Too much tertiary education... Former performer/wrestler, teacher, scientist; Published author & Father... Want to be a writer if I grow up...
Published January 8th 2023
Why not get married and sing about it
When January comes around, for personal reasons, my thoughts at times turn to marriage and weddings and that sort of nuptial thing. This year, instead of just letting those concepts slide off me like water from a duck's back, I decided to use it.
Marriage is the legal union of two consenting adults. Yes, I do know that some cultures have arranged marriages, and there are other cultural things in nations that we in the West do not agree with, but that is our definition of marriage.
So, these are songs with "wedding" or "marriage" or variations thereof in the title (with one notable exception). There will also be a column soon(-ish) with the word "together" in the title, so those songs are missing here. Apart from that, normal rules apply – one song per artist, one version of each song, I need to like the song. Oh, and despite the title and the fact it is a great song, 'Wedding Cake Island' by Midnight Oil does not really fit the theme here. Sorry.
And with that in mind, here are songs about nuptials!
I'm going to start with a classical piece that fits thematically, but I found it hard to include. The Marriage of Figaro is an opera by Mozart that goes for a while (the live version I saw was over 2 hours long). However, most people associate it with a shorter piece of music, and I have included that here because it is wonderful:
'The Marriage Of Figaro' written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1786)
This is such a staple of classical concerts, TV adverts, background music for films, etc., that most people know it simply by osmosis, even if they don't know the title. This is a true classic in all aspects.
Now: The list proper!
'Love And Marriage' by Frank Sinatra (1955)
We need to start with this piece of pop-jazz by Frank Sinatra, a song that was introduced to people of my generation through a sitcom of the same name. It is one of Frank's quirkier numbers, but it is still a good little track.
'Peggy Sue Got Married' by Buddy Holly (1959)
One of the many 45s I inherited from my father, this song is one I grew up with and I always found it a slightly depressing track despite the great music behind the lyrics.
'Chapel Of Love' by The Dixie Cups (1964)
This is the notable exception song because, really, in a list about wedding songs I could not leave this one out. It is a song about love and marriage and is just sweet and wonderful, and the voices of the ladies are so perfectly harmonised.
'Wedding Ring' by The Easybeats (1966)
To me, The Easybeats were the band that has really kicked Australian music into gear. I know many came before, but this band just had the songwriters and the musicianship to be Australia's answer to The Beatles (early Beatles, at any rate). And this is one of their best songs, so popular I have 6 additional cover versions of it on various albums.
'Too Young To Be Married' by The Hollies (1970)
Another depressing song, really, but the singing is amazing and the build up to the chorus works so magnificently. The Hollies had a number of great songs that I feel have been all but forgotten today, like this one.
'All My Friends Are Getting Married' by Skyhooks (1975)
Skyhooks were an Australian band that had the dubious distinction of having more songs on a single album banned from the radio than any other artist. This was not one of those songs, but a look at the way marriage tends to break up long-held friendship groups.
'(The World Is Full Of)Married Men' by Bonnie Tyler (1979)
Bonnie Tyler had quite a good career before she met Jim Steinman and everything changed. This track is one of those early ones that did okay on the charts, though is seldom remembered today.
'The Wedding March' by Queen (1980)
Wagner's tune done on electric guitar was an honourable mention in my list of favourite Queen songs and I stand by that – it is one of their best. Brian May knows how to take a classical piece and make it rock.
'Wedding Bells' by Godley & Creme (1981)
I remember seeing this song on some video music show "back in the day" and thinking it was a bit naff. But that must have been the video because when I heard the song on the radio, it actually struck me as quite good. And it still holds up well today.
'White Wedding' by Billy Idol (1982)
It's probably not going to surprise anyone reading this, but this was one of the first tracks I thought of for this list. Billy Idol's version of rock was unique and this song was the one that I think propelled him to superstardom. Great track.
'Married Man' by Neil Young (1988)
All horns and guitar, this album cut from This Note's For You always struck me as a little out of character, but I just love the music in this. It swings as much as it rocks.
'Married With Children' by Oasis (1994)
Subdued Oasis is good Oasis a lot of the time, and this album track from their debut release is certainly that. It is, in fact, one of my favourite songs from that collection.
'Let's Get Married' by The Proclaimers (1994)
Most of the world considers The Proclaimers one-hit wonders, but they had so many great songs over the years, and this is one of them. Their voices may not be perfect, but that really seems to suit the song and its sentiment – a normal guy wants to marry his partner. Perfect.
'Wedding Day' by The Bee Gees (2001)
Later day Bee Gees, when they were really hitting the MOR stylings, offered up some surprisingly decent tracks, and this album cut from This Is Where I Came In is a good little song.
'Wedding In Berlin' by Pet Shop Boys (2020)
When I reviewed Hotspot, I said this song did not fit in sonically, but that I still liked it. Looking back, it has become one of my preferred tracks from that album, and so it has definitely grown on me.
And there we are, fifteen songs plus one classical excerpt all about marriage and weddings. Most are nice and positive, some are a little cynical, and some are a little depressing, but they are all really good tunes that I would recommend. I do know some popular songs did miss out (Elvis had a couple), but I didn't want this list to get too long, and I didn't want to add songs I was only so-so about including because of my personal preferences. But fifteen (plus one) seems about right.
So, I hope you enjoyed this one, and if you have any song lists you'd like to see, please leave a comment below and I will see what I can do (no guarantees).
