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.

What sorts of extra goodies should I consider for my high school reunion?

Here is a simple checklist that will get you started in planning your reunion:

• Subscribe to a HighSchoolAlums.com class Web site
• Assemble a reunion committee
• Elect a chairman to oversee the planning process
• Designate a treasurer
• Assemble as much classmate contact information as possible
• Put the word out and locate volunteers who are willing to help with the detail work
• Establish a regular schedule for meeting and discussing updates
• Get input from classmates in regards to several date possibilities
• Get input from classmates as to what types of events they’d enjoy
• Create a working budget
• Investigate the availability of venues
• Investigate the cost/need of liability insurance
• Sample food options from caterers and choose a menu
• Decide on registration costs and set up RSVP process
• Set up bank account for reunion funds
• Send out reunion invitations via mail or e-mail
• Follow up with additional event publicity, via newspaper or radio
• Reserve caterer
• Reserve photographer
• Reserve DJ, band or other music option
• Create name tags, decorations and other momentos for the event
• Call area hotels and reserve blocks of rooms for out-of-town classmates and their families
• Collect money, and pay deposits for venue, music, photographer, etc.
• Gather up old yearbooks and photos to create nostalgic slide shows and video presentations, or tributes to classmates to have passed away

Multimedia presentations can be a spectacular addition to your high school reunion — after all, nothing’s more entertaining than a large screen full of bad hairdos. But whether it’s the simplest projector and screen or a fully digital sound and video system, the technical side of things can be tricky. Consider hiring a local audio-visual company to help out. Not only do they have expertise with sound and video systems, there’s a good chance they already know the peculiarities of the venue you’ve chosen. Ask around to see which audio-visual companies have earned good reputations for their work. Let them know the kind of show you’d like to put on, and see what kind of quotes they give you. Once you’ve chosen a vendor and negotiated a price, make sure they agree to have their equipment set up at least two to three hours ahead of the event. And be sure to request a technician be on hand throughout the reunion just in case there are any hiccups. Then kick back and enjoy the embarrassment.

STEP ONE: Subscribe to your HighSchoolAlums.com reunion Web site
Whether your high school reunion is weeks, months or years away, getting started as early as possible is essential. Like now. Not tomorrow. Not after dinner. Right NOW. And when it comes to staying in touch, nothing is more convenient than the World Wide Web. So this should be your number one tool for planning your high school reunion.

STEP TWO: Delegate high school reunion planning roles
The best way to keep anyone’s head from exploding while planning your high school reunion is to find people willing to help. In many cases, class officers are willing to be a part of the process, but if you’re lacking help, then try contacting classmates who still live in the area. Once you have enough help assembled, delegate individual tasks (invitations and RSVPs, budget, finding a venue, choosing your music, etc.,) and keep communicating.

Step THREE: Start finding classmates
Gather names and addresses every way possible: call and e-mail friends (and friends of friends), search online phonebooks, contact your high school to see if they have any information available, and so on. Look at it like a scavenger hunt … and be prepared to have to do a little digging. Be sure to promote the link to your HighSchoolAlums.com reunion site to everyone you talk to, so you can get as many people signed up as possible.

Step FOUR: Come up with a list of events
Stop and think about what works best for your class ó is it large or small? Is that local hangout still the perfect place to go? Or do you need a banquet hall that could feed an entire army? Does your class like to play golf? Visit the art museum? Go to the homecoming game? Your HighSchoolAlums.com message board will be useful for getting early feedback on your event ideas.

Step FIVE: Break down your budget
Once you start to get an idea of the types of events people are interested in, figure out your budget. Plan to schedule a professional photographer to take your class photo. Call around to different caterers to see how much they charge for a group of your size. Tally up organizational expenses such as venue rental, printing costs for invitations, postage, decorations, etc.. Start deciding on a registration fee to cover these costs. If you plan to provide nametags, t-shirts, memorabilitia, etc., be sure to add on a little more. Your HighSchoolAlums.com reunion site will allow you to collect payment from your classmates online, so you can limit the amount of their own money the reunion organizers will have to pay upfront.

Step SIX: Get the word out
Once the format for your high school reunion has been decided (Barbecue bash? Cocktail party? Weekend getaway?) and a date is chosen, use every means possible to publicize the event. Printed invitations and phone calls might be helpful in reaching classmates who have not yet signed up for your HighSchoolAlums.com reunion site.

Encourage them to sign up for their own account and start updating their profile and LifeEvents timeline. Itís the perfect way to gather info for those classic reunion prizes like “Wildest Job,” “Most Kids” and more. Just be sure to do your best to get the word out early — people need time to make travel arrangements or plan vacation days, after all.

Step SEVEN: Encourage your classmates to RSVP online
Your HighSchoolAlums.com reunion site allows you to RSVP for your high school reunion events online, so make sure your classmates take the time to do so. This allows the reunion committee to see at a glance what sort of turnout you’re looking at, and make last minute decisions accordingly.