we will be having a father/daughter + mother/son dance. together. at the same time. because that's how we do.
i can't decide on a song. actually, it's not that i can't decide on a song. it's more like...i haven't found the song. i've pored through lists and lists, looked through you tube, googled and googled, asked my friends and family. and nothing.
what's your song?
Thursday, April 30, 2009
#626: the dance.
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81 comments:
we are doing the same thing...and dancing to my girl by the temptations. good luck!
Sorry, I posted wrong. My good friend did Beside You by Tal Bachman. I love it but I am hunting for my song too!
I'm debating..."Because You Loved Me" - Celine Dion, "I Hope You Dance"- Lee Ann Womack, or "I Loved Her First" - Heartland (I can't even get through the 3rd one without crying. . .so I'm not sure I'll be able to DANCE to it!
We did the same thing and used the song, "In my life" by the Beatles. Wanted something not too sappy and something that our parents grew up with too.
our song is actually 'your song' by elton john.
(but it changes by the day. go figure)
Don Henley's Annabel ... sobbing. laughing. and deftly working Eagle's related material into an already eyebrow-raising atypical wedding (for the South; which means I don't have a color scheme, I'm only using one vendor, and there is no schedule for the reception)
my father and i danced to "moon river" by andy williams because he's super old school. the hubs and his mom danced to "forever young" by bob dylan (which I thought was a great pick and short!) hubs and i danced to "jackie wilson said" by van morrison, which could also work as a mother/son + father/daughter song.
Oh man, I have been totally struggling with this one too! We still have 6 months until our wedding, and we already have almost the entire reception playlist finalized except for this part.
I personally find the whole father-daughter/mother-son dances creepy and way too Oedipal for me. And the song choice can make it much, much worse (Butterfly Kisses, anyone? Ick!). So I could really use some suggestions as well!
I like that idea! I think we are already set on the separate dances now, but really like the idea of rolling them into one.
I am dancing with my dad to Daughter, by Loudon Wainwright III. Luke is dancing with his mom to Find Love by Clem Snide. I too, think too many of the popular picks are incestuous and creepy. Find Love was written from a father to his daughter, and it definitely has a parent-child motif, rather than an I loved her/him first motif.
wow. i love this blog...thanks for all the suggestions. hopefully some of you guys still searching can also get ideas.
can i just say that my dad LOVES the eagles. i don't know that don henley song but i will be sure to check it out.
We're doing the same dance too. My dad HATES attention, and even suggested that we invite everyone else up after only 30 seconds of father/daughter, mother/son... Too funny. And it's Louis Armstrong's "Wonderful World." Cliche? Maybe. But brilliantly sweet and happy and also short? Yes.
I'm having the same song dilemma - thanks for posting, and all these great suggestions.
Good choice-- it's really a great moment to have.
I have a video response for you:
Me and my dad:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/intermittent/3131598506/in/set-72157603963478095/
Hubs and his mom:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/intermittent/3131598562/in/set-72157603963478095/
(this song wouldn't work for you since it's more mother-son focused, but it's super sweet)
I tried to find unique songs for my wedding. We were having a hard time with these one's too!
My father and I danced to Sarah Brightman ft. Andre Bocelli - Time to Say Good By. (The Latin version, where only the words "time to say good bye" were in English).
My husband and his mother danced to Diana Ross - If We Hold on Together (from The Land Before Time).
I hope you can find a song that works for you. I couldn't pick one until I had that "without a doubt" feeling that it had to be the one!
links may have been cut off-- both videos are in this set on flickr
http://tiny.cc/V3EyE
Can I just say, I love this blog too... and I have to admit, I omitted this part of our wedding only because...
Both y husband lost his mother and I lost my father in the same year (1997.) It just didn't seem right to try and fit the dance in somehow.
BUT my dad did get to dance with my sister at her wedding to "A Wonderful World"..., forget who sings it, but it's so short and still makes me cry.
"Clouds of white, red roses too,... I think to myself, what a wonderful world..."
I REALLY REALLY like that idea! I don't want to be put on the spot with a solo dance.
Thanks for the inspiration!
We're in the same conundrum, but we have a while to figure it out. Niether my partner nor I are good dancers, but our parents are.. so it's going to be interesting.
My dad and I are thinking about Little Miss Magic by Jimmy Buffett, but we're not sure yet.
Good luck!
Sunshine on my Shoulders-John Denver
This was very difficult for me as well. I came to the conclusion that I'll never find THE PERFECT song, but the song I picked has special meaning to my dad and I. It's The Wonder of You (most familiar version is Elvis Presley's) It's one of my dad's favorite songs of all time and I'm having my best friend, who is a singer, sing it as a slow song (without the romantic love themed third verse!) As a sidenote, I couldn't believe the lists of father/daughter dance suggestions that were so clearly about romantic love. So, my best advice is don't beat yourself up about picking THE PERFECT song, just pick one that makes you guys happy.
Me and my daddy will be dancing to "I don't wanna close my eyes" by Aerosmith, and Jeff and his mom are dancing to "Somewhere out there" from American Tail. Each song has special significance to us, so there was never really a question about what the songs would be. Is there any song that makes you think of your dad when you hear it?
Our Song is "Gracie" from Ben Folds ; )
"unforgettable" nat king cole
:)
good luck!
We did a joint dance as well and used "Because you loved me" by celine dion. The song matched how I felt about my dad and how he felt about his mom so it was perfect.
My father and I are going to dance to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" sung by Judy Garland. Wizard of Oz is his favorite movie; he loves that song. He just doesn't know we're having a father-daughter dance yet...
Undecided if we're doing them together or not yet, but I know the father-daughter dance will be "It's a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong. I considered using John Mayer "Daughters" for awhile too.
I'm not into the traditional dance songs, I prefer it when the couple's pick songs that really say how they feel as opposed to a song on the TOP 100 First Dance Song List, gag! Although, I'm not engaged we have talked about first dance songs and we love 'I'm Yours' by: The Script, and 'Lullaby' by: The Spill Canvas. Go with your heart!
My Dad and I are either doing "It Wont Be Like This For Long." or "Brown Eyed Girl"- my fiance and his mother and dancing to "Mama" by Boyz to Men
I know you said you looked through a whole bunch of lists, but I just want to tell you, and everyone who's still deciding, that I just started a blog about music for weddings, and recently posted father/daughter and mother/son dances. Click on my name and it will take you to my blog if you want to check it out! It's called Soundtrack To I Do.
P.S. Love your blog!
Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole's Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What a Wonderful World mix.
So beautiful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ltAGuuru7Q
Somewhere over the rainbow- Willie Nelson
my father is picking the song for our daddy daughter dance! it's a total suprise to me:)
I second Amanda B.! That song is beautiful! We went to a wedding last summer where the entire wedding party (including the bride) entered to this song as it was being sung by a friend of the couple while playing the ukulele... It was magical. Iz's version, which is what this couple based theirs on, just takes me to another place. I definitely suggest it! Plus it's a mashup of two songs already suggested: Somewhere Over the Rainbow & What a Wonderful World.
For something more up-tempo, you could do "Sunshine of My Life" by Stevie Wonder. That would be fun!
If we do dancing at mine, my dad and I will be dancing to Brown-Eyed Girl by Van Morrison.
My dad and I are dancing to Edelweiss from the sound of music and he and his mom are dancing to either "What a wonderful world" or "In my life" Hope that helps?
Child of Mine, by Carole King
We're not doing the parent-child dances. Neither my father nor his mother have a desire to dance in public, and we think the whole thing is a little creepy and a lot awkward. But the whole reason I'm leaving a comment is because I've had a certain song stuck in my head all day and when I read this post, it just seemed hilariously (in)appropriate--"Mother" by Danzig!
I'm going to dance with my mom to "Hey Jude" by the Beatles. It's not a sappy song, but my mom's name is Judy, and it always makes me think of her. Also because when I was a little kid she's the one that introduced me to the Beatles. It's just a song that makes me think of her always. And it's awesome.
not sure if we're even having that dance at this stage!!
if we did though, it'd be to My Girl...
we're doing sunshine of my life- stevie wonder. i think it would be a great one for a joint dance as well (as long as you guys are down for something more upbeat) :) good luck!
we're also doing a combine father/daughter mother/son dance and, like Linda above, we're dancing to In My Life, but we're using the Dave Matthews cover version. it's one of my favorite choices :)
My father and I are dancing to Teach Your Children Well sung by Crosby Stills Nash and Young. I have memories of him strumming it on his guitar when I was a little kid and singing along with him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6pphVs8bF0
So timely. Had convo with my sister during which she suggested the "butterfly kisses" song and I puked a little in my mouth.
I love blackbird by the beatles, sang a little bit of it for her and she said, "why would you ever have a song talking about broken wings playing at your wedding"
sigh
so, don't have one yet, but love that you have so many suggestions!
a friend of mine danced to "thank heaven for little girls" that song from Gigi...it was so fun, but obviously not appropriate for your FH and his mom.
It's an awesome idea to combine the mother/son father/daughter dances!
The husband to be and I are thinking of dancing to "I'll be your lover too" by Van Morrison, although we'll probably change our minds (also I really like "This Never Happened Before" by Paul McCartney).
I was thinking of dancing to "Stand by Me" with my dad, although I read in the comments someone's suggestion of "In My Life" which is a beautiful song, and my dad LOVES the Beatles!
We're combining the dances too and doing them to "Unforgettable," the Nat King Cole/Natalie Cole duet.
It's a song that my mom loved and we it played at the end of her funeral a few years ago. So it means ALOT to my Dad and me, but it's also appropriate for the mother/son dance.
Good luck!
We're not doing father/daughter and mother/son dances either. I'm pretty sure my fiance's mom is in love with him so she'll probably be upset...haha...
I know my dad would just be embarrassed and awkward about it and I have no real desire to dance with him either. We might sing a karaoke duet instead because we're classy like that.
You've Got a Friend by James Taylor for me and my dad. My sister and my dad used There Goes My Baby by The Drifters, since she's the baby of the family
My dad and I danced to 'As' by Stevie Wonder. It's a little fast, but a special one to us, and I love the lyrics.
We might be doing "I Won't Dance" the duet by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald ... get it? Cause we will dance ... ok ok Im a cheeseball.
my fiance and i are doing a cobined father-daughter/mother-son dance as well.. mainly because neither of us really wants to dance with our parents for too long and we wanna get rockin' right away. lol. havent decided on a song yet... we found a nice version of "sunrise, sunset" done on an acoustic guitar with no words by gary lucas... but its a little on the slow and mellow side.
My Dad and I are dancing to Landslide by Fleetwood Mac. The song and really reminds me of him despite the questionable references to Stevie's "snow-covered hills."
How about Isnt She Lovely by Stevie Wonder - my dad really got down on that song :-)
I'm dancing with my dad to this song:
Somewhere Over the rainbow/What a wonderful World
by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
I like this song cause its fun and light hearted and not to romantic and reminds me of childhood and being my parents little girl. It also has nothing to do specifically with daughters so it could work for the groom and his mom.
Best of luck
My guy's dancing with his mom to a traditional arabic song in a traditional arabic dance, so we can't do it together.... Mixed weddings can be tricky
Can you think of any special times you have had together when there was music playing? Do either of you have a favorite group or song?
Maybe ask for a friends help finding the right one. There is so much to choose from it would be hard. Maybe even a song which describes your relationship with your father/mother, etc....Good luck!
Amy
www.amyspaintedhouseandmore.com
Still undecided on this one, very timely post. My dad was really involved in my life UP UNTIL I got engaged, he has not been supportive at all so I'm not sure if we'll do a father daughter dance. Plus, I kinda feel like that leaves my mom out, and she's been the real parental "rock," if you know what I mean. So I was thinking my mom and dad and stepdad and brothers and sisters and I (basically, both immediate families) would rock out to "We are Family" and do something upbeat. The boy and his mom are pretty set on a mother-son dance, and they're Russian (so they want to dance to a classic Russian song) so I don't think we'll be able to combine the dances. But you know we still have 3 months so whooooooooo knows.
Thanks for posting this! I have some songs to download : )
Love Me Tender by Elvis!
My dad wants to dance to Landslide. At first I thought WTF? But then I ready the lyrics and it's perfect. It would work well for mother/son too!
we did the same for our wedding, it was fun and made me less nervous since all eyes weren't on me... we used "always" by frank sinatra.
I went to a wedding recently where the Father-of-the-Bride had the DJ play "I loved her first" during the middle of his speech. He was standing in slience, in tears & everyone thought it was so sweet'n'sentimental - I was like an alien from another planet because I thought it was bizaare. Honestly, I pretended to cry as well in an attempt to cover my laughter. Each to his own, etc. but I believe that unless a father is also willing to sing "I loved him first" at his SON'S wedding, then it is creepy & slightly sexual.
Anyway, off the soapbox, I like the idea of your joint dances. Sinatra/gentle Elvis/Somewhere over the Rainbow keep coming up, and for good reason. They are classy & timeless. I'm going to keep thinking too! x
we just had our wedding on april 25th - we did the combo dance as well and i had a hell of time trying to decide on the song. i finally decided on 'two of us' by the beatles, but it ended up being a hard song to dance to because of the change in tempo. but we still had a blast!!!
We also did the combined parent-dance. We danced to "Too Marvelous For Words" by Frank Sinatra - sort of a thank you to our parents, and a classic song.
My dad and I will dance to a Rolling Stones cover of "That's How Strong My Love is." He digs the Stones, and I wanted something meaningful but not cheesy. My fiance and I will dance to "My Dearest Darling" by Etta James, which has fabulous lyrics but is just a little upbeat and jazzy. Soooo fun. Soooo us.
My Dad and I are dancing to "Ballroom Blitz" from the Wayne's World soundtrack. Okay, it sounds weird but it holds a special places in both our hearts.
When I was ten my dad choreographed my karate routine which won me the crown in the Little Miss (insert city) contest I had entered, to that song. Yes it is a fast song, yes my 60 year old father agreed to shake his thang in an uncomfortable manner.
And I'll love him forever because of it.
First Day of My Life by Bright Eyes is a sweet one
My dad and I are (as of today) dancing to "My Wish" by Rascall Flatts. It could totally work as a combined dance though, and it's such a great song...
Try this one. It's by Pricilla Ahn and its called Dream. It's really sweet.
this was tough for us as my dad & i had a hard time agreeing & then of course my mom had to chime in w/her 2 cents. i wanted an early 80s country music song b/c that reminds me of when i had the closest relationship w/my dad. we settled on you "decorated my life" by kenny rogers. "through the years" was a contender but i associate that song more w/my parents. the groom & his mom have chosen an upbeat song (unfortunately, one that i think is played-out) - "brown eyed girl". i think the song will be kind of cute in this context.
My dad and I danced to Butterfly Kisses. I know that's making some of your readers puke a bit. My hubby and his mom danced to "You're Gonna Be"-Reba McEntire
My husband and I did our first dance to "Someone to Fall Back On" by Jason Robert Brown. After a minute we switched partners -- I went with my dad, then my sis, then my FIL. Hubby went with his cousin, two SILs, and aunts.
The song isn't cheesy, or Oedipal, or even that romantic. It's a song that works for any dance between two (or more) people who love and support eachother. It worked for all of the partnerings we went through.
We're using My Wish by Rascal Flatts. It's really long though. Not sure how to cope with that yet!
unfortunately my dad's not going to be able to make it to my wedding, I'm having my best friend's dad walk me down the aisle - so we're skipping the father/daughter - mother/son dances altogether. BUT if my dad was there I would have done "You are my sunshine" because he always sang that to us as kids. there's a really good version of it on the O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack.
moon river!!!
perfect for both.
I am totally stuck on songs too. My Dad and I aren't the sappy types.
The songs we always sang together were
Bird is the Word - lol I dunno who this is by
The Sweater Song (Undone) - Weezer which is borderline depressing lol
and
I wanna be Sedated - The Ramones lol
Our favorite is the Ramones but I don't wanna dance to a song about wanting to be sedated on one of the happiest days of my life lol...
Butterfly kisses and I loved her first make me wanna ralph though.
How about In My Life by the Beatles or Louis Armstrong What a Wonderful World?
My sister danced with my dad to Sunrise, Sunset from Fiddler and the Roof and then her husband joined them with his mom. Its the song that the parents in the musical sing when their children are getting married. It was really sweet and appropriate.
"When I'm Sixty-Four" The Beatles
Check out the live version of "Landslide" where Stevie starts it off with "This is for you, Daddy."
I once made my dad a "mix CD" of music that I loved that was inspired by his musical tastes, starting it with that song, and he loved it. :)
My friend danced with her father to "Rubber Ducky" sung by Bert & Ernie. It was funny and touching at the same time.
So I've been thinking....if I was re-doing my wedding & having a father-daughter/mother-son dance with an upbeat, California vibe, I would choose "I wanna be like you" covered by the swing band Big Bad Voodoo Daddies. The song is from "The Jungle Book" of course but its sentiment is sweet & this cover is pretty cool. Here it is live:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXwlMWYJqoM
Other childhood favourite songs might provide a few more options. Harry Connick Jnr has a whole album dedicated to sophisticated versions of old classics.
ours was keb mo's "life is beautiful"....also, my mom's feelings were kind of hurt that she didn't get involved in that parent/child dancing, so you may think about switching out halfway through where you dance with his father and he dances with your mom...if your 'rents are the sensitive types.
you choose whats best for your wedding! there are a lot a of great love songs out there that are fit to a wedding so choose wisely or better yet just choose your theme song, the ones you and your partner liked. oh! about the dance thing! its a custom for weddings.. :)
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