Putting together a wedding dance playlist

[Hunter X]

I'm planning a wedding, my own, and I've reached one of the fun parts of the planning: putting together the music we'll all dance to at the end. My fiancee isn't really into music--she's more into the dancing part--so the responsibility has pretty much fallen solely on me. I'm pretty happy with the music I've selected, and my sister has recommended a lot of songs she used at her wedding, but I've decided to cast my net for recommendations on a wider sea: here.

So what are your favourite dance songs? What has to be played at a wedding? How about songs that you groan every time they come on at a dance? My fiancee's veto input so far has consisted of no YMCA, no Chicken Dance. I have no issue with this.

Also, I was wondering if anyone had tips on how to structure the dance list. Should I follow a formula of, for example, 3 upbeat songs and 1 slow one, or should I go more by instinct?

 

[Joy]

The Cupid Shuffle is a really fun one, as is the Cha-Cha Slide.

 

[Mistral]

You need Santo and Johnny. Even if its just for dinner music. And Stomp on anyone who tells you you have to have Colour My World. Trite, saccharine garbage played at too many weddings in this country.
For the Bride/Father dance you might try Oh Daddy by Fleetwood Mac. I used to suggest it when I DJ'd weddings and it actually netted me a $100 tip at one.

Dance music- (Old Time) Rock N Roll by Bob Seeger always wowed them.

La Bamba. The Twist. Twist and Shout by the Beatles. Fun stuff that hits across generations. Watch out for "club" sounds. Michael Jackson's fast stuff was poison. ABC by the Jackson 5 did well. Bill Bev Debo(?) had a song called Poison that went over well. Can't Touch This by MC Hammer.

Give your guests enough fast, fun songs to tucker them a little then mix in a couple slow ones. Don't be afraid of reaching back into the past, either. Begin the Beguine works as well as any slow dance tune. Patsy Cline is a crowd pleaser. Old Linda Ronstadt stuff, The Commodores, etc. And whatever you do-don't forget some Elvis. Fast or slow. Do you have a song picked out for your first dance as a married couple? its important-your wife will remember it for years to come no matter what her general interest in music is.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

No wedding reception dance playlist is complete without:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc-P8oDuS0Q[/yt]

 

[Hunter X]

You need Santo and Johnny. Even if its just for dinner music. And Stomp on anyone who tells you you have to have Colour My World. Trite, saccharine garbage played at too many weddings in this country.
For the Bride/Father dance you might try Oh Daddy by Fleetwood Mac. I used to suggest it when I DJ'd weddings and it actually netted me a $100 tip at one.

Unfortunately, there's no father/daughter dance due to her Dad not being much of a Dad. We've discussed a few alternatives for a dance after hers and mine--like just a family member dance or bridal party dancing with their significant others dance--but we'll probably just go straight from our first dance to the rest of the night.

Dance music- (Old Time) Rock N Roll by Bob Seeger always wowed them.

La Bamba. The Twist. Twist and Shout by the Beatles. Fun stuff that hits across generations. Watch out for "club" sounds. Michael Jackson's fast stuff was poison. ABC by the Jackson 5 did well. Bill Bev Debo(?) had a song called Poison that went over well. Can't Touch This by MC Hammer.

Give your guests enough fast, fun songs to tucker them a little then mix in a couple slow ones. Don't be afraid of reaching back into the past, either. Begin the Beguine works as well as any slow dance tune. Patsy Cline is a crowd pleaser. Old Linda Ronstadt stuff, The Commodores, etc. And whatever you do-don't forget some Elvis. Fast or slow.

A lot of these names I don't have. Elvis and Michael Jackson I do. I'll definitely check the rest out. Both my brother and sister are married, and their weddings had dances, so I've noted what songs we most enjoyed dancing to, such as Billie Jean, Superstition by Stevie Wonder, Hip to be Square by Huey Lewis and the News, It's a Good Day by Peggy Lee, Twist and Shout by the Beatles, etc. My sister sent me a list of mostly oldies...so much so that at first the playlist sounded like it was for a wedding in the 60's before I threw in some newer stuff.

Do you have a song picked out for your first dance as a married couple? its important-your wife will remember it for years to come no matter what her general interest in music is.

Yeah, we have Come Rain, Come Shine done by Ray Charles. She found it, we both like it, and it hasn't been done at any other family member's wedding.

 

[Cmndr J Crichton]

White Wedding by Billy Idol
Or for a group experience, Mony mony, by Billy Idol.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

White Wedding by Billy Idol
Or for a group experience, Mony mony, by Billy Idol.

Actually, this particular mashup version might make an interesting slow dance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZYR5czOEN8

 

[JiNX-01]

Well, if you'd like to do something romantic (God forbid), how about "Unforgettable"?

 

[Mistral]

Almost forgot: SHOUT! by the (Isley Brothers?) from Animal House soundtrack

For more modern sounds:
Pink, Lady Gaga, White Stripes, Weezer, KT Tunstall, Amy Winehouse

and I agree with Mony, Mony by B Idol. Great dance tune.

You might also browse Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, Bobby Darren, and Elton John for either/or upbeat or slow dance music

No Doubt, the Go-Gos, Bananarama all have good danceable stuff, too. The B52s.

Lemme dig out the cds I made for my own wedding and get back to this tomorrow....

 

[Nerys Myk]

Nick Lowe - "I Knew The Bride When She Used To Rock And Roll"
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn1CXbf2xF8[/yt]

Or maybe not.

 

[Jetfire]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuBmiu68ECU[/yt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuBmiu68ECU

 

[Hunter X]

Thanks, everyone! Good suggestions, especially in regards to some songs I had forgotten (Can't Touch This, Come on Eileen)

 

[Aragorn]

Almost every wedding I've been to played YMCA, Electric Slide and Celebration. It gets old, but YMCA gets the non-dancers out there, and Electric Slide... gets a lot of old people out there.

What is your age group? Assuming that most of your friends are in the same age range, playing songs from your high school and college era gets a lot of people going. Fast stuff gets the younger crowd out there going, while slow stuff gets the old people and couples going.

If you get your wedding party to dance the Thriller or something like that, that would impress the crowd.

 

[Kirby]

Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Perkins is a great alternative to YMCA. It's rare enough that people won't expect it, and it's energetic enough to get people moving.

When I See You Smile by Bad English is a really good romantic slow song. Yeah, it's sappy, but the older people will like it. Good couples song because who doesn't like to see their significant other smile... unless they're British.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

When I was a kid a wedding was never complete until Joy To The World was played, or as we kids used to call it Jeremiah was a Bullfrog.

 

[Hunter X]

Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Perkins is a great alternative to YMCA. It's rare enough that people won't expect it, and it's energetic enough to get people moving.

Oo, awesome. I forgot about this song.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Carl Perkins? I think it was Carl Douglas. Unless there's a Rock-a-Billy remake I'm unaware of.

 

[Kirby]

^^^ LOL! I'd love to see that version! You're right, I meant Carl Douglas.

 

[Joy]

The Fatboy Slim version of Kung Fu Fighting is a very grooving song.

Look up "Dancing in the Street" as done by Bowie and Jagger. So. Freaking. Awesome.

 

[Mistral]

Look up "Dancing in the Street" as done by Bowie and Jagger. So. Freaking. Awesome.

So. Freakin. Bad. Stick with Martha and the Vandellas, or whomever it was that did the "original" hit version.