Hi,

i'm making playlists for my sister's wedding because she asked me to provide the music.

Most of the people will be over 40 (she's 42) so I have no problem at all with pre-1990 music, but I'd like some advice for 1990-2010, because I'd like to add a few songs from this period especially for the younger people.

I need MAINSTREAM songs. I know out of experience that in these weddings you have to play songs that the people know, otherwise they don't dance.

So please give me songs you'd play for a general and no-specialist crowd of people who just want to dance and have fun.

Start with the obvious. What are the best dance hits of the past 20 years ?

Well, if they're 40, they were born in 1970, which would mean the would remember 80's music.
I would recommend the macarenna, the electric slide, stuff like that. Here's a list of the 100 most requested songs at weddings (don't ask me how accurate it is)
http://www.weddingbee.com/2006/05/18/top-200-most-requested-songs-at-weddings/

http://www.discjockeys.com/top_200.php

I would concur with Listguy. Guests might want some 80s.

I would consider the following:

Groove is in the Heart-Dee-Lite
Footloose- Kenny Loggins
The Humpty Dance- Digital Underground
Brick House- Commodores
Stayin' Alive- Bee Gees
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)- Beyonce
Love Shack- B-52s
What I Like About You- The Romantics
Walking on Sunshine- Katrina and the Wave
You Shook Me All Night Long- AC/DC
Superfreak- Rick James
I Melt with You- Modern English
Cradle of Love- Billy Idol
Ice Ice Baby- Vanilla Ice (a guilty pleasure for many)
O.P.P.- Naughty by Nature
Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See- Busta Rhymes

Just get like "Daft Punk's Greatest Hits" or something and you'll be fine. (They are mainstream in France, no? They are French after all.)

One more time make people dance here in my hometown in brazil, imagine in france!

I don't think the songs need to be mainstream necessarily. The guests just have to be familiar with them to dance to them.

The last 2 weddings I've been to, both for people in their 20s, had a lot of current songs.

Well, I guess that would work in the USA but in France it would be a massive failure, most of those songs are barely known here !

nicolas, for people my age I guess any #1 hits between 90 and 95 would work, but here are some that come to my mind, the "euro dance" first !
Aqua - Barbie Girl
Gala - Freed From Desire
Lou Bega - Mambo n°5
Reel 2 Real - I Like to Move It
Ricky Martin - Un Dos Tres Maria
Eric Prydz - Call on Me
Madcon - Beggin'

Some more worldwide successes that always work :

Spice Girls - Wannabe
Will Smith - Men In Black
Britney Spears - Baby One More Time (Ou Oops I Did it Again)
Kylie Minogue - Can't get you Out of my Head (that would make Moonbeam happy at least)
Shakira - Hips don't lie
Mika - Relax
Rihanna - Umbrella
Estelle - American Boy
Lady Gaga - Poker Face

A few French Hits :
Zebda - Tomber la Chemise
Alizée - J'ai pas 20 ans
NTM - Ma Benz (depends on the tolerance of the oldest audience)
Fatal Bazooka - Parle à ma main

A bunch of songs for the rockers :
The Killers - Somebody Told Me
Prodigy - Smack my Bitch Up (late in the night I guess)
Offspring - Pretty Fly (or Come out and Play if most people are older than 25)
Nirvana - Smells like Teen Spirit

and despite all our hatred for them, a Black Eyed Peas hit will definitely work !

Most late 70s/80s hits work too, especially if they have been covered more recently. So Gimme gimme gimme or It's Raining Men are ok too.

It would be easier to make a dense list if I could find the setlist of our parties in Ingeneer School... I have one of them which was considered by many as the example to follow (with magnificent songs like Capitaine Flamme or Gunther's You Touch My Tralala which is a must have if you have Ingeneer in the crowd)
The only issue is if you have hipsters or AMers in the crowd, then you're screwd ^^

Thanks guys

Nassim, I won't follow your very first choices, because I am ready to make some compromises but not that far
In fact I'd like to play popular and relatively good songs. So, no "Barbie Girl"
But some of your other choices are OK, and best fit for the French public.
"Tomber la chemise "is already my 2 year old son favorite hit !!
And i already have one Black Eyed Peas song.

For the oldies, I have everything. Late 70's and 80's hits will work, and also some rock'n roll songs from the fifties for the older people (my dad can really dance rock'n roll).

And for the very recent, my nieces are 15 and 17 and they have greatest hits compilations that will do.

Thanks guys, I'll listen to some of the songs you picked and tell you which ones I'll play.

I never play a song if I can't defend it. My only concession will be a Boney M or a Village People song.

But on the other hand I won't play the idealistic DJ that plays a song he's the only one to like, even if the dancefloor is empty.

I could totally defend Gala - Let a Boy Cry !
One of the best eurodance song of the 90s (not that they have been a lot of good ones, sure...)

No Eurodance !
Gala reminds me of lousy student parties

To Nassim : ça me rappelle des soirées d'IUT ou d'écoles de commerce dans des boîtes miteuses de Beaugrenelle au milieu des années 90.

Abba - Dancing Queen

That's all I got.

that "Vogue" is an essential for the 1990-2010 set. Several Madonna tracks probably would work.

Some others mentioned (i.e. the Britney Spears tracks) aren't really "dance."

Just don't pull out "Macarena."