the femme fun of yesteryear with the famed hit, “Vacation”.
13. Hotel California – The Eagles
“On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair. Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air”. From the opening lyrics, you know the song, and you can’t resist the urge to sway and sing along to this favorite tune by The Eagles. Hauntingly mellow, “Hotel California” beckons the dusk over lapping waves.
14. Limbo Rock – Chubby Checker
Pull out your limbo stick and challenge your guest to this back-bending tropical tune. No beach party could possibly be considered a success until someone has collapsed in a back-flop onto the sand.
15. Fly – Sugar Ray
Combining ska-pop beats with fun lyrics, Sugar Ray made their powerful mark on the 90’s rock/pop scene. “Fly” is a tongue-twisting, toe-tapping tune that lends itself to a jaunty party atmosphere. Encourage any efforts to sing/dance along with this one, and watch as your shindig takes on a life of its own!
16. Hot Stuff – Donna Summer
Cheesy as it often seems, no one can deny the magic of a good disco tune. Turn up the heat on the sunny shores and turn your party girls loose to Donna Summer’s trampy, sexy opus. Essentially a dance mantra, don’t be surprised to find your best girlfriends chanting in unison on their quest for some “Hot Stuff”.
17. Wipeout – The Surfaris The only thing better than including “Wipeout” in your beach party set-list, is discovering that one of your guests has a knack for beat-box performance accompaniment. Whip out your cheesiest dance moves and slither along. Or, if you REALLY feel bold, trade out the classic version of the song by The Surfaris for the more modern, rap-infused cover by The Fat Boys.
18. Volcano – Jimmy Buffett
So it may be redundant to include a second tune by Jimmy Buffett, but truth be told, I’m having extreme difficulty resisting the urge to add even more! You just can’t get more “beach-y” than Buffett, and “Volcano” gives a great excuse to kick that conga line back into action for an encore performance.
19. In the Summertime – Shaggy The fast-talking, reggae stylings of Shaggy have modernized and revived a music style that was not previously mainstream. Though the reggae genre is a vast one, including many talented artists, few have reached mass recognition. Shaggy achieved prevailing success with his ode to summer fun in the semi-racy, frolicky “In the Summertime”.
20. Soak Up the Sun – Sheryl Crow Spread the sun tan lotion and catch some rays while you laze around with the girls. This good-time smash by Sheryl Crow encourages us all to just let it go and enjoy life. Let your worries drift away as Crow suggests, “I’m gonna tell everyone to lighten up”, and enjoy the rockin’ ambiance of your ultimate beach party.
