We admit it: we’re music snobs. If you read this article, or this one, or this one, you would correctly assume that we try to avoid the obvious picks. We’re generally for whatever is weird, seldom heard, or seemingly inappropriate. (Who else would seriously recommend you play Cee-Lo’s “Fuck You” at a wedding, after all?)
That said, if ever there was an occasion to lean on the tried-and-true, it’s a wedding reception. People are there to celebrate and have a good time, and nothing quite sends the dopamine surging into the brain like a song you’ve heard and loved a million times being blasted from a massive PA system.
So we’re putting aside our music-nerd opinions in order to take a look at the 100 Most Requested Wedding Songs of All Time, as picked by Billboard Magazine on a Spotify playlist. These are the classics, the obvious choices. Maybe you’ll roll your eyes at this list, but we guarantee you’ll be tearing up the dance floor the moment one of these tracks starts blaring from the speakers.
The 100 Most Requested Wedding Songs of All Time: Spotify Playlist
- Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars
- Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon
- Can’t Stop The Feeling by Justin Timberlake
- I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) by Whitney Houston
- September by Earth, Wind & Fire
- Yeah! (feat. Lil Jon & Ludacris) by Usher, Lil Jon, Ludacris
- Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey
- Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough by Michael Jackson
- Shout, Pts. 1 & 2 by The Isley Brothers
- Cupid Shuffle by Cupid
- Hey Ya! By OutKast
- Wobble by V.I.C.
- Cake By The Ocean by DNCE
- Happy by Pharrell Williams
- Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran
- Hypnotize by The Notorious B.I.G.
- I Want You Back by The Jackson 5
- I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas
- You Make My Dreams by Daryl Hall & John Oates
- This Is How We Do It by Montell Jordan
- Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
- The Way You Look Tonight by Frank Sinatra
- Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours) by Stevie Wonder
- Crazy In Love (feat. Jay-Z) by Beyoncé, JAY Z
- Twist And Shout by The Beatles
- Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) – Extended Version by Backstreet Boys
- Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond
- Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke, T.I., Pharrell Williams
- Party In The U.S.A. by Miley Cyrus
- Low (feat. T-Pain) by Flo Rida, T-Pain
- Ignition by R. Kelly
- Turn Down for What by DJ Snake, Lil Jon
- We Are Family by Sister Sledge
- Can’t Feel My Face by The Weeknd
- All of Me by John Legend
- Wannabe by Spice Girls
- I Love It (feat. Charli XCX) by Charli XCX
- Love Shack by The B-52’s
- Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison
- Timber (feat. Ke$ha) by Pitbull, Kesha
- Respect by Aretha Franklin
- Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
- SexyBack (feat. Timbaland) by Justin Timberlake, Timbaland
- Livin’ On A Prayer by Bon Jovi
- My Girl by The Temptations
- One Dance by Drake, WizKid, Kyla
- You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC
- Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley
- Work by Rihanna & Drake
- Jump Around by House Of Pain
- Friends in Low Places by Kings of the River
- Cha Cha Slide by Mr. C
- At Last by Etta James
- P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) by Michael Jackson
- Get Lucky by Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers
- Marry You by Bruno Mars
- Let’s Stay Together by Al Green
- We Found Love by Rihanna & Calvin Harris
- Bye Bye Bye by *NSYNC
- Ain’t Too Proud To Beg by The Temptations
- Sorry by Justin Bieber
- Danza Kuduro by Don Omar, Lucenzo
- Footloose by Kenny Loggins
- Hot In Herre by Nelly
- Die A Happy Man by Thomas Rhett
- Sugar by Maroon 5
- The Way You Move (feat. Sleepy Brown) by OutKast
- A Thousand Years by Christina Perri
- This Is What You Came For by Calvin Harris, Rihanna
- My House by Flo Rida
- Feel So Close by Calvin Harris
- Honey, I’m Good by Andy Grammer
- Fireball (feat. John Ryan) by Pitbull, John Ryan
- Love On Top by Beyoncé
- Firework by Katy Perry
- Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) by Beyoncé
- Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ by Michael Jackson
- Dancing Queen by ABBA
- Let’s Get It On by Marvin Gaye
- Stand by Me by Ben E. King
- Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers
- You Are the Best Thing by Ray LaMontagne
- Want to Want Me by Jason Derulo
- Suavemente by Elvis Crespo
- I Took A Pill In Ibiza by Mike Posner, Seeb
- Then by Brad Paisley
- Give Me Everything by Pitbull, Ne-Yo, Afrojack, Nayer
- Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd
- I Cross My Heart by George Strait
- Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot
- It’s Tricky by Run–D.M.C.
- Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae) by Silentó
- All I Do Is Win by DJ Khaled
- Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry
- Take on Me by a-ha
- Home by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
- Celebration by Kool & The Gang
Classic Rock Wedding Classics
As the years go by, the list of songs that can be considered “classic rock” keeps getting longer and longer. As a consequence, the classic rock songs on this top 100 list run the gamut from early ‘60s ravers like “Twist and Shout” to ‘70s standouts like “Sweet Home Alabama” to ‘90s pop hits like “Love Shack.”
Weddings Get Funky
Sure, Michael Jackson’s reputation has taken some hits in the last few years, but only a maniac would stay in their chair when the “Billie Jean” bass-line starts booming from the DJ table. Tracks like “Crazy in Love,” “Hot in Herre,” and “Blurred Lines” will get everyone under 80 on the dance floor double quick.
Hip-Hop Homeruns of the Wedding Reception
Songs like “It’s Tricky,” “Hypnotize,” and “Hey Ya!” will make even your Aunt Irma throw her hands in the air like she was hanging with Biggie on a Brooklyn street corner in 1992.
Country-Folk Wedding Connections
Songs like “Then,” “A Thousand Years,” and “Die a Happy Man,” are good for slow dances, with lots of time to think about the long road that led to this special day. Country and folk songs often look take tragedy for their subject matter, but these will make the women (and some of the men) cry in a good way.
Wedding Group Sing-a-longs
A category that defies genre, these tracks are almost more familiar as bellowed by a drunken crowd than as heard on the original records. It’s likely you’ll hear some of these as dancing gets under way, and others as the climax of the party. Even your sarcastic teenage nephew will join in on “Living on a Prayer” or “Happy” or even “This is How We Do It.”
