Top 4 Reasons Explicit Lyrics Should Be Avoided At Your Charleston Wedding

You know one of the biggest parts in creating my brand as one of the best Charleston Wedding DJs was making sure that I provide all my clients a classy and fun experience. Being a "classy" wedding DJ for me has always meant conducting myself "professionally" at all times. The DJ should dress professionally, as well as talk professionally. Another part of being a "classy" DJ is keeping the playlist "clean". While some brides and grooms might be tempted to throw on some club-like music with explicit lyrics,  I am here to say to try to keep those songs off of your playlist. Be considerate of your wedding guests, your parents, and your grandparents. Your Charleston wedding is going to be one of the most memorable days of your entire life.  It's a wonderful time that needs to have with it an equally awesome soundtrack. You can have the time of your life WITHOUT the explicit lyrics. The last thing that brides and grooms want are F bombs coming out of their DJs' speakers and onto the dance floor at their carefully selected classy Charleston wedding venue. You'll want to read on for some of the reasons to keep the offensive lyrics off your playlist, plus I'll list a few of the  "non-club" songs that will need a radio edit if you'd like added to your playlist.

Your bachelorette weekend in New Orleans or Nashville with your future bridesmaids is an excellent time to hear all those club-bangers with those questionable lyrics that make you want to bump and grind on the dance floor in your final days as a single lady. Your bachelor weekend in Las Vegas with all your best buddies from your college fraternity is an excellent place to take in every single club to hear all the explicit lyric songs you can handle. But after all the pre-partying is over and done with, be sure to keep your wedding playlist clean and classy.

Children
Perhaps you are a couple who has children from a previous marriage, or you have siblings who have children. Your wedding is not the place to expose these young children to the club bangers we mentioned up above with the explicit lyrics.  We'd all be just a tad bit naive to believe that a lot of children under the age of 13 have not been exposed to a lot of these lyrics. I'll be one of the first DJs to tell you that my mouth has dropped to the floor quite a few times at the amount of requests for these songs coming from young children.   There are numerous articles out there online about how to handle children at your wedding. Some couples opt for babysitters, while others greatly limit the amount of children invited to the wedding to just the immediate family. Since Charleston is a big wedding destination city, couples and guests save money on airfares by leaving the kids at home. If you are having children at your wedding, be sure to keep your wedding playlist at least PG.  Keeping your playlist at least PG will keep your wedding sounding classy, instead of sleezy. Be sure to save that sleeze for the afterparty when the children are at home and in bed.


Photo Credit: Mike Bills Entertainment

Parents
Depending on old you are and how old your parents are, the times have dramatically changed in how older generations perceive the music of today. Maybe your parents grew up in the 80s and liked a lot of the glam and hair metal of that era? Did you know back in the 80s that some of those songs had the same shock value as a lot of the explicit rap lyrics seen in today's music?  As a matter of fact, it was the 1980s that saw of those parental advisories placed onto the record packaging in the record stores.  My reasoning behind keeping the explicit lyrics off the playlists for your parents is the same reason a lot of brides are opting not to carry on the tradition of the garter toss at their wedding.  Do you really want your parents to see your brand new husband putting his hand up your dress while "Pony" by Ginuwine is blaring out of the speakers? Then your Dad pulls out his smartphone and does a Shazam at that song that's being played and his jaw drops at those lyrics. If the thought of your parents seeing you bump and grind on the dance floor makes you a little uneasy, then it's best to focus on keeping your wedding playlist at least PG.


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Grandparents
If you are lucky enough to still have your grandparents around, then it's best to make them feel appreciated too. When I sit down with my brides and grooms, I let them know that at the end of the day, the music that they choose for the soundtrack to their wedding should be about them. However, parents and grandparents, as well as older aunts and uncles will want to get out on the dance floor.  In very rare instances, I've seen some of the older guests dance with the younger crowds. Your grandparents came from a different generation, and might be a little more conservative.  When choosing the music for your playlist, be sure to include songs that your parents and grandparents can dance to.  But to avoid any unecessary awkwardness and possible disrespect to your grandparents and older guests, don't bump and grind until they have gone home or do it at the after party.


Photo Credit: Mike Bills Entertainment

Explicit Lyrics Just Don't Sound Right At ANY Charleston Wedding
I hope you don't think I am a prude, but your wedding day here in one of the most beautiful cities in the country deserves to be perfect. My personal take on explicit lyrics doesn't stem from any particular social values, but instead the belief that your wedding reception is the ultimate party with your friends and family, and should be sleaze-free.  It's the ultimate party you've spent months of your life and thousands of dollars making sure it's a day that no one will forget.  Make sure you sit down with your wedding DJ and curate a playlist that is classy and fun and gets all the people on your guest list out on the dance floor. And when I mean even EVERYONE, I mean your 88 year old grandmother who recently had surgery but got out on the dance floor when the DJ threw on the Lady Gaga. Be sure to ask me out about that when we meet, as it actually happened at one of my weddings years ago. Keep it PG and you'll still have the best day of your life!


Photo Credit: Adobe Stock

A Few Surprising Songs That Need A Radio Edit For Your Playlist
You know the song does not need to make you want to bump and grind to have explicit lyrics in it. There are actually some softer dinner or cocktail hour tunes that you need to make sure you have the "radio friendly" version for your wedding playlist. Unless you are a big fan of these artists, you probably wouldn't even know they are there. However, out of all the guests at your wedding, there are usually one or two who are music afficionados who monitor each and every song that is played and will approach you if they hear lyrics that are offenisve.
"Your Beautiful" | James Blunt
Released back in 2004 from his album "Back To Bedlam", it's the album version of this song that has "f***ing high" in the lyrics. It's definitely a song you would not expect to have such lyrics. These lyrics can be magnified even more during a quiet dinner even in the midst of heavy conversation with your guests. Avoid the weird looks and obtain a radio edit of the song before placing it on your playlist.

"Holocene" | Bon Iver
For those couples who are into the Indie alternative music, Bon Iver can be one of their favorites, especially for a cocktail hour. However, the first few lyrics need your review and a radio edit before adding into your playlist.

 

"Little Lion Man" | Mumford & Sons
For those couples who want a little bit og British folk music at their Charleston wedding, this debut single, which you can find on the album "Sigh No More", released back in 2009 has quite a few F bombs on it. 

CONCLUSION
As a professional wedding DJ, I stay up on top of all the latest Top 40 and urban / rap music being released today. All the music I received are clean and radio friendly. Unless you are requesting something obscure, all the music that I play will be clean. Truth be told, the F bomb is only a part of the explicit nature of lyrics today, as a lot of rap music has the N word throughout, which can also be offensive. Err on the side of caution and just keep your wedding playlist PG, and I can promise you that you will still have the time of your life.

Photo Credit: Mike Bills Entertainment

Ready To Meet With Mike About Being Your Charleston Wedding DJ?
Thank you for making it to the end of another one of my blog posts. My blog has become one of the most popular on the internet. Please feel free to check out other posts as well. Hiring your wedding DJ is right up there in importance like finding the perfect wedding venue and outstanding wedding photographer to capture all the fun.  Whether you'd like to talk to me about the content in this post or about me being the DJ for your Charleston wedding, I love talking to newly engaged couples about their big day. Click here to see if Mike is available for your wedding day NOW.