PW Guide Article: What’s on Your ‘Do Not Play’ List?

The steps are fairly accurate to what some of our clients have done in the past. The overplayed category should be renamed "Sick of Hearing It" as that is the response we get for particularly hated songs. 

We can't say we agree with all the songs on the Top 10 List in the article.  We still get requests for half the songs on there, such as "Love Shack" and "Celebration."  We as DJs may hate hearing them weekend after weekend but they're certain to get you on the dance floor every time.  Rather than listing "Macarena", the latest trend is requesting no audience participation dances at all as opposed to one particular song. 

I'm a DJ as well, and I would definitely agree with the line dance thing. but I've found a trend in the last few years with the weddings i've been doing. That would be the "old school" feel. By this I mean that maybe 10% of the music I played was withing the last 5 years or so. People are wanting more and more of what brings them back to their youth, music that universally can get people up on the dance floor, 80's & early 90's dance/r&b/hiphop (before the days of having to bleep out everyother word) 70's disco and funk, 80's rock like AC/DC and BonJovi. There are easy substitutes for the songs that are "overplayed" those same artists (kool&the gang, B-52s,etc) have other great songs like "Get down on it" and "rock lobster". I easily mix in Justin Timberlake with Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga w/ Madonna and other stuff, Black Eyed Peas with Haddaway (lol, it works, and i always keep ppl on the floor!) there's too much today that alienates most ppl over the age of 35(which is about half of your crowd), or is inappropriate for a wedding. don't forget a lil' 50's fun for grandma's and older mom's who grew up in the 50's and early 60's doing the twist and stuff! it's fun even for the kids (if there are any) at the wedding.

We are TOTALLY playing Love Shack at our wedding.  It might be the walk-in song.  FI LOVES the B-52s (and so do I).  It is only our MUST PLAY LIST.  (I am doing the iPod DJ and making my own playlist, so every song is a must play!)

Ha ha ha I would be a horrible wedding DJ as "Humpty Dance" as well as "Tainted Love" are must-haves for us.

I think that it all depends on the couple, too.  Most of FIs friends as well as mine were of the artsy/mildly goth-y/band/chorus/drama/geek persuasion in high school, and "Tainted Love" was always a necessary sing-along for any large occassion.

I LOVE this article!  Being 50 and 63, we have a lot on our "Do Not Play List".  Our list more resembles the soundtrack from "Big Chill", that's why I always call our DW "Big Chill Meets Wild Hogs Wedding Weekend." My FI used to dance on American Bandstand, so we have a lot of oldies and Motown for him, and for me, danceable classic rock(heavy on the Stones, Dead, Doors), some classic punk and yes, even some disco(for those of my friends who have seen "Saturday Night Fever" a milliion times).

We actually have a play list.  We have songs we would like played during cocktail and dinner hours:  songs by bands we have seen in concert.  We have been together 9 years, that is a lot of bands.  We snuck them in before some of them expire.

Our Do Not Play List

1.  All songs by Bruce Springstein; Rod Stewart; and Lady Gaga(Hell, I don't even know what she looks like.)

2.  YMCA , Hokey Pokey, Mexican Hat Dance, Any Polka or Tarantella(We both danced a Tarantella at our first weddings.)   

3.  Celebrate, We are Family; I Will Survive; So Many Men So Little TIme; It's Raining Men; Sweet Caroline(This song sucks.- sang to the tune of the song.)Brown Eyed Girl; Paradise by the Dashboard Lights; Titanic Song; Old Time Rock and Roll; Who Let The Dogs Out; Red Red Wine

5.  Rap, Hip Hop, Country, Blue Grass, Gospel, Opera

Thanks for a good chuckle and a well written article!

The Himpty Dance will be played loud and proud at our reception... Along with the b52's, Billy Idol and Snoop!