Songs you've heard at wedding parties

November 10, 2010 7:09 PM

What are some songs that you've heard played at wedding reception parties or dances?

Tell me any songs you've heard at a wedding, preferably romantic tunes and dance songs.

Here are some examples of what I'm looking for:

"Lucky"
Jason Mraz

"For Once in My Life"
Michael Buble

"That's the Way"
KC and the Sunshine Band

posted by mtphoto to Media & Arts (35 answers total)

Someone here once mentioned playing In The Aeroplane Over The Sea at their wedding and that was just one of the most wonderful things I'd ever heard on MeFi.
posted by griphus at 7:12 PM on November 10, 2010 [6 favorites]

I have heard "Old Time Rock and Roll" by Bob Seger at nearly every wedding I have attended (it makes me cringe).
posted by bolognius maximus at 7:15 PM on November 10, 2010

The Macerena. In 2006.

(Don't do that.)
posted by phunniemee at 7:15 PM on November 10, 2010

Best answer: My personal favorites: Night and Day and Fly Me to the Moon.
posted by bearwife at 7:15 PM on November 10, 2010

In my family, a wedding isn't complete without "Sweet Home Alabama".

Which is weird, because we're not from Alabama.

And at my cousin's wedding this spring, he took our 86 year old grandma out for a dance to the world's most romantic wedding tune, Erotic City.
posted by elsietheeel at 7:17 PM on November 10, 2010

My friend insists that "Wild Horses" is the perfect wedding song.
posted by easy, lucky, free at 7:18 PM on November 10, 2010 [2 favorites]

Marry Song - Band of Horses.

also
posted by special-k at 7:23 PM on November 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

In My Life by the Beatles
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 7:24 PM on November 10, 2010

At last, Etta James
posted by dpx.mfx at 7:28 PM on November 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Now that I think about it, I've heard "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Life is a Highway" at every wedding that had a DJ.
posted by mtphoto at 7:31 PM on November 10, 2010

If my husband and I ever decide to have another wedding -- you know, now that we understand that we can tell our meddling relatives to take their opinions elsewhere because it's our damn wedding -- we'll be first-dancing to I'll Take Good Care of You by Garnet Mimms.
posted by bakerina at 7:44 PM on November 10, 2010

At risk of being all JFGI, there are loads and loads of wedding song lists on the internet.
posted by pineapple at 7:46 PM on November 10, 2010

At our wedding, the biggest sing-along hits were:
Cake, "I Will Survive"
Human League, "Don't You Want Me"
Journey, "Don't Stop Believin'"
Bon Jovi, "Living on a Prayer"
Violent Femmer, "Blister in the Sun"
posted by equalpants at 7:48 PM on November 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

They Love Each Other.
posted by alms at 7:48 PM on November 10, 2010

Och. It occurs to me that I didn't really answer your question. We *were* going to play "I'll Take Good Care of You," but ended up eschewing all of our dancing music for Satie, which was nice enough, but not what we were aiming for. So I *almost* heard "I'll Take Good Care of You" at a wedding, but if almost doesn't cut it, then maybe a mod can help me out and blast my comment to smithereens, please.

Sheesh, this is even more embarrassing than being corralled into dancing to "Old Time Rock & Roll" at a wedding.
posted by bakerina at 7:50 PM on November 10, 2010

I've occasionally seen the bride dance with her father to "Daddy's Little Girl" (but not the one by Frankie J).
posted by Rash at 7:57 PM on November 10, 2010

My former girlfriend said at multiple weddings she attended the DJ would play "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" by Meatloaf. At one of them, the DJ had all the guys in the room sing the male part, and had the females in the room sing the female part.
posted by VT@MU at 7:57 PM on November 10, 2010

My bride and I came into our reception to One Of These Days . Gave an "are y'all ready for this" sporting event vibe with an inside joke for all the heads.
Danced to "It Must Be You" by Van Morrison. I remember hearing the Beatles on the way out; I get just brief flashes of the rest. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.
posted by toadliquor at 8:06 PM on November 10, 2010

If you hire a live band with a good horn section, Van Morrison's Jackie Wilson Said is pretty awesome.
posted by Guernsey Halleck at 8:08 PM on November 10, 2010

Best answer: Oh my God, this could be the most traumatic list ever for a former wedding DJ. Where does one stop?

Girls Just Want to Have Fun (Cyndi Lauper)
Save a Horse/Ride a Cowboy (Big & Rich)
Old Time Rock and Roll (Bob Seger)
I Will Always Love You (Whitney Houston)
Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison)
What A Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC)
Dancing Queen (ABBA)
Twist and Shout (Beatles)

...and on and on....

And yeah, what pineapple said.
posted by liquado at 8:22 PM on November 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

Shout, by the Isley Brothers.
posted by sigmagalator at 8:48 PM on November 10, 2010

Cheesy as all get out, but Clarence carter's track 'strokin' will blow up the dance floor.
posted by meadowlark lime at 8:55 PM on November 10, 2010

"Sunrise, Sunset" (for the father-daughter dance) and "Hava Nagila" are pretty much required for any Jewish wedding.

Others:
"Your Song" - Elton John
"Come What May" - Ewan McGregor & Nicole Kidman (friends of mine used this as their first dance song)
"Faithfully" - Journey
"Cha Cha Slide" - DJ Casper
"Friends In Low Places" - Garth Brooks
"Electric Boogie" - Marcia Griffiths
"YMCA" - Village People
posted by SisterHavana at 9:34 PM on November 10, 2010

Joy to the World (Jeremiah was a Bullfrog) - Three Dog Night
posted by carmicha at 10:16 PM on November 10, 2010

Shall I just copy and paste the list I'm in the process of creating for my upcoming nuptials? Why, yes, I shall!

Dixie Cups -- Going to the Chapel of Love

Etta James -- At Last

John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman -- They Say It's Wonderful
Dedicated to You
Lush Life
You Are Too Beautiful
How Sweet it Is

Porter:

You Do Something to Me

Night and Day

Begin the Beguine

Anything Goes

Our Love is Here to Stay

Who Could Ask for Anything More?

Dancing Cheek to Cheek

I've Got You Under my Skin

Smile

Something's Gotta Give

They All Laughed

Swinging on a Star

Happy Days are Here Again

You're the Top


Berlin: Heaven


Bowie: TVC15


Misc:

A Secret Love

Time After Time

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

I Got Rhythym

It Had to be You

When You Wish upon a Star

The Nearness of You

Just in Time

Where or When

Too Marvelous for Words

I Could Write a Book

The Best is Yet to Come

Taking a Chance on Love

A Fine Romance

Moonglow

Nice Work if You Can Get It

Volare

Fly Me to the Moon

Moonlight in Vermont

Thou Swell

Young at Heart

A Fine Romance

Accentuate the Positive

This Guy's in Love with You

Come Rain or Come Shine

I Only Have Eyes for You

Nat King Cole: Nature Boy


Porter: I Wish I Were in Love Again


Jimmie Lunceford(/Ella?): 'Taint What You Do

Echo and the Bunnymen: The Killing Moon
posted by trip and a half at 10:58 PM on November 10, 2010

I was at a wedding this weekend where the reception music was all over the place, trying to be everything to everyone. It further galvanized my assertion that when it comes to dance tunes

you. must. bring. the. funk.
posted by palacewalls at 11:24 PM on November 10, 2010 [3 favorites]

A couple of friends played The Flower Duet from Lakmé by Léo Delibes during their ceremony. Not exactly danceable, but definitely romantic (translation here).

I know, I know, British Airways Theme Song, and that was my first reaction, too. But they were expats who spent years bouncing around the world in opposite directions, only ever getting to stay together for a week or so at a time. So it ended up having a slightly tongue in cheek but beautifully allegorical side to it that just worked a treat.
posted by Ahab at 11:40 PM on November 10, 2010

I mean this in the nicest possible way - if you like those three songs, you will have no problem getting a good playlist from an experienced wedding DJ. Romantic and dance mainstream songs that everyone knows and can dance to are their bread and butter.

But yeah, as others have noted, Motown and Funk go down pretty well with a mixed age crowd. James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder, et al. are all good choices (here's a larger list of Motown wedding songs).
posted by benzenedream at 11:45 PM on November 10, 2010

A good friend of mine regularly DJs at weddings, and his rule of thumb is this: play tunes which were popular at around the time that most of the people attending the wedding were 13-16 years old. Apparently it never fails!
posted by greenfelttip at 5:25 AM on November 11, 2010 [2 favorites]

The only good song played at my cousin's wedding was In Heaven There is No Beer and the other polka. This only works if your family all knows how to polka. The rest of the songs were straight off everyone else's "I was a wedding DJ and this list makes me cringe" lists.
posted by oreofuchi at 8:00 AM on November 11, 2010

"Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-A-Lot is always a crowd pleaser.
posted by spilon at 8:20 AM on November 11, 2010

"The Book of Love" by the Magnetic Fields.

The book of love is long and boring
No one can lift the damn thing
It's full of charts and facts and figures
And instructions for dancing
But I...I love it when you read it me
And you...you can read me anything

The book of love has music in it
In fact that's where music comes from
Some of it is just transcendental
Some of it is just really dumb
But I...I love it when you sing to me
And you...you can sing me anything

The book of love is long and boring
And written very long ago
It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes
And things were all too young to know
But I...I love it when you give me things
And you...you ought to give me wedding rings
I...I love it when you give me things
And you...you ought to give me wedding rings

posted by ocherdraco at 9:06 AM on November 11, 2010

"Celebration" by Kool and the Gang
posted by mhum at 9:17 AM on November 11, 2010

Steve Miller Band - The Joker

Almost most of my families weddings that song is usually the song that the groomsmen and bridesmaids end up getting raunchy with each other.
posted by wcfields at 4:00 PM on November 11, 2010

Shall I just copy and paste the list I'm in the process of creating for my upcoming nuptials? Why, yes, I shall!


Hey, congrats trip and a half!
posted by special-k at 5:18 PM on November 11, 2010