Need help badly - Need wedding first dance song

[lynchjm24]

The title says it all.

I have found nothing suitable. I am open to ideas.

The shorter the song the better.

[albionmoonlight]

At Last--Etta James

[lynchjm24]

At Last--Etta James

Please tell me this is a cruel joke.

[albionmoonlight]

Please tell me this is a cruel joke.

Nope. I think that it is one of the more beautiful songs out there. Your milage obviously varies.

FWIW, Mrs. A. and I used Moon River. Two drifters off to see the world and all that.

If you like it, feel free to borrow, though based on your reaction to At Last, I doubt that you will want to.

Another option may be to just google "romantic songs" or to look through the catalouge of a classic artist like Frank Sinatra.

[lynchjm24]

Nope. I think that it is one of the more beautiful songs out there. Your milage obviously varies.

FWIW, Mrs. A. and I used Moon River. Two drifters off to see the world and all that.

If you like it, feel free to borrow.

It's not a bad song. It's just a little cliche at this point. The girls I work with are trying to help me and everytime I shoot down their ideas they tell me I'll be stuck with it.

[albionmoonlight]

Hmmm.

If you want something cool but a little different, what about "When I'm 64" by the Beatles? Short, cute-romantic, but certainly not cliche.

[JediKooter]

I do have to ask, why, the shorter the better? My wife and I danced to "Grow Old With Me" by Adam Sandler. It wasn't too long of a song from what I can remember.

[lynchjm24]

I do have to ask, why, the shorter the better? My wife and I danced to "Grow Old With Me" by Adam Sandler. It wasn't too long of a song from what I can remember.

Neither of us is particularly fond of being the center of attention.

[SackAttack]

Neither of us is particularly fond of being the center of attention.

I got news for you, if you're holding a reception, what do you think you are?

Wallflowers ain't the answer I'm looking for. :)

[Schmidty]

"The Battle Hymn of the Republic".

[lynchjm24]

I got news for you, if you're holding a reception, what do you think you are?

Wallflowers ain't the answer I'm looking for. :)

No kidding, but we are trying to minimize the damage.

I am actively telling people to skip the ceremony and go to the reception to limit the crowd there.

[cthomer5000]

My Humps - Black Eyed Peas

[Schmidty]

My Humps - Black Eyed Peas

I thought that was by the girl that wets her trousers.

[Ksyrup]

Are you looking for something well-known, or going more for the sentiment of the song? If we ever do a second wedding, the wife and I are going to use the song This Heart of Mine (I Pledge) by Swedish prog metal band Pain of Salvation. It's a beautiful song, the acoustic version on their live CD is shorter and cuts out an extra section of the original:

I lie awake watching your shoulders
Move so softly as you breathe
With every breathe you're growing older
But that is fine if you're with me

I pledge to wake you with a smile
I pledge to hold you when you cry
I pledge to love you till I die
Till I die

The morning light plays on your eyelids
A sleeping beauty dressed in sun

I will wake you with a smile
I will hold you when you cry
I will love you till I die
Till I die

I believe this heart of mine when it tells my eyes
That this is beauty
I believe this heart of mine when it tells my mind
That this is reason
I believe this heart of mine when it cries at time
That this is forever
I believe this heart of mine when it tells the skies
That this is the face of God

I lie awake watching your shoulders


I'm also partial to Ben Folds' The Luckiest. Being as into music as I am, I refused to go with a standard. For our wedding, we went with Dan Reed Network's Stronger Than Steel.

[Antmeister]

Don't change - Musiq

[Flasch186]

Bobby Darin - Beyond the Sea

[Maple Leafs]

Wonderful World, by Louis Armstrong

It's:
- romantic
- played often enough that you'll occasionally get an "awww" moment when you don't expect it
- played rarely enough that you won't be sick of it
- a crowd-pleaser for the older guests
- like two and a half minutes long

[k0ruptr]

We are the FOFC - Antmeister

[cthomer5000]

I thought that was by the girl that wets her trousers.

she sings it, but it's the group's song.

[MrBug708]

If you want to be happy for the rest of your life..:)

[Karlifornia]

Jingle Bells

[NoSkillz]

Ours was 'She' by Elvis Costello. Pretty short, cool artist, nice song...

[Mustang]

Ruptured Nuptuals - M.O.D

[Crim]

http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=58768

[JediKooter]

Neither of us is particularly fond of being the center of attention.

I can respect that. Though, given the occasion, it will be hard to do. :)

You could always play, "Her Majesty" by the Beatles. It's maybe 20 seconds long.

Congrats on getting married by the way.

[rowech]

Just about anything by Norah Jones. We used "Fly Away with Me" which worked very well.

[lynchjm24]

Are you looking for something well-known, or going more for the sentiment of the song?

I'm going out of my way to avoid anything you'd call 'well-known'.

I going to have to take a spin through I-Tunes and give a listen to some of these.

Except My Humps, I've heard that....

[Pumpy Tudors]

Harvey the Wonder Hamster, by some guy whose show is coming to Pittsburgh in a little over a month. Shit, I need to buy tickets. Thanks for the reminder.

[Ragone]

You raise me up.. Josh Groban

[RedKingGold]

The title says it all.

I have found nothing suitable. I am open to ideas.

The shorter the song the better.

A cute "modern" song is "I wanna grow old with you" from the soundtrack of the Wedding Singer (with Adam Sandler)

Also, it fits your short but sweet philosphy and is a little less sappy then other traditional wedding songs (with a little bit of humor). My brother and sister-in-law used it as there wedding song.

[Telle]

RendeR and I danced to "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith.

[Dr. Sak]

Mel Carter - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me

[JeeberD]

Not your traditional first dance song, but the wife and I did Coldplay's Yellow...

[kurtism]

Ben Folds - "The Luckiest"

[Comey]

Not your traditional first dance song, but the wife and I did Coldplay's Yellow...

Isn't that song about cocaine use?

[Mustang]

You raise me up.. Josh Groban

That song never ends. You could get married to that song, have kids and then they could get married to the same song because it would still be playing from your own wedding.

[gi]

Marry Me by Neil Diamond. Just used it at my wedding in April.

[Ragone]

That song never ends. You could get married to that song, have kids and then they could get married to the same song because it would still be playing from your own wedding.

there is a radio edit that tones it down quite a bit.. without losing the sentiment.. but wife and i do enjoy the longer version :)

[JeeberD]

Isn't that song about cocaine use?

I wouldn't doubt it...

[Qwikshot]

"Into My Arms" Nick Cave

[Warhammer]

Animal - NIN - be interesting to see the looks on the faces of the partygoers

Come Fly With Me - Sinatra

Have I Told You Lately - Van Morrison (the Rod Stewart version is crap)

The Bitch is Back - Elton John

You Make Me Feel So Young - Sinatra

Night and Day - Sinatra

Geez, I should have had more Sinatra at my wedding.

[rkmsuf]

Clap your hands everybody and everybody clap your hands.

[Dr. Sak]

Whatever you do please don't pick Bon Jovi's Thank you for loving me...I was at a wedding where a bride and groom ballroom danced to this song and it was like a scene out of Days Of Our Lives. The cheesy factor was off the scale.

[JeeberD]

Animal - NIN - be interesting to see the looks on the faces of the partygoers


I think I actually suggested that to my wife, but she didn't go for it for some reason... :D

[oliegirl]

I think I Love You by the dude from the Partridge Family, very cute - short - everyone knows it and it's lighthearted.

Another option, is rather than finding a short song, tell your DJ you want to dance from the start of the song to a specific place in the song, then have him fade it out and start to introduce the next dance (father/daughter, etc...). Or if that is the only "spotlight dance", have him open up the dance floor to everyone else. I've seen this done at a number of receptions.

[albionmoonlight]

If you want to be happy for the rest of your life..:)

Thanks for this, by the way. This song has been in my head for two days now. I was getting out of the shower this morning, and Mrs. A asked "why are you singing that ugly woman song?"

A thread full of the most beautiful love songs ever written, and I get the ugly woman song stuck in my head.

[miked]

I went with Norah Jones, either Come Away With Me, The Nearness of You, or Don't Know Why. I forget which one, so I'm lucky the wife doesn't post on here.

[gottimd]

Creep by TLC

[miked]

Aw shizzle, I was wrong on all 3. We danced to Diana Krall, Let's Fall in Love. I did the mother/son dance to Mother Should Know by the Beatles.

[Warhammer]

Paradise By the Dashboard Light, but that may be a little long.

[DaddyTorgo]

for classic-sappy type

Michael W. Smith's "You Are the Love of My Life" always gets me.

peabo bryson's "tonight i celebrate my love" ?

[DaddyTorgo]

Ours was 'She' by Elvis Costello. Pretty short, cool artist, nice song...

quality choice. or what about that other one from "Notting Hill" the one by Ronan Keating...(google help) "When you say nothing at all"

[Lathum]

We chose "you and me" by lifehouse.

[Passacaglia]

Ours was "O My Love" by John Lennon.

[Castlerock]

'True Companion' by Marc Cohn

[lynchjm24]

We chose "you and me" by lifehouse.

I heard that on the radio the other day and it didn't strike me as being too bad.

Of course Lifehouse has become a bit of a joke amongst my friends as we were in Baltimore last year and they were playing the Powerstation Live on a Tuesday night.

[Ksyrup]

I always get Lifehouse and Firehouse confused. Not sure I've ever heard Lifehouse, but unfortunately, I remember Firehouse all too well.

Not to be confused with FireHOSE, of course.

[Izulde]

quality choice. or what about that other one from "Notting Hill" the one by Ronan Keating...(google help) "When you say nothing at all"

Keith Whitley does a better version.

[henry296]

Keith Whitley does a better version.

That was ours but we did the Alison Kraus version.

[wade moore]

That was ours but we did the Alison Kraus version.*shudder*...

The Whitley version is a million times better.

[SackAttack]

I'm fairly sure Whitley did a duet on it with Krauss, although it might have been posthumous - he did the song, but they remastered it to add her duet vocals.

Dunno.

But that one was always my favorite.

[Izulde]

I'm fairly sure Whitley did a duet on it with Krauss, although it might have been posthumous - he did the song, but they remastered it to add her duet vocals.

Dunno.

But that one was always my favorite.

Yeah, there's three Whitley and/or Krauss versions.. Whitley by himself, Krauss by herself, and then Whitley/Krauss duet

[Vinatieri for Prez]

Alright, go off the beaten path. Short and sweet with some progressive lyrics, you can't go wrong with . . . . Somebody by Depeche Mode:

I want somebody to share
Share the rest of my life
Share my innermost thoughts
Know my intimate details
Someone wholl stand by my side
And give me support
And in return
Shell get my support
She will listen to me
When I want to speak
About the world we live in
And life in general
Though my views may be wrong
They may even be perverted
Shell hear me out
And wont easily be converted
To my way of thinking
In fact shell often disagree
But at the end of it all
She will understand me
Aaaahhhhh....

I want somebody who cares
For me passionately
With every thought and
With every breath
Someone who'll help me see things
In a different light
All the things I detest
I will almost like
I dont want to be tied
To anyones strings
Im carefully trying to steer clear of
Those things
But when Im asleep
I want somebody
Who will put their arms around me
And kiss me tenderly
Though things like this
Make me sick
In a case like this
Ill get away with it
Aaaahhhhh....

[Scarecrow]

Have I Told You Lately - Van Morrison (the Rod Stewart version is crap)


This is what we used. And I agree, the Rod Stewart version is crap.

Come to think of it, what was the last song that Rod Stewart did that wasn't a butchered version of somebody else's song?

[gkb]

By Your Side - Sade

[ISiddiqui]

*shudder*...

The Whitley version is a million times better.

You are on crack. Then again, Allison Krauss could sing the phone book and keep me enthralled.

[John Galt]

Alright, go off the beaten path. Short and sweet with some progressive lyrics, you can't go wrong with . . . . Somebody by Depeche Mode:

I want somebody to share
Share the rest of my life
Share my innermost thoughts
Know my intimate details
Someone wholl stand by my side
And give me support
And in return
Shell get my support
She will listen to me
When I want to speak
About the world we live in
And life in general
Though my views may be wrong
They may even be perverted
Shell hear me out
And wont easily be converted
To my way of thinking
In fact shell often disagree
But at the end of it all
She will understand me
Aaaahhhhh....

I want somebody who cares
For me passionately
With every thought and
With every breath
Someone who'll help me see things
In a different light
All the things I detest
I will almost like
I dont want to be tied
To anyones strings
Im carefully trying to steer clear of
Those things
But when Im asleep
I want somebody
Who will put their arms around me
And kiss me tenderly
Though things like this
Make me sick
In a case like this
Ill get away with it
Aaaahhhhh....

That was actually my choice. So I second it.

Edit: the beat to the song is essentially a heart-beat, so it has the advantage of being really easy to dance to.

[John Galt]

Dola

Or you could go with Free Bird.

[Warhammer]

You Give Love a Bad Name would be pretty good.

[cubboyroy1826]

I like, "It Had to be You" by Harry Connick Jr.

[korme]

It's a nice day for a white wedding.

[korme]

Is Bush's Glycerine too completely off the wall?

[Ironhead]

Unforgettable by Nat King Cole.

[MrBug708]

This years love by David Gray is kinda cool

[st.cronin]

"I Hope That I get Old Before I Die" by They Might be Giants

[korme]

"Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol could work. It's newer but maybe a tad too long.
Or you could do "How Can I Tell You" by Cat Power. It's like 30 seconds long.

[lynchjm24]

"Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol could work.

I've been trying to figure out if it's a wedding type song or not. Maybe I'm not getting it, but it seems like an unhappy ending.

[johnnyshaka]

My wife and I had a hard time agreeing on a wedding song as she was all about the usuals and I was all about having a song that would be a little unique and that actually "fit" us. We were listening to "Afterglow" by Sarah McLachlan one evening while driving and after listening to this song we both looked at each other and knew this was our wedding song.

Oddly enough, we attended a Sarah McLachlan concert the following year and she intro'd this song by saying that she had written it about her husband. That made it a little bit more special for us.

Sarah McLachlan - "Push"

Every time I look at you the world just melts away
All my troubles all my fears dissolve in your affections
You've seen me at my weakest but you take me as I am
And when I fall you offer me a softer place to land

[CHORUS:]
You stay the course you hold the line you keep it all together
You're the one true thing I know I can believe in
You're all the things that I desire, you save me, you complete me
You're the one true thing I know I can believe

I get mad so easy but you give me room to breathe
No matter what I say or do 'cause you're to good to fight about it
Even when I have to push just to see how far you'll go
You wont stoop down to battle but you never turn to go

[CHORUS]

Your love is just the antidote when nothing else will cure me
There are times I cant decide when I cant tell up from down
You make me feel less crazy when otherwise I'd drown
But you pick me up and brush me off and tell me I'm OK
Sometimes thats just what we need to get us through the day

[CHORUS]

Here's a clip:

hxxp://www.nettwerk.com/media/ram/SarMc_Pus.ram (http://www.nettwerk.com/media/ram/SarMc_Pus.ram)

[Klinglerware]

"Gold Digger", Kanye West
"Smack My Bitch Up", Prodigy

Kidding...

Actually, you are taking the right approach here by not having a preconceived idea about what you want to dance to. Our wedding song is "Close to You" by the Carpenters (done by a live band)--it is "our song", but it sure is a pain trying to dance to it.

I don't have too many ideas, but I would say whatever you chose, make sure it is less than 2.5 minutes, and that you can actually dance to it...