There are some parts of weddings worth all of that time you spend thinking about symbolism and meaning and details, and other parts that are not. The trick is to know the difference. Cocktail hour playlists firmly falls into the “don’t stress too much” category, and for sure the “don’t worry about the symbolism” category. If your cocktail hour is going as planned, everyone will be cocktailing and chatting, not carefully analyzing the order of songs and lyrics. With the cocktail hour playlist, you’re looking just looking to get a vibe going. Maybe you’re going for “soulful” maybe it’s “luxurious” maybe it’s “funky and fun.” But once you’ve figured out the general mood, don’t worry about it too much.
For our cocktail hour, we went with whole albums. Our idea was that if we picked a couple of all-time great albums and played them on random, you couldn’t miss. We played Nina Simone’s Forever Young Gifted and Black, George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, and Paul Simon’s Graceland. The mood was set, the music was good, and at one point I pulled David away for a secret first dance. Bonus? Pulling together the playlist was 100% painless.
All that said, we’ve pulled together some of the coolest reader favorites, plus some staff favorites, for cocktail hour playlists. This particular list is curated by me (with Maddie as my accomplice) so it leans on a mix of jazz standards, soul, classics, and some funky new stuff. I’d call its vibe “eclectic.” Use them to inspire you, not to stress you out. I’m pretty sure Etta James and JT want you to feel nice and relaxed. Happy drinking (and listening)!
1. “Águas de Março” by Elis Regina & Tom Jobim
2. “Give Him a Great Big Kiss” by The Shangri-Las
3. “In The Mood” by Glen Miller
4. “You’ve Got Time” by Regina Spektor
5. “You Are The Best Thing” by Ray LaMontagne
6. “Fresh Feeling” by Eels
7. “For Once in My Life” by Stevie Wonder
8. “I Just Want to Make Love to You” by Etta James
9. “Dream a Little Dream of Me” by Louis Armsrong & Ella Fitzgerald
10. “Suit and Tie” by Justin Timberlake*
11. “Me and Julio” by Paul Simon
12. “Jackson” by Johnny Cash & June Carter
13. “One Foot” by Fun.
14. “22” by Lily Allen
15. “If You Want To Be Happy” by Jimmy Soul
16. “Valerie” by Mark Ronson & Amy Winehouse
17. “Brand New Key” by Melanie
18. “Make Your Own Kind Of Music” by Mama Cass Elliot
19. “Moondance” by Van Morrison
20. “Young and Beautiful” by Lana Del Ray
21. “Ten Cent Pistol” by The Black Keys
22. “Everyday” by Buddy Holly
23. “Such Great Heights” by The Postal Service
24. “Gotta Have You” by the Weepies
*We included the explicit version, but you can download the clean version here for the sake of your granny.
Bonus Tracks:
1. “Cigarettes and Coffee” by Otis Redding
2. “Here Comes the Sun” covered by Richie Havens
3. “She” by Elvis Costello
4. “A Quai” by Yann Tiersen
5. “Question” by Old 97’s
6. “Answering Bell” by Ryan Adams
7. “It Had To Be You” by Harry Connick Jr.
8. “Words Cannot Describe” by Mirah
9. “Keep Your Heart” by TV On the Radio
10. “Forever” by Ben Harper
11. “Rebel Rebel” by Seu Jorge
12. “The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room” by Flight of the Conchords
13. “Ocean and a Rock” by Lisa Hannigan
14. “Can’t Stop Now” by Major Lazer
15. “Sunday Kind of Love” by Etta James
16. “Water (Get No Enemy)” by Fela Kuti
17. “Pink Moon” by Nick Drake
18. “White Winter Hymnal” by Fleet Foxes
19. “Elation” by Isbells
20. “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” by Death Cab for Cutie
21. “Oceans” by Puscifer
22. “Flower” by Amos Lee
23. “Oh Me Oh My” by Aretha Franklin
24. “LA County” by Lyle Lovett
25. “L’hymne à l’amour” by Edith Piaf
26. “Everything I Have is Yours” by Billie Holiday
27. “Summer Song” by Chad & Jeremy
28. “The Sweetest Thing” by Camera Obscura
29. “Wished for You” by Squirrel Nut Zippers
30. “When I’m With You” by Best Coast
31. “Welcome Home” by Radical Face
32. “Love Song” by The Cure
33. “Bottom of the River” by Adam Acuragi
34. “She is Staggering” by Polaris
35. “You Give Me Something” by James Morrison
36. “City of Blinding Light” by U2
37. “You Always Make Me Smile” by Kyle Andrews
38. “Girl I Wanna Lay You Down” by Jack Johnson & ALO
39. “Saw You First” by The Givers
40. “Bright Whites” by Kishi Bashi
**This post was sponsored by Monogamy Wines. Thank you Monogamy for helping make the APW mission possible!**
