The First Dance (wedding songs)

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So my friend who's marrying into a pretty upper crust family in August has told us what the first song at her wedding is going to be.

Not many of us thought Champange Supernova was entirely apt for a big fancy wedding, but it's 'their song' and if the posh grannies don't like it, or if the mother of the bride can't dance to it, fucking tough.

We don't really have a song, at a push we'd probably say "Come up and See me" by Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, but I'd be apt to go for something a little more cheesy like "Something" by the Beatles or "We've Only Just Begun" by the Carpenters.

If you are married, what song was your first dance taken to? Was it 'your song?' Was your song inappropriate?

Do you have ideas for what your fisrt dance song will be?

― Rumpie, Saturday, 25 June 2005 05:41 (twenty years ago)

For some inexplicable reason, the wife and I figured it had to be a Bond tune. I was pushing for "You Only Live Twice," but we went with "Nobody Does it Better (The Spy Who Loved Me)".

Prior to the Bond theme idea, I'd been pusing for either "Golden Brown" by the Stranglers (which she immediately shot down, not least because it's actually about heroin) or "And I Love Her" by the Bealtes, which -- while inarguably a lovely tune -- is very difficult to dance to. She nominated "At Last" by Etta James, which I vehemently nixed being that it's an appalling cliche.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 25 June 2005 05:59 (twenty years ago)

I'd choose something light, ridiculous, giddy, forget stuffy seriousness or slow weepy "I WUV YOU" stuff, but that's me. Our own Dan Perry's first dance was to a tango, and by god that sounds right OTM as well.

My cousin George and his wife Pilar did dance to Van Morrison's original version of "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" and credit to them, it worked very well. But I have to admit the killer touch was the unplanned addition of Pilar's young nieces (all about four or so) deciding that it would be incredibly good fun to dance ring-around-the-rosey about Auntie Pilar and Uncle George while this was going on. Brilliant.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 25 June 2005 06:00 (twenty years ago)

"Total Eclipse of the Heart" could be funny.....if it weren't so damn long.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 25 June 2005 06:01 (twenty years ago)

not one of these.

― StanM (StanM), Saturday, 25 June 2005 06:27 (twenty years ago)

The day someone choses "Come to Daddy" by Aphex Twin, is the wedding I totally have a great time at =)

― Trayce (trayce), Saturday, 25 June 2005 06:38 (twenty years ago)

My best friend just got married and they danced to Heather Nova 'Doubled Up'. I hadn't heard it before, but it was pretty and I cried.**

My own was Al Green 'Simply Beautiful'.

** I cried at everything, including while making my maid of honor speech, so don't take that as any kind of endorsement.

― luna (luna.c), Saturday, 25 June 2005 07:07 (twenty years ago)

My first time round we had "I'll be your mirror" by the Velvet Underground, which was very much our song.

Mine and Bloke's song is "Take the long way round" by Teenage Fanclub, but you can't dance to that at all. In any case there will be NO DANCING at our wedding.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Saturday, 25 June 2005 07:22 (twenty years ago)

We had "The Wonder of You" by Elvis because we wanted something the grannies would like, we like Elvis, the lyrics are suitably meaningful and we (two possessors of a pair of left feet each) could dance to it, and so could the parents.

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 25 June 2005 07:56 (twenty years ago)

We danced to "Northern Sky". I pushed for "God Only Knows" but it was shot down...only because my wife surprised me by having some acappella singers sing it to us while on the alter.

― Lupton Pitman (Chris V), Saturday, 25 June 2005 11:56 (twenty years ago)

I have DJ'd a few for friends/acquaintances & can remember only 'Here Comes the Sun' & Luna's cover of Sweet Child o' Mine'

― Bill E (bill_e), Sunday, 26 June 2005 22:18 (twenty years ago)

I don't recommend "True Love Travels On A Gravel Road" by Elvis as my marriage only lasted six months.

― Adam Faithless (Adam Faithless), Sunday, 26 June 2005 22:43 (twenty years ago)

My own was Al Green 'Simply Beautiful'.

Excellent choice!

― a real live British pub hooligan (nordicskilla), Sunday, 26 June 2005 22:53 (twenty years ago)

Our first dance was "Born Slippy". Honestly. (It was the only record the DJ had to which we'd agree to dance.)

― Taste the Blood of Scrovula (noodle vague), Sunday, 26 June 2005 22:54 (twenty years ago)

Mine was 'Forever Mine' by the O'Jays
I've always loved it and picked it, we didn't have an 'our song' anyway and she had input on the rest of the playlist, turned out nice.

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Sunday, 26 June 2005 23:07 (twenty years ago)

Ours was supposed to be the Sundays' version of "Wild Horses," but I left the CD at home!!!

So we subbed in the appalling cliche Alex mentions above, since we had it ready to hand on some mix. When we got home the next day, we danced to "Wild Horses."

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Sunday, 26 June 2005 23:10 (twenty years ago)

(and yes, we cribbed the Sundays idea from the Buffy prom episode...which makes it an appalling cliche of its own...)

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Sunday, 26 June 2005 23:28 (twenty years ago)

My cousin had "Love Ballad" by LTD and that was really nice. I might bite that idea when I get married since it'll be so long from now that everyone'll have forgotten.

― Candicissima (candicissima), Sunday, 26 June 2005 23:33 (twenty years ago)

My answer to 85% of life's questions:
17. (Do the) Tighten Up, Pts. 1 & 2, Archie Bell & the Drells

-- Rock Hardy (crump...), May 30th, 2005 7:40 PM. (Rock Hardy) (link)

― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Sunday, 26 June 2005 23:37 (twenty years ago)

Me and the wife danced to Wilco's "Far, Far Away".

― joygoat (joygoat), Monday, 27 June 2005 00:36 (twenty years ago)

Well, We danced our first to Kermit the frog's Rainbow Connection.
That would be Oct. 3, 1987 at a lovely country club that I seem to have forgotten the name of.

― jim wentworth (wench), Monday, 27 June 2005 01:42 (twenty years ago)

we did la vie en rose because we couldn't think of anything better. it was great since we went to paris the next day; except, it was longer than I expected

― kyle (akmonday), Monday, 27 June 2005 02:40 (twenty years ago)

Jim, yours is the best one. I wish I'd done that. I love that song.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Monday, 27 June 2005 06:07 (twenty years ago)

We're having One Love (Horace Andy). Except it won't be an 'official' first dance, there'll be music going on before that. It's just that we've agreed to seek each other out and dance when we get to that song.

― Archel (Archel), Monday, 27 June 2005 08:29 (twenty years ago)

four years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEUwbHXNwTU

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Friday, 11 June 2010 13:52 (fifteen years ago)

lolz

we didnt dance at our wedding THANK GOD. our walk back down the aisle song was silver jews 'send in the clouds'. last thing i remember hearing before entering the room where you apparently have to go hide in immediately after the ceremony was 'i know a puppy who walked from kentucky'

― knocking u out like rocky balboa (sunny successor), Friday, 11 June 2010 14:02 (fifteen years ago)

I wonder if the couple in the above clip are still married.

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Friday, 11 June 2010 15:13 (fifteen years ago)

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