I'm DJing a middle school dance - what should I play?

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I had this job tossed in my lap by my roommate and it's a surreal sort of thing. It's for kids ages 11-14.

Anyway, any suggestions? I'm playing "Y.M.C.A." and "The Chicken Dance" at the coordinator's request and I need to keep the night as clean as possible.

― Steev (Steev), Monday, 4 October 2004 01:18 (twenty years ago)

shitloads of lil jon

― David Allen (David Allen), Monday, 4 October 2004 01:28 (twenty years ago)

HAHA! "The Chicken Dance" for 14 year olds?

― phil-two (phil-two), Monday, 4 October 2004 01:39 (twenty years ago)

teenage dirtbag
popular by nada surf

― the surface noise (slight return) (electricsound), Monday, 4 October 2004 01:40 (twenty years ago)

Good Charlotte - The Anthem
Hillary Duff - Coming Clean
Lloyd - Hey Young Girl

― herbert hebert (herbert hebert), Monday, 4 October 2004 01:41 (twenty years ago)

Usher f/ Lil' Jon & Ludacris - "Yeah!"
Beyonce f/ Jay-Z - "Crazy in Love"
Britney Spears - "Toxic"
The Killers - "Somebody Told Me"
Jay-Z - "Dirt Off Your Shoulder"
Maroon 5 - "This Love"
Beastie Boys - "Ch-Check it Out"
R. Kelly - "Step in the Name of Love (Remix)"
Hoobastank - "The Reason"
Ciara f/ Petey Pablo - "Goodies"

― The Good Dr. Bill (Andrew Unterberger), Monday, 4 October 2004 01:44 (twenty years ago)

Ben Folds Five - "Brick" for the slow dance.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 4 October 2004 01:45 (twenty years ago)

Definitely have every one of the Dr's list with the exception of "Goodies." I'm not sure if it's clean enough.

Keep 'em coming!

― Steev (Steev), Monday, 4 October 2004 01:46 (twenty years ago)

"In da club" = the elephant in the room.

― Jacob (Jacob), Monday, 4 October 2004 01:48 (twenty years ago)

You could play the version of "Goodies" sans Pablo. That should be clean.

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Monday, 4 October 2004 01:52 (twenty years ago)

"...of the" should have read as "from the..." Oops.

― Steev (Steev), Monday, 4 October 2004 01:54 (twenty years ago)

Missy Elliott. The kids love missy, don't they?

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Monday, 4 October 2004 01:56 (twenty years ago)

AVRIL

"I Believe In a Thing Called Love"

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 4 October 2004 01:57 (twenty years ago)

No Doubt have a number of danceable harmless hits don't they?

― herbert hebert (herbert hebert), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:02 (twenty years ago)

what about stairway and forever young? kids still like that shit right?

― ken taylrr (ken taylrr), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:05 (twenty years ago)

More ideas for slow dance songs, please. I know at least five or six kids will be bold enough to touch each other.

― Steev (Steev), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:15 (twenty years ago)

Shouldn't some more nu-metal find it's way onto your list? Greenday? As for slow songs...uh...Hello, by Lionel Richie? At the very least it would be funny.

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:22 (twenty years ago)

This list aims to be nu-metal free. P'raps Green Day...

― Steev (Steev), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:24 (twenty years ago)

Middle schoolers know Green Day?

Usher - "Confessions pt 2"?

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:25 (twenty years ago)

Blink 182 - "I Miss You"

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:26 (twenty years ago)

I thought the only people who listened to Greenday were middle schoolers?

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:26 (twenty years ago)

13-year-olds love "Lean Back" and "Slow Motion."

Green Day has been around for more than 10 years and "Time Of Your Life" was on the Seinfeld finale episode, so I'm pretty sure they have fans of all ages by this point. I don't know if I would play them at a middle school dance though.

― billstevejim, Monday, 4 October 2004 02:28 (twenty years ago)

Richie? From what I remember of junior high, slow dance songs have to be contemporary as no one wants to dance to old-people music. That's why my age-group got subjected to a song about abortion for our slow songs, nothing else was popular. "Maps" might be ballady enough for teenage hookups.

You should definitely play Avril's "no I won't sleep you with you" single to close the night.

Samantha Ronson's "99 Problems" remix would be popular with kids, and they've probably never heard it.

How dirty is Lil Flip's "Sunshine"?

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:28 (twenty years ago)

Did they put out a new album? I thought the only people who listen to them are nostalgic twentysomethings. But maybe they still put out new stuff that I don't know about, proving your point.

"She Will Be Loved" will probably be the requisite slow dance song although I'm sick to death of it myself.

Emma Bunton - "Maybe"

xpost: Do middle schoolers still watch Seinfeld?

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:29 (twenty years ago)

(That was a double xpost I guess.)

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:30 (twenty years ago)

Which song about abortion?

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:30 (twenty years ago)

BF5 "Brick"

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:33 (twenty years ago)

I wasn't serious about Richie! Though I do love him...And I think you are right about slow songs having to be contemporary. I;m having a tough time thinking of good slow pop songs though. I guess Britney and Xina have a couple...How do you resist the temptation to play lots of great older stuff? If I was djing, Turning Japanese would get played, I don't care how old they are.

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:33 (twenty years ago)

That Britney song with the piano for slow dance.

― billstevejim, Monday, 4 October 2004 02:34 (twenty years ago)

There's a 90% chance that a few boys with shaggy hair will request Led Zeppelin.

― billstevejim, Monday, 4 October 2004 02:39 (twenty years ago)

The question I'm interested in is: Will they dance to anything?

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:40 (twenty years ago)

Well, if 13 to 30 taught me anything, and I think it did, you should get on the dancefloor with a couple of friends and dance to thriller. And everyone will join in. Actually, I suspect the girls will dance, in little circles, and the boys will stand around looking like they have too many elbows and occasionally wrestling each other.

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:44 (twenty years ago)

By that, do you mean will they dance to just anything that I put on; or do you mean are they going to dance at all?

― Steev (Steev), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:45 (twenty years ago)

something by nirvana

― the surface noise (slight return) (electricsound), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:45 (twenty years ago)

I'm playing "Y.M.C.A." and "The Chicken Dance" at the coordinator's request

Songs about hooking up for gay sex are fine, but no swears!

― Xii (Xii), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:51 (twenty years ago)

I was thinking specifically about the shaggy boys who request Zeppelin and whether they would dance to anything at all. It's just a question I'm curious about because I remember going to dances, not dancing to anything, and asking for Zeppelin. But, yes, the broader questions Kevin considers are worthwhile.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:52 (twenty years ago)

I don't know anything though - I'm judging by what would happen at a British school disco. I'm sure the kids will shake their booties, particularly when something 'unifying' comes on. (would a Nirvana track be the biggest floor-filler? I suspect it might be)

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:55 (twenty years ago)

"The Chicken Dance" has words? About gay sex? Brilliant.

― Steev (Steev), Monday, 4 October 2004 02:59 (twenty years ago)

You put your _____ in and put your _______ out and put your ______ in and shake it all about....

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Monday, 4 October 2004 03:01 (twenty years ago)

More ideas for slow dance songs, please. I know at least five or six kids will be bold enough to touch each other.

play "in love with you" by the paradise and half a dozen babies wil be naemd after you.

― :|, Monday, 4 October 2004 03:07 (twenty years ago)

That's "The Hokey Pokey," I thought.

x-post: I fucking hope there are no babies made in middle school...

― Steev (Steev), Monday, 4 October 2004 03:07 (twenty years ago)

Last Dance with Mary Jane

― moofman (moofman), Monday, 4 October 2004 03:15 (twenty years ago)

im talkign eternal love and teenage engagement sealed by precious sonic waevs here! not sex. you want babies soon, you play je t'aime. crosspost.

― :|, Monday, 4 October 2004 03:18 (twenty years ago)

That's "The Hokey Pokey," I thought.
it is, I'm just joking around.

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Monday, 4 October 2004 05:22 (twenty years ago)

Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music. Suits with Beyonce and Usher ...

― carlozz, Monday, 4 October 2004 05:59 (twenty years ago)

Green Day has been around for more than 10 years and "Time Of Your Life" was on the Seinfeld finale episode

this made me barf

― amateur!!!st (amateurist), Monday, 4 October 2004 06:19 (twenty years ago)

bob marley - looking in your big brown eyes
kylie minogue - love at first sight
electric six - danger! high voltage
daft punk - one more time
eve & gwen stefani - let me blow ya mind

i would try to make it "funny" yet somehow danceable

― ivy (ivy), Monday, 4 October 2004 06:31 (twenty years ago)

(would a Nirvana track be the biggest floor-filler? I suspect it might be)

Yeah, the guys would definitely appreciate this. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" still works like a charm.

Aside from that, though, I wouldn't play too many songs that are more than a year or so old. And Daft Punk might be kinda risky.

More slow songs:

Usher f/ Alicia Keys - "My Boo"
Avril Lavigne - "I'm With You"
Seether f/ Amy Lee - "Broken" (this is kinda power ballad-y, not sure how the kids will take, but it's top 40)
Britney Spears - "Every Time"
OutKast - "Prototype"

Also, though I don't personally endorse them, either of the recent Jessica Simpson ballads ("Take My Breath Away," "Angels") and a couple of the big emo numbers (Simple Plan's "Perfect," Dashboard Confessional's "Vindicated") might work as well. Also a lot of that mopey lite brit stuff that's been crossing over recently--Coldplay ("The Scientist"), Keane ("Somewhere Only We Know"), Snow Patrol ("Run"), etc.

― The Good Dr. Bill (Andrew Unterberger), Monday, 4 October 2004 12:56 (twenty years ago)

Oh, and "Lean Back" and "In Da Club" are total no-brainers that I missed. Those are essential.

― The Good Dr. Bill (Andrew Unterberger), Monday, 4 October 2004 12:58 (twenty years ago)

Yea, I'm sure corny indie shit like snow patrol goes over REAL well at a middle school dance.

Fucking indie rock dunces!

― Professor Challenger (ex machina), Monday, 4 October 2004 13:15 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, 'coz it's not like Coldplay is one of the most popular bands in the world right now or anything.

― The Good Dr. Bill (Andrew Unterberger), Monday, 4 October 2004 13:22 (twenty years ago)

Kids like Nirvana so obv. they'll love Tad and Mudhoney.

― Professor Challenger (ex machina), Monday, 4 October 2004 13:23 (twenty years ago)

Hey Ya, obv.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 4 October 2004 13:35 (twenty years ago)

Kids like Nirvana so obv. they'll love Tad and Mudhoney

The difference is that "Run" is actually getting played on modern rock radio and VH1 and shit. It's not gonna be a floor-destroyer or anything put it's a good enough slow song and a fair number of the kids will know it.

But I guess being an indie rock dunce and all--what with my Seether, Avril Lavigne and Usher--I'm really secretly trying to unleash hardcore underground shit on a bunch of middle schoolers.

― The Good Dr. Bill (Andrew Unterberger), Monday, 4 October 2004 13:49 (twenty years ago)

annie - chewing gum

― bojan (bojanm), Monday, 4 October 2004 14:34 (twenty years ago)

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