Twelve Tunes for the Tiny Victories: Soundtracking Life’s Odd Little Milestones

Birthdays get Happy Birthday. Weddings get a first dance. Christmas gets approximately forty-seven songs about snow. But what about the new job you nearly did not apply for? The flat with the boiler that finally works? The caravan trip that became a family legend? These are the odd little milestones, and they deserve a chorus too. Here are twelve songs for the celebrations that do not come with a ready-made soundtrack. Sing them in the kitchen, in the car or at the leaving do. Nobody needs a brass band. A few willing voices will do.

1. New job: Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves

Sing the chorus on the morning of your first day, then again when you get home. It is a song about momentum, and a new job is mostly momentum with a lanyard. If you are celebrating somebody else, play it as they walk through the door. The whoa is compulsory.

2. Moving flat: Our House by Madness

The first kettle in a new kitchen is a sacred moment. Put this on while you unpack the mugs. The chorus is easy, the sentiment is warm, and 'our house, in the middle of our street' works even if your street is mostly wheelie bins and a bus stop.

3. Exam results: The Only Way Is Up by Yazz

Results day is a rollercoaster. Whether the envelope brings joy or a plan B, this song gives you a chorus to march to. Sing it in the car on the way home. Change the words if you like. The point is the lift, not the perfection.

4. Retirement: I'm Still Standing by Elton John

A leaving do needs one song that says 'I have survived the meetings' without saying it. This is that song. Get the whole office to sing the chorus, then let the retiree choose the next one. They have earned it.

5. Pet adoption: You've Got a Friend in Me by Randy Newman

Sing it softly to the new dog, cat or rabbit on the first night. If they look confused, that is normal. If they howl along, you have chosen well. For a rescue pet, this one lands even harder.

6. First caravan trip: Summer Holiday by Cliff Richard

The car is packed, the route is argued over, and somebody has already said 'we're not stopping at services'. Put this on as you pull away. The chorus is pure optimism, even if the caravan is doing 48 mph in the slow lane.

7. Passing your driving test: Driving in My Car by Madness

Sing it in the car park before you drive home alone for the first time. It is daft, it is British, and it understands that a driving licence is really a passport to the chip shop.

8. First proper pay packet: Money, Money, Money by ABBA

Gather your housemates, your partner or your cat and sing the chorus while opening the banking app. Then do the sensible thing and put some aside. But first, the chorus.

9. Keeping a houseplant alive: Stayin' Alive by Bee Gees

This is for the plant that has made it through a whole month. Sing the chorus while watering it. If it drops a leaf, sing louder. Encouragement is part of plant care.

10. Flat-pack furniture victory: We Built This City by Starship

When the bookshelf is upright and only one screw is left over, you have earned this. Sing the chorus with your whole chest. 'We built this city' becomes 'we built this chest of drawers', which is close enough.

11. First Sunday roast you host: Food, Glorious Food by the Oliver! cast

The Yorkshire puddings have risen and nobody has been poisoned. That is a milestone. Put this on as you carry the tray in. The chorus is theatrical, which is exactly what a roast dinner wants to be.

12. First solo train journey: Ticket to Ride by The Beatles

Whether you are 16 or 60, a solo train trip is a small act of independence. Sing the chorus quietly at the window. Watch the country go by. Order a tea you did not need.

How to make a tiny milestone singalong work

Keep it casual. Nobody wants a ceremony for a houseplant. Pick one song, sing one chorus, and let the moment be a bit silly. If you are marking somebody else's milestone, ask first. Some people love a surprise chorus; some people would rather have a cup of tea. And if you need a hand choosing the song, the Songs4U request line is always open. We are here for the big days, the small days and the deeply odd days in between. Every occasion, every song.