What Some Of My Least Favorite Songs On Wedding Playlists Are

A prospective wedding client recently asked me what some of my least favorite wedding songs were. Even if I weren't a successful wedding DJ, I truly believe that you can learn so much about a person by getting to know their musical tastes. After being a part of hundreds of very diverse types of weddings, I can honestly tell you that my list of least favorite wedding songs might be shorter than the average wedding DJ down the street from me.  I can begin to try to answer this question by telling you this. I've never been your stereotypical, "cheesy" wedding DJ, so some of the songs I'll mention on this post may not surprise you.  Over the years, I've been blessed to have some of the best clients who tend to contract me for their wedding because they have very specific tastes in music. That being said, there are the very few instances where some songs will be mixed in that I am just flat out burned out on. 

Music is the single most important aspect of your wedding day. From the ceremony to cocktail hour to dinner time to dancing time, your wedding is about a vibe. It's the vibe you create that will make for lasting memories for many years to come.  And many of my clients want to make sure their wedding is not like the others they have been to. So, I was asked what some of those songs are that make me cringe.  Well, I've grown tired of the same old worn-out and overplayed songs at weddings.  I cannot quite put a handle on why this is the case, but I think there are a lot of amateur Charleston wedding DJs (who actually read this blog) who still leverage some of the cheesiest songs recorded for weddings and still call themselves a DJ. 

Line Dances Are NOT Something I Will Ever Reach For

Back at the beginning of 2022, I put together a post about what a playlist could look like if it did not include line dances, <--be sure to check it out here.  I think every respectable wedding DJ who tries to make an impact for their clients is probably tired of The Cupid Shuffle and the Wobble. and the Cha Cha Slide.  No matter how you slice it, line dances are just cheesy. Yeah, I am seriously burned out on playing those songs. Luckily, most of my clients are savvy and they've done their due diligence by reading about my classy and elegant style as a wedding DJ and don't put these songs on their playlist.  The real head scratcher is when a client approaches me after one of their guests gets a little intoxicated and requests one of these songs, even after putting it on their Do Not Play List. Even when a client approaches me at their wedding to possibly go against their initial wish of not playing these cheesy line dance songs, I still ask. "Are you sure?" 

I truly believe that if a professional wedding DJ takes the time to get to know their client, they can create a wedding playlist that can STILL get everyone at the wedding on the dance floor without the silly cheesy line dance songs.

Country Music Is NOT Something That Excites Me

Being a successful wedding DJ in the South, this part of the blog may abandon some people. Truth be told, I was never exposed to country music as a child and never developed any appreciation for the genre.  While I am a wedding DJ who knows music and does his research, I realize that country music might be one of the most popular genres of music. It's definitely more popular than modern rock, Indie, alternative, and electronic, but I believe that it should be played at weddings in small quantities.   As a matter of fact, country music is so popular these days that Morgen Wallen's song "Last Night" crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100 and has spent 13 weeks at #1. There was a wedding I was hired for several years ago where the bride and groom pretty much filled their dinner music selections with country music.  Toward the end of dinner, I needed a cup of coffee to wake me up.  So much of the light country is so slow and lacks any tempo  and has a tendency to put people to sleep.  If given the latitude to create a dinner music playlist for my client, country would be a genre that I would leave out.  You can see one of my dinner music wedding playlists by clicking on that link.  Even at dinner while you are speaking to your guests and enjoying your delicious food, you want a certain vibe that is down tempo and does not put you to sleep.  Obviously, if a client approaches me and wants me to play country music, I will oblige. In recent years though, it's generally only the special dances; the first dance, the father / daughter dance, and the mother / son dance where a light country song will be requested.  

Some More Songs I Am Burned Out On

If added to a wedding playlist, I would abstain from mixing in "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas or "Celebration" by Kool & The Gang. Overplayed and certainly over-leveraged over the years by wedding DJs all over Charleston and the rest of the country, these are some songs where the burn factor is real.  Very few of my clients over the years would think about putting "Celebration" on their playlist.  Perhaps they got clicked a few too many songs  and accidentally added into their playlist, but these are songs that make me totally cringe when hearing through my headphones. As the years go by, the bulk of my clients are mostly in the Generation Z age group, I foresee these songs being placed more and more on the backburner and off wedding playlists.   I almost forgot. "Gold Digger" by Kanye. Well, honestly over the past several years, I've seen less and less of Kanye's tracks get on playlists, but "Gold Digger" is not really a wedding song.  

Sorry Beyonce, no one wants to hear "Single Ladies" anymore

Most of my clients don't want the same old, run of the mill, cliche songs played at their wedding.  Wedding music has evolved immensely in the nearly 15 years since the release of this signature song by Beyonce. As a matter of fact, wedding music has evolved to the point where over 2/3 of my clients feel that integrating a bouquet or garter toss song into their wedding playlist is considered cheesy. So, since the modern bride and groom believe that the bouquet toss is a bit cheesy, odds are that we'll see less and less rotation with this classic song from Bey. It's ok though because her catalog is prety expansive and if the time is right, some of other hits can be mixed in.  

Wanna Hire Mike Bills To Be Your Wedding DJ?

Looking back, I've certainly evolved with my tastes in music and as a wedding DJ.  Lets' face it, music has radically changed in the past 15 years. While there are some songs that will remain in rotation (no matter how old they get), some have gotten me burned out.  I'll probably be adding more into this post at some point, but I think you can see where I was going.  And I must say that just because I may mention a song or genre of music inside in this blog, it does not mean I won't play the songs. This post is mostly informational for prospective clients just to further their knowledge about my style as a wedding DJ. Truth be told, ever since I did my first wedding, the decision to give my clients the latitude to choose their wedding music was always on the table. If there is one piece of advice I could give you it would be to never let any wedding DJ strong arm you into thinking your wedding is the same as everyone elses.  You and your fiancee have a certain taste in music, and it's up to any reputable wedding DJ to have those discussions with you to get to know you to learn what those tastes are.  I really hope you made it all the way to the end of this blog post and are ready to submit a contact form. I kind of hope you are looking over this post and are even more interested in hiring me to be your wedding DJ.  Oops! I just remembered that "Freebird" is probably not something I would be itching to throw on at your wedding or that breakup song by Gloria Gaynor, "I Will Survive".  I got burned out of that signature Skynrd song from working in classic rock radio years ago. And let's be honest, who in their right mind really wants to heara song about a woman trying to get over a breakup at their wedding.

Are you still laughing? I hope you are. I know I am and once you meet me, I promise to pick your brain and jot down a list of YOUR most disliked songs.  Planning the music for your wedding should be fun. Perhaps before you contacted me, you went to your friend or coworker's wedding and it was horrible. When we meet, you can share that story with me and I can promise you that we will become fast friends when I help you design an outstanding playlist that will not only have everyone get out on the dance floor, but will create memories that will last a life time. Just click the link up above and I will be reaching out to you soon. Thank you so much for contacting me!