Like Fred Astaire or the Tapdogs; one of our wishes for April 10 was to get people footloose and on their feet, shaking their tail feathers and ultimately, dancing like no one was watching. Music and copious amounts of it is around me daily whether it’s a tune I am humming to myself or a shower song I am belting out to reverberate off the tiles or if I am winding down after a day’s work singing along to Sophie Millman. And most people have a song they groove to where the electricity flows out of their feet and gets the blood pumping as the beat takes over. You might be swaying from side to side, moving your head in a ferocious manner or just jiggling your right knee. Know that feeling? Well, my song is the MJ classic Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough. A hint of the the sound of that intro gets me up in a heartbeat and dancing around like no one’s watching and I love it.

So to choose music for April 10 was more than just choosing an ad out of Bride to Be and ticking a box. A song list was chosen first and every song on it was one that had a memory attached to it in leaps and bounds. There was no limit and with pen to paper, the list kept growing and getting more colourful as it moved through the genres. Next a decision needed to be made between a live band or a DJ. Both presented pros and cons but despite my in depth search, I could not find a band who’s singer sounded as deep as Barry White, had the same melodic tones as Norah or the quick beat of Stevie.

To the DJ we chose, we added the element of spontaneity of a saxophonist who fired up the night with short sharp bursts in all of the right moments. And when the bouquet was being thrown backwards into the crowd, nothing could compete with Beyonce’s All the Single Ladies other than the fighting hands of Kate.

The final song list I look at now and I love the memories attached to each song both before and now after April 10.

1. Sex bomb, Tom Jones
2. Ain’t no mountain high enough, Sister Act soundtrack
3. I wanna dance with Somebody, Whitney Houston
4. Moondance, Van Morrison
5. The Way you look tonight, Tony Bennett
6. Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours Stevie Wonder
7. Unchained Melody, The Righteous Brothers
8. Midnight Train to Georgia, Renee Geyer
9. The Nearness of You, Norah Jones
10. The Way you make me feel, Michael Jackson
11. Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough, Michael Jackson
12. Come Fly with Me, Michael Buble
13. My Baby just cares for me, Nina Simone
14. Best of My Love, The Emotions
15. Get up (I feel like being a) Sex Machine, James Brown
16. Love X Love, George Benson
17. I heard it through the grapevine, Creedence Clearwater Revival
18. Chan Chan, Buena Vista Social Club
19. Dancing In the Street, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas
20. Can’t get enough of your love, babe Barry White
21. Ain’t nothing like the real thing, Aretha Franklin