Picking the song to be played at the first dance at your wedding is a tough decision, because this will be the song that couples will forever remember as the one they first danced to as husband and wife. We wanted to find out what the top five “First Dance” songs are in terms of popularity, so we asked Robert Arthur, President of Invisible Touch Events. If you are not familiar with this company, they offer DJ, lighting and photo booths at weddings in Southern California.
According to Invisible Touch Events, these are the top five First Dance songs played at weddings. Let’s review the list in no particular order and dive into the song and what makes it so popular.
“I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz
This song comes from Mraz’s fourth album, “Love is a Four Letter Word” that came out a little over a year ago back in 2012. The acoustic love ballad has its roots stemmed in Mraz’s activist outings and the lyrics clearly point to the value of never giving up, especially on someone you love deeply. The song goes further to explain that one shouldn’t give up on loving themselves either, nor abandoning your dreams. It’s a very straightforward, catchy song that runs for about four minutes in length, the perfect amount of time for a first dance song.
“At Last” by Etta James
This song might be the single most popular first dance song and remains a classic, dating back all the way to when it was covered by James in 1960. This soul-filled blues song has been used in weddings, television shows, movies, home videos and dozens of other mediums thanks to a slow, almost hypnotic vocal triumph given by the immortal James. If you want to go with a safe classic, “At Last” is pure gold and will remain the standard by which most other first dance songs are judged by.
“Then” by Brad Paisley
Paisley wrote and recorded “Then” which is one of the top country songs over the last five years. This mild-tempo love ballad features a string section and piano, atypical to most of Paisley’s songs which are renown for his impressive guitar play. The song focuses on a male’s perspective, who is deeply in love for his female lover. During the song he retells significant and sentimental moments of their relationship. The chorus echos their love and says how much stronger his love is for her since the first time they met. This is a great song for country music lovers to choose for their first dance.
“God Gave me You” by Black Shelton
The song was originally written by contemporary Christian music singer Dave Barnes and covered by country music star Blake Shelton in 2011. The original artist has said on record that many fans who understand the song’s meaning say the song has helped them get through rocky times in their relationship. The song made #1 on the US Country Songs Billboard in 2011 and has quickly become a song that Christian newlyweds who enjoy country music choose for their first dance.
“Marry Me” by Train
Released in 2010, “Marry Me” was written by Pat Monahan of the band Train, who stated in several interviews that the song was supposed to be a short one, but was convinced to elongate and evolve the song based on the sweet, simple melody heard at the beginning. Popular in Adult Contemporary circles, the song is sweet, simple and perfect for a first dance, especially if the new wedded couple wants it on the short side, with the song length at just 3 minutes and 25 seconds.
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