Father-Daughter Dance Songs

In honor of Father's Day and my dad's birthday this Sunday, I've been working on putting together a father-daughter dance options CD for him.  I could see us choosing an emotional song, or a funny one; a slow one, or an upbeat one.  The only thing that I really want from the song is that it feels authentic, and that it really captures some aspect of our relationship.  I see a lot of women dance to songs that don't seem to be personally meaningful to them (Bob Carlisle's Butterfly Kisses, Stevie Wonder's Isn't She Lovely) or to songs that are aggressive or condescending toward their spouse (Tim McGraw's My Little Girl), or are actually about romantic love and edge into creepy (Eric Clapton's Wonderful Tonight), or are about the death of the father (Holly Dunn's Daddy's Hands, Luther Vandross' Dance with my Father, Conway Twitty's That's My Job) and I don't want that.  There are a lot of BIG compilations of father-daughter songs available online, so this is by no means an exhaustive list, but this is what I have so far:

Amos Moses, Jerry Reed
This song is not about the father-daughter bond.  In fact, it's about a guy poaching alligators in the swamp.  My mom said that when I was little, my dad would listen to this song while he was driving his semi, and then he would come home and sing it to me.  As a result, my dad's nickname for me is Amos Moses.  I think the song could work because it is meaningful without being sappy... and it would probably be unique to us!

What a Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong
I love this song.  I love Louis's voice, I love the nature imagery, I love the love in it.  I know it's a common choice, but since my dad was always taking my sister and me out hunting and fishing when we were little, I feel like part of my connection with nature comes from him.

https://myspace.com/annemurray/music/song/roots-and-wings-33978447-35246854

Roots and Wings, Anne Murray

This song is rare and old enough that it's not even on YouTube.  I feel like this is exactly what both my parents did for me--give me a sense of belonging and where I came from, as well as let me go my own way.

Love Without End, Amen, George Strait
This song gives me the warm fuzzies because country music and George Strait were the soundtrack to my childhood.  The lyrics are actually about the father-son bond, though, so I'm not sure if it's my favorite.

A Father's Love, High Valley
While I do not have a strained relationship with my father, this song is dead-on about the way he expresses love for me.  He has always fixed my car and helped me move around the country... one time he drove to Alabama just to check it out and help me change my car battery!

In My Arms, Mark Wills

A very country song about watching your daughter grow up.  One of my earliest memories was laying on my dad's chest in the middle of the night, drinking lemon medicine and watching the news with an earache, so it reminds me of him.

Just Fishin', Trace Adkins

Again, Mom and Dad always took us fishing.  I hated it back then, but now I really appreciate all the family time we spent on weekends and vacations.

Keep In Mind, LoCash Cowboys

Ok, so I still can't listen to this song without tearing up.  I don't like that (from the father's perspective) the daughter doesn't seem to care about leaving home, but the lyrics remind me of all those times I drove back and forth to Cornell in blizzards.  Also, something about the actual music just resonates with me.

Seeing My Father In Me, Paul Overstreet

This is another song about the father-son bond, but I like how calm it is.  I also totally agree that, the older I get, the more I see both of my parents in myself... and that's a good thing.

Daughter, Loudon Wainwright III

This one is just sort of funky and fun.  The daughter comes off a bit spoiled, but... guilty as charged.  Also, our family was always at the lake, and I was always asking "why?" (lyric: taking things apart), so it seems appropriate.

Landslide, Dixie Chicks

I'm not sure I completely understand the lyrics of this song, but I do understand that it's about children growing up and entering a new phase of life.  It also sounds wintery to me.

Stand By Me, Ben E. King

I've always loved this song, and my parents have always been supportive of me, so I think it's a good fit.

Sweet Child O Mine, Guns N' Roses

My dad does listen to rock sometimes, so I thought this might be a fun song for him.

My Girl, The Temptations

This one is an old standby.  Not super inspiring, but a solid traditional option.

I Loved Her First, Heartland

This song was just engineered to be a cryer.  I like it because ever since I got engaged, my dad has been telling me stories about when I was a baby, and this song is about how fathers always see their adult children as new babies.

Wildflowers, Tom Petty

I like this one because of the nature imagery along with the acceptance and encouragement of living your adult life.

Everything I Do, Bryan Adams

I've always known that my parents would do anything for me, and this song just puts that into words.

No Place That Far, Sarah Evans

I'm not sure if the first lyrics should be interpreted as romantic love, but other than that, again, my dad has driven all over the country whenever I've needed him, so this song is fitting.

Can't Help Falling in Love with You, Elvis Presley

I thought this one was about romantic love, but after looking at the lyrics, I think it can be interpreted as just being taken with somebody, and I think that could easily describe the parental relationship.

I Hope You Dance, Lee Ann Womack

My parents have always encouraged me to really live life.  Leave home and go to college 5 states away?  Sure!  Take a job you love that doesn't pay very well?  Go for it!  This song embodies that attitude.

You Raise Me Up, Josh Groban

I can't even.  Makes me cry every time, and so true.

Forever Young, Rod Stewart

Our families like to joke that Lance and I are just big kids, and this song embraces that spirit.

The Way You Look Tonight, Frank Sinatra

Love me some Sinatra.  Not a super original choice, but if Dad likes it, I'm game.

Then They Do, Trace Adkins

It seems like the past 26 years have flown by.  I can't imagine how much faster it must have felt to my parents.

Drive, Alan Jackson

Alan Jackson wrote this song for his late father because he wanted to remember the positive memories with him (the song does not talk about his death).  My dad also taught me to drive cars and boats and stick shifts, starting with when he would let me steer down our curvy driveway when I was 2, so this song is very relatable for us.

Ok, so I'm done going YouTube crazy for a couple of posts, I promise.  In the meantime, I hope these songs brought up some happy memories!

Some Sweet Songs

Lance and I were talking about our candy bar last week, and he came up with the really cool idea to put some speakers under the candy bar and play some candy or sweets-themed songs.  We brainstormed a few songs and found some others on playlists online, and this is what we have so far.  I was surprised how many of the "candy themed" songs were implicitly or explicitly about sex.  We had to rule out several for not being family-friendly (think Lil Wayne's Lollipop,  50 Cent's Candy Shop, Marcy Playground's Sex and Candy, Christina Aguilera's Candyman, and Trick Daddy's Sugar).  I had a ton of fun with this and went a little crazy embedding YouTube videos.  If you need something to listen to at work this week, check it out!

Oh, Sweet Pea, Tommy Roe

Lance's pet name for me is Sweet Pea, so even though I'd never heard it before, I had to put it on the list once he suggested it.  It's so upbeat and happy!

Sugar Sugar, The Archies
This is THE candy song.  It even sounds sweet.

I Want Candy, Bow Wow Wow
She rocks this song!  And she makes me want candy!

Marshmallow World, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin
I love the live version of this song with Frank and Dean (I couldn't find it on YouTube, but I own it).  It's the perfect blend of candy song and Christmas song for our wedding!

Yummy Yummy Yummy, Ohio Express
Does anyone else remember this song from the 80's stuffed animal commercials?  It's so bouncy!

Pour Some Sugar on Me, Def Leppard
Ok, the lyrics to this one are kind of racy, but how could we not include it?!

Good Ship Lollipop, Shirley Temple

This song reminds me of my late grandma.  She was a big Shirley Temple fan, so this song gives me the warm fuzzies.  It's also very innocent, which is great for our purposes here.

Lollipop, The Chordettes
I thought this song sounded like something you might have in the background of a penny candy store.  Plus that pop! sound is a lot of fun.

Sugar, Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday's voice is so smooth...

Truly Scrumptious, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
I'm not sure if we'll end up including this one, but I had to give it a shout-out because it's not getting a lot of love from the internet playlists.  It would be a good musical option for variety.

Mars Bar, The Undertones
I'm not gonna lie, this one is new to me today, but the energy is so great, I had to throw it in.

Big Rock Candy Mountain, Burl Ives
This song is pretty cheeky, but Burl Ives' voice makes anything sound childlike.  It's actually about a hobo who is imagining his perfect world, where most things are made of candy.  The lyrics are hilarious, if you pay attention.

Gumdrop, Otis Williams and the Charms
I liked how upbeat this one is, and the rock-and-roll tone feels very "wedding oldies" to me.

Sweets for my Sweet, The Drifters
For all the Drifters fans out there.  :)

Candy, Mandy Moore
1999 called... It wants to dedicate this song to the Jr. High student in all of us.
Wow, that's a suggestive screenshot they chose for the YouTube photo...

Sugar Mountain, Neil Young
I generally tried to avoid any sadness in this playlist... people don't go to a wedding or a candy bar to get depressed.  This song is bittersweet, but I thought it was a nice reminder to live in the moment:  "You can't be 20 on Sugar Mountain" ... "There's a girl just down the aisle, oh, to turn and see her smile."

Candy Girl, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
Again, oldies: the perfect soundtrack to candy.  :)

Candyman, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
I liked this version better than the Sammy Davis, Jr. version... it's more cheerful.

Candy, Nat King Cole
A very sweet song from Nat.

How Sweet It Is, James Taylor
This song is perfect because it not only has our keyword "sweet," but it is also a great love song for a wedding.

Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch, The Four Tops
How can you listen to this song and not be happy?  Mission accomplished.

Sweet Child O Mine, Guns N' Roses
A nice rock anthem for variety.

Sweet Thing, Keith Urban
And a nice country song for variety.  It's a lot more subtle than most of our other songs, but I think if this was the only song you heard on your way out, you would see what we did there.

Sweet Caroline, Neil Diamond
Lance doesn't like to hear this song at weddings for the same reason I hate hearing "Don't Stop Believin'" at weddings: you can't actually dance to it.  You just mill around the dance floor and yell at appropriate times.  By moving this song to our candy playlist, we avoid all that awkwardness... and it reminds me of good times at Penn State when Lance was in law school.  :)

Sweet Dreams, Eurythmics
Our candy bar sign will probably say "Sweet Dreams," since guests are supposed to take favors as they exit, so this is appropriate.

Tootsee Roll, 69 Boyz
Ok, so this one is pretty suggestive, but we really liked the beat, so we threw it on.

Any absolute must-haves that we missed?  I noticed that we inadvertently caught many of the traditional cake-cutting songs on this playlist, so we'll have to steal one of them to use for that.  We're not doing the cake face smash, so no "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" for us!

Guest Post from Lance: Hotel Block!

While some parts of wedding planning involve making difficult choices and making compromises, selecting a hotel to block rooms was not one of them.  Amy and I had a pretty good idea early on that we wanted to block at the Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch.  Generally speaking, we are fond of Drury hotels for the reasonable rates, clean spacious rooms, and the free breakfast. We also like the idea of supporting a local, family-owned company, and Drury is a St. Louis based corporation that opened its first hotel in nearby Cape Girardeau and first Drury branded hotel in Sikeston, Missouri. When we stayed here, we found this particular Drury appealing for its lobby water feature and unique frontier scene.  The rooms were nice and spacious, and the beds were excellent!

Lewis and Clark sculpture in the lobby

This Drury is also conveniently located within a couple of miles of both our church and our reception site.  The hotel features overnight parking under the hotel for $16 with additional spill over parking available in the Stadium East parking garage for $14.  Our reception site, the Cedars, has a negotiated rate with this particular hotel for room blocks, but when we met with the Drury’s Sales and Meeting Coordinator, Molly, she was able to give us an even lower rate given the low expected room occupancy in December.  One king or two queen bed rooms are available for $99 and you can upgrade to a suite with a separate bedroom and living room area with a fold out sofa bed for $129.

Fountain in the lobby

The Drury features a number of perks, such as free wi-fi, the 5:30 Kickback with hot food and name-brand liquors, and free soda and popcorn between 3 and 10 PM, but my favorite perk is easily the free breakfast.  After both my friend Tom and my friend Dave’s weddings, there was a morning after breakfast. I thought this was a great way to bring people back together to tie a bow on the weekend. At the end of a wedding reception, everyone, especially the wedding party, tends to be running on fumes.  Having breakfast gives everyone a chance to recharge a little before final goodbyes.

Chandelier in the lobby

One final plug, the aforementioned Molly could not have been more helpful. She took us on a tour of the hotel, gave us a great group rate, and offered us a free jacuzzi suite with ten group bookings. She has been prompt and professional with paperwork and phone calls and could not seem more flexible if we need to make any changes. From the staff, to the facility, to the value, we could not be happier with our decision to block rooms at the Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch. If you would like to book at the group rate, you may call 1-800-325-0720 and mention the Bleisch/Ennen wedding or our group booking number, 2215237.  You can also book online here.  The group rate is available for both Friday and Saturday night. Hooray for easy decisions!