When I got married, my husband and I paraded into our reception accompanied by the alternative rock song “Dare” by the Gorillaz—an unusual song choice, but the rhythmic bass granted us the bold entrance I was looking for. We danced our first dance to “At Last,” by Etta James, which I’ve since learned is a cliché first dance song chosen by countless couples. We cut the cake to “Beautiful Day” by U2—it was, after all, just that. The rest of our once-in-a-lifetime event was syncopated by an endless list of songs that evoked love from yesteryears, hinted at far away locales where our ancestors lived, and tempted guests to set the dance floor afire. During my search for wedding music, I did not once consider the songs’ lyrics. If I had, I’d have realized that many wedding songs are posers; they appear to be lovey-dovey-I’m-yours-forever-and-a-day ballads when they’re actually songs about desperation, breakups or deranged love—not the stuff of merry weddings.
With lyrics in mind, here are five songs that we advise you not to include in your wedding soundtrack.
1. The Jilted Fiance
“This Diamond Ring,” by Gary Lewis and the Playboys
The title of this oldie but goodie has promise. Diamonds are, after all, a luminous symbol of love and commitment in most marriages. While skimming through a song list with your DJ, you may come across this title and say, “Throw it in the lineup. Everyone likes an oldie.” You may want to reconsider after you read the lyrics. This song is actually about a guy who is trying to sell his fiancée’s diamond ring after a bad break up. If you believe in bad mojo, this song isn’t for your wedding.
Who wants to bu-u-uy this diamond ri-i-i-ing?
She took it off her finger, now it doesn’t mean a thi-i-i-ng
This diamond ring doesn’t shine for me anymore
And this diamond ring doesn’t mean what it meant before
So if you’ve got someone whose love is tru-u-ue
Let it shine for yo-ou-ou
Well, if it that ring didn’t shine for him anymore, what makes you think it’ll shine for you? You don’t want a second-hand ring, anyway. Skip this track.
