Retirement Slideshow Songs: 50 Picks by Mood, Decade and Job

The best song for a retirement slideshow is the one from the year they started. A song from 1988 puts the whole room into the first photos in a way nothing else does, and then something warm and recent brings it back to today, to the grandchildren and the boat.

So this list is organized by mood first, then by the decade they started, with a few by profession and a few for the last photo. One rule sits above all of it: if there is a song they play in the truck on the way to every shift, or one the whole crew sings at the holiday party, that is the song. Nothing here beats it.

How to choose

• One or two songs for a slideshow of four to six minutes. Let the songs set the length rather than squeezing photos to fit.
• Era first, then now. Something from the decade they started for the early photos, something warm and recent for the last one.
• Read the lyrics through. Half the songs about leaving are about leaving someone, and a couple of the funny ones stop being funny in the third verse.
• Instrumental if in doubt. A piano version of a song they love carries the feeling without pulling the room to the words.

If you are still gathering the photos, our guide on collecting a career's photos from coworkers and family covers where thirty years of them are and how to get them in one place.

Warm and grateful

The ones that work under the middle of the slideshow, the crews and the decades, for any job and any age.

• Lean on Me (Bill Withers)
• With a Little Help from My Friends (Joe Cocker)
• You've Got a Friend (James Taylor)
• Stand by Me (Ben E. King)
• Thank You for Being a Friend (Andrew Gold)
• The Long and Winding Road (The Beatles)
• In My Life (The Beatles)
• Humble and Kind (Tim McGraw)
• Wind Beneath My Wings (Bette Midler)
• For Good (from Wicked)
• Landslide (Fleetwood Mac)
• Home (Phillip Phillips)

For the last day

Upbeat, a little cheeky, the ones that get the room laughing when the last-shift photos come up.

• Take It Easy (Eagles)
• Don't Stop Me Now (Queen)
• Happy (Pharrell Williams)
• Walking on Sunshine (Katrina and the Waves)
• Celebration (Kool and the Gang)
• 9 to 5 (Dolly Parton)
• Taking Care of Business (Bachman-Turner Overdrive)
• Hit the Road Jack (Ray Charles)
• Vacation (The Go-Go's)
• Margaritaville (Jimmy Buffett)
• Come Sail Away (Styx)
• Sailing (Christopher Cross)
• Free Bird (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

By the decade they started

Started in the 1970s

• Take It to the Limit (Eagles)
• Fire and Rain (James Taylor)
• The Weight (The Band)
• Ooh Child (The Five Stairsteps)
• Wild World (Cat Stevens)

Started in the 1980s

• Forever Young (Rod Stewart)
• Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper)
• The Best (Tina Turner)
• Don't You (Forget About Me) (Simple Minds)
• Every Breath You Take (The Police)

Started in the 1990s

• Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) (Green Day)
• I've Had the Time of My Life (Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes)
• The River (Garth Brooks)
• Closing Time (Semisonic)
• Wonderwall (Oasis)

By the job

• Teachers: To Sir with Love (Lulu), What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong), Seasons of Love (from Rent)
• Nurses and doctors: Lean on Me (Bill Withers), Angel (Sarah McLachlan), You'll Never Walk Alone (Gerry and the Pacemakers)
• Firefighters and police: Stand by Me (Ben E. King), I Won't Back Down (Tom Petty), The Rising (Bruce Springsteen)
• Anyone who worked with their hands: Working Man (Rush), Take This Job and Shove It (Johnny Paycheck, for the last day only), Forever Young (Bob Dylan)

For the last photo

If the slideshow ends on the walk out of the building, or the one with the grandchildren on the boat, these are the songs families choose for that final thirty seconds.

• My Way (Frank Sinatra)
• What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
• Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Israel Kamakawiwo'ole)
• Here Comes the Sun (The Beatles)
• Three Little Birds (Bob Marley)
• Beautiful Day (U2)

Bringing the song in

On Embrance you add your own song as an MP3 or M4A and it plays under the whole slideshow, or you pick from a small library of instrumental tracks if you would rather not choose. The song plays at the party from the file you download. The one place to be careful is posting the finished video online afterward, where Facebook, Instagram and YouTube may mute a popular track; for that copy, an instrumental from the library is the safe choice.

Common questions

What is a good song for a retirement slideshow?

The ones families come back to are "My Way" by Frank Sinatra, "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day, "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers and "Forever Young" by Rod Stewart. If there is a song from the year they started, or one the whole crew knows, that beats all of them.

How many songs does a retirement slideshow need?

One or two. A slideshow of four to six minutes fits two songs, one from their era for the early decades and one warm and recent for the last one. More than two starts to feel like a playlist.

Should the song be from their era or from now?

Both, if there is room. A song from the decade they started puts the room into the first photos, and a warm recent song brings it back to today for the grandchildren. If it is one song, pick the era.

Can I use a popular song in the slideshow?

For playing at the party, yes, use the song you want. On Embrance you add your own MP3 or M4A and it plays under the photos. The one place to be careful is posting the finished video online afterward, where Facebook, Instagram and YouTube may mute a popular track.

If you would rather hand the photos over and have it made for you, someone can make it for you.