FUN Reception Dance Songs

shaylg

I want to have a really fun reception, where everyone wants to get up and dance.  The problem is, I've been to so many weddings with the traditional "Love Shack", "Mony Mony", "Hot, Hot, Hot", "Cha Cha Slide" action and I don't really want to participate in that.  Does anyone have some older or newer wedding appropriate, fun dance song suggestions?

cgeorge1220

At our wedding, we have lots of different age groups ranging from little ones to college friends, to grandparents who have never even heard of half the music nowadays. So its definitely a good idea to mix it up and pick some songs that will apply to each "age group"

Here's some ideas:

A fun swing/big band song like "sing, sing, sing" even if people don't swing dance, its upbeat and easy to move to. Here's a link to a version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCTd78X8TUo&feature=related

I am beginning to realize the phenomenon that is Lady Gaga. Her songs are VERY dance-able and the lyrics are kid-safe (usually.) Also Cascada has some good songs to dance to.

There is a song called "Calle Ocho" by Pitbull that they used on So You Think You Can Dance (the show) very catchy. Anyway, just some ideas! Have fun with it!

shaylg

Thanks a ton for your feedback, Christy!  I definitely have Lady GaGa and Cascada on the list..you're definitely right about needing music for every age group, and I guess I'm having a hard time finding music my Grandparents would appreciate but can still move to!  I'm going to check out the Sing, Sing, Sing song and maybe look into more swing-type music

krissydawn16

I would absolutely LOVE to have an all-oldies reception.  FI won't have it and I had to talk him out of a heavy metal entrance song that would give all g-parents a heart attach.

I prefer to dance/sing to good old oldies :-) But a lot of our friends wouldn't even know the songs... there are a few I'm sneaking into the "must play" list... build me up buttercup.. etc.

lalap69

Journey - Don't Stop Believing

It's a must play in my group

Jamilynn627

Are you having a DJ? Making sure everyone was dancing all night was one of the things our DJ did. Good ones can read a crowd and adjust the music accordingly. Lady Gaga and Cascada are great, if you have the type of crowd that appreciates that. Same for Sinatra. Our DJ transitioned from older to newer music during the night. He played a lot of Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Etta James, etc. during dinner, then got everyone up with AC/DC's "Shook Me All Night Long." Then he transitioned to some older dance music before transitioning to songs from Rihanna ("Please Don't Stop the Music" and "Disturbia") and Justin Timberlake "Sexy Back" by the end of the night.

BrideofBigSur

We are only having 40 guests, and they range from 7 months to well into their 70s, making it tricky. I am putting together a hodgepodge. I have Lady Gaga, Blink 182, Sinatra, and "Love Shack" all on one playlist. Just make sure you have one or two great songs people of each generation will remember and appreciate.

shaylg

Those are all great suggestions everyone.  Thanks so much!  I think Love Shack might be one that I keep anyway, it's a great tune   & Don't Stop Believing is a must have!

We're having a band who's also going to DJ!  The drummer was a DJ for 8 years previously so he has all the equiptment and such, but he had asked us to provide him with a list of the music we want played so he can prepare it.

Jamilyn, do you remember any of the song titles for some of the music you played through dinner by those artists (Tony Bennett, Etta James, Dean Martin, Sinatra)?  If you do and don't mind sharing, I'd appreciate it. 

Does anyone have any 80's-90's music suggestions?

sunshine_day_dreams

Shake Your Groove Thing by Peaches and Herb
Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
Pride and Joy by Stevie Ray Vaughn
Come on Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners
Twist and Shout, I Wanna Hold Your Hand or She Loves You by The Beatles
Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf

fallbride1109

I played alot of current dance music at my reception but the time when the most people were dancing was during an "old school mix"--Shake Your Groove Thing, Celebration, Boogie Shoes, etc.  Even the thirtysomethings were dancing to it.

We also did a married couples dance to "The Way You Look Tonight" by Frank Sinatra and it packed the dance floor.

Oh and Hon*y Tonk Woman by The Rolling Stones even got my grandmother on the dance floor.

Just Dance by Lady Gaga was my first song of the night.  We played Calle Ocho too but no one even got out there for that one.  You just never know.

sweetviolet

Sorry I'm a bit late to the party

You might also try asking your guests for suggestions. We did this on our wedding website (we're using mywedding.com, and there is actually an option on the Music page to let people suggest songs), and we've had a great response so far. I've also seen suggestions where people have included lines for song requests on their RSVP cards.

ag2037

i can't believe no one has suggested "i gotta feeling" by the black eyed peas! 

ellen73

I can almost guarantee you wouldn't have heard of this song-  but we are going to use this for our bridal party dance and it's a really fun song! We didn't want something slow b/c the bridal party covers a very wide age range- 10-39!!   So... we were looking for fun and fast (and it doesnt' hurt that we met at a Tossers Show).

The song is:
Dancin' Shoes- by the Tossers. They are an Irish punk band from Chicago (kinda like Flogging Molly/Dropkick Murphy's), but I don't think the song sounds TOO Irish.

 I can't find the lyrics-  but here's a link to the song:
Click on #10:
http://www.last.fm/music/The+Tossers/Communication%2B%2526%2BConviction

shaylg

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_fun-reception-dance-songs?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:85c03ca5-5b5a-4210-9746-42fb40a63086Post:7091cfe9-8339-4239-8fdb-7bfda4c0948b">Re: FUN Reception Dance Songs</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: FUN Reception Dance Songs : Sure do! Some of the dinner music our DJ played: Frank Sinatra "The Way You Look Tonight," "Luck Be a Lady," "New York, New York," "I've Got The World On a String" Dean Martin: "Ain't That a Kick In the Head," "That's Amore," "Everybody Loves Somebody" Tony Bennett: "Best Is Yet To Come" Etta James: "At Last," "Sunday Kind of Love" Louis Prima: "When You're Smilin' ," Louis Armstrong: "A Kiss To Build a Dream On," "Make Someone Happy" Bobby Darin: "Beyond the Sea" Harry Conick Jr.: "A Wink and a Smile" We also told the DJ no "organized" dances like Cha Cha Slide or Macarena. People still partied all night. Definitely don't need them to dance. I don't have a lot of suggestions for 80's and 90's, but we did play Semisonic's "Closing Time" as the last song.
Posted by Jamilynn627[/QUOTE]
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Thanks so much for that list!  I think that's a great list of music for dinner :)</font>

farmgirl8806

YMCA, crocodile/aligator dance (yes, it does exist), the twist

shauna378

Lita Ford - Kiss Me Deadly is always  a good one to dance to  -  also New Order is always a classic.