Birthday Songs: Filter a Playlist for Adults, Kids, Funny or Rap

The one everybody knows. The melody was published in 1893, and since a 2016 court settlement the song is public domain in the US.

Written to rally support for a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, and now the soul birthday anthem.

A loud, joyful rocker from the White Album, made for the whole room to shout along.

The hip-hop birthday anthem. Play the clean edit if kids are around.

Glittery disco-pop that treats the birthday as the main event.

Bubbly, chant-along pop for a friend who loves a party.

The party starter that gets every generation onto the dance floor.

A high-energy dance chant for the birthday person who wants all eyes on them.

Breezy pop about treating yourself on your own big day.

A slow, tender country love song for a partner’s birthday.

Her breathy serenade to President Kennedy at a 1962 gala, fun to recreate for someone you adore.

Heavy, explicit trap for an adults-only party.

A grown-up slow jam for a partner. Keep it off the family playlist.

Sparkly early-’80s new wave with a sing-song chorus.

The Icelandic band’s breakout single, with Björk on lead vocals: dreamy and strange, for indie fans.

The Mad Hatter’s tea-party song from Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, for every day that isn’t your birthday.

All-ages feel-good pop that works at a toddler’s party or a 90th.

The obvious pick for a September birthday, and a floor-filler in any month.

Retro funk that pulls even the shy guests onto the dance floor.

The big-night-out anthem that sets the mood before the cake comes out.

From the Trolls movie: a clean, bouncy pick that kids and grown-ups both love.

ABBA’s ode to being seventeen and the fastest way to fill a dance floor.

Sunny pop that kids, teens and grown-ups all know by heart.

Disco-pop sunshine for fans of every age.

Glossy disco-pop for a starry birthday night out.

A cheeky party track with cake right in the title.

A self-love hype song for the friend who deserves a very big day.

Pure joy from Whitney, for dancing with your favorite people.

The girls’-night birthday classic.

The sing-along everyone joins, doubly so if the birthday person is a Caroline.

The call-and-response party classic: start low, finish loud.

Everyone knows the arm moves, from five-year-olds to grandparents.

The dance that calls out every step, so nobody has to sit it out.

Smooth ’90s R&B for a Friday-night birthday.

Rickroll the birthday person: a running joke and a genuinely great pop song.

Silly barking fun for kids’ parties and dog lovers.

Tongue-in-cheek swagger for the friend who insists they’ve still got it.

Loud, silly party rap for a 21st (for guests of legal drinking age).

Party country for a backyard birthday with a bonfire.

Rock and roll’s original ode to turning sixteen.

A bouncy early-’60s hit written for exactly this birthday.

A doo-wop slow dance for a sweet-sixteen party.

The hard-rock anthem about being stuck halfway between kid and adult.

A tender One Direction ballad that suits an eighteenth.

Breezy country-pop with the number that says it all for a 21st.

A sax-driven instrumental with one shouted word, a wink for a 21st.

Carefree best-friends pop for a twenty-second birthday.

A rowdy look back at the good old days, made for 40th and 50th parties.

Nostalgic rock for anyone who loves a good “back in my day” story.

A triumphant victory lap of a song for a birthday that feels earned.

Disco royalty, and a cheeky toast to another trip around the sun.

A defiant disco anthem for a “still fabulous” milestone.

Paul McCartney’s music-hall tune about growing old together, a gentle tease for a milestone.

The no-nonsense oldies anthem for a dad or grandpa who knows what he likes.

A country reminder that life moves fast, for a big milestone birthday.

Swinging Sinatra-and-Basie optimism for a 50th, 60th or beyond.

A warm reminder that age is a state of mind.

Dylan wrote it for his son: a blessing for a child’s or grandchild’s birthday.

Stevie’s joyful song for his newborn daughter, made for a daughter’s birthday.

A heartfelt R&B thank-you for Mom.

Taylor’s thank-you to her mom, lovely under a slideshow of old photos.

2Pac’s landmark tribute to his mother: explicit, and deeply moving.

A breezy love song for the person who lights up your year.

A gentle conversation between generations, for Dad’s birthday.

A country story about a kid copying his dad, sweet for a father’s birthday.

A grateful look back at a father’s example.

A sweet compliment of a song for a partner’s birthday.

Joyful, key-changing R&B to tell someone they come first.

Best known as the Golden Girls theme, a perfect toast to a longtime friend.

Simple, soulful friendship, made for singing as a group.

Ringo’s warm ode to the people who get you through.

Carole King’s timeless promise of friendship, from Tapestry.

A sweet ukulele promise to always show up for your friend.

The friendship anthem for a girls’ birthday night.

The toddler-party earworm, with hand moves built in.

The Toy Story theme, a warm pick for a child’s party.

The Frozen power ballad every young fan wants to belt out.

Maui’s swaggering showstopper from Moana, a hit at kids’ parties.

A gentle classic for a grandparent’s birthday or a baby’s first.