Wedding recessional -- on kazoos??
March 26, 2017 8:42 PM Subscribe
Getting married in less than a week -- on April 1, appropriately enough! We're still working out details, and now we're flopping about, trying to decide on a tune that will work well (or well enough) on kazoos (that will be distributed to the assembled guests when they arrive). Ideas? The traditional wedding march is a little tricky. Other suggestions have included the Ode to Joy, but it always sounds like Deutschland Über Alles to me, so no thanks, and the Hallelujah Chorus (mmmmmaybe). Silly is fine, but tuneful would be best. Help!
You Are My Sunshine?
posted by salvia at 8:52 PM on March 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by salvia at 8:52 PM on March 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
Star Wars theme.
posted by Hermione Granger at 8:55 PM on March 26, 2017
posted by Hermione Granger at 8:55 PM on March 26, 2017
If you want silly, Yakety Sax
posted by mogget at 8:57 PM on March 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by mogget at 8:57 PM on March 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I think something extremely ingrained in the culture is the best. "You Are My Sunshine" as above, or "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" (which is sweet for a recessional) or "For They Are Jolly Good Fellows".
It will help if you have a Kazoo Conductor who will lead them so there's a starting point. If you want anything more complicated than the above (like "All You Need Is Love" or another well-known pop song), someone who's able to sing the start of whatever you want them to play would be extremely helpful.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:00 PM on March 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
It will help if you have a Kazoo Conductor who will lead them so there's a starting point. If you want anything more complicated than the above (like "All You Need Is Love" or another well-known pop song), someone who's able to sing the start of whatever you want them to play would be extremely helpful.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:00 PM on March 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
If your sense of humor runs dark and geeky, you could use the Game of Thrones theme song.
posted by zebra at 9:27 PM on March 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by zebra at 9:27 PM on March 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: These are great and very helpful -- keep 'em coming! And now I think about it, given that we're going to be distributing kazoos as guests arrive (we can't find an elegant or simple way to distribute them during the ceremony), there's no reason why we can't have a welcoming chorus of "Here Comes the Bride" as I enter...
posted by pleasant_confusion at 10:37 PM on March 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by pleasant_confusion at 10:37 PM on March 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: My wedding guitarist was a no-show, so a friend led everybody in humming "Here Comes the Bride" as I entered at my (very informal, outdoor) wedding at the last minute. Still one of my favorite things that happened that day and it would have been even more fun with kazoos. I endorse this plan.
posted by charmedimsure at 11:51 PM on March 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by charmedimsure at 11:51 PM on March 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
William Tell Overture? I say that because it's kind of chaotic anyway, and is mostly on one note while people coalesce into a single tempo.
To reiterate what Lyn Never said -- find someone with a loud voice, give them a pitchpipe, and tell them to say, "Starting on" (blow).
If you say 'key of' for tunes that don't start on the tonic, or don't specify, the pedants will take it literally and start a fourth below the tonic, using "Here comes the bride" as an example, and others will start on the note, and you'll get horrid quartic cacophony. Even better if this person can give a tempo, snapping, gestures, or otherwise.
Of course, you know your guests better than I do :)
posted by batter_my_heart at 12:47 AM on March 27, 2017
To reiterate what Lyn Never said -- find someone with a loud voice, give them a pitchpipe, and tell them to say, "Starting on" (blow).
If you say 'key of' for tunes that don't start on the tonic, or don't specify, the pedants will take it literally and start a fourth below the tonic, using "Here comes the bride" as an example, and others will start on the note, and you'll get horrid quartic cacophony. Even better if this person can give a tempo, snapping, gestures, or otherwise.
Of course, you know your guests better than I do :)
posted by batter_my_heart at 12:47 AM on March 27, 2017
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik works quite well on the kazoo.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 3:04 AM on March 27, 2017
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 3:04 AM on March 27, 2017
Seconding the Lohengrin "Bridal Chorus" (Here Comes the Bride).
Sure, it may be a little unusual having the same tune for a processional and recessional, but it really is one of the few songs I can think of that exists in all the Venn diagram bubbles for easy to hum, wedding-appropriate, and everybody knows it.
Maybe you could pull the old switcheroo, and use the "Wedding March" from A Midsummer Night's Dream, the one that's usually used as a recessional, for your processional.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 4:51 AM on March 27, 2017
Sure, it may be a little unusual having the same tune for a processional and recessional, but it really is one of the few songs I can think of that exists in all the Venn diagram bubbles for easy to hum, wedding-appropriate, and everybody knows it.
Maybe you could pull the old switcheroo, and use the "Wedding March" from A Midsummer Night's Dream, the one that's usually used as a recessional, for your processional.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 4:51 AM on March 27, 2017
I think something extremely ingrained in the culture is the best.
I'll second this notion. Keep in mind that you'll need a piece that the majority of people will be able to play for a couple of minutes continuously (since it'll take a couple of minutes for the entire wedding party to recess), and a couple of minutes is more music than you think it is. This probably rules out many of the suggestions in this thread; I doubt that most people can conjure up the Hallelujah Chorus beyond the first few "hallelujah"s, for example.
posted by Johnny Assay at 5:03 AM on March 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'll second this notion. Keep in mind that you'll need a piece that the majority of people will be able to play for a couple of minutes continuously (since it'll take a couple of minutes for the entire wedding party to recess), and a couple of minutes is more music than you think it is. This probably rules out many of the suggestions in this thread; I doubt that most people can conjure up the Hallelujah Chorus beyond the first few "hallelujah"s, for example.
posted by Johnny Assay at 5:03 AM on March 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Joy to the World (as in "Jeremiah was a bullfrog")
Can't Help Falling in Love (the Elvis classic)
Call Me Maybe (for the exuberance)
1234 (Feist)
posted by carmicha at 5:32 AM on March 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Can't Help Falling in Love (the Elvis classic)
Call Me Maybe (for the exuberance)
1234 (Feist)
posted by carmicha at 5:32 AM on March 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
On the Sunny Side Of The Street
When The Saints Go Marching In
posted by SemiSalt at 5:48 AM on March 27, 2017
When The Saints Go Marching In
posted by SemiSalt at 5:48 AM on March 27, 2017
As someone who instigated having kazoos at our wedding late last century, and was immensely happy to have introduced kazoos to a wedding just this last summer, I'd pretty much suggest anything. Unless you have immensely talented musicians, the joyful approximation of any tune you suggest will be pretty much unrecognisable. At the reception, there will be sporadic bursts of the Ride of the Valkyries, and small groups may break out attempts at Bohemian Rhapsody. Also, there are more people out there than you'd think who don't know how to play a kazoo.
I wish you much joy.
posted by scruss at 6:46 AM on March 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I wish you much joy.
posted by scruss at 6:46 AM on March 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
(You are My Sunshine is actually a really, really sad song if you check the lyrics, which some of the guests will undoubtedly be aware of, so I'd give it a miss for a wedding.)
posted by holborne at 9:43 AM on March 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by holborne at 9:43 AM on March 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Depending on the geekiness level of the guests, maybe a well known 8-bit video game song? One of the Mario songs or maybe the theme to the original Zelda? They have very strong melodies that are (if the songs are known) pretty easy to follow.
posted by Hactar at 10:36 AM on March 27, 2017
posted by Hactar at 10:36 AM on March 27, 2017
I think the beginning of the Olympic Theme would be perfect on kazoo.
posted by BevosAngryGhost at 10:51 AM on March 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by BevosAngryGhost at 10:51 AM on March 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Oh, what a beautiful morning or Zipadeedoodah would both be really fun on kazoos...this sounds like a great and fun idea, let us know how it goes!
posted by lettezilla at 11:03 AM on March 27, 2017
posted by lettezilla at 11:03 AM on March 27, 2017
You could always go the route our sound operator took during our rehearsal: "Another One Bites the Dust."
posted by DrAstroZoom at 1:55 PM on March 27, 2017
posted by DrAstroZoom at 1:55 PM on March 27, 2017
Flight of the Bumblebees by Rimsky-Korsakov?
I agree that you are going to need a song that most people know, otherwise you will get cacophony!
"You are my Sunshine" is good.
As is "Oh My Darlin' Clementine" if a bit dark.
posted by Seamus at 2:42 PM on March 27, 2017
I agree that you are going to need a song that most people know, otherwise you will get cacophony!
"You are my Sunshine" is good.
As is "Oh My Darlin' Clementine" if a bit dark.
posted by Seamus at 2:42 PM on March 27, 2017
Seconding "When The Saints Go Marching In" because it's REALLY simple and upbeat and is associated with marching and people are used to hearing it played over and over and over and over.
posted by exceptinsects at 4:29 PM on March 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by exceptinsects at 4:29 PM on March 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
The themes from "Jurassic Park" and "Indiana Jones" both work very well on kazoos, I can say from experience.
posted by Charity Garfein at 5:43 PM on March 27, 2017
posted by Charity Garfein at 5:43 PM on March 27, 2017
Simple Gifts? Easy, wedding appropriate and just repetitive enough.
I've Been Working on the Railroad
posted by carmicha at 8:35 PM on March 27, 2017
I've Been Working on the Railroad
posted by carmicha at 8:35 PM on March 27, 2017
"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" (suggested above) could be fun. Or, in the same vein, perhaps the "Mickey Mouse Club March."
If you had a small group of advanced kazooists who could prepare ahead of time, maybe you could set up a call-and-response. The advanced kazoo section (AKS) would play the "Who's the leader of the club" line, and everybody else would respond with the "M-I-C-K-E-Y" line, and so on. But it's also well-known enough that everybody could just play the whole thing together.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:55 AM on March 28, 2017
If you had a small group of advanced kazooists who could prepare ahead of time, maybe you could set up a call-and-response. The advanced kazoo section (AKS) would play the "Who's the leader of the club" line, and everybody else would respond with the "M-I-C-K-E-Y" line, and so on. But it's also well-known enough that everybody could just play the whole thing together.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:55 AM on March 28, 2017
Not especially wedding-y but 'Yellow Submarine' sounds great with kazoos!
posted by orrnyereg at 7:41 AM on March 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by orrnyereg at 7:41 AM on March 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Oooh! Or Colonel Bogey March from Bridge on the River Kwai!
posted by orrnyereg at 7:43 AM on March 28, 2017
posted by orrnyereg at 7:43 AM on March 28, 2017
Best answer: I just officiated a wedding where the processional was The Beatles' All You Need Is Love on kazoo -- worked great. Young and old participated with gusto.
(I have to admit, it did not occur to me that this information would ever be relevant!)
posted by *s at 1:43 PM on March 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
(I have to admit, it did not occur to me that this information would ever be relevant!)
posted by *s at 1:43 PM on March 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: You could always go the route our sound operator took during our rehearsal: "Another One Bites the Dust."
Oh man, I wish I could, but there will be another couple there whose wedding we attended—in the same venue—who had as their recessional "We Are the Champions," sung a capella with enormous gusto and joy by the assembled guests. So sadly, no Queen.
posted by pleasant_confusion at 10:51 PM on March 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Oh man, I wish I could, but there will be another couple there whose wedding we attended—in the same venue—who had as their recessional "We Are the Champions," sung a capella with enormous gusto and joy by the assembled guests. So sadly, no Queen.
posted by pleasant_confusion at 10:51 PM on March 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
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