Top Three Wedding Songs of 2012: A Retrospective

Massachusetts Wedding Photography, groom rocking out at Zukas Hilltop Barn in Spencer MA, creative edgy image

Normally at the end of the year, we like to look back at all of our wonderful Massachusetts Wedding Photography from the season and just pick out a few favorites and talk about them. This year, we're going to mix it up and talk about the music (so as not to invoke the ire of any clients who might feel slighted because it's not their dress or cake that made the entirely arbitrary cut, also I feel like punting this and just posting Youtube links). These are three songs that got people moving on the dance floors in 2012 in no particular order.

Shout (The Isley Brothers)

I think that of all the weddings I shot this season there were only one or two that missed this song that seems to have become a wedding staple all thanks to the film Animal House, even if the toga wedding never quite got off the ground (at least after the decline and fall of the Roman Empire). At New England weddings it's usually broken out toward the end of the evening, one last gasp of energy before people head home or off to the after party. It's a nice addition to the lineup because the moment it's on, everyone knows what the deal is but they aren't annoyed the way they might be if the DJ suddenly put on the "Macarena" (which was thankfully taken out back and shot sometime in 2006).

Call Me Maybe (Carly Rae Jepsen)

At the very least this song should appear on all lists for sheer omnipresence. Even if you were under some kind of rock, in a basement, in a bathroom with a sign that says "beware of leopard;" you've probably heard this song and are right now singing it. "Call Me Maybe" may in fact be the apotheosis of pop music science,

It also offers us a fascinating insight into the Canadian dating scene, where giving someoen your number and noncomittally asking them to call you is considered crazy. That is not the kind of go-get-it attitude that will result in you hiring a Massachusetts wedding photographer. 

Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond)

I love Neil Diamond as much as the next person, but how this song has become Massachusett's unofficial state song eludes me. You just an't argue with the people and how much they love to shout out the "ba ba baa" part (and "so good") and this is a list about songs that got people excited and moving.

If your crowd really isn't the dance party type, then audience participation is a great way to get them involved with what's happening on the dance floor. I am also informed that if they don't participate to this song then it's a sure sign that they like the Yankees and are possibly a witch.

Massachusetts Wedding Photography, bride and groom first dance at Hilltop Country Club in Attleboro MA

There are of course a few honorable mentions...

Lights (Ellie Goulding) - I went to a lot of weddings this season and this song was only played at one of them, in all honesty the honorable mention should go to the gorgeous redhead who wsa shutting it down when this song was playing. While I may be a consumately professional wedding photographer, I'm not made of stone.

Big Bright World (Garbage) - Speaking of redheads I'm in love with, Garbage had a new album this year and I think this song is wonderfully romantic in a quirky, beautiful way. So this song should happen, so I can take credit for making it happen and get Shirley Manson to ditch her husband for me in gratitude.

Here's hoping for some great music from 2012 and that I never have to hear a country song about disposable cups again.

Rhode Island Wedding Photography, bride and groom hoisted into the air as arriving conquerors at Warwick Country Club in Warwick RI