What's your favorite waltz?

May 2, 2006 12:18 PM

What's your favorite waltz? Bonus points for being easy to dance to and for finding me a "country waltz."

I'm getting married next month, and we've hit upon the brilliant idea of dancing a waltz as our first dance. Now, of course, we need something to dance to (and also to learn to waltz, but I'm afraid even the great AskMe won't be much help with that), and so I'm turning to you all-- what's your favorite waltz? Is it easy to dance to? Classical selections much appreciated, but I've also got it in my head to find some kind of traditional "country" waltz, with fiddles and such-- though I have no idea if such a thing really even exists, much less who the artist would be, or what the song might be called. Any help much appreciated...

posted by hwickline to media & arts (18 comments total)

I was going to recommend Alejandro Escovedo's Broken Bottle, but not as a first dance.
posted by blueshammer at 12:23 PM on May 2, 2006

I like "Beautiful Ohio."

There's a Glenn Miller big band version of it, but it was originally strings. And yes, there is a fiddle recording. (Scroll to the bottom)
posted by Sallysings at 12:37 PM on May 2, 2006

I know a dancer who married a baseball nut. Needing a dance, "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" was selected, as its a waltz.

My own personal favorite for dancing at this point is "Moon River" but that might be too bittersweet for a wedding.
posted by Rash at 12:50 PM on May 2, 2006

And if it's country you seek, there's always the "Tennessee Waltz" but its lyrics aren't really appropriate for a wedding. Nice and slow, though.
posted by Rash at 12:53 PM on May 2, 2006

"Could I Have This Dance?" by Anne Murray is a pretty good, simple waltz. And, as you may be aware, there are a number of sites that exist to help solve your first married dance dilemma.
posted by paulsc at 12:56 PM on May 2, 2006

As Rash's comment points out, you can waltz to anything in waltz time — anything, in other words, that has that familiar one-two-three beat. If you listen to country music — especially older country or bluegrass — some of your favorite slow tunes are probably waltzes.

But really, I think you're putting the cart before the horse. If you're going to have a waltz at your wedding, it should be your favorite waltz to dance with your fiancee. So go to the dance class already, and then dance a lot, to a lot of different tunes, until you discover that the two of you have a favorite. That's the tune to use, and no other.
posted by nebulawindphone at 12:57 PM on May 2, 2006

The Lovers' Waltz with Jay Ungar
posted by Raybun at 1:04 PM on May 2, 2006

Waltzes are pretty common in the Cajun music repertoire also. I don't have any recommendations for specific tunes, but I bet someone like Beausoleil would have some good ones.
posted by turbodog at 1:11 PM on May 2, 2006

How about Down Home by David Grisman? It's not fiddles, but it is country/bluegrass mandolin. You can listen to a sample here.
posted by jgee at 1:48 PM on May 2, 2006

You can waltz to "At Last" by Etta James. We did. (In my defense, I got married in 1995, long before the song became virtually ubiquitous at weddings. I just knew it as a great song from Northern Exposure).
posted by pardonyou? at 2:22 PM on May 2, 2006

Sventitsky's Waltz from Doctor Zhivago.
posted by languagehat at 3:30 PM on May 2, 2006

Thanks to all of you, and please keep 'em coming....
posted by hwickline at 3:52 PM on May 2, 2006

"Waltz Across Texas" by Ernest Tubb
posted by keswick at 4:34 PM on May 2, 2006

Most waltzes are sad/sombre, which isn't so good for a wedding. One with more of a fairy-tale sound (though not country) is the Introduction/titles track on the Edward Scissorhands soundtrack, composed by Danny Elfman. It's a little faster than a slow waltz though, (but slower than a viennese waltz).
It seems to have become a bit of a mainstream classic, in the sense of being used in movie trailers when they want to give the audience a fairy-tale feel, I don't know if that makes it better or worse for your purposes.

For a country waltz with fiddles and stuff - have you looked at polka? (I'm bringing it up mainly as a search term that might come in handy, since waltz and polka music use different time).

(and also to learn to waltz, but I'm afraid even the great AskMe won't be much help with that)

Short online demonstration videos and notes for waltz steps, international (standard) style

Same, for American (smooth) style

But I second what Nebulawindphone says - have fun learning to waltz, and the "problem" of finding a favourite will go away on its own :)
posted by -harlequin- at 6:20 PM on May 2, 2006

The Tennessee Waltz is a lovely tune and there are lots of country-style recordings, but the words aren't really great for a wedding dance. Believe me, if all those endearing young charms is much more suited in sentiment. And you can't get much more country than Waylon Jennings's Waltz Me to Heaven.
posted by nonane at 6:40 PM on May 2, 2006

My all-time favorite is the Waltz from Masquerade, by Aram Khachaturian.
posted by Daddio at 6:58 PM on May 2, 2006

Most waltzes are sad/sombre, which isn't so good for a wedding

That's exactly why I love the Zhivago one, which is joyous and bouncy (and short—the "Blue Danube" would take up the whole wedding). If I were going to waltz at my wedding, that's what I'd waltz to.
posted by languagehat at 7:50 AM on May 3, 2006

Hometown Waltz by Rufus Wainwright.
posted by cior at 9:03 AM on May 3, 2006