Listen to the lyrics, please

Okay, so I’m sure that some of the lyrics aren’t 100% spot on in the songs we’ve previously pointed out for playing at your wedding, but there are always going to be songs that you definitely shouldn’t be dancing to for your first dance as the new couple, IMHO. Let’s regroup on a few of those. And yes, I’ll be writing another post like this in the future, and we’re more than happy to take your tips, if you’ve got ‘em.

Over at Bridalwave.tv, they’ve brought up two Sarah McLachlan songs, both of which are great songs as far as songs go, but I can’t say that “I Love You” is a solid suggestion, considering how the song “turns out” towards the end. They’re spot on about “Angel” on the same record, but let’s consider the whole song when putting these dances together, no?

Howabout this classy, super popular song that we all can probably recite the lyrics to at karaoke, but probably haven’t actually listened to: Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” made monstrously famous by the film Titanic.

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That’s not to say the song doesn’t mean what we think it does, but it’s not really “about” starting off a life together. It’s kind of dedicated towards two people who’ve been separated, only to be back again “one day.” Check it out: “Love was when I loved you, One true time I hold to, In my life we’ll always go on.” Again, beautiful song, as songs go, but not the best choice for your first dance.

Going WAY back to the summer of 2006, the ever-awesome Stereogum offers up a post where people have stacked up poor song choices at weddings they’ve been to (or been in, no doubt - “My friend chose this one, really!”). Some highlights (and really, scroll all the way through) are the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams,” or an absolutely random choice with “One” by U2 - even The Edge says that “it’s not that kind of song.” Now if only commenter Jim was serious when he writes that he’d gone with NWA’s “I Ain’t The 1″ which Ice Cube sums it all up in the closing with “I don’t see no rings on this finger.”

While we’re having fun, we’d be remiss if not to point out that Ten Car Train’s got a great list of songs that you probably just shouldn’t be playing at your wedding, unless you’re typically that humorous. Not that they’re inappropriate for first / last / parent / whatever dances, but they’re ones that if you were to play them randomly throughout, without being completely tongue in cheek (most people aren’t, sorry), then you’ll leave a few guests confused. That said, I can certainly appreciate the use of a totally inappropriate song as your intro, just because it’ll be a good kicker, but playing Luda’s “Area Codes” in the middle of a dance-happy segment probably isn’t in your best interests, as good a song as it is. My personal fave of that bunch is Pearl Jam’s “Betterman,” which isn’t exactly about relationships where a lot of positive reinforcement is going on.

[ed: it should be noted that, sometime soon, we'll have a batch of Grand Entrance songs that you should *absolutely* use because they'll a) make a lot of your guests cringe inside, but dig it or b) make an absolutely heart-thumping moment become just a bit more awesome. So don't get all snippy if it seems like a contradiction to this post]