Wedding Central Forum

EternalWillow wrote:

It's funny, I always thought I hated the chicken dance until it was played at my friend's wedding and suddenly everyone was up dancing, including me!! So don't be quick to dismiss "those" songs, like the chicken dance and nutbush and macarena!

Also, yes most things by michael jackson - madonna - even more modern artists like britney spears and justin timberlake have at least a few good dance-y songs! Anything "girl power" will get the women up on the floor - spice girls, christian aguilera, etc. But I think the best dance songs that everyone recognizes comes from the 70's and 80's.

Hehe I've loved the chicken dance from when I was little!

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll add them to my list!

tanzyn wrote:

You cant forget the Grease Megamix!!

Every wedding I've been to this has been played and always has a packed dance floor

I know! It's crazy how popular it is!!!

We are paying a DJ to read the crowd and play what works. We have given him a list of artists we like but at the end of the day he is the professional and im going to let him do his job.

nicjames wrote:

We are paying a DJ to read the crowd and play what works. We have given him a list of artists we like but at the end of the day he is the professional and im going to let him do his job.

I was at a wedding last night and to be honest the DJ was just crap. Constantly played songs that you couldn't dance to. After last nights demonstration I really don't think we are going to go with a DJ.

I know they are cheesy, but I LOVE these at a wedding:

All Night Long - Lionel Richie
Oh What A Night - Frankie Vallie
ABC - The Jackson Five
Twist and Shout - The Beatles
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
Summer of 69 - Bryan Adams
Red Red wine - UB40
Summer Nights - Grease

I think the biggest thing to remember is that often 'cool' music or indie music doesn't get a dance floor pumping like some really cheesy 80s hits do. They're especially good because people without partners or who have partners that don't dance (like me) can still have fun with friends!

Hope that helps

My besties hubby plays in a wedding duo and so I asked him what he reckons. Here is his response.

Mai xxx



Hi Mai,
We just spent the weekend at a bridal expo discussing that very topic of conversation, which also often dovetails into the Band vs DJ dilemma, which I have covered as well.

When it comes to dancing at a wedding reception, the main point to consider is your guests. Yes it is your wedding, but your guests are what makes it memorable or not. Would you rather have a night full of boring, mostly unknown indie music by a band ‘you’ love, or have a mix of classic, known party songs that most people know and will want to dance to?

In the duo, we provide a mix of live music and pre-recorded music to try and cater for the guest list, which is generally everyone from a sleeping baby to a great grandma.

Dance songs that we play live that always tend to work well include:
I'm a believer - Monkees
Moondance - Van Morrison
Brown Eyed Girl - van Morrison
Crazy little thing called love - Queen
Bad moon rising - Creedence
April Sun in Cuba - Dragon
Eagle Rock - Daddy Cool
Gimme some lovin - Spencer Davis Group
Old time rock n roll - Bob Seger
Roadhouse Blues - The Doors
Sweet Home Alabama - Lynrd Skynrd
Summer of 69 - Bryan Adams
500 Miles - The Proclaimers (a great song to get a conga line going)

Prerecorded songs we use for dancing include:
Nut Bush – Tina Turner
Grease Mega Mix
YMCA – Village People
Love Shack – B52s
Jessie’s Girl – Rick Springfield
Blame it on the boogie – Michael Jackson

Then of course there will be more recent songs that get the younger guests excited like:
Moves like Jagger – Maroon 5
Baby – Bieber
etc.

Then for the oldies, we might put on some old school swing or upbeat jazz standards.

The trick here is to keep the music flowing. Most people will stay on a dance floor for one song they don’t like, waiting for the next song. Keeping a mix of classic songs and older or newer stuff tends to work best.


We have found that by offering a mix of live music (like a band) and pre recorded (like a DJ) we are able to offer a ‘musical solution’ that ensures all the guests have a great time, and therefore look back on it as a memorable wedding.

Band vs DJ
A band has the live music dynamic that a DJ cannot reproduce, but will be limited to the style they know/play. Plus depending on the size of the band, will take up more space and will cost more to feed.
A DJ will be able to play any song, by any artist at the touch of the button, (so long as they have it) and as they are a solo operation therefore can be a cheaper option, but will lack the energy that comes from a live performance.
Studies have shown (and through experience playing weddings, we agree entirely) that most people prefer a live music experience than a pre recorded one, and therefore based on that logic, the majority of your guests will enjoy a live music experience at your wedding more than a night full of pre recorded music.
Both have their place of course, which is why with the duo, we have covered the advantages of both a band and a DJ, and as there are only 2 of us, it is an economical choice for wedding music.


Hope that helps
Steve
Us2 Duo

Slinky wrote:

Groove is in the Heart - Deee Lite

The had it on How I Met Your Mother last night, Barney and Robyn did an awesome dance to it, and it made me want to dance! That is one dance song that is going on my list.

Ditto! This has been on my playlist right from the start. Have always loved it from back in the day (that's back in MY day girls lol) and have great memories of nights out clubbing and groovin' to this

Hey GApro87,

I would have a mix of stuff, if you have a big mix of people/ages.

Something more mellow, in the background for meals. Think Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, Norah Jones etc. And then some more upbeat stuff when you want people to get up and dance.

Personally, I would go for some 'classics', like the Beatles, Elvis, Michael Jackson, etc for the more mature folks. And then have a mix of current / Top 40 stuff too if you have younger people there as well. In my experience, it's the classics that get people up and moving. Everyone can relate to them

Good luck

This is my list so far. We have to sortlist and get it down to 4 hours. Eek and im still finding more

Be Mine Tonight Th' Dudes
Rain Dragon
Close to you Calvin Harris
You Used to Hold Me Calvin Harris
Benny and the Jets Elton John
Layla Eric Clapton
Howling The Black Keys
Bucket Kings Of Leon
Punching in Dream The Naked and Famour
My Delirium Ladyhawke
One Shapeshifter
Whats the time Mr Wolf south side of bombay
galvanise chemical brothers
Red red wine UB40
black and gold sam sparro
juicy notorious b.i.g.
Everywhere Fleetwood Mac
Somebody to Love Me Marc Ronson
Only Girl Rhianna
Electric Dream MGMT
MTV Dire Straits
I was made for loving you Kiss
Roxanne The Police
Valerie Marc Ronson
Adrian Lutz Teenage Crime
Generator Foo Fighters
You Shook Me All Night Long AC/DC
Pour Some Sugar On Me Def Leppard
Love Shack B-52s
Please don’t stop the music Rihanna
Staying Alive Bee Gees
Blister in the Sun Violet Femmes
Tainted Love Soft Cell
Groove is in the heart Dee-lite
Banquet Block Party
Dutchies Shapeshifter
Lifetime Shapeshifter
What I got Sublime
Morning Glory Oasis
Shutterbug Big Boi
Fu-Gee-La The Fugees
something so Strong Crowded House
Pressure Drop Toots and Maytal
Play the funky music Wild Cherry
Lets Dance David Bowie
Funkytown Lipps Inc
shake your grove thing peaches and herb
jump pointer sisters
shout the isley brothers
push IT Salt and Pepper
you should dancing the bee gees
le freak Chic
blame it on the boogie michael jackson
respect aretha franklin
bootilicous destiny child
hip hop hippy The sugarhill gang
ritual union little dragon
Lights on katy b
lonely boy the black keys
Love is what I got Santeria
The message grandmaster flash
What I like about you The romantics
Dynamite Taio Cruz
american boy estelle
single ladies beyonce
wandering eye fat freddys drop
Do it again Chemical brothers
under the sun herve fat boy remix
slice of heaven The herbs
My minds sedate shihad
is this love bob marley
I see red Split Enz
knock on wood Donna summer
Twist and Shout beatles
Brown Eyed Girl Van Morrison
Grease MegaMix Grease
Summer of 69 Bryan Adams
Mr Jones Counting Crows
I'm a Believer The Monkey
Crazy Little Thing Called Love Queen
Bad Moon Rising Creedence Clearwater
April Sun in Cuba Dragon
Moves Like Jagger Maroon 5


its a weird combination of songs we love together, that our friend love and songs we grew up with. But a good starting point, plus I got the last few from an earlier poster on here!

I hope you don't mind me stealing some from your list Mel! Music is still a big to do on my list!

For me, I love anything by the Beatles! Most their stuff tends to get me up on the dance floor.
And Dancing by myself (Billy Idol), can not hear this song with dancing, even if I haven't had anything to drink

Go for it kate, thats why I posted it! I know it took me a while and looking at alot of lists to come up with our playlist

I had -- Heaven Must Have Sent You by Steve Morgan —

I having old school songs from the 80s and 90s

Party songs of pitbull and david gueta is one of the best option that makes you dance.

David Guetta all the way!

Moves Like Jagger, but I'm not totally sure that's appropriate at a wedding

I am currently at my girlfriends house, and her hubby plays in a wedding duo so I asked him for you. Here's what he said:

"In my experience with performing at weddings over the last 5 years, I have found that the best way to have a memorable wedding is to choose music that caters to the age and energy of the guests, and the general vibe of the wedding. This can really only be done on the fly as the night progresses. So many times we have had brides (or grooms) give us a list of songs they want played that 'they like', however the guests weren't familiar with the music so they were less inspired to get up and have a dance, resulting in a less than average party.
It is really about creating a memorable wedding and to do that requires experience reading a crowd, taking (and refusing) requests as they come in, and most importantly playing a range of different songs from different artists and eras. A combination of live music and pre recorded music tends to work best. Thats what we do in the duo. This gives the majority of guests that want that live music dynamic a good experience, and for those that want the doof doof or current hip hop or dance tracks some time for them too. Wedding guests can range from babys to great grandma, so the right mix of songs truly can leave the guests walking out of the wedding feeling like they have just been to something really special.
Having said all of this, some of the sure fire standards that can get almost any dance floor pumping are:
Jessies Girl
Grease mega mix
YMCA
Nut Bush
Love shack
Summer of 69
Abba

I hope that helps you Mai and you can let your friends know that we have a song list on our website they can have a look on for inspiration if they want". http://www.melbourneacousticduo.com

Hope this helps,
Mai xxx

Rene & Angela - I'll Be Good !!!!!!!!! best song ever but im an 80s baby so wouldn't suit everybody.

I've been doing something similar over the last few weeks as we're doing our own music for the wedding. I went through Wikipedia's list of number 1 singles & albums from the 60s on.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARIA_Chart ... ne_singles
And then for some more alternative styles I also went through the Triple J hottest 100
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_J_Hottest_100
It took me a few weeks worth of evenings to basically listen to all of them on youtube and put the ones I liked into a playlist then I'll use that as my purchasing list to get MP3s off Amazon/iTunes.

I am also sizzle with this song. This one is greatest is the listening music ever.