The dreaded mother-son dance
February 26, 2019 5:12 PM Subscribe
Please hope us pick a good song for the mother-son dance.
Umpteen years ago, I asked this question for father-daughter wedding dance song suggestions. Now, it’s my wife’s turn, as our son is getting married in May, and there will be a mother-son dance, of course. Surprisingly (not) there aren’t a lot of appropriate songs out there that don’t veer off into being juuuuuust a bit...creepy. So, we turn to the green.
Please hit us with your best suggestions. You folks came up with a winner for me, and I just know you will come up with something great for the missus.
Thanks!
Umpteen years ago, I asked this question for father-daughter wedding dance song suggestions. Now, it’s my wife’s turn, as our son is getting married in May, and there will be a mother-son dance, of course. Surprisingly (not) there aren’t a lot of appropriate songs out there that don’t veer off into being juuuuuust a bit...creepy. So, we turn to the green.
Please hit us with your best suggestions. You folks came up with a winner for me, and I just know you will come up with something great for the missus.
Thanks!
We used Loves Me Like a Rock by Paul Simon, here.
posted by FencingGal at 5:33 PM on February 26, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by FencingGal at 5:33 PM on February 26, 2019 [6 favorites]
Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" has a nice message.
posted by rachaelfaith at 5:51 PM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by rachaelfaith at 5:51 PM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
You've got a friend, with the Carole King version, or the James Taylor one?
posted by Calvin and the Duplicators at 5:53 PM on February 26, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by Calvin and the Duplicators at 5:53 PM on February 26, 2019 [5 favorites]
Little Wing always makes me tear up a bit.
posted by Wavelet at 5:53 PM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Wavelet at 5:53 PM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
It's hard to tell if the negative tone ("dreaded", "creepy", etc) is flippant or an actual reflection of the involved parties' feelings about the mother-son dance. But it's completely OK not to do it if either your son or wife don't want to. Even if the bride and and her father are doing one. Even if it's otherwise a completely standard wedding with all the bells and whistles. You don't have to do anything at your wedding that you don't want to do, or that anyone involved doesn't want to do. You really, really don't! (We did not do any of the traditional dances at our wedding. Everyone survived. We are still married.)
On the other hand, if the distaste was meant to be a joke or just not reflective of the actual mother and son's feelings about it, here are some suggestions:
Joni Mitchell, "Circle Game". Not super danceable, but it's so sweet!
Beatles, "In My Life". Or maybe "Beautiful Boy"? Which I guess is just John Lennon? You get it.
Queen, "Best Friend".
posted by the milkman, the paper boy at 5:58 PM on February 26, 2019 [11 favorites]
On the other hand, if the distaste was meant to be a joke or just not reflective of the actual mother and son's feelings about it, here are some suggestions:
Joni Mitchell, "Circle Game". Not super danceable, but it's so sweet!
Beatles, "In My Life". Or maybe "Beautiful Boy"? Which I guess is just John Lennon? You get it.
Queen, "Best Friend".
posted by the milkman, the paper boy at 5:58 PM on February 26, 2019 [11 favorites]
I'm in a band that frequently plays weddings (like upwards of 20 a year.) By far, the best motherboy dance I've witnessed was to The Beatles' "Help!"
posted by emelenjr at 5:59 PM on February 26, 2019 [16 favorites]
posted by emelenjr at 5:59 PM on February 26, 2019 [16 favorites]
I almost forgot: Stevie Wonder’s You are the Sunshine of My Life
posted by armeowda at 6:12 PM on February 26, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by armeowda at 6:12 PM on February 26, 2019 [4 favorites]
My mother and I danced to "Margaret's Waltz" by Connie Kaldor. It had some specific sentimental value for me & her (I grew up on the Prairies and have since moved away), but the "home is where the heart is" sentiment might resonate with anyone.
posted by Johnny Assay at 6:25 PM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Johnny Assay at 6:25 PM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
Van Morrison's Days Like This. Here are the lyrics.
posted by defreckled at 6:25 PM on February 26, 2019
posted by defreckled at 6:25 PM on February 26, 2019
"Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks; "Summerime" sung by Peter Gabriel but really that song has quite the wide spectrum of singers to get the right tone.
posted by jadepearl at 7:14 PM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by jadepearl at 7:14 PM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
Your search is over:
OK, on a more serious note, how about "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong?
posted by DavidfromBA at 7:39 PM on February 26, 2019 [4 favorites]
OK, on a more serious note, how about "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong?
posted by DavidfromBA at 7:39 PM on February 26, 2019 [4 favorites]
I always thought Natalie Merchant's Kind and Generous was the perfect song for a parent/child dance.
posted by Constance Mirabella at 7:59 PM on February 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Constance Mirabella at 7:59 PM on February 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
I played "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" all the time during my son's infancy. If he asked me to pick a mother-son dance I'd pick that in a heartbeat (although he's only two now so I guess we have time for something else to supplant it, haha). Are there any songs that were special to their early relationship?
posted by potrzebie at 8:06 PM on February 26, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by potrzebie at 8:06 PM on February 26, 2019 [3 favorites]
Witnessed: Unforgettable (Nat King Cole, Natalie Cole), God Only Knows (The Beach Boys)
For your consideration:
Lean On Me (Bill Withers)
I'll Be There - (Jackson 5)
You Make Me Feel So Young (Ella Fitzgerald)
How Glad I Am (Nancy Wilson)
Ain't no Mountain High Enough (Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell)
Reach Out I'll Be There (Four Tops)
What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
Here Comes the Sun (The Beatles)
posted by Iris Gambol at 8:17 PM on February 26, 2019 [3 favorites]
For your consideration:
Lean On Me (Bill Withers)
I'll Be There - (Jackson 5)
You Make Me Feel So Young (Ella Fitzgerald)
How Glad I Am (Nancy Wilson)
Ain't no Mountain High Enough (Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell)
Reach Out I'll Be There (Four Tops)
What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
Here Comes the Sun (The Beatles)
posted by Iris Gambol at 8:17 PM on February 26, 2019 [3 favorites]
A little 70s soul might be fun: I'll always love my mama
posted by she's not there at 9:05 PM on February 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by she's not there at 9:05 PM on February 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
If your wife's name is Mary: my cousin's mother-son dance was to Let It Be.
posted by bendy at 9:11 PM on February 26, 2019
posted by bendy at 9:11 PM on February 26, 2019
sunrise sunset
posted by brujita at 11:23 PM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by brujita at 11:23 PM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
Somewhere on the green or on reddit, I read about a mother-son dance to The Rainbow Connection, and I still think about how that could be perfect.
posted by umwhat at 4:07 AM on February 27, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by umwhat at 4:07 AM on February 27, 2019 [4 favorites]
Rainbow Connection
Somewhere on the green or on reddit, I read about a mother-son dance to The Rainbow Connection yt , and I still think about how that could be perfect.
That was my Father Daughter dance song and it was PERFECT! We used the Willie Nelson version. It's so beautiful.
posted by Dressed to Kill at 4:12 AM on February 27, 2019 [5 favorites]
Somewhere on the green or on reddit, I read about a mother-son dance to The Rainbow Connection yt , and I still think about how that could be perfect.
That was my Father Daughter dance song and it was PERFECT! We used the Willie Nelson version. It's so beautiful.
posted by Dressed to Kill at 4:12 AM on February 27, 2019 [5 favorites]
I've always thought Paul Simon's Loves Me Like a Rock would make for a great mother-son dance. Might be too up tempo though.
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 5:12 AM on February 27, 2019
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 5:12 AM on February 27, 2019
I danced with my son to My Wish. I'm by no means a country music fan (classical is my thing) but the sentiment and danceability of the song resonated with everyone deeply.
posted by angiep at 7:04 AM on February 27, 2019
posted by angiep at 7:04 AM on February 27, 2019
The best one I ever saw was to the Miracles' "Shop Around":
When I became of age my mother called me to her side,
She said, "Son, you're growing up now pretty soon you'll take a bride"
And then she said, "Just because you've become a young man now,
There's still somethings that you don't understand now,
Before you ask some girl for her hand now
Keep your freedom for as long as you can now."
My mama told me, "You better shop around, (Shop, shop)
Oh yeah, you better shop around" (Shop, shop around)
But you have to be prepared for up-tempo dancing.
posted by CiaoMela at 7:10 AM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
When I became of age my mother called me to her side,
She said, "Son, you're growing up now pretty soon you'll take a bride"
And then she said, "Just because you've become a young man now,
There's still somethings that you don't understand now,
Before you ask some girl for her hand now
Keep your freedom for as long as you can now."
My mama told me, "You better shop around, (Shop, shop)
Oh yeah, you better shop around" (Shop, shop around)
But you have to be prepared for up-tempo dancing.
posted by CiaoMela at 7:10 AM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
We did Talking Heads "Dream Operator" and it worked as a joint parent/kid dance. I think it's such a sweet song that touches on growing up into your own but isn't sappy. The musical intro is super long, though, so we made a version that cut a lot of it out and started closer to the lyrics (around the 1:15 mark).
When you were little
You dreamed you were big
You must have been something
A real tiny kid
You wish you were me
I wish I was you
Now don't you wake up
The dream will come true
Every dream has a name
And names tell your story
This song is your dream
You're the dream operator
posted by LKWorking at 9:02 AM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
When you were little
You dreamed you were big
You must have been something
A real tiny kid
You wish you were me
I wish I was you
Now don't you wake up
The dream will come true
Every dream has a name
And names tell your story
This song is your dream
You're the dream operator
posted by LKWorking at 9:02 AM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
More Than Everything - Roberta Flack
My son is only 3, but goshdarnit this entire thread is making me weep
posted by Everydayville at 9:28 AM on February 27, 2019 [2 favorites]
My son is only 3, but goshdarnit this entire thread is making me weep
posted by Everydayville at 9:28 AM on February 27, 2019 [2 favorites]
You guys not heard of Ed Sheeran? Consistently topping all dance songs for weddings. Even better try to get a singer to perform one of Ed's songs live - will be memorable for all.
posted by jallypeeno at 10:38 AM on February 27, 2019
posted by jallypeeno at 10:38 AM on February 27, 2019
"Consistently topping all dance songs for weddings"That list is over a year old but Ed still leads the more recent polls.
posted by jallypeeno at 10:52 AM on February 27, 2019
If you are looking to make everyone sob uncontrollably, you can do like my cousin did and pick "Baby Mine" from Dumbo. (from the scene where Dumbo visits his mom in jail and she holds him in her trunk THROUGH THE JAIL WINDOW augh)
posted by exceptinsects at 11:25 AM on February 27, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by exceptinsects at 11:25 AM on February 27, 2019 [3 favorites]
My husband surprised his mother with this version of You Are My Sunshine because she used to sing it to him when he was little.
posted by Nolechick11 at 7:14 PM on March 1, 2019
posted by Nolechick11 at 7:14 PM on March 1, 2019
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The Ronettes’ Be My Baby would be charmingly cheeky in this context.
posted by armeowda at 5:27 PM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]