It isn't surprising that, given the title of the song, many people think that 'Band of Gold' by Freda Payne is a suitable song for a wedding reception...

'Now that you're gone all that's left is a band of gold.......last night on our honeymoon we stayed in separate rooms'

On last nights playlist the groom had choosen Police & 'Every Breath You Take'

'Every vow you break, every smile you fake, I'll be watching you' Maybe he had a reason for this

And for a wedding in 2 weeks time one of the selected songs is Curtis Mayfield 'Freddies Dead'. I can't quote any lines (I'll have to dig it out of the archives) but I believe that this one is about a drug addict who goes into a coma and judging by the title must then die

These are just 3 that I've been asked for in the past week but there must be more, so DJs, it's over to you..................

Here

What a 'great' song for a wedding Thanks for that Paula - it saves me playing it until I really have to

Thus proving that lots of people dont listen to the lyrics!

But most slowies are songs about people breaking up anyway!! Plus how many times are you asked for "It's Raining Men" at a wedding (I was last night!)

Shocking - People dont listen to the words at all......

I was asked for "Hopelessly Devoted To You" the other week for a wedding song... Nice... Plus howmany times for "When You Say Nothing At All" - Dont the women realise the song is telling them to shut up?

Yep. And watch the dance floor incase of slip-ups!!!!!

(You don't really want to see those knees, do you?!)

the other song that gets asked for a lot a weddings....

i will survive... another great split up song

A couple of great recent request stories;

1 At a wedding someone asked for the Divinyls - I touch myself - which was not played.

2 I had to restrain myself from playing the theme from the TV series when someone asked for "The Robin Hood Song". They obviously meant Everything I do, but it would have been great to get this romantic couple on the floor and then play...............Robin Hood Robin Hood riding through the glen............no of course I didn't.

Vinnie

Hmmmmm just had a nice thought

I kinda cringe when some bright spark thinks it's topical to try get the DJ to play Billy Idol's "White Wedding"....

I mean listen to the word "SHOTGUN" within the song in relation to "wedding" you fools and figure out yourself why I will not play it!

To some of the younger guys out there, a Shotgun Wedding refers to the times some guy has been forced to marry the bride because she's fallen pregnant to him... a seriously dodgy thing many years ago! not that I'd remember!!

White wedding, reminds me of a particular piece of advice.

Some requests are nearly always asked for at certain types of function. Sometimes because people want to be "cliché" eg: "white Wedding" at a wedding, or "It might as well rain until September" at an August wedding where everyone prayed for nice weather, but everyone got drenched, or simply "hot, hot, hot" or "Disco Inferno" at a Fire Stations Disco.

Other requests are the "Poking fun at..." or "In Joke" requests, such as "Like a Virgin" for the bride, or "my old mans a dustman" for the grooms father who makes thousands every year as head of a recycling plant...etc...

Such requests may be better MENTIONED rather than PLAYED.

Take, for example: "Like a virgin". Its not especially great to dance to, however the girl (normally best shopping friend of the Bride, of course) who requested it, makes sure that you're aware of how "close" The Bride & her are.

You can either announce the song as normal, and play it all the way through, spending 4.5 minutes on a single "joke". or do something like...

"Oh Tracy (Bride), your close friend Sharon has suggested to us that "Like a Virgin" would be a great theme tune for you.... (pause for the giggles and/or semi-visious handbag twirling) however, its not all that easy to dance to, so we're gonna move straight onto this..." ..and play someone elses "SENSIBLE" requests.

Sharons happy coz Tracy blushed and called her a "birch" ( Did I mis-hear, or is tree-calling a nasty put-down?), Tracy's happy coz you've added a memory to the evening, and the audience is happy, coz you've saved them from 4.5 minutes of "plodder" and moved onto one of their requests instead.

Most gigs are limited on time, weddings especially. You cant afford to spend a twelvth of an hours (a 36th of the receptions/nights) tune time, getting a "one-liner" joke in.

There's usually some bright spark who requests D.I.V.O.R.C.E.
I always politely laugh and say I don't carry it.

Gary, I could be offended. My wife is called Tracey and my mother is called Sharon.
I hope they don't find out where you live

It seems a lot of people dont seem to care to much about the lyrics of a song. Most people are listening for a good beat or anything they can dance to. I'm not saying that all songs are ok to play but you cant nit-pick every lyric of a song either. It seems almost all songs have some negative point in them even if it is only a short verse.

People seem to actually dance to the words of songs. How many times has the intro of a dance remix of a popular single cleared a floor... only for all the people who left the dancefloor in the first place to return once the lyrics kick in ????

Agree Kray! Shake ya tail feather is an absolute classic for people walking off...... Dont they look stupid when they have vocalised thier contempt for you, the Dj for playing utter crap.... and then those lyrics kick in! How stupid do they look... and I bet, like me, you give them one of your biggest grins!

somebody elses guy is not a good one either

but

they still love it

You know at the beginning of a wedding... no kids... just adults... if you find yourself getting a bit bored cos they all wanna just talk...... I sometimes put together a little story relevant to weddings.... some of the stories I have put together..... kissing in the back row... wake up little suzie... shotgun wedding... going to the chapel... it shoulda been me etc etc.... It amuses me anyway!

Strange just reading that about Shake ya tailfeather. Later in the evening I do a few soul tracks - midnight hour, knock on wood, soul man. etc. Last week thought I would try the Ray Charles track and exactly the same happened with the dance floor thinning until the track really got going!

I often cue to just a few seconds of vocals before the track kicks in, but didn't really sound right with shake ya tail feather.

Dj -Mj, yeah i get that Jocely Brown track requested a lot, dont always play it like but maybe people don't really bother with the meaning of the vocals! BTW, i cut those intro vocals on the track makes it much more dancefloor friendly imo.

Steve

Howdy!

Regarding playing dacne mix version of poular tunes... Poeple dance to something they immdiate recognise, not necessarily the words. At a regular Wedding/function, I wouldn't bother with versions of songs that folks are unlikely to have heard before, they might very well be beefier through ya speekers, but folks won't recognise it.

Darren

What the hell were my fingers doing in that last post? or did the keyboard Poltegheist move the letters around?

Darren