Gender Reveal Songs
Twenty-six songs for a gender reveal. It is a short occasion — a countdown, about four seconds, and then everybody shouting — so the music has one job and a narrow window. Sorted by which part of those two minutes it is for.
Updated September 202626 songs
Ten for the moment itself
- Isn’t She LovelyStevie Wonder · 1976
Written when his daughter was born, with her actual cry on the record. If it is a girl, this is the obvious one.
- Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)John Lennon · 1980
The equivalent if it is a boy, though it is gentler and better suited to afterwards than to the moment.
- Danny’s SongLoggins and Messina · 1971
Written for a brother’s newborn son. Warm, unfussy and it fits either answer.
- Girls Just Want to Have FunCyndi Lauper · 1983
The loud version of the girl answer. Cue it on the beat and the video works.
- Boys Don’t CryThe Cure · 1979
The boy equivalent, if the family has a sense of humour. Read the lyric first.
- CelebrationKool & The Gang · 1980
Works for either answer, which is the practical advantage. Cue it on the reveal.
- HappyPharrell Williams · 2013
Neutral, bright and it will get children moving, of whom there will be several.
- Best Day of My LifeAmerican Authors · 2013
Uncomplicated. Good for the video rather than for the moment.
- Here Comes the SunThe Beatles · 1969
For a quieter reveal with only close family. Three minutes and it suits either answer.
- What a Wonderful WorldLouis Armstrong · 1967
For the video afterwards. Two minutes, ends properly, and everybody’s parents will be pleased.
The window is about four seconds
The reveal itself is very short and the music is doing one job: building tension and then landing on the beat. That means what you want is a song with an obvious drop or chorus arrival about fifteen to twenty seconds in, cued so it hits as the box opens. A great song with a slow introduction is the wrong tool, however much you like it.
Choose something that works for both answers if you are also filming the countdown. Half of the reveal videos that go wrong do so because the song was chosen for one outcome and the family had to sit through it after the other. “Celebration” and “Happy” are neutral and land either way.
Two safety notes, because this occasion has produced genuine disasters. Nothing involving fireworks, coloured smoke devices, firearms or anything driven should be part of it, and several American wildfires and at least two deaths have come from exactly those. A box with balloons in it does the same job and everybody goes home.
And one gentler point: some people at the party will have been trying for a long time, or lost a pregnancy. The music can be joyful without being triumphal, and keeping the whole thing to two minutes is a kindness to more people in the room than you might realise.
By the part of the two minutes
For the countdown
Fifteen to twenty seconds of build with an obvious arrival. Cue it so the chorus lands as the box opens.
- Dog Days Are OverFlorence + The Machine · 2008
Starts small and arrives somewhere obvious. Almost purpose-built for a countdown.
- I LivedOneRepublic · 2014
Builds on a count you can time the whole thing to.
- Don’t Stop Me NowQueen · 1978
The piano intro gives you exactly the right amount of anticipation.
- Shut Up and DanceWalk the Moon · 2014
The chorus lands hard and early. Good if your countdown is short.
- Uptown FunkMark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars · 2014
Everybody recognises the opening bars, which starts the room clapping on its own.
- Also sprach ZarathustraRichard Strauss · 1896
The 2001 fanfare, used as a joke and it works. Thirty seconds and completely absurd.
- Eye of the TigerSurvivor · 1982
Also a joke, also effective. For a family that would find the ceremony funny.
- SiriusThe Alan Parsons Project · 1982
Ninety seconds of pure anticipation with no lyric at all. The most elegant option here.
For afterwards
The half hour of food and photographs once everybody knows. Warm and easy to talk over.
- Lovely DayBill Withers · 1977
The best background record for a garden full of people talking.
- Three Little BirdsBob Marley & The Wailers · 1977
Nobody has ever objected to this at any gathering.
- You Are My SunshineJimmie Davis & Charles Mitchell · 1940
The song the child will be sung for the next four years. Start now.
- Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)John Lennon · 1980
Better here than at the moment itself. Too gentle to compete with a room shouting.
- Isn’t She LovelyStevie Wonder · 1976
Works at either point. Play it once the noise has come down.
- Ain’t No Mountain High EnoughMarvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell · 1967
Gets the grandparents moving, which is half the reason they came.
- What a Wonderful WorldLouis Armstrong · 1967
Two minutes with a real ending. The right song for the video.
- Here Comes the SunThe Beatles · 1969
The right note to end an afternoon on, whichever answer it was.
Three demonstration songs
What a song for the announcement sounds like
We wrote these from made-up answers to the same five questions you would fill in. They are not customer work. A gender reveal is one occasion where a song naming the family, the wait and the older sibling does something a chart record cannot.
Start the song- Nadia for Our First DanceR&B · a first dance, written about the two of them3:18
- Vera in AugustFolk · read out at a memorial, dahlias and all3:07
- Marcus at FortyPop · written to be funny, at a friend’s request3:00
How it works
Three steps. The first one is the only hard part.
- 1Tell the storyFive questions. Who it’s for, the occasion, three details only you two know, the feeling you want, and the names that have to be in it.
- 2Pick the soundCountry, pop, acoustic, R&B, gospel or rock. A man’s voice or a woman’s.
- 3Listen, then unlockA 30-second preview in about two minutes. Pay only if you love it. You get the full song, the lyrics, and a page you can send.
Common questions
- What is a good gender reveal song?
- Something with an obvious arrival fifteen to twenty seconds in, cued so the chorus lands as the box opens. “Dog Days Are Over” and “I Lived” both do that. A song with a slow introduction is the wrong tool.
- Should the song depend on the answer?
- Only if you are certain of the edit. Choosing one for each outcome means half the family sits through the wrong one if the timing slips. “Celebration” and “Happy” land either way.
- Is there a safety issue with gender reveals?
- Yes, a serious one. Fireworks, coloured smoke devices, firearms and vehicles have caused wildfires and deaths at these parties in the United States. A box with balloons in it does the same job and everybody goes home.
- How long should the whole thing take?
- About two minutes. Some people at the party will have been trying for a long time or lost a pregnancy, and keeping it short is a kindness to more people in the room than you might realise.
- Can I get a song written for a gender reveal?
- Yes. Answer five questions — the family, the wait, three things only you would know, the feeling you want and the style — and you will hear a 30-second preview in about two minutes. The full song is $19.