You probably won’t see many couples dancing the night away to "Cupid Shuffle."
One of the most important aspects of planning a wedding is deciding on the type of music to play during the reception. Whether you book a DJ or a cover band, the music selection can make or break your wedding celebration. After all, who wants to attend a dinner party with boring music playing in the background?
Which is why it’s not all that surprising to learn that discerning brides are becoming more selective about the music they want their guests to bust a few moves to, as well as the song they choose for the first dance. According to a study conducted by fivethirtyeight.com, a site created by polling analyst Nate Silver, there are certain songs that are guaranteed to spark a mass exodus from the dance floor.
The site surveyed a random sampling of wedding DJs on the songs they’ve been specifically asked not to play at weddings. Of course, you’ll find the usual suspects here like instructive dance songs, sappy love ballads, overplayed radio hits, and risqué jams with explicit lyrics. One look at the results and you can see that most brides are over dancing to songs in unison, hustling in step during line dances, and holding back their tears during power ballads such as Celine Dion’s "My Heart Will Go On."
We know that Queen Elizabeth II loves "Dancing Queen" by ABBA. But, judging by this list, you won’t find many brides who are eager to twirl on the dance floor to the disco classic. Below, you’ll find the rest of the songs (ranked in order from most to least hated) that wedding DJs have been asked to put on the banned list. Take them into consideration when finalizing your picks for your reception setlist. Your guests will thank you.
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1. “Chicken Dance”
2. “Cha-Cha Slide” – DJ Casper
3. “Macarena” – Los Del Rio
4. “Cupid Shuffle” – Cupid
5. “YMCA” – Village People
6. “Electric Boogie (Electric Slide)” – Marcia Griffiths
7. “Hokey Pokey”
8. “Wobble” – V.I.C.
9. “Happy” – Pharrell Williams
10. “Shout”– Isley Brothers
11. “Love Shack” – The B-52’s
12. “We Are Family” – Sister Sledge
13. “Blurred Lines” – Robin Thicke
14. “Celebration” – Kool & The Gang
15. “Cotton Eye Joe” – Rednex
16. “Dancing Queen” – ABBA
17. “Don’t Stop Believin” – Journey
18. “Single Ladies” – Beyonce
19. “Sweet Caroline” – Neil Diamond
20. “Turn Down for What” – DJ Snake & Lil Jon
21. “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” – Silento
22. “Hot In Herre” – Nelly
23. “Mony Mony” – Billy Idol
24. “All About That Bass” – Meghan Trainor
25. “Baby Got Back” – Sir Mix-A-Lot
26. “Booti Call” – Blackstreet
27. “Gangnam Style” – Psy
28. “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” – Big & Rich
29. “Stayin’ Alive” – Bee Gees
30. “Sweet Home Alabama” – Lynyrd Skynyrd
31. “Uptown Funk” – Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars
32. “Wagon Wheel” – Nathan Carter
33. “What Do You Mean?” – Justin Bieber
34. “All of Me” – John Legend
35. “Bohemian Rhapsody” – Queen
36. “Brown Eyed Girl” – Van Morrison
37. “Call Me Maybe” – Carly Rae Jepsen
38. “Footloose” – Kenny Loggins
39. “Get Low” – Lil Jon
40. “Hey Ya!” – Outkast
41. “Hotline Bling” – Drake
42. “I Will Survive” – Gloria Gaynor
43. “My Heart Will Go On” – Celine Dion
44. “SexyBack” – Justin Timberlake
45. “Shake It Off” – Taylor Swift
46. “Sugar – Maroon 5
47. “Total Eclipse of the Heart” – Bonnie Tyler
48. “You Shook Me All Night Long” – AC/DC
