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40 Most Requested Wedding Songs For The Perfect Playlist

10 September 2018

Since the inception of Mike Bills Entertainment, it's been my goal as one of the top wedding DJs in Charleston to help construct an amazing soundtrack and mix of music that is tailored to each wedding, private party or event with their likes and dislikes.  When you give each couple the 100% latitude and "say-so" about what they would like to hear at their Charleston wedding, something truly amazing begins to happen. People have fun, and that "fun" creates  indelible, lasting images that you and your guests will remember for a very long time.  While it's certainly my goal to make each and every wedding or event completely about the guests and the bride and groom, there are actually quite a few songs that continue to be some of the hottest and most popular requests at Charleston weddings. You'll want to read on to see some of the 40 most popular Charleston wedding music standards still on the request lists today, and what will probably be for many years to come.

 As one of the best Charleston wedding DJs, the songs you are about to see on this playlist are some of the most often requested songs heard all over at weddings around the beautiful city of Charleston. When it comes to Charleston weddings, there are some songs that have been known to cause burnout among guests, as well as DJs. Those songs are not included in this post.

Need A HeadStart On Your Charleston Wedding Playlist? Download These Songs From Spotify NOW
If you just got engaged and you and your fiance are sitting back and brainstorming some songs to put on your wedding playlist, you'll want to find me on Spotify. Head over to Spotify now and do a search for DJ Mike Bills. Not only will you find this playlist, but you will also find some other great wedding playlists ideas that will provide wedding music inspiration for you.  If you don't have access to Spotify. you can still listen to these songs by clicking the link in each song title to listen to the song on YouTube. 

"How Sweet It Is" | James Taylor
Originally written and recorded by Marvin Gaye in 1965,  It would also be covered by Junior Walker & The All Stars, The Grateful Dead, and for the purpose of this post, James Taylor.  For those folks who like to add a little Motown flavor into their Charleston wedding playlist, they may choose the Marvin Gaye version, but the James Taylor tends to be the most popular.

"God Only Knows" | The Beach Boys
Released back in the summer of 1966, "God Only Knows" was the 8th song on their masterful abum "Pet Sounds". The song would go on to be Number 25 on the Rolling Stone list of 500 greatest songs. Find out why that was one of the greatest albums ever by listening to it below, then go ahead and add it to your Charleston wedding playlist.

"I Second That Emotion" | Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
Motown is a big hit when creating your wedding playlist and this song is one of the more popular requests. Released in the fall of 1967, the song would go all the way to Number 4 on the Billboard charts, and would later be covered by Diana Ross & The Supremes, as well as The Temptations.

"Shout" | The Isley Brothers / Otis Day
You know there are some wedding DJs that have put this song into the "burned out" category, but either I don't play it as much as they do or it has not burned me out yet.  The original was released in 1959 by the Isley Brothers, but the cover of the song which was featured on the Animal House soundtrack by Otis Day & The Knights is also a popular choice.

"Sweet Caroline" | Neil Diamond
Definitely one of the biggest and most popular Charleston wedding songs, and I can honestly say that very few wedding playlists have this song left off it's playlist. It's a great song to throw to calm your guest down as we approach the final songs of your wedding reception.

"Can't Help Falling In Love" | Elvis Presley
You can find this classic Charleston wedding song on the 1961 album "Blue Hawaii', which was releasedback in 1961.  Back in 1993, English reggae band UB40 covered the song for the movie "Sliver".

"At Last" | Etta James
If I were to do a Top 10 most popular "classic" song for the first dance for brides and grooms at Charleston weddings, this would be close to the top. The song was first released during the early 1940s by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, but it was Etta James who made it a huge hit in 1960.

"Old Time Rock & Roll" | Bob Seger
You probably can't re-enact the movie scene featuring Tom Cruise from the flick "Risky Business", but this song has been known to get all the guests at weddings in the mood for a long night of partying.

"Let's Stay Together" | Al Green
The title track to his 1972 album went all the way to Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, and spent 9 weeks at the top of the R&B charts. The song would later be covered by Tina Turner, as well as Seal.  The Seal version was released back in 2011 and still played in pretty heavy rotation today.

"September" | Earth Wind & Fire
If you are looking to add a little bit of funk into your Charleston wedding playlist, this is probably one of the most popular songs that really has the potential to get your wedding guests out on the dance floor and having a great time.

"Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" | James Brown
The Godfather Of Soul, who was actually born in Barnwell, SC always sees some requests at Charleston weddings. "Get Up Offa Thing" is another big favorite at Charleston weddings.

"Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" | Michael Jackson
Probably one of the most popular Michael Jackson songs that is sure to get the guests at your wedding out on the dance floor. Released back in the summer of 1979,  it was Michael Jackson's first Number 1 song in 7 years.

"Twist & Shout" | The Beatles
Well, you are at a wedding. Your goal should be to loosen up, especially after the stress from planning. After a few adult beverages, "twisting" and "shouting" is a great side effect :)  The song was actually recorded by a band called The Top Notes, then made a hit by the Isley Brothers. The Beatles covered the song on their 1963 album "Please Please Me" and it's the version that receives the most requests.

"I Wanna Dance With Somebody" | Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston could do no wrong back in the 80s and this song would be her fourth straight Number 1 in 1987.  It would be Whitney's Fourth Number 1 and spend 2 weeks at the top of the charts.

"One More Time" | Daft Punk
Rolling Stone listed this song as one of the Top 100 songs of the 2000s. "One More Time" was a bigger hit in England and hit Number 2 on the UK charts.

"Livin' On A Prayer" | Bon Jovi
If you missed my recent post about brides and grooms coming from New Jersey, this was one of the most popular songs. But you don't need to be from New Jersey to place this on your Charleston wedding playlist.  "Livin On A Prayer" was Bon Jovi's second Number 1 song and still makes for happy guests today.

"You Shook Me All Night Long" | AC/DC
VH1 rated this song in the Top 10 as one of the most popular songs of the 80s.  The song had it's highest position on the French charts back in 1980.

"Kiss" | Prince
It still is quite a shock that Prince has been gone for over 2 years now. Released in Febroary of 1986, "Kiss" was not only a platinum selling single, but also spent a few weeks at Number 1 on the Billboard charts.

"You Make My Dreams Come True" | Hall & Oates
This song actually gets a lot of requests for "Grand Entrance" song.  You might remember this Top 5 song from 1981 in the soundtrack of the classic movie "The Wedding Singer" back in 1998.

"My Girl" | The Temptations
As long as brides want to have that special dance with their fathers, we can expect "My Girl" to be one the playlists at Charleston weddings. The song was written by the great Smokey Robinson and went on to become the first Number 1 song for the Temptations back in 1965.

"Brown Eyed Girl" | Van Morrison
"Brown Eyed Girl" at Charleston weddings is as popular as shrimp & grits and Sweet Tea vodka. The song was released in the summer of 1967 and went all the way to Number 10 on the Hot 100 charts.

"This Is How We Do It" | Montel Jordan
One of the biggest songs of the entire decade of the 90s is still a very heavy favorite at Charleston weddings. This title track of his 1995 album went all the way to Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts back in 1995.

"Party In The USA" | Miley Cyrus
Originally, Jessie J was going to sing this song, but Miley ended up releasing it in August of 2009.  The song would only make it to Number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

"The Way You Look Tonight" | Frank Sinatra
Originally recorded in 1936 by Bing Crosby and his wife, the song would be covered by many musicians including Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Perry Como, and The Coasters. But it was Frank Sinatra's version that tends to still get a lot of spins today at Charleston weddings. Michael Buble's version is one of the more modern covers of this classic song.

"PYT" | Michael Jackson
You know we just celebrated (posthumously) the 60th birthday of Michael Jackson back on August 25. If you take a look back at my blog archives, you'll find a post that features some of his greatest hits. I'll make it easy for you and put the link right here.

"Let's Get It On" | Marvin Gaye
The perfect song that I like to throw on late in the night after a long night of dancing. It's the perfect song to slow things down a litlte bit. We actually just celebrated 45 years since the release of this Charleston wedding classic.

"Jump Around" | House Of Pain
There's always room for some hip-hop on your wedding playlist, and this song is one of those songs that still gets everyone excited since it's release in the fall of 1992.

"Ice Ice Baby" | Vanilla Ice
Did I hip-hop on your wedding playlist? "Ice Ice Baby" was released as a single off his album "To The Extreme" in 1990 and went all the Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

"Build Me Up Buttercup" | The Foundations
The Foundations were a British soul band who released "Baby Now That I've Found You", as well as "Build Me Upo Buttercup" back in the late 1960s. "Build Me Up Buttercup" would peak at Number 3 on the Hot 100 charts.

"Come On Eileen" | Dexy's Midnight Runners
If you are just hitting my website for the first time, you should circle back around and check out my recent post about some of the Biggest One Hit Wonders Of The 80s. This song is on it and still is a huge hit at Charleston weddings.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" | Queen
I am really looking forward to the movie about Queen & Freddie Mercury that is due out in theaters coming up in November 2018. It only hit Number 9 back in 1976, but after the success of Wayne's World in 1992, the song would re-enter the charts and go all the way to Number 2.

"Stayin' Alive" | Bee-Gee's
Even in 2018, brides and grooms still might throw in some disco for their parents, or they might indulge in a little bit for themselves. The song would hit Number 1 in February of 1978 and stay there for a month.

"Summer Of '69" | Bryan Adams
"Summer of '69" is a good old uptempo 80s rock song still frequenting the playlists at Charleston weddings.  This popular wedding song would become a Top 5 hit during the summer of 1985.

"Push It" | Salt & Pepa
If you want to dance at your Charleston wedding with music coming from the 80s, it's hard to imagine a playlist that this classic is not a part of.  The song did break into the Top 20 in America on the Hot 100, but actually did better in Europe by making it to Number 1 in the Netherlands, as well as Number 2 in the UK.

"Wagon Wheel" | Old Crow Medicine Show
Originally released back in 2004, the song would eventually go gold in 2011, and be covered by Darius Rucker in 2013. Whichever version you decide upon, "Wagon Wheel" is one of those songs we'll continue to hear at Charleston weddings for many many years to come.

"I've Had The Time Of My Life" | Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
It's hard to think of any wedding without at least one song from the movie soundtrack of Dirty Dancing. This song choice is one of the most popular tracks to be used for the final song of the night.

"What A Wonderful World" | Louis Armstrong
Released in 1967, the song would be Louis Armstrong's first single and would go all the way to the top of the charts in England, but would only hit Number 12 on the adult contemporary charts in America. It's a popular choice for either the father / daughter dance and the mother / son dance song.

"Stand By Me" | Ben E. King
One of the most popular classic choices for father / daughter dance at Charleston weddings. It would be covered by the late John Lennon, as well as more recently by Florence & The Machine. 

"Get Down Tonight" | KC & The Sunshine Band
This song would be the first Number 1 song for KC back in 1975. 

"Respect" | Aretha Franklin
It was fitting to have the 40th song on this list to be from the Queen Of Soul. If you missed my archived blog post from Aretha back right after her death last month, check it out right here.

Ready To Book Mike Bills As Your Charleston Wedding DJ?
And there you have it! 40 of the most popular wedding songs that we will probably continue to hear at Charleston weddings for many many years. There are just certain songs that don't tend to get old at weddings and most of the songs I put on this list have not reached the extreme burn-out factor that maybe some of the line dances and other cheesy songs have hit in the past 10 years. Let this blog post serve as a guide from one of the best Charleston wedding DJs when it comes to creating the playlist for your Charleston wedding. Entertainment is what your guests will remember the most so do some great research before you decide on which Charleston wedding DJ you would like to hire. The DJ you decide to hire for your wedding will make or break your big day. Click HERE to learn why you should hire me to DJ your Charleston wedding. If you are recently engaged and are beginning the interview process for your wedding DJ, click HERE to tell me a little more about your big day. Let us schedule a time to talk about your special day soon.