I am one of those people who needs to have music on all the time. Every day deserves its own soundtrack, right? Maybe you enjoy listening to classical music on your commute to work, or you prefer rocking out to 80s hair metal while finishing up those spreadsheets at your desk. Even the most mundane things can be improved with the right background music.

That’s why I’ve come up with the Ultimate Project Manager Playlist. How did these songs make the cut? I had strict criteria for each song:

• How hard does it rock? The scale went from 1 (“elevator music”) to 11 (“melts faces”).
• Whether this was demonstrated in the song title or in the content of the lyrics, the song had to have something to do with the project management profession.
• The song is just really fun/hilarious/great to dance to. The work day can already feel much longer than eight hours; what’s the harm in listening to a little Jimmy Buffett to spice things up?

Your suggestions on Twitter and Facebook were also a huge help – keep them coming! So without further ado, let’s get this party started:

1. Michael Jackson – Working Day and Night

2. Bachman Turner Overdrive – Taking Care of Business

3. Blue Oyster Cult – Deadline

4. Survivor – Eye of the Tiger

5. The Beatles – Help!

6. Billy Joel – She’s Right On Time

7. Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett – It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere

8. Puff Daddy – It’s All About the Benjamins

9. Europe – The Final Countdown

10. Blink 182 – All The Small Things