How to play music bingo
- Give each player a card and a pen or a few markers; no two cards in the set are alike, and the center square is free.
- Play the first 20 to 30 seconds of a song from the caller’s list, such as “Earth Angel” or “Great Balls of Fire”, from your own records, CDs, a radio app or a streaming playlist.
- Players who recognize the song mark its title if it is on their card. Tick it off on the caller’s list, then play the next one.
- Five in a row across, down or diagonally wins. For longer games, try the bingo patterns.
About these cards
Rock and roll, doo-wop and soul on a bingo card: music bingo with 48 hits of the 1950s and 60s, from Rock Around the Clock and Blue Suede Shoes to Stand by Me, My Girl and Sweet Caroline. A favorite for senior centers, assisted living activity calendars, class reunions and family parties.
Ideas for your music bingo game
At a senior center or in assisted living, music bingo is often the activity people talk about afterward. Play each song for 20 or 30 seconds, then pause and let the room guess the title before anyone marks a card. Many players start singing along, and that is half the fun.
Build your playlist ahead of time from the caller’s list: every song on the cards is there with the artist and year of its best-known recording, so it is easy to find on a CD, a radio app or a streaming service. Shuffle the order so no one can guess what comes next, and keep the volume comfortable for the back of the room.
All 48 songs on these cards
| Song | Best-known recording |
|---|---|
| Rock Around the Clock | Bill Haley & His Comets, 1954 |
| Earth Angel | The Penguins, 1954 |
| Mr. Sandman | The Chordettes, 1954 |
| Tutti Frutti | Little Richard, 1955 |
| Only You | The Platters, 1955 |
| Sixteen Tons | Tennessee Ernie Ford, 1955 |
| Blue Suede Shoes | Carl Perkins, 1956 |
| Hound Dog | Elvis Presley, 1956 |
| Love Me Tender | Elvis Presley, 1956 |
| Blueberry Hill | Fats Domino, 1956 |
| Why Do Fools Fall in Love | Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, 1956 |
| Jailhouse Rock | Elvis Presley, 1957 |
| Great Balls of Fire | Jerry Lee Lewis, 1957 |
| Peggy Sue | Buddy Holly, 1957 |
| Wake Up Little Susie | The Everly Brothers, 1957 |
| Bye Bye Love | The Everly Brothers, 1957 |
| At the Hop | Danny & the Juniors, 1957 |
| Johnny B. Goode | Chuck Berry, 1958 |
| Lollipop | The Chordettes, 1958 |
| Yakety Yak | The Coasters, 1958 |
| La Bamba | Ritchie Valens, 1958 |
| Splish Splash | Bobby Darin, 1958 |
| Rockin’ Robin | Bobby Day, 1958 |
| Lonely Teardrops | Jackie Wilson, 1958 |
| Mack the Knife | Bobby Darin, 1959 |
| Put Your Head on My Shoulder | Paul Anka, 1959 |
| The Twist | Chubby Checker, 1960 |
| Georgia on My Mind | Ray Charles, 1960 |
| Hit the Road Jack | Ray Charles, 1961 |
| Stand by Me | Ben E. King, 1961 |
| Crazy | Patsy Cline, 1961 |
| Runaround Sue | Dion, 1961 |
| Can’t Help Falling in Love | Elvis Presley, 1961 |
| The Loco-Motion | Little Eva, 1962 |
| Sherry | The Four Seasons, 1962 |
| Be My Baby | The Ronettes, 1963 |
| I Want to Hold Your Hand | The Beatles, 1963 |
| My Girl | The Temptations, 1964 |
| Under the Boardwalk | The Drifters, 1964 |
| Downtown | Petula Clark, 1964 |
| Leader of the Pack | The Shangri-Las, 1964 |
| Stop! In the Name of Love | The Supremes, 1965 |
| Unchained Melody | The Righteous Brothers, 1965 |
| Good Vibrations | The Beach Boys, 1966 |
| Respect | Aretha Franklin, 1967 |
| Ain’t No Mountain High Enough | Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, 1967 |
| Brown Eyed Girl | Van Morrison, 1967 |
| Sweet Caroline | Neil Diamond, 1969 |
Questions
What is music bingo?
Music bingo is played like regular bingo, but instead of calling numbers or words, the host plays a short part of a song. Players who have that song title on their card mark it, and the first to get five in a row wins.
Where do I get the music?
We provide the cards and the caller’s list, not the recordings. Use your own records or CDs, a radio app or a streaming service: look up each title and artist on the list and add it to a playlist.
How long does a game take?
With 20 to 30 seconds per song, a one-line game usually takes about 15 minutes, and a full card closer to half an hour. Longer clips are fine if your group likes to sing along.