The ceremony is delayed. The bride is running behind—hair, makeup, bathroom, too much booze, not enough booze, whatever. Or someone in the wedding party got held up. Or a parent is stuck in traffic. The officiant is in the bathroom. The flower girls are having a tantrum. And it’s hot. Or it’s cold. Any way you swing it, waiting for the ceremony to begin is not the most entertaining time of the wedding. Your job is to play music that matches the moment, eases the anticipation, and paves the way for love to enter the wedding. These songs should help.
OZORAWOTOBU HEAVENLY FLIGHT
Masayoshi Takanaka
I can’t even tell you how I came across this song. It’s not for sale, anywhere. Not downloadable or event streaming, anywhere. I just…happened upon it, somehow, on one of my many quests through music research, and fell in love. It’s beautiful, deep, brilliant, and whisks the listener away, like you’re being carried off into the heavens, an ember up floating away into the night sky. It’s the perfect song for sitting around and waiting for something to happen—anything. (I’m guessing bowel movements, too.) You’ll have to rip it from YouTube via Clipgrab or some similar app. Good luck.
NEVER FELT THIS WAY
Brian McKnight
Unlike Masayoshi, Brian McKinght is a stranger to no one. Granted, we haven’t heard much from him on the music front lately, but I could personally care less if he ever makes another record again, for I have THIS song in my mind, forever. Absolutely gorgeous. Jazz, R&B, soul, and Brian’s voice. “Really good phrasing”—that’s how one guest at a wedding put it. My response was, “sure,” not really knowing what the fuck “phrasing” even is, given I’m not student of music nor an intellect of any kind (as my Uncle reminded me, once), but happy he liked it for any reason. I mean…That’s our job, right? We’re not playing music for ourselves, right? Anyways…THIS song deserves to be in the annals of iconic slow songs, and it’s perfect for a ceremony. And it has good phrasing.
LOST IN YOU
Chris Gaines
I’ve never seen the video. OMG. Be right back.
Okay…So…Garth Brooks had a moment where he created this super-emo/goth-looking alter-ego, “Chris Gaines,” and made a whole concept album behind it. And one of the songs on this emo-goth dude’s album is easily one of the most beautiful R&B songs I’ve ever heard. (None of it makes sense. Garth Brooks, a country cowboy star, goes goth and makes an R&B banger.) I haven’t listened to the whole album, but this song is really all I need in my laptop. It’s currently featured on my Spotify playlist, titled, “Songs I’ve Listened to at Least Seven Times in a Row” (click here), but as some crappy karaoke instrumental, sadly, because there’s something going on with the legal rights to this song, or something, preventing us from streaming and/or downloading. (Good thing I had the CD.) Which is horribly tragic, because more people need to be listening to this song right now, and more deejays need to be playing it at weddings.
DANNY’S SONG
Loggins and Messina
My wife was pissed. I won two tickets to sail around Manhattan on a yacht-rock cruise, and I just had to get there early, hoping for the best spot in the house to see Kenny Loggins and Christopher Cross. (“Sailing?” Whilst sailing? Come on.) But by “early,” I mean 90 minutes of waiting in the hot sun for them to let us board. I’ve been to hundreds of live shows and no stranger to the wait, but not her. Not at all. But as soon as Kenny sat down two feet in front of us and started playing, “Danny’s Song,” she forgot all her pain and misery and hatred for her yacht-rock obsessed husband and started to cry. (I’m pretty sure it wasn’t because she was in pain from being on her feet too long.) THIS song is as romantic as any, and a perfect waiting-for-these-people-to-get-married-ass song.
HARVEST MOON
Harvest Moon by Neil Young
Speaking of my wife, this is our song. (I mean, if you’re a deejay and you’re playing music at a ceremony, you’re probably gonna end up playing a song you and your wife call “your song,” right? What better way to honor a love than play the soundtrack to yours? Anyways…) Back in the ‘90s, when we were finding our love, broke as hell, making cheap-ass stir fry in her dorm room and drinking Chateau Dianas from the bodega (my God, the headache), we’d end up slow dancing before turning in, usually, to this song. It’s beautiful, lush, so sweet and authentic and just downright good. It’s love’s perfect soundtrack. At least…for us.
BEST PART
Daniel Caesar featuring H.E.R.
221 million views is proof positive I don’t have to explain this record to anyone. At all. It’s one of my favorite R&B record of all time, one I could listen to at least seven times in a row (and might’ve; I’ll have to think on it), and every time I’ve ever played it, anywhere, multiple mouths are mouthing the lyrics along with mine. It’s flawless. So good, in fact, that it’s somehow above Daniel Caesar’s semi-recent transgressions—maybe because, like me, most people don’t even know it’s his song. (H.E.R. has that power. She’s so amazing.) Join me in harmonizing with the final bridge, won’t you? Good way to pass the time while we wait for this damn wedding to start.
I COULDN’T LOVE YOU MORE
Sade
Is there ever a wrong time to play this record? Sade is the queen of sultry soul—that was awful. She’s just…the Queen. Periodt. Seriously, though: Is there a bad time? I mean, okay…sure…at a boxing match. Fine. (I would know; I was fired from my recent stint as a boxing-match deejay because I played a few songs that didn’t fit the bill, but in all fairness, the damn promoter requested them. Thanks, Larry.) Seriously, though: This song makes waiting anywhere enjoyable. Waiting in the doctor’s office, or even worse—the dentist’s office, waiting to get your teeth drilled, or getting results back from an AIDS test, or even waiting for your turn to enter the fiery pits of hell…Just throw on some Sade.
HOLD YOU IN MY ARMS
Ray LaMontagne
Deejays…Listen: If you’re still on that “too cool for school” shit, and just can’t bring yourself to deejay weddings, please…Give them all to me. Not only have they afforded me the opportunity to work half as much as you do in da club and make twice as much money (four times as much, actually), but also the opportunity to play music for people from all over the world I’d never have the chance to play for AND expand my musical palate. I never heard of Ray LaMontagne before clients started requesting his music at their weddings. This song is glorious, precious and loving. He’s incredible. But go ahead, play Bad Bunny for the 14th time this week, man. Do you.
DAYDREAMER
Adele
This is my favorite Adele song. I love its purity, simplicity, just her iconic vocals and a guitar. And the phrasing is good, too. (I just looked that up.) It’s light, too, and nice to listen to while sitting in a foldable chair in front of an altar. And it’s about a good man, from what I can tell, and her gratitude for having someone like that in her life. And “gratitude” is key in marriage, if I may say so, being married for 22 years and sometimes forgetting how lucky I am but then remembering to do my gratitude list and always starting it off with, “my wife.”
SUNSHINE ON MY SHOULDERS
John Denver
You know how country is running shit now. (See my Country Banger article.) You gotta hit ‘em with something while they’re waiting for this dang ceremony to finally happen. And this one is just perfect for sitting in the sun, that awkward silence beckoning for a break, and then in walks John Denver melting you in your seat. “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is a must-play at a lot of weddings, but I’d add that this song is a must-play at the ceremonies.