Ideal and less-than-ideal Wedding Songs/Funeral Songs

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Just a little idea that came to me recently thanks to a local radio station, one of the announcers was on her last shift as she was getting married the next day so out of interest she asked listeners to call in with suggestions of what songs NOT to play as she walked down the aisle, of course most callers had to add suggestions for good ones to play.

Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to see what kind of ideas you guys might have on the topic, partly out of interest but also because some months back I bought the latest Red Hot Chili Peppers album and I decided that if I ever do take the plunge I want "Hard To Concentrate" played either as my bride-to-be walks down the aisle or as our Bridal Waltz song.

And I tacked on the Funeral Songs bit because over the last few years I've decided that INXS's "By My Side" was what I might want played at my funeral.

Thoughts?

 

Although I've never really thought of songs for walking down the aisle, those played at the reception are more often the questionable ones. Classics at receptions that are questionable are:

Every Breath You Take -- this is about a stalker.
I Will Always Love You -- major breakup song. (same with One by U2).
My Heart Will Go On -- about the death of her boyfriend.
Lips of an Angel -- the guy is thinking of cheating on his wife.
When a Man Loves a Woman -- about a guy who never guessed his wife was fooling around.

As far as walking down the aisle to stay away from...
Dude Looks Like a Lady
Love Stinks
You Can't Always Get What You Want
Roxanne
Funeral For a Friend
Someone Saved My Life Tonight

I must admit I thought playing You Can't Always Get What You Want at the funeral in The Big Chill was hilarious (the person had committed suicide).

 

The only specific songs that actually stuck in my mind from the suggestions - aside from the ones you've mentioned T2 - are:
Meatloaf's "Paradise By The Dashboard Light"
"Put Another Log On The Fire" by I-can't-remember-who
"D.I.V.O.R.C.E." with a few different versions of that mentioned and
"When You Say Nothing At All" by Ronan Keating - the reason given for avoiding this was that in the caller's opinion it's basically saying STFU

Mind you, most callers suggested avoiding just about anything by Celine Dion or Whitney Houston in particular

 

Best Funeral Song
"Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen

Best Wedding Song
Same.

Runner Up for Best Wedding Song
"Me So Horny" by 2LiveCrew

C'mon...what IS a marriage if not effectively telling a woman "me love you long time?"

 

Good funberal song would be "Who wants to live forever" by Queen, but my own choice would be "Fire" by Arthur Brown. Or "fire" by Jimi Hendrix.

 

I think songs like "Hell's Bells", "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC or "Go to Hell" by Alice Cooper would be tasteless at a funeral (no matter how much of a pr*ck the deceased was in life). "Thank God and Greyhound She's Gone" would also be in poor taste.

As for weddings, "You Got Another Thing Coming" by Judas Priest might be strangely accurate. "For Whom the Bell Tolls" might not be good either...

 

Anti-Wedding song:
Closer by Nine Inch Nails

 

Isn't he mocking his sister's choice of groom in that song or somesuch.

 

That song actually strikes me as referring to a forced wedding, perhaps because the bride is pregnant. Maybe it's the reference to "shotgun"

 

I've never really given wedding songs a though but Wagner's Flight of the Valkyrie would be unique for the bride's walk down the aisle.


As for funeral song, I want Israel Kamakawiwoole's Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World played during my own.

 

I always like the thought of Alice in Chains' "Love Hate Love" as a wedding song... "Sweet little angel you should have run... lying, crying, dying to leave".

For a funeral, maybe Stone Temple Pilot's "Naked Sunday".

 

Funeral (Good) - The Lark Ascending, Ave Maria, and I'd quite like "Three Days" by Janes Addiction at mine.

Funeral (Bad) - Hit me baby, one more time.

 

Once I went to a wedding and the bride chose Yesterday as the music to play when the couple were leaving the church. Man, I couldn’t stop giggling as the first verses of the song started:

“Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away…”

Damn, that was funny…

 

Funeral (bad) - Alive and kicking - Simple minds

Wedding (good) - Open your eyes - Snow Patrol

 

Great song, but awful choice... unless she was trying to be funny

 

I remember a story of a girl telling her mother that when she got married it would be the end of her troubles. The Mother just asked her which end that was...

 

I believe she liked the song but didn't know the meaning of the lyrics...

 

That reminds me of a team-building conference I once had. At the end of the conference, we were supposed to select a song as our theme. And one girl seriously suggests Queen's Love of My Life.