Good grief, a list like that and I still managed to forget one - “Marry Me”, by Amanda Marshall.
Give it to me, Otto. Which songs are on my list that were named in the “songs not to be played at a wedding” thread?
Jer said he wants to play Karen Carpenter’s greatest hits during the dinner, for the irony.
More additions, many based on your suggestions. Also, I’ve included some early 90s dance (ah, the memories…) and some 80s Britpop. More Britpop to be added.
More More More - Andrea True Connection
Shame Shame Shame - Shirley and Company
September - Earth, Wind & Fire
Shining Star - Earth, Wind & Fire
Mamma Mia - ABBA
Everybody Dance - Chic
Shake Your Bootie - KC & The Sunshine Band
Obsession- Animotion
Don’t You Want Me Baby - Human League
Fascination - Human League
Let’s Get It On - Marvin Gaye
Pump Up The Jam - Technotronic
Everybody Dance Now - C&C Music Factory
Show Me Love - Robin S
Back To Life, Back To Reality - Soul 2 Soul
Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless) - Crystal Waters
Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good) - Rozella
3 AM Eternal - The KLF
What Time Is Love - The KLF
Justified & Ancient - The KLF featuring Tammy Wynette
Slow dance: Stand By Your Man - Tammy Wynette
Holiday - Madonna
Ray of Light - Madonna
Rhythm Is A Dancer - Snap
Little Bird - Annie Lennox
Choosing the songs is the easy part. Mixing them will be the challenge.
I’m sure some (most? all?) of these have been considered and rejected, I have very cheesy taste. 
Let’s stay together- Al Green
You are so beautiful to me- I like the Joe Cocker/Pavarotti version
Please fall in love with me- Tim Booth
You make me feel like dancing- Leo Sayer
Is this love- Bob Marley
More than words- Extreme
I believe in a thing called love- The Darkness
Baby can I hold you tonight - Tracey Chapman
My funny Valentine- Elvis Costello
Black Velvet-Allanah Myles
You don’t even know me- Armand van Helden
Dreams - Gabrielle (I think this might be a winner)
“Dreams can come true,
Look at me, babe, I’m with you,
You know you’ve got to have hope,
You know you’ve got to be strong”
It’s a nice song, and sounds fitting for the BFGW
You have no Kylie or Queen, was that intentional?
As long as he’s competent, you really should leave this up to the DJ. That’s what he’s there for. Just make sure he’s familiar with weddings. I’ve done clubs & weddings and they are two different animals.
Certainly pick the songs you want for certain moments during the night, but the DJ’s job is to read the crowd and keep the dance floor going.
How about Sexual Healing (Marvin Gaye or the Maximilian remix) or Big Love (Peter Heller)…both seem to be crowd pleasers.
I did notice a serious lack of polkas on your list
I’d have to dig up the thread (I think it was here in CS) but the one that caught my eye was Cher’s The Way of Love.
I mean, I like the song a lot even though it confuses the hell out of me (is the narrator a lesbian? Did her man leave her for another man? What the hell is going on with this relationship?) but it’s not really a celebration of commitment.
Some more suggestions:
Dedicated to the One I Love - The Mamas and The Papas
I Will Always Love You - Dolly Parton
Be My Baby - The Ronettes
Angel - Robbie Williams
Right Here, Right Now - can’t recall the artist, early 90s
Groove Is In The Heart - Dee-lite
Da Da Da - Trio
There needs to be some Petula Clark and some Sinead O’Connor too, but I can’t think of what would be some good choices off the top of my head.
OK well, never mind, I just reviewed the bad wedding songs thread and the only one I spotted in common to both lists is one I suggested, I Will Always Love You although to be fair I suggested the Dolly Parton version.
I bow my head in shame and simultaneously raise my glass in tribute to everyone’s fine musical taste.
Oh, and RH,RN was IIRC by Jesus Jones.
Good point about the Cher song, Otto. I didn’t know the lyrics. I only added it to the list because Jer put on a video of one of her many “farewell” tours (he’s so gay), and that song came on, and I thought, “Gee, that sounds lovely; we can all slow dance to that.”
I’ve decided to take a break from the 70s stuff in my brainstorming, and focus on adding more early 90s stuff. It was an amazing time for me, and a very interesting one for Jer, AFAIK, because that’s when he started working in the clubs. I found this great early 90s dance web radio station, and was listening to it at work yesterday, having a major flashback with every new song. :eek: So I need early 90s dance suggestions. Just no Ce Ce Peniston.
No Jesus Jones. He was arrogant, went on about how he was the next big thing, and disappeared after that one hit. I don’t care if the song is somewhat catchy.
You realize that after all this, Otto, you’re going to have to come.
May I add a few?..
A Thing called Love by Bonnie Rhait
Valentine by Patti Lovelace
I Touch Myself by The Pretenders
Theme from QE by ??? (hey! The words are very upbeat and positive and it has a great groove!)
Enjoy and have a blast!
I’ve got a couple of good slow dance suggestions:
Blue Moon by Bobby Vinton
Moon River by Frank Sinatra
Also, how about
Fairytale of New York by The Pogues
as a rousing sing along tune?
Just your luck, I was uploading some early 90s stuff to my iPod just last night! Let me review my playlist…
Boom Boom Boom - The Outhere Brothers
Runaway - Real McCoy
Your Loving Arms - Billy Ray Martin
Feel The Music - Planet Soul
Feels So Good (Show Me Your Love) - Lisa Santiago
Missing - Everything But The Girl
Say A Prayer - Taylor Dayne
It’s A Beautiful Life - Ace of Base
100% Pure Love - Crystal Waters
Be My Lover - La Bouche
Touch Me (All Night Long) - Cathy Dennis
I’m Too Sexy - Right Said Fred
Get Here - Oleta Adams (slow)
C’mon and Ride It (The Train) - Quad City DJs
Ooh Ahh, Just a Little Bit - Gina G
Whoomp! There It Is! - Tag Team
Show Me Love - Robin
This Is Your Night - Amber
Good Vibrations - Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
Get Ready For This - 2 Unlimited (you call those spirit fingers?)
Everybody Everybody - Black Box
Pump Up The Jam - Technotronic
I Wanna B With U - Fun Factory
I don’t know how appropriate bumping this thread up from the depths is, but it seems fairly long-term soooo…
I didn’t see “The Origin of Love” - Hedwig and the Angry Inch on there and I think it’d make a good gay wedding song. Very sentimental and twue wuv in nature 
Weird gay punkish ballads are always fun!
What, no Pet Shop Boys? I suggest “Home and Dry” for a slow dance.
This might be a little too slow, but how about Depeche Mode’s Somebody?
'Grats on the nup’s!
All of the following are from the late-'80’s or later:
Blur: “Song 2” (this is the 2-minute “WOO-HOO!” song used in commercials and sporting events; live version is 150 bpm), “Boys and Girls” (120 bpm), “London Loves” (132 bpm), “Out of Time” (came out in 2003; 144 bpm).
The The [Matt Johnson]: “Uncertain Smile” (156 bpm), “Violence of Truth” (132 bpm), “Slow-Emotion Replay” (144 bpm; soulful, with harmonica and great lyrics). Various mixes and edits available for most of his singles.
Artful Dodger (Brit “two-step”, not the '70’s pop-rock band of the same name):
“Think About Me” (144 bpm), “Outrageous” (144 bpm), “Woman Trouble” (156 bpm), or “Re-Wind”(144 bpm) [various edits available of these]. “Woman Trouble” appears on the “Bridget Jones” soundtrack – it’s the song that plays when Bridget goes shopping for her birthday-dinner party. Two-step music is kind of like a hip-hop-ified disco/soul; but don’t worry, it’s user-friendly and generally very danceable!
Less-familiar danceable music:
From Poi Dog Pondering, all timed from the double-live LP Liquid White Light:
“Lay My Love” (120 bpm) [Eno/Cale] and “Ecstasy” (132 bpm) [Barry White] – both of these are covers.
“God’s Gallipoli” (132 bpm), “Diamonds and Buttermilk” (120 bpm), “I’ve Got My Body” (144 bpm) and “Platetechtonic” (144 bpm – a soulful rave-up, with horns) are Poi Dog originals. All of these are danceable enough. Their covers are great, and certainly less familiar than the originals. (If I were to pick one track, it’d be the “Ecstasy” cover. “God’s Gallipoli” has a lengthy instrumental intro, but it’s wonderfully striking and original once it hits its stride.)
The Golden Palominos:
“Heaven” (96 bpm), “Anything” (108 bpm) and “Pure” (96 bpm). Very sophisticated and sensual, for slow-ish dances, with a chanteuse emoting over slinky basslines to die for. If you can’t play these for the wedding reception, try them on your wedding night!
“Tears Run Rings” (144 bpm, in the live version) – Marc Almond. Because “Tainted Love” is a cliche, and probably not a great choice for a wedding, anyway. The DJ would probably cut the lengthy intro and outros on this, esp. if he uses the live recording.
“Unfinished Sympathy” [probably different mixes available; original LP version 96 bpm] – Massive Attack. The massively effective, darkly emotive trip-hop classic. Even people who haven’t bought any new music since 1982 might feel comfortable with this one, because it was used in the “Sliver” soundtrack (IIRC, where Billy Baldwin seduces Sharon Stone). Yes, it’s ominous-sounding, but your DJ and guests will probably be grateful for the refreshing contrast.
'70’s classics revisited:
“Love Rollercoaster” (orig., 120 bpm, 4:47; live, 132 bpm, 5:57) – The Ohio Players (“Your love is like/A rollercoaster, baby, baby/I want to rock”).
“I’m Your Boogie Man” (132 bpm) – K.C. & the Sunshine Band
(“Shake Yer Booty” and “Get Down Tonight” are 120 bpm)
“No Matter What” (132 bpm) – Badfinger
“What is Life” (132 bpm) – George Harrison. The classic, life-affirming rave-up.
'80’s classics revisited:
“Girls and Boys” (132 bpm), “Kiss” (120 bpm) – Prince
“Do the Dog” (156 bpm) – The Specials
To be avoided at all costs:
“Big Day” – XTC
“Let’s Pretend We’re Married” – Prince
“Stupid Marriage” and “Too Much Too Young” – The Specials
How about a few “closing time” cue songs? Say, a half-hour’s worth of calming, sobering, elegaic and beautiful tracks?
“Closing Time” – Semisonic
“Naive Melody (This Must Be the Place)” – Talking Heads
“Angelika Descending” – Poi Dog Pondering (instrumental)
“To the End” – Blur
“Beyond Love” – The The (Matt Johnson)
The fourth, third, and first unnamed tracks off Sigur Ros’ 2003 album – in that order.
Just in case you haven’t heard Bronski Beat’s cover version (here’s a 30 second clip) off The Age Of Consent album. Either that or Smalltown Boy - both of which are appropriate and neither of which are cliche’
We chose to get married on September 11, to have joy and good memories for that day, also.
Added bonus. Never a forgotten anniversary.
Congrats and much happiness for you two.
That’s a really depressing song though and not one which would be my first choice at a wedding. I mean its about a boy self-exiled from home and family, mocked in his town, leaving town to seek love alone. Not exactly a real happy-go-lucky.
I’ve always found Clarence Carter’s “Strokin” to be deeply romantic.