8 First Dance Songs That Sound Romantic But Aren’t

By Mike Staff

You May Want to Avoid These 8 First Dance Songs That Sound Romantic But Aren’t

When it comes to choosing the song you’ll have your first dance to as a married couple, there’s a lot to take into consideration; meaning of the song, the message the song sends, even the connection you have to the song. It’s important to pick a first dance song that’s meaningful to you, but sometimes a song that seems romantic isn’t a typical love song.

Have you listened to the lyrics of the song you want to choose? You may want double check them. Sometimes love songs might actually be about breakups, abuse, and death. To help avoid making your first dance as a married couple an awkward one, our wedding DJs rounded up a list of first dance songs that sound romantic but aren’t!

1. “Marry You” by Bruno Mars

While this song is upbeat and catchy, it may not make the sweetest first dance song. With lyrics like, “we’re looking for something dumb to do,” and “if we wake up and you wanna break up, that’s cool” it’s not the most fitting first dance song.

2. “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston

While it’s an iconic song… it’s a breakup song. The lyrics mention bittersweet memories and saying goodbye, which definitely don’t represent your intentions on your wedding day.

3. “Stay With Me” by Sam Smith

This song has been at the top of the charts for years, so it must be a great first dance song, right? Not quite. This song is actually about a doomed relationship that won’t work out. Probably not the tone you’re looking for in your first dance.

4. “Every Breath You Take” by The Police

This 1983 hit has the tempo for a love song, but when you listen to the lyrics… yikes.

The lyrics “Every breath you take / Every move you make / Every bond you break / Every step you take / I’ll be watching you” can easily be interpreted as stalker behavior.

5. “Always On My Mind ” – Elvis Presley

This song is trying to be sweet by saying that, even though you were a bum in the actual relationship, you were always thinking about the other person.

6. “Always” – Bon Jovi

What could be more romantic than promising to love someone “always”? Oh, wait, it’s another break-up track!

How can you not love this hairband, power ballad with an epic chorus – it seems perfect for a wedding first dance. But the lines about an angsty break up leaving ‘our poor Romeo to bleed, drown and face a wholly unpleasant future alone and pining for his ex’ doesn’t exactly fit the criteria for memorable first dance material.

7. “Hey There Delilah” by the Plain White T’s

This romantic story about a long-distance relationship is actually fictional. The songwriter Tom Higgenson wasn’t actually dating Delilah — she was in a relationship with someone else. She said the song put her in a weird position.

8. “Layla” by Eric Clapton

“Layla” was a song Eric Clapton wrote about his forbidden love for the wife of his close friend George Harrison (she eventually became Clapton’s wife). It may be a song about love, but it’s about love for someone who was already married. Oops.

How to Choose Your First Dance Song

When choosing your first dance song, you want to focus on three things – something romantic, something meaningful to you as a couple, and something easy to dance to. With that criteria, there are still thousands of songs to choose from. We’ve helped narrow down your choices:

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Mike Staff( Founder, CEO )

Mike Staff is the founder and CEO of Mike Staff Productions, Metro Detroit’s most awarded wedding entertainment and media company. Since founding Mike Staff Productions in 1996, Mike has led a team that has served over 25,000 couples across Oakland, Macomb, Wayne, and Washtenaw counties — providing wedding DJ, photography, and videography services at hundreds of Metro Detroit venues. Under his leadership, Mike Staff Productions has earned recognition as one of the top wedding companies in the country, with consistent five-star ratings on The Knot, WeddingWire, and Google. Mike pioneered the Team Approach model — coordinating DJ, photo, and video under one contract — to eliminate the stress and coordination gaps couples face when booking vendors separately.

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