A couple of weeks ago I played Billy Idol’s Hot In The City, and in the comments a couple of people remarked on their favourite song of his. That song is also the one of his that I like best, and this gave me an idea for a new theme. So here we go with six songs with wedding in their title.

Having credited him with the prompt there is only one place I can really start, isn’t there:

Billy Idol originally released White Wedding on his eponymous debut album in July 1982. The album didn’t make the UK charts but got to #45 in the US. This track was also released as a single, peaking at #36 in the US but again not being a UK hit. It was then re-released as a single in July 1985 to promote the Vital Idol album, a collection of remixes. This time it got its due reward in the charts, reaching #6 in the UK, and the album did well here too, getting to #7. Looking back this is such a familiar song that it seems strange that we didn’t take to him at first, and I still like this one – and the video is good, too.

If you want a video that is full of people enjoying their music, this one is for you:

Van Morrison and The Chieftains collaborated on an album in 1988. That record was Irish Heartbeat, and Marie’s Wedding was one of its tracks. This video includes a range of Irish musicians in addition to Van and The Chieftains, among them the recently departed Maire Brennan. The song is typical of the joyous feeling of the whole record: I bought it at the time and still love it today. If you enjoyed this, you have a treat in store when you find the album!

My next choice for today is an absolute beauty:

Don Henley released For My Wedding on his fourth solo album, Inside Job, which came out in May 2000 and peaked at #7 in the US, #8 in Canada and #25 in the UK, going Platinum in the US and Gold in Canada. For me the album was a welcome return from him, eleven years after his previous record, The End Of The Innocence. Overall, I didn’t think it was as good as his other albums, but with this as its standout track it still had something going for it. This wasn’t released as a single, but I’m wondering if the fact they made a video for it means that was a possibility they were considering. It did make #61 on the US Country chart, though, based on airplay. The song and video are gorgeous.

I’m going back to my folk roots for this one, from my teenage years, with apologies for an audio-only clip:

Richard Thompson released Nobody’s Wedding on his debut solo album, Henry The Human Fly, in April 1972 – his first record after leaving Fairport Convention. He has since remarked that this was the worst selling record ever released by Warner Bros, though I’m not sure if that is true! I bought the record and really liked it. The album featured contributions from some former Fairport colleagues, and the full list is a who’s who of the English folk scene at that time. John Kirkpatrick plays accordion on this and the fiddle is by Sue Draheim, both of whom were much in demand. I saw John in concert at the uni folk club as part of a duo with his future wife, Sue Harris, and it was a lovely evening. I love the way this plays out with the tune of Marie’s Wedding – see song two above!

My penultimate tune for today is a cover version, though I suspect many will prefer these vocals to the original:

Wedding Song is by Bob Dylan, and was the closing track on his Planet Waves album, released in January 1974. I know his voice isn’t to everyone’s taste so I have chosen this version by Maria Muldaur, who included Wedding Song on her album Heart of Mine: Maria Muldaur Sings Love Songs of Bob Dylan, about which Wikipedia has absolutely no information other than that it reached #1 on the US Blues Albums chart. I did find another website, concord.com, which confirmed that the album came out in August 2006 and said this about this song, which closed the album: “Wedding Song, a love song set in an unlikely minor key, is a dark and mysterious profession of devotion that is so boundless it defies comprehension.” So now you know! Maria plays fiddle on the album – at the suggestion of Bob – and I think she really does justice to this beautiful love song.

I’m closing this little selection about what is a happy day for most with a recently released song, by one of my newer favourites:

Nathan Evans released his third album, Angels’ Share, a collaboration with Saint PHNX, in January of this year. The PHNX boys are brothers Alan and Stevie Jukes, who formed their band in 2016, and the whole album is a delight. The Wedding is just one of many great songs on the record, though I can’t get out of my head the thought that I know the tune from somewhere, and it’s killing me! I have a vague idea that it might be a Russian folk song, though it has elements of Greek in it too. If anyone knows, please do tell! As well as this album they have also collaborated on a single, Home (World Cup 2026) which, as its title suggests, was the official song of the Scottish team for this year’s footy fest. Unfortunately for them all, Scotland’s first qualification for the World  Cup since 1998 ended like all of their others – a failure to get beyond the initial group stage – so the title of that song now feels sadly prophetic. This one is still great, though.

That’s all for today, though I leave you with my usual reminder of where I’m sharing this post. Firstly, at Esme’s Senior Salon Pit Stop, and then at Cathy’s Monday’s (On Sundays) Music Moves Me. Do pop over and take a look.

I’ll see you again soon, so until then take care 👍