Comments on: Music suggestions (a pop song?) for a wedding recessional, please!

Question: Music suggestions (a pop song?) for a wedding recessional, please!

Sarah A — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:49:03 -0800

I'm getting married in 3 weeks (exciting!) and my fiance and I are looking for a cute (indie?) pop song that can be played by a string quartet as we walk back down the aisle together. We want it to be upbeat - so far we've been considering Oasis "Wonderwall", some Beatles tunes - "All you need is love"?, and maybe even our first dance song, Peter Bjorn and John's "Paris 2004" but are not sure about repeating it. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Thanks for your help!

By: scarykarrey

scarykarrey — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:51:24 -0800

Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea"

By: Smarson

Smarson — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:51:49 -0800

"Happy Together" by The Turtles

By: setanor

setanor — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:53:07 -0800

Go with the PB&J. Relevant and cute.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:54:52 -0800

No specific suggestions, but a new realization I will pass along: mainstream pop songs can be really fun when translated into different settings or styles. For example: the ukulele is perfect to cover a number of songs (thanks, Ms. Tender Forever!). There's the fun of recognition dawning on people as they realize it's a strings version of Justin Timberlakes' "My Love" or some other current-day love song.

By: blithecatpie

blithecatpie — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:55:59 -0800

Yo La Tengo's rendition of "Our Little Corner of the World" came to mind (love this song), or:

DeVotchKa - Queen of the Surface Streets
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Love Connection

By: scarykarrey

scarykarrey — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:56:59 -0800

Oooh, or Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's "Underwater (You and Me)"

Or Feist's "Mushaboom"

By: Greg Nog

Greg Nog — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:57:07 -0800

You should have a string-quartet arrangement of The Cure's "Just Like Heaven".

By: Greg Nog

Greg Nog — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:59:04 -0800

(PS - here's a piano instrumental version. A string-quartet version, while you're walking down the aisle will make everyone cry and take many photos.)

By: blithecatpie

blithecatpie — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:00:45 -0800

And seconding the Neutral Milk Hotel suggestion.

By: Pax

Pax — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:05:47 -0800

When I'm 64.

By: scody

scody — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:13:58 -0800

Divine Comedy, Tonight We Fly

By: The World Famous

The World Famous — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:15:03 -0800

This may seem like a weird suggestion, but hear me out: Spit On A Stranger by Pavement.

By: doorsfan

doorsfan — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:15:54 -0800

Jem: Maybe I'm Amazed

By: matildaben

matildaben — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:18:26 -0800

I was just saying last night that I think "I Melt With You" should be played at every wedding.

By: nebulawindphone

nebulawindphone — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:22:04 -0800

Keep in mind that a lot of good pop songs have frankly pretty boring tunes that don't translate well to an instrumental setting. The chorus of "All You Need Is Love" is the same note 14 times in a row. The verses are only a little more varied. I love that song, but if you take away the vocals and the super-complicated studio production, there's nothing good left.

If you want a Beatles song, I'd suggest "In My Life" — it's just as romantic, it's got a real tune and more interesting changes, and that pseudo-Baroque piano solo is just begging for a string arrangement.

By: nebulawindphone

nebulawindphone — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:26:06 -0800

I've always thought "A Whiter Shade of Pale" would make a good processional too, what with the organ and all — even a string arrangement will make people think of organ music. It may not be romantic, but then nobody knows what the hell it's about, so it's probably safe.

By: ocherdraco

ocherdraco — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:29:50 -0800

Two friends of mine had their first dance to the Magnetic Fields' "The Book of Love." It's absolutely the perfect song for that.

By: amro

amro — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:34:46 -0800

Bright Eyes - This Is The First day of My Life

By: Clambone

Clambone — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:35:11 -0800

The Avett Brothers – At the Beach

It's a shame that your guests won't be able to hear the lyrics, which are wonderfully happy, but the tune is springy and jaunty enough without them.

By: amro

amro — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:35:37 -0800

Here's the video for it, which is super cute.

By: triggerfinger

triggerfinger — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:39:31 -0800

If you're Abba fans:

I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do
Dancing Queen

By: Grither

Grither — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:44:19 -0800

Not sure if you've found them yet, but I got married a couple weeks ago, and we used music by Vitamin String Quartet for our wedding ceremony. Search them on iTunes and you'll see tons of stuff they've done. We used the following I believe:
Somebody to Love (Queen)
I'm Yours (Jason Mraz)
Wonderful Tonight (Eric Clapton)

Oh, and congratulations!!!

By: Clyde Mnestra

Clyde Mnestra — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:46:06 -0800

Subject to correction, I think the OP may want upbeat and widely recognized (sans words), for those trying to get obscure.

Lots of Motown fits this bill, and would be thematically appropriate: e.g., Signed Sealed Delivered (Stevie Wonder).

By: Clyde Mnestra

Clyde Mnestra — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:48:21 -0800

Holy crap -- what a wonderful diversity of opinion!

I love "Book of Love," but marching back down the aisle to an instrumental version would be like skipping to a dirge.

By: fiercecupcake

fiercecupcake — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:53:16 -0800

We did "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out," by Cat Stevens, and we asked everyone to sing along. Many tears, much laughter, very sweet memories. It was perfect :]

By: cranberrymonger

cranberrymonger — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:56:26 -0800

Oren Lavie - Her Morning Elegance (the video is a cool stop-motion kinda thing).

By: fructose

fructose — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:10:10 -0800

My boyfriend/partner and I want to either have "What is Life" by George Harrison played by musicians at the wedding, or have it be one of the first songs at the reception.

By: davejay

davejay — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:22:06 -0800

Just to mix things up, how about Twiggy Twiggy by Pizzicato 5? I don't know what the heck she's saying, but I'd personally kill to hear a string quartet play it, and I bet they'd enjoy it.

By: scody

scody — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:32:04 -0800

Ooh, seconding "What is Life" by George Harrison.

By: modernnomad

modernnomad — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:34:06 -0800

A friend of mine had "Here Comes the Sun" played instrumentally at his wedding -- it was more recognizable than "All You Need is Love" (played instrumentally at my sister's wedding on a single acoustic guitar), for the reason nebulawindphone mentions...

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:44:24 -0800

Dancing Queen - young and sweet, only seventeen? Maybe no one will think of the lyrics if it's a string quartet cover.

By: valleys

valleys — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:45:32 -0800

Elbow's One Day Like This seems to be ready made for this kind of thing.

By: chrisamiller

chrisamiller — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:45:49 -0800

We used "El Scorcho" as intro music during our wedding (arrangement by the Vitamin String Quartet).

By: Slarty Bartfast

Slarty Bartfast — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:47:31 -0800

Beatles, for sure. When I'm 64 or Two of Us.

You know "Just Like Heaven is a break-up song right, a really sad depressing one at that?"

By: bananafish

bananafish — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:50:21 -0800

My husband and I danced to the book of love (which I think was originally sung by Peter Gabriel) but we used the version on metafilter music.

By: telegraph

telegraph — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:57:35 -0800

I'm having trouble visualizing (auditorializing?) it as an instrumental, but Yo La Tengo's "You Can Have it All" came to mind immediately.

By: ArgentineBlonde

ArgentineBlonde — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:20:26 -0800

The Style Council's "Best Thing", though maybe not as upbeat as you'd like. Certainly the right sentiment.

By: Lipstick Thespian

Lipstick Thespian — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:23:48 -0800

Anything by Music Go Music should be perfect and it's upbeat as hell.

By: milkrate

milkrate — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:29:43 -0800

Fruit Bats, "When You Love Somebody" or "When U Love Somebody"

By: hermitosis

hermitosis — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:30:07 -0800

Seconding "Whiter Shade of Pale."

By: Precision

Precision — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:37:43 -0800

Seconding Bright Eyes "This is the First Day of My Life".

Also, I like Wonderwall, and I don't see how you can go wrong with your PB&J pick!

By: Adam_S

Adam_S — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:43:10 -0800

Aside: Paris 2004 is a great first-dance song. Good choice!

By: ukdanae

ukdanae — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:01:44 -0800

Madness's "It must be love," "Blue Skies" for something slightly jazzy or maybe "Fly me to the moon" by Dino - and congratulations! We're having Fatboy Slim's "Praise You" as our recessional (at least, we are this week!).

By: gushn

gushn — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:14:59 -0800

If you're looking for cute, I think this is a super cute first dance video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nie9lKPifg

They dance to Jack Johnson's "Better Together", with a surprise at the end. ;)

By: heavenstobetsy

heavenstobetsy — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:18:27 -0800

It's not indie and it's possibly lame, but in the episode of Friends where Monica and Chandler got married she walked down the aisle to a string version of Everlong by the Foo Fighters and it was really pretty.

By: sugarfish

sugarfish — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:51:35 -0800

I walked down the aisle to Wonderwall, and our first dance was Sweet Happy Life by Peggy Lee. My sister and brother and law had a civil ceremony but they played God Only Knows by the Beach Boys when she walked in at their reception and it was really lovely.

By: pseudostrabismus

pseudostrabismus — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:52:36 -0800

I'm not sure Wonderwall by Oasis will sound upbeat- it's in a minor key and has a somewhat simple melodic line that might sound a little dirgelike...

What about an instrumental version of It's Oh So Quiet as sung by Bjork?

You can ask the string quartet to make the dynamics changes less intense.
Or you can be REEALLLY cute and do little slo-motion / fast-motion action up that aisle during the slow & fast parts!

By: dseaton

dseaton — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:09:59 -0800

When we got married, my wife and I used the Magnetic Fields' It's Only Time.

By: rossination

rossination — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:49:33 -0800

Not to be the one to rain on your parade, but as a classical musician who plays quite a few weddings, consider that we can't neccesarily just "play any [popular] song". Sure, if the musicians are competent at all, they should be able to cobble something together, especially if you have a piano score to give them (arrangement for piano and voice). But it's not neccesarily going to sound like the Andrew Bird-meets-Ben Folds extravaganza that you have going on in your head.

Most Beatles stuff has been arranged for string quartet, though, and given enough time they can probably dig something up from the Fab Five.

If they say that they can do it, and they pull it off, definitely throw a nice tip in their direction.

By: genghis

genghis — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:26:52 -0800

Madness's "It must be love,"

You mean Labi Siffre's.

By: electroboy

electroboy — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:01:46 -0800

We did Music For a Found Harmonium from Napoleon Dynamite.

By: brujita

brujita — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:10:02 -0800

My cousin and her husband used Led Zeppelin's "All of My Love" played by a string quartet for their exeunt music. I thought it a bit odd, given it was a Jewish wedding (proud Aryan).

By: snofoam

snofoam — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 06:55:34 -0800

"Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space" by Spiritualized.

By: zouhair

zouhair — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:36:18 -0800

You may not speak Arabic but Anay by Fairuz is great, poem of Gibran. A song that make me shed a tear every time I hear it.

By: waldo

waldo — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 05:11:38 -0800

The Beatles' "I Will."

By: jpdoane

jpdoane — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 06:39:39 -0800

Best ones I've heard:

Indiana Jones Theme
Yellow by Coldplay
The Final Countdown by Europe