Your “Not To Play” List, (What To Do When You Really Hate The Macarena)

In today’s era, there are thousands of music folders available to whoever that makes of djing a source of his income. With so many options, the question arises, What music selection do I want for my wedding? And, why so many weddings still resort to the same old tunes?

As far as my experience is concerned, I can say that everyone wants their wedding music to be remembered as “fun”. Now “fun” has many connotations. First of all, you will have to determine what “fun” means for you and your partner. Once done this, you have to objectively consider how many within you guest list will agree with you on that. You might be surprised of the result! Now you will also have to consider what their impression of “fun” is. A good percentage of couples realize that by inviting Uncle Ed and Aunt Betty from out of town, they will have to cater a complete selection of music that they hadn’t even thought about in the first place, and more surprising even, that they probably hate and had already agreed as a pick on their “Not To Play” list.

During the course of one year I have been sitting down and conversing with at least 50 couples on regards their music planner. It’s interesting to realize that the majority of couples under 32 years of age, when asked about specific titles such as Macarena, Chicken dance and/or Y.M.C.A., will consistently reject them, arguing that they are too “Overplayed”, “Tacky”, “Boring” and other negative adjectives. As a professional I want to give the right impression to my clients and always agree on writing off these songs. I do this in front of them so that it is clear that I agree on their decision. However, I also always ask them about the possibility of their relatives requesting said titles. In many occasions their attitude changes, realizing that their family and friends are making a trip to their wedding and it might be probably selfish, if not rude, to stick to a list of Hip Hop or Techno that his or her side of the family will be totally unacquainted with.

At this point you might be freaking out to the possibility of having to listen to some music selection you really hate. Now my suggestion is that for as long as the song you don’t want to hear reminds you about bitter memories of the past (which happens often with Romantic/Slow jams), or it is offensive in lyrics, innuendo or speech to the general audience or to a particular individual, you should let the Dj play those songs. As a music engineer, he will try to wait and build up the spirit that conduces to those songs and blend them in the middle of a set that most people will be dancing to. Personally, I have seen that the majority of the times even the Bride and the Groom end up hopping around the Chicken Dance or the Cha Cha Slide. Don’t forget that once alcohol, atmosphere and mood kick in, people will dance to almost anything. And interestingly, it is precisely these songs that usually take the crowd to the next level. They have been designed for this purpose and they can really accomplish it. You don’t need to have Michael Jackson dancing skills to perform Y.M.C.A.; your 50 year old auntie will feel identified with it; if there are children in the crowd they will feel more compelled to go to the dance floor and share, etc. So yes, now you can realize that these songs are meant to do silliness, to break the ice and to motivate the crowd as a whole. It is also more interesting to realize that these are exactly the moments of the WHOLE evening your guests will remember the most, because crowd activities are what we fondly appreciate.

On a last note, I urge you to remember that weddings are in essence a show. Your guests expect to be entertained. That is why you are arranging a dinner for them. Not because they can’t afford to get one themselves, but because even dinner is part of making them feel welcomed and entertained. You want to share this occasion with all of these people, and by making them feel as comfortable as possible you are also addressing the notion for them to stick around a bit longer after dinner and participate of the dance floor and share with you and have fun. And in every party there is always a time when silliness kicks in. And that is exactly the time when the Pour Some Sugar On Mes show up, and people do silly things. And everyone laughs and have fun. Your guests will most probably forget everything about the cake next day, but they will certainly remember this!