Top 40 Singalong Songs

January 12, 2025 | Resources

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.

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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Check out our entire singalongs library or our YouTube channel.

Our singalongs are designed to be fun for the whole family, including loved ones living with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. Singing together can help people living with dementia better connect with family and friends and their own joy-filled memories. All of our singalongs feature uplifting, positive, and widely known songs.

Attention, singalong leaders … we sell many of our singalong videos in our Shopify store. Or, we invite you to learn more about becoming a Songs & Smiles singalong leader.

 

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