There are so many wonderful songs. We’ve published a bunch on our YouTube channel, and I’ve shared more than 500 different songs during in-person singalongs. Still, people often ask me for recommendations, so here is a list of my top 40 singalong songs. Most of these are standards or traditional songs, but you’ll also find a sprinkling of Christmas, gospel, patriotic, and rock ‘n’ roll music.
These are all can’t-miss singalong hits. I’ve sung them hundreds of times, and they never get old. I thought about trying to rank them, but I just can’t. So, I present them to you here in alphabetical order.
My Top 4o Singalong Songs
Amazing Grace … I usually sing 4 verses of this beloved hymn.
April Showers … music by Louis Silvers, lyrics by Buddy DeSylva
B-I-N-G-O … a favorite ever since my childhood
Bill Bailey … this 1902 tune hit the pop charts in 1960 with a Bobby Darin recording
Billy Boy … a charming old folk song
Can’t Help Falling in Love … an Elvis Presley classic
Daisy Bell … otherwise known as “Bicycle Built for Two”
Do-Re-Mi … from The Sound of Music
Edelweiss … also from The Sound of Music
For Me and My Gal … led to a movie with the same name
God Bless America … patriotic favorite penned by Irving Berlin
Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here … the tune comes from the Gilbert & Sullivan opera The Pirates of Penzance
Happy Days Are Here Again … Barbra Streisand famously recorded a slow version, but it’s more fun to sing it quickly
Happy Trails … the theme song for The Roy Rogers Show, written by Dale Evans
Has Anybody Seen My Gal? … starts with “Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue”
He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands … a traditional spiritual that hit the pop charts in 1957
Hello, Dolly! … title song of a popular music written by Jerry Herman, and an immensely popular single for Louis Armstrong
Home on the Range … the “unofficial anthem” of the American West
Hound Dog … very catchy, very singable Elvis hit
How Much Is That Doggie in the Window? … 1952 hit for Patti Page
Let Me Call You Sweetheart … more than 5 million copies of the sheet music were sold for this 1910 charmer
Let There Be Peace on Earth … a beautiful 1955 song initially written for and sung by the International Children’s Choir
Look for the Silver Lining … music by Jerome Kern perfectly paired with lyrics by Buddy DeSylva
My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean … a traditional Scottish folk song
My Favorite Things … one more gem from The Sound of Music
Put Your Head on My Shoulder … a 1959 song written and recorded by Paul Anka
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town … probably the most popular of all Santa Claus songs; it’s always fun to sing to your friends that they had “better be good”
She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain … a traditional folk song
Shine On, Harvest Moon … a Tin Pan Alley classic
Side by Side … a standard written by Harry M. Woods, made famous by Kay Starr in a 1953 recording
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious … from Mary Poppins
Take Me Home, Country Roads … John Denver singalong fave
Take Me Out to the Ballgame … one of the three-most recognizable songs in America, along with “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Happy Birthday”
The Hokey Pokey … fun to sing along and fun to dance along
The Twist … also fun (practically irresistible) to dance along
We Wish You a Merry Christmas … I end every Christmas show with this classic
When the Saints Go Marching In … a traditional spiritual often played by jazz bands
When You’re Smiling … if you’re not singing, you can at least be smiling
White Christmas … Irving Berlin’s beautiful Christmas classic
You Are My Sunshine … well, I don’t want to rank these, but I won’t argue if you want to list this as #1 on your list of top 40 singalong songs!
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