I was listening to the radio the other day and I was immediately taken back to a specific moment in my life when a song came on the radio. Isn't it interesting how music can do that to us. It's almost a bit magical the power music has to transport you to a moment in the past with such clarity that it almost feels like you are there again.
That's part of the reason I love these #threetunetuesday posts sponsored by , not only do I get to share some of my favorite songs with you, I also get to relive some great (or not so great) memories from my past.
On top of that, when you post your three songs, it often introduces me to new music or bands that I had never considered before.
It's an amazing thing!
So let me set the stage for you. It's sometime a couple of decades ago and my friend is getting married. The wedding is over and we are at a Knights of Columbus hall that actually sits just a few miles down the road from where I now live. The dinner is over, the cake is cut, and the DJ is getting ready to settle in for a long night of spinning tunes and keeping the crowd "pumped".
We reach a point where the fast music is transitioning into a couple of slow songs when suddenly, this song comes on:
Don't get me wrong, "Lyin' Eyes" by the Eagles is a classic. Heck, anything by the Eagles is pretty much a classic. You can't call yourself a classic rock fan and not have at least one album by the Eagles.
That being said, I think it was a huge mistake to play this song at a wedding reception. Yes, it is a good song, but it is also a song about cheating. I mean, way to set the stage right out of the gate huh?
Unfortunately, this song was a little prophetic and the marriage didn't work out, but even if it had, I still contend this song never should have been played.
Amazing jam?? Absolutely!
Wedding reception material? Definitely not!
I don't care how great it is for a slow dance. It just should not be played. I'm not sure if the DJ was new or just had a mental lapse. I probably will never know, but any time I hear this song, I am always going to be transported back to that moment when it incredulously started playing at my best friends wedding reception.
You get the theme now?
Songs that shouldn't be played at a wedding reception.
Here we go again with another song that in my opinion is an absolute classic. "Neon Moon" is one of Brooks and Dunn's most well know and well loved songs. However, when you listen to the lyrics, you will realize that it isn't the lovey slow dance song that you initially think it is.
I remember listening to an interview with Brooks and Dunn a while ago and they were talking about this song. They said they can't even count how many people have come up to them and said "oh man, Neon Moon was our wedding song, we love it so much!".
I'm sure they were cordial in person, but in the radio interview, their reaction was quite different. Why! The song is about a person losing his love and drowning his sorrows at the bar by the light of a Neon Moon.
It's a song about love yes, but not the right side of love, it's the side of love that most wedding couples hope they never see.
Finally, I would have probably been heading for divorce myself if I didn't include this song by 's absolute favorite band Bon Jovi.
"I'll Be there for you" is one of those songs where if you listen to the lyrics you think it is this amazing song about love and commitment and never giving up. It's one of those Bon Jovi anthems that people can't help but sing along to and get this warm and cozy feeling when it comes on.
If you listen to the verses though, you will realize it is about a love that is heading down the wrong road. Sure, the guy is trying to get her back, but man, is that really the mood you want to set at the beginning of a marriage?
To be fair, there is a good chance a DJ wouldn't play this song anyway. I could see them saying something like "you can't dance to it" or something like that. Also to be fair. If you tuck it in late enough in the reception, people will likely be so drunk they only remember the chorus anyway.
I still contend that this one should probably be left out of most wedding reception rotations. What do you think?
If you are a DJ or a wanna be DJ, do you have any songs that should be on a "no fly list" for wedding receptions? I'd love to hear them in the comments. Drop me one of your banned wedding tunes. I'm sure has some thoughts on this topic.
Oh yeah, in case you wondered, that is absolutely a picture from and I's wedding almost 15 years ago now. If you know what to look for you can actually see
in the crowd.
Also, credit where it is due, the photo was taken by his ex wife. Yeah, the Lyin' Eyes one!
Finally, just in case you wondered, has been happily remarried for several years now, so it all worked out in the end.
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All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or unless otherwise sourced