Full credit to BBC Radio 1 for the concept of Something Songs where you pick four tracks: something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. Inspired by the well-known wedding tradition, we couldn’t help but think how well this could work as playlist inspo for an actual wedding.
Something old to get the nanas on the dancefloor, something new for your mates, something borrowed is usually a cover, but you could use it to pay tribute to a loved one who can’t be there and something blue because everyone loves a sad song (or you could just play Eiffel 65’s I’m Blue (Da Ba Dee) until everyone’s ears start to bleed.
Our Favourite Oldies
A timeless classic like What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong (1967) or At Last by Etta James (1961, but currently in Spotify’s Most Streamed Wedding Song list). For more of a bop, how about Al Green’s Let’s Stay Together (1972) or anything by Stevie Wonder. You could unite the generations with Running Up That Hill, although it’s just hit a billion streams on Spotify it was released in 1985. For a slightly more recent ‘oldies’ it’s got to be Mr Brightside by The Killers, which has pretty much been in the charts since 2004 when it was released.
Newness
Go edgy all you like, but if you want people to get on the dancefloor it may be better to stick with mainstream pop like Taylor Swift, Lizzo, Arctic Monkeys, Bruno Mars and Harry Styles.
Something Borrowed
Usually the original is the defining version of any track but sometimes a cover can be more popular. Soft Cell’s classic Tainted Love has surpassed Gloria Jones’ 1964 recording. Whitney achieved massive chart success with I Will Always Love You (although we love Dolly Parton’s original). Or how about Make you Feel My Love? Written by Bob Dylan it is arguably now owned by Adele, and on that note…
Always Blue
Sure, weddings are joyous but so many of the best love songs hit the bittersweet blue notes. Wonderwall sits firmly in the minor key, as does Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper and Wham’s Careless Whisper. John Legend’s All of Me slips between G major and E minor. Or stick with the obvious link and go for something with blue in the title like Mr Blue Sky (ELO), True Blue (Madonna) or let’s hear it for Elvis Blue Suede Shoes.
