Thursday, June 2, 2011

The Wedding Playlist

I have the good fortune of being asked to DJ the wedding for two of my friends, and had the opportunity to create a wedding playlist. This is something I had done for my own wedding a few years ago, but then I was pretty much working on my own tastes and preferences. In mulling through my vast musical library, I was able to develop a good working playlist that could easily be modified for future use.

A good playlist is both diverse and adaptable. I tried to include a little bit of everything in here, classic and modern (the songs in this list date from 1956 through 2008). Stylistically they include rock, country, R&B, soul, big band, and Latin. It also included a good mix of classic songs that are universally known and loved with some more obscure tunes, which will keep things from getting too stale, as people enjoy music they're not familiar with.

If you're unfamiliar with anything on this list, I'd urge you to check it out. It's ALL good music. And if you find yourself DJing a wedding, or planning music for your own, here's a good place to begin.

Romantic Songs:

Marc Cohn – Dig Down Deep

Marc Cohn – True Companion

Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting

Richard Marx – Now and Forever

No Vacancy – Heal Me, I’m Heartsick

Aerosmith – Don’t Want To Miss A Thing

Aerosmith – Angel

Aerosmith – Amazing

Allison Krauss and Union Station – When You Say Nothing At All

Bap Kennedy – I’ve Fallen In Love

Brian Setzer Orchestra – Sleepwalk

Cheap Trick – The Flame

Clint Black – Something That We Do

Cyndi Lauper – Time After Time

Dana Glover – It Is You I Have Loved

Elton John – Can You Feel The Love Tonight

Eric Clapton – Danny Boy

Five For Fighting – All I Know

Foreigner – I Want To Know What Love Is

Garth Brooks – Shameless

Garth Brooks – To Make You Feel My Love

The Beatles – Something

Jason Mraz – I’m Yours

Jason Wade – You Belong To Me

Jeff Buckley – Hallelujah

Joey Ryan – Like A Cloak

Joey Ryan – Island Rain

John Lennon – Grow Old With Me

Bon Jovi – Always

Journey – Faithfully

Journey – Open Arms

Loggins & Messina – Danny’s Song

Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On

Nat King Cole – When I Fall In Love

Natalie Cole & Nat King Cole – Unforgettable

Nick Lowe & Elvis Costello – Baby, It’s You

Nickel Creek – Out of the Woods

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – The Broken Road

Norah Jones – Don’t Know Why

Norah Jones – Come Away With Me

Paul McCartney – Maybe I’m Amazed

Percy Sledge – When A Man Loves A Woman

Pete Townshend – Let My Love Open The Door

Peter Cetera – You’re The Inspiration

Peter Gabriel – In Your Eyes

The Pretenders – I’ll Stand By You

Rod Stewart – Forever Young

Rod Stewart – The Rhythm of My Heart

Rodney Crowell – What Kind of Love

Rufus Wainright – Hallelujah

Santana – Manana

Sarah McLachlan – Angel

Sheryl Crow – I Shall Believe

Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water

Sophie B. Hawkins – As I Lay Me Down

Steve Earle – Somewhere Out There

Steven Curtis Chapman – I Will Be Here

Stevie Wonder – I Believe (When I Fall In Love With You It Will Be Forever)

Straight No Chaser – You Send Me

The Bangles – Eternal Flame

The Beach Boys – God Only Knows

The Beatles – If I Fell

The Beatles – And I Love Her

The Cars – Drive

The Mavericks – All That Heaven Will Allow

The Script – The Man Who Can’t Be Moved

Tom Petty – Angel Dream

Tracy Chapman – For You

U2 – The Sweetest Thing

Van Morrison – Have I Told You Lately

Van Morrison – Someone Like You

Van Morrison – Moondance

Elvis Costello – She

Clint Black and Lisa Hartman-Black – When I Said I Do

Party Jams:

Aiyesha Woods – Happy

Blues Traveler – Carolina Blues

Blues Traveler – Maybe I’m Wrong

Bob Seger – Old Time Rock ‘N’ Roll

Booker T. & The MGs – Green Onions

Bruce Springsteen – I Wanna Be With You

Carlos Santana – Foo Foo

Carlos Santana and Rob Thomas – Smooth (Dance Mix)

Eddie Floyd – Knock On Wood

Fountains of Wayne – Better Things

George Harrison – What Is Life

Hootie and the Blowfish – I Will Wait

Huey Lewis and the News – Some Kind of Wonderful

Jet – Are You Gonna Be My Girl

Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish – Cadillac

Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish – Film Noir Angel

Kid Rock – All Summer Long

Los Lonely Boys – Heaven

Matchbox Twenty – Disease

Mike and the Mechanics – All I Need Is A Miracle

Robert Palmer – Bad Case of Loving You

Rolling Stones – Miss You

Sam & Dave – Hold On, I’m Comin’

Sam & Dave – Soul Man

Sheryl Crow – Soak Up The Sun

Stevie Ray Vaughn – The House Is Rockin’

Stevie Ray Vaughn – Pride and Joy

Stevie Wonder – Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)

The Beatles – I’ve Just Seen A Face

The Beatles – Drive My Car/The Word/What You’re Doing

The Beatles – Long Tall Sally

The Cars – Just What I Needed

The Cars – You Might Think

The Honeydrippers – Rockin’ at Midnight

The Proclaimers – I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)

The Romantics – What I Like About You

Tom Cochrane – Life Is A Highway

Train – Hey Soul Sister

Warren Zevon – Raspberry Beret

Willie Nelson – Maria (Shut Up And Kiss Me)

Wilson Pickett – In The Midnight Hour

Carlos Santana and Alex Band – Why Don’t You and I

Eddie Money – Two Tickets to Paradise