I don’t post a playlist to this blog for every event I play. I tend to select those where I had the chance to play a set that was notable, to me anyway, in some way. Or, I write about events that were themselves interesting or special. Today’s wedding, held at the Mann Family Farm, makes the cut in both regards.
Not only did the couple want a DJ set that featured heavy doses of two of my favorite under-appreciated musical genres, yé-yé and rockabilly, they hosted a Moonlight Kingdom themed wedding! Besides the decor being perfectly evocative of the film, nearly every guest came in costume!
There were Khaki Scouts everywhere, an abundance of madras trousers, and even a raven! I had no idea until I arrived that the party was themed or I’d have come in costume myself. C’est la vie!
Back to the music– the bride let me know what she wanted for the first dance, and beyond that it was up to me to improvise. I quickly realized the guests were open-minded about music, and keen to dance to other than the tried and true dance favorites, which gave me the opportunity to craft a fun wedding dance set. Here’s what I came up with:
First Dance: L’età Dell’Amore (Le Temps de l’Amour) – Françoise Hardy
Our Day Will Come – Ruby & The Romantics
Be Bop a Lula – Les Chaussettes Noires
Rock Your Baby – Wanda Jackson
Hound Dog – Wille Mae “Big Mama” Thornton
Rave On – Buddy Holly and the Crickets
Chick Habit – April March
Oh Oh Cheri – Françoise Hardy
Zou Bisou Bisou – Gillian Hills
La Plus Belle Pour Aller Danser – Slyvie Vartan
Chez les ‘Yeh Yeh’ – Serge Gainsbourg
Laisse les Filles – Johnny Hallyday
Son of a Preacher Man – Dusty Springfield
Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
I Saw Her Standing There – The Beatles
Good Golly Miss Molly – Little Richard
Can’t Help Falling In Love – Elvis Presley
Chapel of Love – The Dixie Cups
Be My Baby – The Ronettes
Hang On Sloopy – McCoys
Build Me Up Buttercup – The Foundations
Mellow Yellow – Donovan
Start Me Up – The Rolling Stones
Got to Give It Up – Marvin Gaye
Yé Yé Twist – Petula Clark
7 Heure du Matin – Jacqueline Taieb
Il Court les Filles – Chantal Goya
Comme d’Habitude – Claude François
Laisse Tomber les Filles – France Gall
You Should Be Dancing – Bee Gees
Rebellion (Lies) – Arcade Fire
D.A.N.C.E. [MSTRKRFT Remix] – Justice
Cream – Federico Franchi
Just Can’t Get Enough – Depeche Mode
Panic – The Smiths
Love Will Tear Us Apart – Joy Division
Disco 2000 – Pulp
Honey Bop – Wanda Jackson
You Never Can Tell – Chuck Berry
Red Cadillac & a Black Moustache – Robert Gordon and Danny Gatton
Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash
I Want You Back – The Jackson Five
Respect – Aretha Franklin
Dancing Queen – ABBA
Stayin’ Alive – Bee Gees
Come On Eileen – Dexy’s Midnight Runner
Beat It – Michael Jackson
Fight For Your Right – Beastie Boys
Major Tom (Coming Home) – Peter Schilling
The Safety Dance – Men Without Hats
Lust For Life – Iggy Pop
The Modern World – The Jam
Kids – MGMT
These Arms of Mine – Otis Redding
Into the Mystic – Van Morrison
Unchained Melody – Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps
My Man Called Me – Wille Mae “Big Mama” Thornton
(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life – Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
Don’t Stop Believing – Journey
The Midnight Special – Creedence Clearwater Revival
At Last – Etta James