Okay, not really random, nor for that matter ten. Nor even Friday, as the big event is tomorrow.
Here’s the first twenty songs of the playlist:
- Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington, I’m Just a Lucky So and So
- Lyle Lovett, Good Intentions
- Al Green, I’m Glad You’re Mine
- Patricia Barber, Lost In This Love
- Emerson, Lake & Palmer, So Far to Fall
- Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Never Can Say Goodbye
- Loving Paris, Loco
- Parliament, Mothership Connection
- Yannick Noah, December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)
- Gary Moore, Eyesight to the Blind
- Maria Papadopoulou, Maskaremeni
- Gipsyland, Salaam
- Esther Phillips, Cry Me a River Blues
- Either/Orchestra, No Me Molesta
- Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros, Mondo Bongo
- Alihan Samedov, Sen Gelmez Oldun
- Cesaria Evora, Nho Antone Escaraderode
- Billie Holiday, Comes Love
- Madeliene Peyroux, Don’t Wait Too Long
- Living Colour, Love Rears It’s Ugly Head
We hit ‘em heavy right at the beginning; once Satchmo and Duke are finished, there won’t be a dry eye in the house. A few more lovey-dovey songs to set the mood, and then the tempo ratchets up and stays there. Never Can Say Goodbye is the first of many lesser-known covers of well-known songs; it’s a nice way to mix in some familiarity without stooping to cliche. And Yannick (not Noah — see comments) has a version of December 1963 that is really too catchy to be believed. Joe Strummer tops the list with three entries in the total of eighty songs; Mondo Bongo because it’s romantic and we’re rocking the Mr. and Mrs. Smith vibe; All In a Day because there’s a line in there about “East of Chavez Ravine,” where the actual wedding is being held; and the Clash’s Death or Glory because Death or Glory is awesome.
A keen eye will detect that we haven’t limited ourselves to conventionally romantic tunes, but have allowed the occasional foray into ironic detachment; that’s okay, the relationship is like that too.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go get married.
September 28th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Wish you good luck and everything it’s said in these context(I’m sorry for not being able to say the right thing, that’s the problem of learning English just from Harry Potter, Physics and Math books
).
September 28th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
At my aunt’s completely-non-ironic 70’s wedding, the cover band played “It’s Sad to Belong to Someone Else When the Right One Comes Along”. Good idea to skip that one.
September 28th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Good luck in your wedding; as a married man (11 years), the most important advice I can give you is to listen to your wife. Not necessarily do what she tells you to do of course; just listen (and not that I always succeed, but I try!).
Cheers.
September 28th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
Best wishes to both of you, and good luck!
September 28th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
No Total Eclipse of the Heart?
(cf here)
(and congrats)
September 28th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
I am a really big fan of the musical “Jersey Boys” so I was delighted to find that you chose “December 1963″ as one of your songs! According to this wiki page, it was not the same Yannick Noah? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December,_1963_(Oh,_What_a_Night)
Best wishes on the wedding!
September 28th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
Hope it goes well!
September 28th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
Hey, you’re right, it’s not Yannick Noah. Stupid iTunes, misleading me again. How many French pop stars named Yannick do there have to be?
September 28th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
Best wishes to you both and have a great wedding!
September 29th, 2007 at 1:30 am
“”It’s Sad to Belong to Someone Else When the Right One Comes Along”. ”
Think that’s bad? I went to a wedding where they played “It must have been love [but it's over now....]“
September 29th, 2007 at 1:48 am
A happy married life, Sean!
September 29th, 2007 at 8:19 am
Very Best Wishes to the two of you!
September 29th, 2007 at 9:39 am
“May the Great Bird of the Galaxy bless your planet,” as they say at Star Trek conventions.
September 29th, 2007 at 10:09 am
Not exactly the the most romantic song more political really.
Artist: Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros
Song: Mondo Bongo
I was patrolling a Pachinko
Nude noodle model parlor in the Nefarious zone
Hanging out with insects under ducting
The C.I.A was on the phone
Well, such is life
Latino caribo, mondo bongo
The flower looks good in your hair
Latino caribo, mondo bongo
Nobody said it was fair, oh
Latino caribo, mondo bongo
The flower looks good in your hair
Latino caribo, mondo bongo
Nobody said it was fair
Latino caribo, mondo bongo
The flower looks good in your hair
Latino caribo, mondo bongo
Nobody said it was fair
For the Zapatistas I’ll rob my sisters
Of all the curtain and lace
Down at the bauxite mine
You get your own uniform
Have lunchtimes off
Take a monorail to your home
Checkmate, baby
God bless us and our home
Where ever we roam
Now take us home, flaquito
Latino caribo, mondo bongo
The flower looks good in your hair
Latino caribo, mondo bongo
Nobody said it was fair
Latino caribo, mondo bongo
The flower looks good in your hair
Latino caribo, mondo bongo
Nobody said it was fair
September 29th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
Thus, at approximately the time i am crafting this little congratulatory message the playlist is well into its full manifestations. One would hope that the proto-generic cliche romantic stuff has either been excised or was relegated to the very last. One way to make a good happy crowd to leave, play sappy-pop romantic ballads; and at this point in time that would include a certain Dolly Parton original.
September 30th, 2007 at 3:23 am
Congratulations!! Love the ironic detachment – here’s wishing you a wedded life full of love and laughter!
September 30th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
Congrats! May your families wait a full week before demanding children.
October 1st, 2007 at 11:55 am
Congrats!
When you’re back from the celebrations, might you find 5 minutes to write Gov Schwarzenegger, asking him to sign AB 43, the gender-neutral marriage act? Non-gay Californians who support equal rights for LGBT folks need to speak up.
Email Arnold: http://gov.ca.gov/interact#email
October 2nd, 2007 at 9:19 am
Props on the Joe Strummer inclusion. Their song ‘Johnny Appleseed’ comes with my highest recommendations. Very hipnotic, even if that trainwreck of a show ‘John from Cincinatti’ used it as a theme song.
October 2nd, 2007 at 5:21 pm
The mix was awesome! So was the wedding. Sean, you definitely wore the suit, though Jen kinda outshone you, IMHO. Hope you’re having a splendid honeymoon.
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:06 am
You had me at “parliament”.
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:40 am
My ish with Parliment is that, where do you go from there? You maximize your groove, and then everything seems downhill. Unless you just keep playing Parliment, I suppose.
October 3rd, 2007 at 12:13 pm
I think I’ll post a review of the wedding. The cake made of sparkly balls that required an advanced degree in physics may have been my favorite decorative yet edible item.
October 3rd, 2007 at 7:09 pm
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
… and best wishes for the future!
We deman video clips and pictures – including those of the fantabulicious cake.