Wedding Songs

[Stevie Rave On]

My sister is getting married a week from today, and she just sent me an email asking me what to tell the DJ to play. (She already has slow music and music for dinner/cake cutting/garter, etc.)She just needs good dance music. I really like progressive house music, but obviously this would be inappropriate. She sent me a list of some of the songs she thought would be OK. Some of her suggestions, with my thoughts next to them:

Pump up the Jam Hit the mute button
C'mon & Ride IT (the Train) I'd rather not
Rhythm is a DancerThis songs makes everyone lose their rhythm
100% Pure Love 100% Pure Crap
I Like to Move It I'd like to Change It, Change It
Finally That's what I'll yell when the song is over

Most of these songs are dance hits from aroun '94-96.

Trying to play to a mixed crowd of various ages is hard, and I had a few suggestions, but I was wondering if you can help me out.

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It's such a fine line between stupid and clever.

[Ukulele Ike]

Well, there's the Bob Dylan/The Band wedding song, called "Wedding Song." That seems appropriate.

It's on PLANET WAVES.

How about Franz Lehar's lovely and melodic "Merry Widow Waltz?"

[OpalCat]

How out of it am I? The only one of those I recognise is "Rhythm is a Dancer".

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>^,,^<
"Cluemobile? You've got a pickup..."
OpalCat's site: http://opalcat.com
The Teeming Millions Homepage: fathom.org/teemingmillions (http://fathom.org/teemingmillions)

[Ukulele Ike]

Oh, Flora. NO ONE hears that any more without thinking about Uncle Charlie in SHADOW OF A DOUBT. if I heard the "Merry Widow" at a wedding, I'd start looking around for Theresa Wright to strangle.

Opal: You think YOU'RE out of it? Look at the two posts preceding yours.

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Uke

[kknick34]

If your goal is to get everyone to dance think the following:

Motown
70's Disco
Madonna
B-52's
Sinatra
80's - 90's Dance Music

Take requests and don't forget the old folks, they love to Polka.

[beefymeg]

I'm planning my wedding, too, and I'd like to thank Stevie for the list of songs to remind the dj NOT to play. Also on that list is:
Electric Slide
Old Time Rock N Roll
"Grease" medley
Oh What A Night
Stayin' Alive
I Will Survive

I think I'm going to stick with Big Band songs (but not the overplayed Entertainer or Brian Setzer stuff) - very danceable, and not so "clubby."

Oh, and Lyle Lovett's "She's No Lady (She's My Wife)" will definitely be played.

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Sucks to your assmar.

If there are multiple generations attending the wedding, I would have to suggest a band called The Mavericks.

Most of what they play is romantic, and it is most like what adult stations instead of R&R in the 60s (they were featured on the film Apollo 13).

Great (slow) dance music.

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Sue from El Paso
members.aol.com/majormd/index.html (http://members.aol.com/majormd/index.html)

[DoctorJ]

Some friends of mine got married right after college. Big Catholic wedding with huge Catholic reception, complete with a DJ playing his "Greatest Catholic Wedding Hits" box set, complete with Hokey Pokey and Electric Slide.

The bride and groom were able to stand it for about two hours before going out to the car and getting the KMFDM.

Cleared out the old folks pretty quick.

[PunditLisa]

Hey, I have an idea! Why don't you play "Shout" and everyone can raise their hands high in the air when they sing "Shout."

Or how about the hokey-pokey? That's always good to get everyone dancing!

<font size=5>Lisa, <font size=1> still wondering why everyone left her reception early. We hadn't even gotten to the chicken dance....

[Drain Bead]

You forgot that annoying "Roll Out the Barrel" polka song that everyone seems to play at wedding receptions.

At the (dry!) wedding reception I attended early in the summer, they played that, the Electric Slide, the Hokey Pokey, the Chicken Dance, AND the Boot-Scootin' Boogie. I'm amazed I made it through without having a drop to drink.

Oh, and as for "I Will Survive," the only way that song gets played anywhere near me is if it's the Cake version.

For good party music that people of all ages will probably enjoy, pick up one of those funk compilations, like Pure Funk. I'd imagine hearing "Love Rollercoaster" and the theme from Shaft would get any place rockin'.

[Persephone]

Oh, don't forget James Brown's classic, "I Feel Good." I personally loathe that song. But it makes people dance. That one & "Mustang Sally." Gaaaaaaaack.

[Coldfire]

For some reason, Dire Straits' "Walk of Life" gets every drunk relative on the floor doing weird and embarassing twist motions. Seen it last friday, at my friends wedding, and on 20,000 other weddings for that matter.....
"Paradise by the dashboard light" will get at least 2, maybe 3 generations off their chairs.


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Coldfire
________________________________
"You know how complex women are"
- Neil Peart, Rush (1993)

[Gail]

If I ever get married again and have a reception (two big ifs, it looks like) I would have the dj, play "Tenderness" by General Public....Love that song. They played it during the wedding scene in the movie "Clueless".

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Gail
"Any major dude with half a heart surely will tell you, my friend--
Any minor world that breaks apart falls together again...."
-Steely Dan

[Stevie Rave On]

Thanks for the suggestions. My sister did have a No-No list that she gave the DJ that included:

The Hokey Pokey
YMCA
Electric Slide
Grease Megamix
I Will Survive
Shout

Thank God I won't have to listen to that crap. I'm also grateful I won't have to see my relatives embarrass themselves doing the YMCA dance


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It's such a fine line between stupid and clever.

[torq]

"Paradise by the dashboard light" will get at least 2, maybe 3 generations off their chairs.

Yep, I've seen this happen.

And it does so despite the fact that no one quite knows what to do during all those pauses in the middle, so you wind up with everyone just kind of standing around and looking at each other. Also, the tempo jumps around a lot.

PBtDL is probably the least danceable song I know that people will actually TRY to dance to.

[Coldfire]

Try "Bohemian Rhapsody"..... ;)

Although that's clearly not a wedding song: "Momma, just killed a man....."

On second thoughts.....


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Coldfire
________________________________
"You know how complex women are"
- Neil Peart, Rush (1993)

[Harmonious Discord]

I walked by a display playing Disco Duck last week. Put that on the Do Not Play list.

Someone I work with had this experience. They had a Western themed wedding and asked the DJ if he would be able to play country songs for the reception all night. His response" Sure, no problem." That night at the reception he had one country music mix CD, and he played Big Band music all night.

Personaly within 10 seconds of country music being played, I have to be out of that room.

[PunditLisa]

"Bohemian Rhapsody"..... Although that's clearly not a wedding song: "Momma, just killed a man....."

Not to be a pain in the ass (I know, I know, too late) but I always thought it was, "Mama, I just killed a man."

[PunditLisa]

Gawd, I hate these HTML codes!

[Coldfire]

To make it worse, PL, you're wrong too ;)
http://www.promail.pl/~dw/dwsrvTQ3.htm

Not that it *really* matters of course.... and if it makes you feel better, I don't even KNOW html-codes...


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Coldfire
________________________________
"You know how complex women are"
- Neil Peart, Rush (1993)

[PunditLisa]

Thanks for the hyperlink, but it wouldn't link me. Ain't technology grand?

Obviously, I don't know html codes either....

Now, about those lyrics. I thought the Bohemian Rhapsody was a confessional of sorts to his mother. "Mama, I just killed a man. Put a gun against his head. Pulled the trigger, now he's dead."

He's telling his dear mom that he's going to run off ("If I'm not back again this time tomorrow, carry on, carry on.") because he's in BIG, BIG trouble now. And he was bemoaning the fact that "(his) life had just begun."

Of course, why did I ever try to make sense out of a song that's entitled "Bohemian Rhapsody" anyway? And who's Miss Miller, and why won't she let him go??? And what does Galileo have to do with anything?

Lisa, running screaming off.

[Coldfire]

Yeah, he's confessing to his mom alright. Hence "Mama, just killed a man", in which the comma is of great importance ;)

OK, the links works for me, but I'll be a damn Troll anyway and post the entire lyrics :)


" Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide,
No escape from reality
Open your eyes, Look up to the skies and see,
I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy,
Because I'm easy come, easy go, Little high, little low,
Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me, to me

Mama just killed a man,
Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he's dead
Mama, life had just begun,
But now I've gone and thrown it all away
Mama, ooh, Didn't mean to make you cry,
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow,
Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters

Too late, my time has come,
Sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all the time
Goodbye, ev'rybody, I've got to go,
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth
Mama, ooh, I don't want to die,
I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all

I see a little silhouetto of a man,
Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango
Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very fright'ning me
(Galileo) Galileo (Galileo) Galileo, Galileo figaro
Magnifico I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me
He's just a poor boy from a poor family,
Spare him his life from this monstrosity
Easy come, easy go, will you let me go
Bismillah! No, we will not let you go
(Let him go!) Bismillah! We will not let you go
(Let him go!) Bismillah! We will not let you go

(Let me go) Will not let you go
(Let me go) Will not let you go (Let me go) Ah No, no, no, no, no, no, no
(Oh mama mia, mama mia) Mama mia, let me go
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me

So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye
So you think you can love me and leave me to die
Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby,
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here

Nothing really matters, Anyone can see,
Nothing really matters,
Nothing really matters to me

Any way the wind blows "

So, it's Bismillah however the hell that might be, and the comma I was talking about isn't even there... go figure.


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Coldfire
________________________________
"You know how complex women are"
- Neil Peart, Rush (1993)

[Centerline]

Stevie, seems to me its nobody's wedding except your sister's. Unless there are specific types of music that she likes or dos not like, she should ask the band to select the music for her with perhaps instructions such as: "I got some freaky line dancing friends", or "My parents have invited a bunch of WW2 old fogies", or "We go out to discos with my fiends all the time". After all, she is PAYING the DJ!