Top first dance tracks from our fave entertainers
Photo: One Spoon Two Spoon
Ah, the first dance as newlyweds – what an emotional, exciting and love-filled moment.
Oftentimes the first dance is the formal opening of the evening’s celebrations, and a great chance to take in the moment and soak up the atmosphere and excitement of what’s just taken place.
Naturally, choosing a first dance track is so personal, and from your individual music taste, to the overall style of your wedding celebration – the options can vary from traditionally romantic, to energetic and upbeat, or super quirky and unexpected.
If you need a hand pulling together your shortlist of songs, who better than our entertainment gurus to offer their opinion? Read on and get fired up for the first dance of your dreams.
Coming Home – Leon Bridges
The first dance song is super personal and will depend on a couples’ music tastes. However if we had to choose just one, this would be it. Coming Home is a new song with an old, soulful vibe. Millenials will recognise it, and the older generation will identify with its nostalgic feel. On top of that, the lyrics are romantic without being clichéd.
Melbourne Entertainment Company
Never Tear Us Apart – INXS
While we often see your typical Ed Sheeran’s, and acoustic covers, we recently had a unique request for INXS – Never Tear Us Apart. The couple had one of our sax players come out for the saxophone solo in the song and created an epic moment for the couple. If your friends love their Aussie classics – it’s a banger! It’s not your typical first dance request, normally an end of night tune. But for this particular crowd it worked perfectly.
I Believe In A Thing Called Love – The Darkness
We can’t think of a better song to really kick-off everlasting love. It has the perfect sentiment, while also being a killer tune to rock-out to with your brand new beloved – and definitely get your MC to invite all your friends and family to jump-in on the dance-floor action halfway, too for some extra wedding-mosh love!
Photo: Lost In Love Photography
You Make My Dreams Come True – Hall & Oates (the slow cover by Billy Marten) OR Simply The Best – Tina Turner (the slow acoustic cover by Stephanie Rainey)
We love new takes on old classics! There’s something familiar but fresh and the surprise this creates is magical. Throw in some tasty male/female vocal harmonies and the moment is on fire.
The Luckiest – Ben Folds
I don’t know what it is about this song, but it really gets me whenever I see a couple dancing together for the first time. There’s something about the way the piano part highlights the spaces between the notes, it somehow makes time stop, and you can’t help but feel the weight, the significance and the beauty of the moment.
A Groovy Kind of Love – Phil Collins
If you and your partner both have different tastes or don’t love the idea of everyone staring at you until the d-floor is open for business to guests, meet in the middle and pick something short and sweet. Phil Collins’ A Groovy Kind Of Love is around 3 minutes long and includes the lyrics, “when I kiss your lips, ooh, I start to shiver, can’t control the quivering inside” – get the tissues ready ladies! If you have a live band lined up for your reception, you can easily ask them to shorten a longer song you love. This is a little trickier with a DJ, as they have to find a good exit time, but they can fade out slowly and softly, pending the kind of song. Also, remember you can ask your DJ or MC to invite your guests to join you on the dance-floor after the first minute – or however long you feel comfortable – come up with a secret signal!
Photo: Danielle Symes Photography
Never Tear Us Apart – INXS
My pick for a first dance always has been and always will be ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ – INXS. It’s just so perfect lyrically and the fact that it’s an absolute classic song (without being a total cliche that everyone uses) that a lot of guests know well or have at least heard before gives them an instant connection too. It’s a beautifully epic love song and so well written musically that it works whether you’ve got a DJ playing the original track, a band covering it or it even translates really well totally stripped back and played acoustically – definitely my pick if I ever have to choose a first dance for my own wedding!
Harvest Moon – Neil Young
We played this recently for a smaller wedding, the couple danced at the end of their two banquet tables with all their guests looking on. Everyone was mesmerised watching them as they danced and sung along looking into each others eyes. It was a definite moment, thats for sure!
The Few Things – JP Saxe with Charlotte Lawrence
This is a newby and we love it. The lyrics and playing it stripped back with just guitar or keys sure does make it magic.
You Make My Dreams Come True – cover by Tim Halperin
Such an oldie but what a goodie. Putting a modern twist on it, this song is sure to be adored by many upcoming couples, we love it.
All I Have To Do Is Dream – The Everly Brothers.
It’s a fave to play these days and with pretty harmonies, our couples have definitely embraced this as a first dance tune.
Photo: Tess Follett
Coldplay – Magic
Beyonce – Smash Into You
Florence and The Machine – You Got The Love
Ed Sheerun – Perfect
Alicia Keys – If I Ain’t Got You
John Legend – All Of Me
Etta James – At Last
Jason Mraz – I Won’t Give Up
All of these songs have really bought the magic when it comes to that first dance moment!
The first dance is truly magical moment in any wedding ceremony and one that should be shared with a special song that means a lot and becomes sentimental to the bride and groom.
We often suggest to our clients that they select a song that they both love, is personal and has lyrics they both relate to, and one that they can listen to in future and always remind them of each other on their wedding day.
From our experience acoustic covers work extremely well for any first dance. We absolutely love the work Boyce Avenue do with their version in covers – beautiful vocals and very smooth sounds. Check them out on Spotify and YouTube, you won’t be disappointed!
