Grooving in the Wedding Season

It's that time of year again. Whether it is because of the merriment surrounding the holidays or simply because of the fact that there are indeed holidays, many of our calendars are chockfull of weddings. One after another they seem to arrive in unending waves, interfering with the license to be lazy some of us crave following hectic workdays and university semesters. Nevertheless, weddings are distractions of a pleasant sort at the very least, even if they may get a bit much with their unrelenting frequency. On this theme of repetition, it is interesting to note that the music that dominates the merriment of the wedding season is hardly varied. This is not to say that all marriage hopefuls are unimaginative, but rather there are a very particular set of characteristics that make a song a wedding staple. In light of this, let's have a look at what exactly are these characteristics and which songs are the flavours of this year's festivities.

To begin with, let's have a look at last season's undisputed wedding-song king. Straight off the bat, I should mention that Hindi and Bangla songs are going to be discounted as, let's face it, with our culture their presence is assured. Among the foreign, worldwide titles, no track came as close to spamming as Gangnam Style by Psy. Immediately, you can tell that comprehensibility isn't really the be all and end all. The only line the vast majority of Bangladeshis understand in the song is Psy's emotional ode to the ladies. So if you don't need to understand what the singer is saying, then what makes this wedding worthy? It's all about the groove. Gangnam Style is not the type of song if you want to be taken on a journey through a compelling story. Just like how weddings can be pretty repetitive, Gangnam style has a repetitive beat. One may ask why this is a good thing? Well, it lends itself very well to dancing, and not just any dancing but choreographed dancing. Not only that but the choreography of the original song, with its signature horse-riding plus lassoed wielding cowboy routine has reached iconic levels. So if you wanted a jam where everybody could join in, Gangnam style was the way to go.

In light of this look at the past, what is the present when it comes to those staple wedding tracks that we'll listen to over and over without getting bored? When it comes down to it, there are two songs this year that I, were I a gambling man, would wager will pop up at every single wedding on the foreseeable horizon. The first is that modern day classic, a tune that is guaranteed to funk you up: Mark Ronson's Uptown Funk featuring Bruno Mars. Before this song, I really didn't like Bruno's works. All that crooning about grenades and such, while lyrically more appropriate to a wedding, just doesn't cut the muster. There's none of the groove you need to get your dance on, and it's all so clichéd R&B. Uptown Funk, on the other hand, blew my mind. The jazzy overtones with that scintillating saxophone, along with the upbeat, funky rhythm and that never-may-care, swing-dance shuffle just fits the wedding dance bill to perfection.

The other song that will no doubt be making the rounds this year is of course, indisputably, Lean On by Major Lazer and DJ Snake, featuring MØ. This song is similar to the other two; however, it is also quite different. Unlike Gangnam Style or Uptown Funk, Lean On has a distinctly more serious tone, at least in the song itself if not the music video. It has a slower opening, before getting into the faster and more dance compatible chorus lines. Yet, this slower build up does allow for a more serious dance performance in general for those that fancy themselves as better dancers. Furthermore, you still have that predictable beat and rhythm that make it easy for uncoordinated individuals to remain coordinated.

These are just the songs which I believe will be omnipresent in the current wedding season, but they are by no means the only ones. Choice of the bride and the groom obviously play a crucial role, lest you get yourself in the new couple's bad books for life. As long as it is a catchy song with a steady beat, you can make it work at a wedding, and an unexpected choice may just refresh the mood just a little bit.

Nabban Tahsin Haque is a daring explorer brave enough to explore the sick and twisted world of his own imagination. He is also the secret leader of the officially unofficial Manchester United Fan Club, and enjoys the carnage of computer to computer combat. You can reach him at nabban.haque@gmail.com, but you could probably make better use of your time.