Music can be a very evocative medium, and the right song at the right moment can really send you back in time. To that end, we’ve gathered 20 of the top songs for each decade from the 50s through the 90s. This should make life easier on your DJ, if he doesn’t already have his own playlists from those eras. And you might just rediscover a gem you completely forgot.

Note: These are lists we’ve compiled from other sources, and does not necessarily reflect our own personal tastes. We recommend you use it as a jumping off point for planning your musical entertainment, and may help jog your memory in finding the right fit of music for your class.

Top hits of the 1950s (Source: Rockmaven.com)
1 “Don’t Be Cruel/Hound Dog” Elvis Presley 1956
2 ” (We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock” Bill Haley & His Comets 1955
3 “Love Letters in the Sand” Pat Boone 1957
4 “Mack the Knife” Bobby Darrin 1959
5 “Singing the Blues” Guy Mitchell 1956
6 “Autumn Leaves” Roger Williams 1955
7 “Love Me Tender” Elvis Presley 1956
8 “Heartbreak Hotel” Elvis Presley 1956
9 “The Yellow Rose of Texas” Mitch Miller 1955
10 “Sixteen Tons” Tennessee Ernie Ford 1955
11 “Love is a Many Splendored Thing” Four Aces 1955
12 “Jailhouse Rock/Treat Me Nice” Elvis Presley 1957
13 “All Shook Up” Elvis Presley 1957
14 ” (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear” Elvis Presley 1957
15 “The Battle of New Orleans” Johnny Horton 1959
16 “The Wayward Wind” Gogi Grant 1956
17 “The Green Door” Jim Lowe 1956
18 “Lisbon Antigua” Nelson Riddle 1956
19 “Memories are Made of This” Dean Martin 1956
20 “At the Hop” Danny and the Juniors 1958

Top hits of the 1960s (Source: Rockmaven.com)
1 “The Twist” Chubby Checker 1960
2 “Hey Jude” The Beatles 1968
3 “Theme from “A Summer Place” Percy Faith 1960
4 “Tossin’ and Turnin’” Bobby Lewis 1961
5 “I Want to Hold Your Hand” The Beatles 1964
6 “Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In” 5th Dimension 1969
7 “I’m a Believer” The Monkees 1966
8 “Are You Lonesome Tonight” Elvis Presley 1960
9 “Sugar, Sugar” The Archies 1969
10 “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” Marvin Gaye 1968
11 “I Can’t Stop Loving You” Ray Charles 1962
12 “Love is Blue” Paul Mauriat 1968
13 “Cathy’s Clown” Everly Brothers 1960
14 “It’s Now or Never” Elvis Presley 1960
15 “Honky Tonk Women” The Rolling Stones 1969
16 “Big Bad John” Jimmy Dean 1961
17 “To Sir with Love” Lulu 1967
18 “People Got to Be Free” The Rascals 1968
19 “Everyday People” Sly & the Family Stone 1969
20 “Big Girls Don’t Cry” The Four Seasons

The key to ensuring successful reunions is making them memorable. One way to do that is providing cool party favors to your guests. Mix CDs seem to be gaining popularity in recent years, but there are a few things to consider before pulling the trigger on this piece of musical memorabilia:

• The logistics of producing them may be more prohibitive than you think. While you can get discounts on spindles of CDs, it will take a lot of time to burn them all - which can take away from time spent on more important endeavors.
• The more people you have at your reunion, the more spread out the musical tastes are. Which means there’s a certain percentage of the cost of producing those CDs that will go to waste due to classmates who don’t care to own your hand-picked compilation of high school-era tunes.
• Mass-producing mix CDs may not even be legal. We’re not lawyers here, but technically speaking, the duplication and mass distribution of copyrighted material without permission is illegal - even if you’re not making any money off of it. Generally speaking, you can make a single copy for personal backup use, but that’s about it. That doesn’t mean they’ll go to the trouble to find you and sue you, but nonetheless, it’s a good idea to do your legal homework before you begin burning CDs.

Music can be a very evocative medium, and whether it’s the night of the reunion or two years later, the right song at the right moment can really put a smile on your classmates’ faces.

Regardless of the size of your high school class reunion, arranging for food can be tricky. There may be a wide range of ages and appetites attending, and no two classes have the same budget. Here are things you should keep in mind when deciding:

Catering the event will allow classmates to spend less time in the kitchen and more time planning other aspects of the reunion. But it can be expensive, and someone will need to pay upfront. In your early communications with classmates, suggest several different options and see what your classmates would be willing to spend. Also keep in mind the variety of eating habits that your class might possess - vegetarians may not be so fond of that ultra-BBQ buffet you’ve put together.

One benefit of catering is that you may not have to worry about providing utensils, tablecloths, napkins, etc. Be sure to find out ahead of time if the catering organization will do cleanup as well.

Having a potluck dinner can be a good way to go about it for several reasons. First, everyone spending a little bit of time making a dish is a lot less stressful than a few people making a ton of food. It also distributes the costs fairly evenly as everyone pays for their own groceries.

Second, if you have a variety of eating habits, you can just about guarantee that everyone will be able to enjoy least one thing they like to eat, even if it’s their own dish.  Within the context of the two options above, keep in mind your audience. For a family-friendly event, it may be a good idea to avoid fancy or exotic foods that children may turn their nose up at. Not only may that be a waste of your grocery store or catering fund, but hungry kids can be grumpy kids.

• Be sure to target the food to the location. A come-and-go event at a bar may be more suited to finger food, whereas if you’re dying for a fancy sit-down dinner, there may be a local hotel or banquet hall that’s the perfect choice.
• If the class decides on handling the food preparation themselves (via potluck or otherwise), make sure that you have plenty of tableware, napkins, etc.
• Alcoholic beverages can add up quickly if you decide to provide them. Don’t forget them to add them to any upfront costs that you charge your classmates. Or, simply go for a BYOB event.
• Mmmmm … dessert. Who doesn’t love dessert? Let your classmates know ahead of time that it’s available, so they can save room for it.

Those are a few basic considerations to keep in mind when it comes to food planning. If you have any other suggestions or unforeseen issues you’ve had to deal with, feel free to leave them in the comments so you can help another class out.

If you’re looking for creative ways to add entertainment value to your reunion, you might consider adding an “awards show” element to the schedule. Find a funny classmate who is willing to put in a little extra work, and task him with creating an Oscar-style presentation of awards. Below is part 1 of our list of fun award ideas you can give out:

• The Marathon Award: Given to the classmate who has traveled the farthest to come to the class reunion.
• Most Eligible Bachelor Award: This works great if you have two or more events as part of a reunion weekend. Starting early, take a poll of your single female classmates, and you can present the lucky winner with a little black book filled with their phone numbers.
• Egghead Award: Given to the classmate with the highest degree obtained - PhD, Master’s, etc.
• Cash for Clunker Award: Given to the classmate who drives the oldest car. Prize: Take a collection from your classmates, and award them enough money to rent a fancy convertible or sports car for the weekend.
• Early Bird Award: Given to the classmate who RSVPs for the reunion first.
• Dr. Doolittle Award: Given to the classmate who has the most pets. Prize: Get them one of those freeway dummies so they can at least pretend to have someone other than animals to hang out with.

Feel free to use the suggestions above as inspiration for other ideas. Try and be mindful of whether an award might be offensive, but otherwise, just have fun with it.

Reunions can be intimidating for obvious reasons: No one wants to look like they’ve completely fallen apart since their last meeting. But you can keep a balance between an unhealthy obsession with your looks and a desire to go in feeling confident and looking your best. Here’s a simple checklist:

1)     Take a long look at that hairstyle
If you’ve been rockin’ the same ‘do for a few years now, it may be time to mix things up. If you’ve been rockin’ the same ‘do since high school … well … you may be in for a long night of “You look JUST like I remember you!” comments.

Take a few minutes to check out the new styles online, or make an appointment with your stylist. Whether you’re looking for an entirely new ‘do or even a contemporary update, you may just find something makes you look and feel younger.

2)     Do the same with your makeup
Do you know what the current styles in makeup are? If not, a little research might be in order. Again, you don’t have to go overboard, but checking out the latest fashion rags or visiting a makeup artist may clue you in to some fresh new ways to doll yourself up.

3)     Slim down a little
This, of course, is dangerous territory. Too much of a focus on your weight can lead to unrealistic diet plans, overdoing it in the aerobics room or worse. But it is true that dropping a couple pounds can make you look and feel better. Visit your doctor if you need to, get a recommended weight loss plan and go into it with modest goals. And if you happen to drop five or ten pounds extra, all the better.

4)     Splurge for a new outfit or cool accessories
You don’t have to go high fashion or max your credit card to look good. Just give yourself a few weeks to search around for some good deals on a few nice additions to your wardrobe. Talk with the clerks, see what’s hot (and what’s not), and ultimately, find something that looks good and feels comfortable. Or, if already have an outfit that works, spruce it up with a new handbag or pair of shoes.

5)     Treat yourself to a manicure and pedicure
Little details can have a big impact, and this is another way to feel great as you stride through that door into the reunion.

Suppose a classmate called you and said “Hey, we’re having a class reunion next month. See you there!” Could you attend? For many classmates - even those who still live in the same town where the reunion is held - the answer may be a resounding no.

Let’s consider the variables in play: If you don’t want weather to put a damper on things, spring or summer are the most logical times to host a reunion. But those times of year are also natural choices for those planning vacations or weddings.

With vacations, ticket and lodging reservations often have to be made well in advance, without guarantee of getting a full refund in case of cancellation. And weddings often require months of advance notice as well, even if it’s not your own. We’ve all had those years where friend and family nuptials were happening seemingly every other weekend.

Oftentimes classmates with families have their children involved with summer sports or other activities. Some employees may not have any vacation days left in the year. The possible scheduling conflicts could be endless. Add in the logistics of arranging travel, lodging and budgeting expenses, and one thing quickly becomes clear: If you want people to show up, you have to give them time to plan ahead.

So what’s the magic number? We recommend 18-24 months notice. This may not seem ideal if your 10-year reunion is only 8 or 9 months away, but you’ll get a lot more kudos if your 11- or 12-year reunion rocks the house than if you’re bound and determined to hit that classic 10-year date, and wind up with a sparsely attended event.

The reunion’s over … now what?

The food and drinks are gone, and the last streamer has been taken down off the wall. Just because everyone has returned to their regular lives, doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy the camaraderie of the weekend. With your HighSchoolAlums.com class Web site, its easy to stay in touch.

After the reunion, encourage everyone to keep their profile updated with their latest contact information. Every few months, use the Reunion Coordinator functionality to send out a mass e-mail that keeps classmates updated on new things going on in each others’ lives. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a classmate every so often just to say “hey.” By keeping on constant contact, you don’t have to go through all of the “Hey, I haven’t seen you in forever” awkwardness at the next reunion. You can just concentrate on enjoying seeing one another again.

Try hard to keep the message board active. The more interaction classmates experience, the more often they’ll come back to it. Once it starts to slow down, people forget about it. Maybe even plan message board events, and see how many people participate.

If you didn’t set up a HighSchoolAlums.com class Web site, now’s still the perfect time to do so. With the good times fresh in their mind, you can pique their interest and get them to sign up for their free account.

As successful as this reunion was, if you can keep people active and engaged in the years that follow, it’s almost guaranteed that the next one will be even better.

When planning your class reunion, you should keep in mind that 30-40% of your classmates will be coming from out of town according to some estimates. If you keep in mind the potential need for hotel rooms when choosing your locations and events, you can save some serious headaches and hopefully improve the attendance and overall experience for your classmates and their families.

Ideally, when looking at potential dates for your reunion, you’ll do a little research to see if there are any other major events going on during the same time frame. If, for example, there is a big business conference in town, hotel rooms could be scarce.

The best way to ensure a place to stay for your classmates is to reserve blocks of hotel rooms. It is common for a hotel to require a minimum of 10 rooms to be reserved, but you can often get a special rate for your classmates by doing so. At some hotels, when you reserve the block of rooms, you will be given a cut-off date (usually several weeks before the event). Make sure that your classmates know that anyone who reserves before the cut-off date will get the special group rate, but after that date the rooms are no longer guaranteed.

Do your homework, and try to find hotels that are convenient to where your events are being held. At the same time, try and be sensitive to a variety of budgets by offering several different choices. You can compare rates, amenities and other relevant info online.

When you get down to your top-five choices, call and talk to a group sales representative. They can simplify the reservation process and answer you questions you may have about deposits, cancellation policies and more. They may even be able to sweeten the deal for you to get your business.

One last thing: We cannot underestimate the importance of early planning for hotels. The last thing you want is to wait until a month before the event to try and reserve rooms, and find out there is nothing available. That could be disastrous for your attendance, and make for some unhappy classmates.

1. Is this event formal or informal?
Fancy facilities may be nicer, but if you’re planning to use it for an informal event, you may end up making your classmates uncomfortable while they are there. Or, if there are a lot of families involved, you may be better off having your event at a local park or picnic area, where kids have plenty of room to play.

2. How many people are coming?
You may love the taste and ambience of that little French eatery, but if there’s not room to comfortably fit your whole class, that’s not a good thing. If you can find a place that has a private area that you can reserve for your event, that’s a plus.

3. Will there be dancing?
This question is important not just because of space concerns, but also because you’ll need to make sure the DJ or band has plenty of places to plug in their equipment. They may even need a roof over their head in case of rain.

4. How convenient is it?
If you have a location that is easy to get to and well-known to everybody, you increase your chances of success immeasurably.

5. How much are classmates willing to spend?
Keep a close tab on the pulse of your classmates. If they see this event as a once in a decade event, they may be willing to go all out with a fancy restaurant and ballroom, or more. Of course, that also applies the other way, too, so make sure you keep things affordable.

6. Are there enough nearby hotels to support classmates who are traveling?
Do you homework on available hotel rooms, and reserve blocks of rooms far enough in advance that it can be helpful. That will allow classmates to share additional time together before and after reunion events, and even ride together. This could be extra valuable if you have a classmate.

7. Does the location allow you to provide your own catering?
Some facilities will allow you to rent a banquet room, but require you to use their on-site catering. If the food they provide matches the concept of your reunion or fits in your budget, that may be fine. But find out ahead of time to save headaches.

8. In the case of outdoor location, is there a shelter or other place you can go in case of bad weather?
Outdoor locations can be nice for large gatherings, but always allow for a “plan b” in case of inclimate weather.

What sorts of extra goodies should I consider for my high school reunion?
Here are a few fun items you should consider to give your high school reunion a little extra pizzazz:

Name tags featuring yearbook pictures: Sure, it’s a little embarrassing, but they are too much fun to go without.

Coasters and koozies: If there’s going to be drinks available, these are inexpensive collectibles your classmates can keep.

T-shirts, baseball caps and buttons: Another nice way to commemorate the event.

Creative table decorations: Some may even want to take them home.

Who knows — you might even be able to arrange a visit from the school mascot.