There are between 50 to 1,000 different recognized genres of music in the United States and with new sub-genres emerging that number only continues to grow. Everyone has their own curated playlist with artists they prefer and songs for things like working out, long drives, or maybe even for the mood that they’re in but one of the hardest playlists to make is the prom playlist. Songs like Cupid Shuffle, Perfect by Ed Sheeran, and Cotten Eye Joe at almost every school dance or any event that may require music so, this brings the question on whether or not we need a change in the music we listen to during prom.
Mrs. Carney has been doing prom planning for 4 years and she stated that she’s heard song such as the Cha-Cha Slide and Sweet Caroline each year without fail. However, songs such as Sweet Caroline, which is played usually at the very end of homecoming and prom, hold tradition here at Bellwood and we ALL know what the tradition is. DJ Kermit Foor is set to work at our prom was once a student here at Bellwood and Sweet Caroline is a song that’s been playing every year since he was a student. As for the Cha-Cha slide, that’s a song we’ve heard at any and every event such as weddings, homecoming, Mini-Thon, and so many more. Sliding to the left and right can sometimes be a little boring especially when you’ve heard it non-stop since elementary school, but Mrs. Carney shared that “The Cha-Cha Slide gets the most people out on the dance floor.” It’s an easy follow along song that anyone can easily do whether your blessed with coordination or not, but realistically how long will this song be played until students no longer find it fun?
Trends come and go along with songs. With the rise of social media, songs will blow up and be “tiktokified” and it will be the only thing you hear for weeks but then it’ll go away, and another will take its place. So why doesn’t the same thing happen with songs we hear at school dances? One reason could be due to the fact some songs that are popular are songs will require constant censors over inappropriate language for these types of events and overall ruin the song or because some songs simply aren’t ones you can dance to unless you know which TikTok dance it goes with.
So, what can we do to update our prom playlist while keeping it clean without turning it into a Kids Bop cover? Well, this year Mrs. Carney can her officers decided to put QR codes around the high school for those who may want to hear their favorite songs at their first or last prom. All you have to do is scan the code and have three songs with their artists to submit. Though many songs won’t get played depending on how clean they are this is a great way for those who are attending to have some influence in what they want to hear once that day arrives creating more anticipation and fun for everyone.
