Brett Ellis reveals how hard it is to create a play list.

A seemingly simple task which proved anything but, as the adage of "You can't please all of the people all of the time", rang true.

Expecting a virtual pat on the back from the family, I could sense their disdain as they questioned how, after filling the dancefloor (marquee) with Dancing Queen by Abba, I could then hit the 70’s disco fans with Back in Black by ACDC and, I guess, they had a point.

The party playlist is, to a man, very similar to a barbeque. When in charge it is my domain and woe betide anyone who makes a challenge to be the dominant male.

It has happened with the music at previous soirees as we try to get as much milage out of the summerhouse as possible when, believing I am catering for all musical needs, some young millennial type, the moment I sneak off to relieve myself in the latrine, overrides my Bluetooth connection and lays some non-descript rubbish through the Sonos speakers which, to my double chagrin, the other attendees seem to prefer.

Brett Ellis was worried about offending people with his choice of party music (Image: Brett Ellis)

But this time it's different and 'It's My party So I'll Cry If I Want To' (and yes, that makes the cut), as I marry myself to the boombox with the music controlled light system. My only concern was therefore, apart from irritating everyone in attendance with my musical direction, is that of trying not to, in these woke times, offend.

Queen's ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ is there as it is a corker, yet I have been mentally imagining all the females behinds to ensure I don’t inadvertently offend, the same of which can be said with the inclusion of ‘Dude Looks Like a Lady’ by Aerosmith, which I am sure is as politically correct as a 1970’s male met police officer.

The real issue though was the final section: Should I have gone for some absolute bangers to leave the expectant whooping as they increase the decibel levels and annoy my neighbours even more than is humanly possible, or do I slow it down as I act as a one man aphrodisiac before sending the sloshed middle aged incumbents off to their hotel rooms at the local hostelry with a bit of Barry White?

In reality, as I flagged around 2am and wished those getting their seocond wind would now bugger off, I managed to clear the decks with the aid of Chris de Burgh, James Blunt and Enya as they sailed away into the darkened drizzle, and I got back to being an antisocial grumpy middle aged man whose partying days are now thankfully in the past…

• Brett Ellis is a school teacher