Yes, yes, June is the traditional month of the year associated with weddings, but your brother isn’t getting married this Sunday is he? I didn’t think so.

As an alternative to putting together a mix of music that you might actually hear played at weddings (at least for the most part), I’ve put together a baker’s dozen of songs all about the subject of marriage, from the ceremony to the afterglow; from the peaks to the valleys, and points in between.

A handful of the tunes I’ve selected here come in versions different from the original, more popular ones. And in a way this seems appropriate, given the subject of marriage. Like a new cover version, marriage is joining someone else with the familiar, to make something new and (hopefully) exciting, yet still sounding right.

So here’s to my brother Eli and my new sister Allison on their big day….and don’t worry guys, this isn’t the only gift I’m giving you.

With this RingThe Platters from Going Back to Detroit (1967)

The Wedding Song (There is Love)Noel Paul Stookey from Paul and (1971)

Let’s Get MarriedAl Green from Livin’ for You (1973)

A Wedding in Cherokee CountyRandy Newman from Good Old Boys (1975)

Chapel of Love The Beach Boys from 15 Big Ones (1976)

I Knew The Bride (When She Used to Rock and Roll)Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit from Rose of England (1985)

The Secret Marriage – Sting from …Nothing Like the Sun (1987)

We Got MarriedPaul McCartney from Flowers in the Dirt (1989)

She’s No LadyLou Rawls from At Last (1989)

Let’s Get MarriedThe Proclaimers from Hit the Highway (1994)

Grow Old With MeMary Chapin Carpenter from Party Doll & Other Favorites (1999)

White WeddingHerman’s Hermits from When Pigs Fly (2002)

Wedding BellsColdplay from Live at Apple Keynote (bootleg) (2010)

About the Author

Matthew Bolin

Matthew Bolin discovered popular music could be a good thing at age 13. During a field trip to a local college library, he found Rolling Stone's "100 Best Albums, 1967-1987" issue, and a great and glorious world opened up. In the years since, Rolling Stone has shrunk, but Matthew has moved up in the world, and will eventually claim his title as "America's Librarian" sometime in the next decade.

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