Need some music help :)

[SW MI Planner]

OK, completely off topic, but I need some assistance...

We have to supply our DJ a 'must play' list and a 'under no circumstance are you to play that' list. What songs (if any) get you on the dance floor, or at least moving in your chair - hahahha. What songs do you absolute hate to hear at receptions, or anytime?

What are your feelings on the chicken dance, hokey pokey, cha cha slide, hustle, blah blah blah?

I'm counting on you guys
Thanks mucho!
Christine

 

[Chet]

Skip the chicken dance but get the "unicorn song". Its a great Irish fable. You know,

There where green alligators,
and long neck geese
humpty back camels
and chimpanzees
lions and tigers, as sure as you're born
the greatest of them all was the unicorn...

 

[PlannerGirl]

lol im with bturk on this one-its a riot esp if there are little kids there.

my sisters wedding they played "friends in low places" i found it distasteful as all hell.

but to each their own.

D

 

[statler]

I don't know much about dance music, but for a first or last dance song, I've never heard one more beautiful than Marc Cohn's True Companion

It's off his self-titled album, available at fine record stores everywhere.

 

[Tranplanner]

My wife and I came up with a list of play/do not play songs for our reception. Unfortunately, a lot of the music we wanted to have played, the DJ did not have (it would have been nice if he had told us this before the wedding). My mother-in-law hired the DJ, and unbeknownst to us, she got an "oldies" specialist...

There is a website out there that he gave us that has the top 200 wedding songs - I'll see if I can find it for you. A lot of DJs use that apparently when buying their music.

In terms of "do not play", we didn't have much - no Eminem, no Macarena, no country (unless specifically requested). We didn't really want the bird dance either, but my brother used my 6 year old niece against me to get it on the playlist...

 

[Habanero]

Oh Statler- great choice! I also like Frank, except I don't know if "Lady is a tramp" would be that good of a song..

80s for dancing, and unless you've got some serious country listeners, I wouldn't reccommend that. A couple requested a country song at a wedding I went to and everyone cleared the dance floor.

The chicken dance makes me think of drunk nights at Oktoberfest..

 

[sal95]

'Celebration' is a good one and everyone always seems to get up for the overplayed, cheesy, but fun YMCA. Throw in some slow songs for couples and those married folks who like to reminisce about their weddings. These usually tend to be country songs, however I did get married down in Texas.

 

[donk]

My funny wedding music stories:

At my cousin's wedding we "danced" to limp biskit, rage against the machine, the smiths and porno for pyros. this all happened near the end of the night and was because someone went out to the car to get theirown CD's because the DJ sucked so bad. this all occurred at a private yacht club. it was odd seeing a bride getting hoisted into the air by a group of drunks.

A friend had a similar idea and it worked well, on teh invitation he asked everyone to bring their favourite dance CD. Just remebr that the people at teh wedding are of all age groups and that the reception is in a church hall. Pretty good songs and story's about why people picked them.

 

[prudence]

A few thoughts...

Tony Bennett
Throw a polka in
Some swing is always popular


My advice is "Don't cater to the lowest common denominator...

 

[SW MI Planner]

Yah, my mom asked me yesterday...."you guys aren't going to have a lot of that........ *rap* music are you?"

It was kind of funny...

We only are able to pick like ten songs we definately want played, and ten we definately DO NOT want played, that way they can take requests. I just people to have fun, and not be bored.

the conscientious host , Christine

 

[Downtown]

Christine-

Here was our banned list:
The Funky Chicken
The Macarena
The Electric Slide
The Hokey Pokey

It is a really good sign that the DJ is planning on lots of requests, that way you don't have to direct the music that much. We loved our dj at our wedding. He asked for the wedding guest demographics, to which we responded "Rob's crazy polish catholic family and all my sorority sisters" The dj then said "Ah. Lots of Polkas and Natalie Merchant and Indigo Girls, eh?" We knew we were in good hands.

Good luck! When's the wedding?

Kelly

 

[Chet]

Dont forget a few classic disco tunes

-Kung Fu Fighting
-Play that funky music white boy

 

[Tom R]

tunes

The Stripper (David Rose Orch.) for the garter thing.
Little Deuce Coop (Beach Boys) is a great dance tune.
Stay away from Jimmy Buffett, at least till later.

 

[Repo Man]

If and when I get married, there will be no chicken dance or macerena. I would prefer to eliminate Eric Clapton's "You Look Wonderful Tonight" and the Electric Slide too.

I do like the replacement of the always fun "Locomotion" train with the more hip "C'mon Ride That Train" by the Quad City DJ's. It is always funny to see grandma dancing along to a song that has the line "Right about now it's about that time for me to holler Girl, I wanna waller in the back of my Impala " I was once in a train that went into another wedding reception where it picked up about 1/2 of their guests including the bride and groom.

Stay away from Clarence Carter's "Strokin" too. I was at a wedding and witnessed the shock on older people's faces when the "Stroke it Clarence Carter, but don´t stroke so fast If my stuff ain´t tight enough, you can stick it up my..." line came up

Some good must play songs: Twist and Shout, Jump Around - by House of Pain, Beastie Boys - Fight For Your Right to Party, ACDC - You Shook Me All Night Long, Safety Dance, and just about anything 80s. That remix of Elvis' "A Little Less Conversation" would be a sweet tune at a wedding too.

I was at a wedding 2 weeks ago where they played Nelly's "It's Gettin Hot In Here" and Eminem's "Without You." Although they were at the end of the night when all of the grandparents were gone.

 

[Tranplanner]

I'm a huge Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine, and Clash fan. I tried real hard to fit some of those into the playlist, but given the demographics of the reception I decided against it. If the reception had gone on later, and all the "old" people had left, I would have gotten some of my CDs out.

Like I said earlier, our DJ was more of an oldies specialist, and didn't actually "own" many of the songs we wanted to hear. I still haven't found that damn website.

Some more ideas:

"Fly me to the Moon" Frank Sinatra
"Rasputin" - ????
"The Power of Love" - Frankie Goes to Hollywood

 

[SW MI Planner]

In 30 days baby!! (( I'm really not too excited or anything! yah right))

Chad has been NO help. His one music selection was area codes by ludicris: "I've got hoes...(i've got hoes)...in different area codes....(area codes)" That kind of goes with the Strokin thing - I am sure he will come up with that next. His other idea was 'I shot the Sheriff'. Who the heck would play that at a wedding????? What a dork.

It's hard to decide about the different line dances...people either hate them or love them. I think I might just tell the DJ to play them on request.

For the garter thing...Chad wants to go hide somewhere, have the DJ play "They call me the fireman" by George Straight, then come out in his bunker gear (he's a fireman). Again, what a dork!! Oh well, he's let me do most of the stuff anyway, so I guess if he wants to, more power to him.

I guess it kind of fits the whole feeling of the night....it will be very nice (I hope), but I want it to be relaxed and fun without being too ghetto ((I just learned to make that smily face...I love it!!!))

Thanks for your help..feel free to keep them coming!

 

[Chet]

In 30 days baby!! (( I'm really not too excited or anything! yah right))

Chad has been NO help. His one music selection was area codes by ludicris: "I've got hoes...(i've got hoes)...in different area codes....(area codes)"

LOLOL! So, his idea of a dance is a lap dance huh?

 

[Tranplanner]

What a dork...
Again, what a dork!!...

It must be love!!!!

 

[SW MI Planner]

'bout it

 

[SW MI Planner]

'bout it

 

[SW MI Planner]

Can I post that again...and again.....

I mean dork in the lovingly - est (is that a word) way!!

 

[Downtown]

sigh. I just love weddings so much. My advice is that if you're having a night reception, once it gets past 11, you can play whatever you want because either all the old people have gone home, or are sufficiently liquored up enough to not care about dancing to "I like big butts". Also, if you have an older crowd, bust the swing stuff out early, as they all know how to do it. However, IMO, if you have a younger crowd, bring out the swing after everyone's had several cocktails, because then not only will you get the real swing dancers, but the ones who are sloppily faking it, and that is always entertaining.

 

[PlannerGirl]

heres a tear jerker

my sisters wedding labor day weekend-dad picked "butterfly kisses"' to dance with my sister and i togther

my mom passed on a few years back and he did not dance with me at my wedding so it was his way to dance with both of us and have mom "there"

everyone in the room welled up but it was wonderful way for the brid, her sister and the dad to dance

yha i can be mushy when i have to be

 

[Downtown]

awww...... my dad and i danced to louis armstrong's Wonderful World. He's quite the dancer, so we looked pretty good, but we were both crying through the whole thing - first time i've ever seen my dad cry.

Rob and I danced to Nat King Cole's L-O-V-E (played on the movie Quick Change's opening credits - hee) we had the whole first danced all choreographed for a fox trot, with all the turns and spins, etc. etc. We kept it a secret from most people, so most of the guests were really surprised and it went over pretty well - people still mention it to us.

 

[Chet]

I'm terrible. I have no recollection of the songs from my wedding.

 

[pandersen]

"Must Have Music"

Obvioously, tastes vary but if you were in Canada and wanted to celebrate being Canadian, you simply must play the "Hockey Song", "Bud The Spud" or "Margo's Cargo" by Stompin' Tom Connors.