The easiest way to choose songs for a class reunion is to start from the graduation year: count back five years and take what was playing while the class was in middle and high school. Add two or three songs the parents used to sing at home and one song about friendship for the finale. This guide was written for Russian school reunions, so the ready-made sets below are Russian and European hits of 1986-2004 in Disco Magic dance reworks; the method itself works for any class anywhere. More songs by decade are in our 80s, 90s and 2000s collections.
Why count from the graduation year
At a reunion, music matters because everyone in the room heard the same things at the same age. A generic "greatest hits" compilation does not do that. The class of 1989 and the class of 2004 need different songs, although both count as "retro".
There is research behind the rule. In a 2020 study by Kelly Jakubowski and colleagues, 470 people aged 18 to 82 rated songs from the charts of different years. Songs that had been in the charts when a participant was about 14 were the most strongly tied to personal memories. Krumhansl and Zupnick (2013) found a second peak in young adults for the music of their parents' generation, the music that played at home.
The limits of these findings should be stated up front. They measured memories and familiarity, not what people dance to. Participants in the first study saw song titles; no music was played. Ratings of liking did not form a single pattern. The samples were Western and the charts English-language. So the graduation year is a good starting point, not a law: the final list is decided by the classmates themselves.
How to build the list in one evening
- Work out the window. Graduation year minus five is the start, the graduation year is the end. For the class of 1996 that is 1991-1996.
- Ask the class. Post one question in the group chat: "Which song do you remember from the school disco or prom?" The answers beat any chart: every school and town had its own hits.
- Add songs "from home". Two or three pieces older than the window that everyone knows.
- Ask what not to play. A song may be tied to a painful memory for someone. Nostalgia can be sad, and that is fine, but it should be possible to drop a song with no explanation.
- Check the versions. One song can exist as an original, a remix and a cover, and they sound different. Any of them works for table talk; for dancing a version with a steady beat is easier.
If someone remembers a song by a single line and not by its title, see how to find an old song without the title.
Sets by graduation year
Three songs for each group of classes. These are recordings from our catalogue: well-known songs in a modern Disco Magic rework, with the original artist and year. The year comes from our own track record. The groups are arranged so that the songs fall within the school years of every class in the group, or nearly every one. You can listen right here; downloading requires a free account.
For classes before 1988 the catalogue has few recordings so far: see the 80s collection and ask the class.
Classes of 1988-1992
"Yagoda malina" by Valentina Legkostupova, 1987: a light song known to the graduates and to their parents.
"Sedaya noch" by Yuri Shatunov and Laskovyi Mai, 1988: for these classes, the sound of school dances.
Geronimo's Cadillac by Modern Talking, 1986: the Western half of the same disco.
Classes of 1996-1998
The classes of 1993-1995 can mix this set with the previous one.
"Ya poydu s toboy" by Lada Dance, 1993.
"Sokol yasnyi" by Irina Saltykova, 1995.
Coco Jamboo by Mr. President, 1996.
Classes of 1999-2003
"Vspominat i ne nado" by Larisa Chernikova, 1998. Its words about years gone by suit the mood of a reunion.
"Vozdushnyi shar" by Mr. Credo, 1998.
Hi-Fi's "Pioner", 1999; our rework is titled "Vsegda gotov" ("Always Ready"). A school theme played for laughs.
Classes of 2004-2008
"Devchonki" by Senator, 2003: a song about getting ready for a disco.
"V mashine tseluemsya" by Sveta, 2004. People remember the chorus line even when they have forgotten the title.
"Noch neskazannykh slov" by 140 udarov v minutu, 2003.
For any class
"Kogda moi druzya so mnoy" ("When My Friends Are with Me") is a 1976 children's song about friendship. It suits a group singalong at the end if most of the class knows the words.
A word of caution about titles. A word in the title does not guarantee a fitting story: a song with a school-themed title may turn out to be about unhappy love. Before you play a song "on theme", listen to it all the way through.
Summary table and spare list
| Song | Original artist | Original year | Our version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geronimo's Cadillac | Modern Talking | 1986 | remix, 3:58 |
| Yagoda malina | Valentina Legkostupova | 1987 | remix, 3:30 |
| Sedaya noch | Yuri Shatunov | 1988 | remix, 3:44 |
| Ya poydu s toboy | Lada Dance | 1993 | remix, 3:18 |
| Sokol yasnyi | Irina Saltykova | 1995 | remix, 3:06 |
| Coco Jamboo | Mr. President | 1996 | remix, 3:39 |
| Vspominat i ne nado | Larisa Chernikova | 1998 | remix, 3:37 |
| Vozdushnyi shar | Mr. Credo | 1998 | remix, 4:09 |
| Pioner (listed here as "Vsegda gotov") | Hi-Fi | 1999 | remix, 2:37 |
| Devchonki | Senator | 2003 | remix, 3:39 |
| Noch neskazannykh slov | 140 udarov v minutu | 2003 | remix, 3:30 |
| V mashine tseluemsya | Sveta | 2004 | remix, 2:30 |
| Kogda moi druzya so mnoy | Big Children's Choir of Central Television and All-Union Radio | 1976 | remix, 4:06 |
Spare songs in case the main part ends early or the class asks for more:
- "Na teplokhode muzyka igraet" (Olga Zarubina, 1987);
- "Modnitsa" (Kombinatsiya, 1990 record);
- Think About the Way (Ice MC, 1994);
- "Lish o tebe mechtaya" (Ruki Vverkh!, 1998);
- "Tantsuyut vse" (Okho-Kho, 1999);
- "Glupye devchonki" (Scrash, 2007).
The order of music through the evening
| Part of the evening | What is happening | What music |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival | People come in, recognise each other, talk | Quiet, songs from the class window with calm openings. Music must not get in the way of talking. |
| Photos and memories | Albums, slides, toasts | Songs "from home" and whatever was named in the chat. Still at talking volume. |
| Dancing | Those who want to dance do | The core of the list, the most recognisable songs of the window. Start with the one named most often. |
| Finale | Everyone in a circle, the group photo | One song everybody sings. |
For a large event with a host, you can borrow the block structure from our 90s disco programme for a corporate party and swap in your own songs.
If several classes share the room
At a whole-school evening people can be twenty years apart. Split the dancing into stretches by decade and announce them. Keep each stretch to three or four songs, or the others will get bored.
When to prepare
In Russia the school reunion evening is by widespread tradition held on the first Saturday of February; in 2027 that is 6 February. It is not a rule: some institutions pick other Saturdays, and classes that organise themselves often choose summer or the New Year holidays. Start on the list two or three weeks ahead: collecting answers in the chat takes about a week.
A technical checklist for the day
- The music is downloaded in advance onto a phone or a USB drive: internet in a school hall or a cafe is unreliable. See how to put music on a USB drive.
- The cable or Bluetooth link to the speaker has been tested in that very room.
- There is a spare list of ten songs in case the main part runs out early.
- One person is in charge of the music and takes requests.
Where the information comes from
Original years are given as in our catalogue records. Song stories were checked against transcripts of the lyrics; the selection was made without judging tempo by ear, so listen to the chosen versions yourself before the evening.
