Theme Choosing has always been an important part of every Super Prom. These days, Theme Choosing is a three stage process. First people suggest songs, then people rank all of the suggestions. Finally, the top songs are put on a ballot and people vote for one.
Here is a breakdown of the Theme Choosing process, year by year:
Gala 13
Anyway You Want It - Journey
Head Over Heels - Tears for Fears
Laid - James
Walk Of Life - Dire Straits
Gin 'N Juice - Snoop Dog
I Want To Rock - Twisted Sister
Just Can't Get Enough - Depeche Mode
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
I Want You To Want Me - Cheap Trick
Rock You Like A Hurricane - Scorpions
Gala 12
Laid - James
Dancing with Myself - Billy Idol
One More Time - Daft Punk
Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
I Melt with You - Modern English
Float On - Modest Mouse
Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
Two Tickets to Paradise - Eddie Money
Pour Some Sugar on Me - Def Leppard
(Don't Fear) The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys
Head On - The Pixies
Anyway You Want It - Journey
Highway to Hell - ACDC
Gala 11
Laid - James
Anyway You Want It - Journey
More Than A Feeling - Boston
Golden Years - David Bowie
Hungry Like The Wolf - Duran Duran
Total Eclipse Of The Heart - Nikki French
Hey Ya - Outkast
Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears
Modern Love - David Bowie
Wouldn't It Be Nice - Beach Boys
Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta - Geto Boys
American Girl - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Beautiful Girls - Van Halen
I Believe In A Thing Called Love - The Darkness
Gala X
Laid - James
You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
Don't You Forget About Me - Simple Mind
The Humpty Dance - Digital Underground
Island in the Sun - Weezer
Girls and Boys - Blur
Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Tears for Fears
Two Tickets to Paradise - Eddie Money
Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard
We Built This City - Starship
American Music - Violent Femmes
Surf Wax America - Kim Wilde
Super Prom 2002 Theme Choosing Gala
Laid - James
Patience - Guns N' Roses
Beautiful girls - Van Halen
American Girl - Tom Petty
Unbelievable - EMF
Money for Nothing - Dire Straits
Cherry Pie - Warrant
Free Bird - Lynard Skynard
Burning Down the House- Talking Heads
Don't You Forget About Me- Simple Minds
The Humpty Dance- Digital Underground
Here I Go Again - Whitesnake
Livin on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
Joy to the World - Three Dog Night
Talk Dirty to Me - Poison
We were rushed to pick a Theme this year, so no CD was made. These songs were picked by the Committee based on suggestions people emailed in.
Gala 2001: A Theme Choosing Oddyssey
Laid - James
You Spin Me Round - Dead or Alive
Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard
Unbelievable - EMF
Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran
Mr. Brownstone - Guns N' Roses
Pressure Drop - The Specials
Girlfriend - Matthew Sweet
Today - Smashing Pumkins
Take On Me - AHA
Nothin' But A Good Time - Poison
Punk Rock Girl - Dead Milkman
Super Freak - Rick James
Come On Eilleen - Dexy's Midnight Runners
Train In Vain - The Clash
Gala 2K
Laid - James
Should I Stay or Should I Go - The Clash
Girlfriend - Matthew Sweet
The Safety Dance - Men Without Hats
American Music - Violent Femmes
Summertime - DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
You Spin Me Round - Dead or Alive
Under Pressure - David Bowie & Queen
Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard
Just What I Needed - The Cars
I Melt With You - Modern English
Rush - Big Audio Dynamite
Take On Me - AHA
Rebel Yell - Billy Idol
This was the first Gala on CD.
Super Prom 99 Theme Choosing Gala
You Spin Me Round - Dead or Alive
Take On Me - AHA
Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry
Rebel Rebel - David Bowie
Living On A Prayer - Bon Jovi
Where Did You Go - Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Girlfriend - Matthew Sweet
Burning Down The House - Talking Heads
Got My Mind Set On You - George Harrison
Blue Light - Prince
Come On Eilleen - Dexy's Midnight Runners
Laid - James
Panama - Van Halen
Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard
Dancing Fool - Frank Zappa
99 Luftballoons - Nena
Faith - Limp Bizkit
Alright - Supergrass
Oye Como Va - Santana
Chocolate Salty Balls - Chef
White Wedding - Billy Idol
You Get What You Give - New Radicals
Like they did in '97, people ranked each song and also voted for one. Based on my interpretation of people's ballots, I picked Laid to win. But people got upset because I didn't have a real system for tallying the ballots, and a whole big uproar ensued. Eventually, the Committee just decided to make Dirty Deeds, Done Dirt Cheap by AC/DC the theme, even though it wasn't on the ballot. Bitter that Laid didn't win, I vowed that Laid would be on the ballot every year until it won. See the SP 99 page for more details.
Super Prom 98 Theme Choosing Gala
Laid - James
99 Red Balloons - Nena
This Gala was held online. About 10 people voted. I don't remember what the other songs were, but I'll look them up when I get a chance.
Super Prom 97 Theme Choosing Gala
Joy to the World - Three Dog Night
Godzilla - Blue Oyster Cult
Epic - Faith No More
Have a Banana - The Beatles
Sweet Child O'Mine - Guns and Roses
Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance - Frank Zappa
Shook Me All Night Long - ACDC
Contact - Phish
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
Sunshine Superman - Donovan
Season of the Witch - Donovan
Unbelievable - EMF
I'm a Believer - The Monkeys
Girlfriend - Matthew Sweet
Minimum Wage - They Might Be Giants
Hooked on a Feeling - Blue Swede
Love Fool - The Cardigans
Kodachrome - Paul Simon
Happy Together - The Turtles
Sex - Supergrass
Sister Golden Hair - America
Living on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
This was the first Gala, held in the Gazebo. We all listed to the tape I had made and voted on the songs.
Super Prom 96
For SP '96, Bill and I decided to make "I'm Sticking With You" by The Velvet Underground Theme. We did this without consulting anyone else, and in fact we didn't even tell anybody else what the Theme was until Super Prom started. We decided on that song basically as a joke, and it's so bad that it doesn't even get played during the Theme Countdown each year. Due to backlash of our secretive Theme Choosing, the Theme has been voted on every year since. Hence, the Theme Choosing Gala.
Super Prom 95
We wanted to make the Theme "Play that Funky Music" by Wild Cherry, and that's what we originally announced as the Theme. But, this was before the days of easily obtainable music, and the only person who had the song was Dave, who had it on record. The morning of SP we realized it would be too hard to play the record at Super Prom, so we quickly switched the Theme to "De Anza Jig" by Primus, which we had on one of those newfangled "Compact Discs". The song isn't very good, and we don't play it during the Theme Countdown. Sometimes in its place during the Countdown we play "Play that Funky Music" instead.
Super Prom 94
When we first came up with the idea for Super Prom, we originally wanted to make "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd the Theme. That song has never been a Prom theme at our school, and we all loved it and thought that it should be. But then the sophmores made it the theme of their Ring Dance, so we decided to pick something else. The obvious choice was "Eternal Flame" by the Bengals, a song my Dad had on cassette that we all used to sing loudly along to on Boy Scout trips to make fun of it. As the Theme of the original Super Prom the song is now synonymous with Super Prom itself, and ends the Theme Countdown each year. All of the couples slow dance along to it, right before the Awards Ceremony begins. It's one of my favorite parts of SP.