Birthday, Graduation and Retirement Songs

Milestones come with their own playlists. A big birthday has its classics, a graduation has the songs that play over the slideshow, and a retirement party has its send-off anthems. The right pick depends on the age, the room and whether you want laughter or tears.

I write for Ditty City, where we make personalized songs. I will say where ours fits at the end, after the songs you can play today.

Birthday songs

• "Birthday," The Beatles (1968). Loud and fun, a good party opener.
• "Happy Birthday," Stevie Wonder (1980). Upbeat and joyful, and an alternative to the standard song.
• "22," Taylor Swift (2013). The obvious pick for a 22nd, and fun for any birthday in the twenties.
• "Forever Young," Rod Stewart (1988). For a big birthday later in life, when the room is in a reflective mood.

For specific ages, see our 21st birthday song and 60th birthday song for dad guides.

Graduation songs

• "Graduation (Friends Forever)," Vitamin C (2000). The graduation song for a whole generation.
• "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)," Green Day (1997). Bittersweet and short, perfect for the last photo of a slideshow.
• "I Hope You Dance," Lee Ann Womack (2000). A parent's wishes for a child stepping into the world.
• "The Climb," Miley Cyrus (2009). About the effort, not the finish line. Good for a hard-won degree.
• "Unwritten," Natasha Bedingfield (2004). Upbeat and forward-looking, good for the middle of a slideshow.

For a slideshow, start upbeat and save the slow song for the final photos. The graduation song guide covers personal versions for high school and college.

Retirement songs

• "Celebration," Kool & the Gang (1980). Gets the room up. Play it as the guest of honor walks in.
• "Here Comes the Sun," The Beatles (1969). About better days ahead, which is the whole point of retirement.
• "Don't Stop Believin'," Journey (1981). Everybody knows the chorus, so it works as a group sing.
• "Take This Job and Shove It," Johnny Paycheck (1977). The joke option. Only if the boss is in on it.

The retirement song for a coworker guide covers collecting stories from the whole team.

Using songs at the party

Plan three moments: an upbeat song as the guest of honor arrives, a slower song during any speeches or slideshow, and a group song near the end. Test the sound system before guests arrive, because a song that will not play kills a toast faster than a bad speech.

When no existing song fits

Every song above is about somebody else's birthday, graduation or last day at work. It can set the mood, but it cannot mention the 30 years at the same desk, the campus they almost transferred from, or the cake disaster of their 40th.

That is the gap a personalized song fills. At Ditty City you answer a few questions about the person, we write and record a song with their name and your details in it, and you hear a free sample before you pay. A Quick Ditty is about 60 seconds for $9, a Little Ditty about 2 minutes for $29, and a Big Ditty about 4 minutes for $49, ending with a sign-off from you by name. It arrives inside a digital card, so it can play at the party or land on the morning of the big day.

Every guide in this hub

The guides below cover milestone songs by age and by occasion.