The Wedding Jam Blog
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10 Perfect Songs for Your Post-Lockdown Wedding
Imagine it. Just imagine it. That first batch of weddings when all this is over are going to be absolutely off the hook. At the best of times, weddings and wedding parties can be some of the most life-affirming days and nights out anyone can ever experience. That overwhelming sense of communal celebration is something we seldom feel to such an extent anywhere else in life - a mass celebration of love, friendship, togetherness...a celebration of life! So just imagine those first few weddings when restrictions are lifted and life is returning to normal - like wedding receptions on steroids!
We've rounded up 10 songs to unite your wedding reception dancefloor in triumphant and joyous revelry, celebrating your big day with an added dash of ecstatic post-lockdown relief. Enjoy!
Image credit: @amyfaithphoto
Thin Lizzy - The Boys are Back in Town
'Guess who just got back today / Them wild-eyed boys that had been away'
Happily, in 2021, this great song's title and lyrics can be taken as gender neutral. We're all on board with that. And sooner or later the boys, will indeed, be back in town.
George Michael - Freedom! '90
Imagine the absolute flames on the dancefloor when this comes on. Not a single soul in the house will give the faintest hoot that this song is actually about George's dispute with his record company.
Johnny Nash - I Can See Clearly Now
Almost every line of this timeless classic feels as if it was written for the end of a global pandemic. Whether this original or Jimmy Cliff's more reggaeified cover version, you're not gonna go wrong here.
Ultra Nate - Free
There's any number of songs called 'Free', but this anthemic banger feels the most fitting. 'Cos you're free to do what you want to, you've got to live your life'. Indeed we are, Ultra Nate. Indeed we are.
The Beatles - Here Comes the Sun
You've never heard a more pertinent figurative 'long cold lonely winter', with the pandemic's 'ice slowly melting', and 'the smiles returning to their faces...it feels like years since it's been here'. STOP IT, George - we're going to weep!
Corona - Rhythm of the Night
Can we get away with this one? We think we can. We'll spare you the tedious corona jokes though. This, from 1993, was back when corona was a good thing (groan), and a tune that went viral (groooooaaaan!). Ok, we'll quit while we're behind.
Randy Crawford - Street Life
Including this partly because it's a complete and utter vibe, but we reckon there's more than a tenuous link. A little known fact is that this song was inspired by the guy that wrote it, Joe Sample, witnessing a beginners' ski slope in California. "I saw people falling, running into each other...it was absolute chaos. It looked like a boulevard of madness.' And I said, 'That's what street life is".
A 'boulevard of madness' sounds about right for when we're all allowed back out again, don't you think?
Joe Smooth - Promised Land
"Sisters, brothers - we'll make it to the promised land"
Yes mate! In one fell swoop, this classic slice of early house will take us back in time...stepping out of lockdown onto a smoke and sweat filled dancefloor, absolutely vibing our asses off. Sounds good doesn't it?
Andy Williams - Happy Heart
One for your older relatives, or maybe just one for everyone! This vintage piece of easy listening is a glorious expression of love. It is the sound of love. 'Music fills my soul now / I've lost all control now / I'm not half, I'm whole now / with your love'. Imagine it. IMAGINE IT! Hug your loved ones, hold your Mum, squeeze your Dad, kiss your other half, hug everyone!
Curtis Mayfield - Move on Up
Ok, so the link is a touch tenuous, but as this song is one of the greatest musical expressions of joy in the history of music, we felt it had to go in. 'Remember your dream is your only scheme, so keep on pushing'!
And there we go! There are loads more to consider - Candi Staton's 'Young Hearts Run Free', 'Beat It', Bob Marley's 'Three Little Birds', 'Outside' by George Michael (hehe), 'Walking on Sunshine' by Katrina and the Waves and soooo many more! We've whacked them all - and loads more - into an extended Spotify playlist (see below) for your perusal and your pleasure, and in the meantime let's keep our eyes on the prize and dream of these days. Stay positive, and stay safe!