2007: Mauja hi mauja: 2007 was a year of mega hits with awesome albums — from Om Shanti Om to Saawariya to Jab We Met! Our pick of the year would be Mauja hi mauja not just because it became a party anthem that year, but also because it’s part of party playlists even today, 16 years later. The song from Jab We Met starring Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor became an overnight sensation. The Imtiaz Ali film turned out to be a superhit and Pritam’s compositions made this album one to remember. Not only did this Mika song become a hit — and has aged well too — the black top and harem pants worn by Bebo in the song became a fashion fave too!
2008: Desi girl: If there is one song that became synonymous with Priyanka Chopra, it’s Desi girl from Dostana. Not only is the ‘desi girl’ tag used and overused for PC, it is used for every other girl looking hot in a sari even today. A metallic sari and a halter backless blouse added to the oomph quotient of the party anthem sung by Shankar Mahadevan, Sunidhi Chauhan and Vishal Dadlani. John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan’s antics added to the fun too.
2009: Dhan te nan: Explosive lyrics, pumped-up music made this Kaminey track a chart-topping dance number at nightclubs and at any party. Shahid Kapoor and Chandan Roy Sanyal’s hook step was a clear fave on the dance floor as was Sukhwinder Singh and Vishal Dadlani’s vocals.
2010: Munni badnaam huyi: Dabangg made a huge buzz in Bollywood for several reasons and this song starring a super hot Malaika Arora in a choli and skirt as Munni is one of the reasons. Sensuous moves and music made Munni a controversial track. Some hated it, some loved it, but there was no ignoring badnaam Munni! Another track that made a close cut that year was Uff teri ada from Karthik Calling Karthik featuring a super sexy Deepika Padukone that was also a clear party fave.
2011: Ooh la la: Call it an earworm or a pathbreaking song sung by Bappi Lahiri and Shreya Ghoshal in the movie The Dirty Picture, Ooh la la was one of the most requested songs in 2011. Vidya Balan’s hot aadayein and Naseeruddin Shah prancing around after her singing tu hai meri fantasy was a rage!
2012: Tum hi ho bandhu: It’s hard to pick one particular track from the Cocktail album but when we are talking about party songs, this one is a clear winner. An important film in Deepika Padukone’s career, this song and its easy-peasy hook step was everyone’s goto dance step and the song still continues to rule the charts
2013: Badtameez dil and Lungi dance: 2013 was a treasure trove of dance numbers and we just cannot pick only one song from the year. The entire album of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani remains a favourite even today. Ranbir Kapoor pelvic thrusting to Badtameez dil alongside Deepika Padukone is a cult track when it comes to party numbers. On the other hand, Shah Rukh Khan-Deepika made the nation do the lungi dance to the tunes of the Yo Yo Honey Singh number from Chennai Express, in a tribute to Thalaiva.
2014: London thumakda: Thumakda thumakda, poora London thumakda... roared just like Queen, the movie starring Kangana Ranaut. The song was a refreshing change with desi lyrics, music and rustic vocals. The nightclubs played it, and Sangeet ceremonies at weddings are still incomplete without matching thumkas to this song, such is the impact of the song. Another song that became a dance floor fave and continues to be so is Abhi toh party shuru hui hai from Khoobsurat ft Sonam Kapoor and Badshah.
2015: Wakhra swag: A non-film song that took the playlist by storm is Navv Inder ft Badshah’s track Wakhra swag that quickly turned into a party anthem. Black Pathani suits, Gucci and Armanis and shades meant this song had to be played. This track thrived on swag!
2016: Kar gayi chull and Kala chashma: This track featuring Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Malhotra from Kapoor & Sons needs no introduction. Again a Badshah track, the song drew millions of views the day it dropped. Catchy beats, cool lyrics and dance moves, and great chemistry between the actors made it the song of 2016 along with another Sid starrer, Kala chashma from Baar Baar Dekho featuring Katrina Kaif. It became a mega-hit and a trendsetting track where Brides started wearing black shades and jiving to the song at Sangeet ceremonies while the party spots declared it the most requested song of the year.
2017: The humma song: 2017 could be easily termed as the year that saw the beginning of the trend of remakes of Bolly songs. Right from the remake of A.R. Rahman’s iconic Humma humma from Bombay to the Tamma tamma remake both were recreated with new beats, lyrics and moves in Ok Jaanu and Badrinath Ki Dulhania respectively, and both received a lot of love from listeners.
2018: Aankh marey: “Oh God, one more remix!?” Yes, and it was a well-done blockbuster from Rohit Shetty’s Simmba! Tanishk Bagchi, Mika Singh, Neha Kakkar and Kumar Sanu gave a fresh twist to the song, sticking to Sanu’s original vocals in parts. Ranveer Singh and Sara Ali Khan’s impeccable moves and chemistry made it a clear winner of 2018!
2019: Ghungroo: Right from the teaser of the song, Ghungroo from War was promoted as the party song of the year and it was! Shot in beautiful Positano beach, sung by Arijit Singh, this Hrithik Roshan-Vaani Kapoor song had everything working for it — goodlooking people, good music, lyrics and fab vocals. Ghungroo topped the charts in no time.
2020: Genda Phool: This Badshah song got a lot of flak when it released, but soon became an earworm. You either loved it or hated it, but there was no ignoring this non-film song that took its title and opening lines from the Bengali folk number.
2021: Bijlee bijlee: The spotlight was on Harrdy Sandhu in 2021 when the singer rocked the country with his Punjabi song Bijlee bijlee, a nonmovie song introducing Palak Tiwari. The song was an instant dance hit, topping charts and playlists and has 465 millions views and counting!
2022: Kesariya: Ranbir Kapoor- Alia Bhatt’s real love story came on the reel for the first time in Brahmashtra and viewers couldn’t keep calm. The movie album had many songs but Kesariya inspite of being a soft love song, ruled the party scene with its remix versions.