I Can’t Believe He Played The Chicken Dance!
by Larry Williams
We’ve all seen it, the DJ who breaks into the Chicken Dance at a wedding celebration. Does this very statement find you forming an opinion? This past summer I was performing in Lake Tahoe and had a conversation with a facility representative about the prior evening’s event. The description was of a DJ who was terrible because “he played the Chicken Dance!” I was immediately struck by the indifference that was shown towards this DJ by the act of playing this song. So, for the sake of this article, let’s simply use the Chicken Dance as a metaphor for all overplayed and often considered “cheesy” dance songs like; Macarena, Love Shack, YMCA, Conga, Celebration etc.
First a little history. Back in the 1980’s, live bands were the most commonly used form of entertainment for wedding celebrations. In the early to mid 90’s more and more wedding couples would consider hiring a DJ because of the great dance songs they would play. This tremendous frequency-of-use quickly made Wedding DJs the “number one choice of wedding entertainment in the nation” – a position still enjoyed to this day. But with this extensive multi-year use also came the predictable “cookie-cutter” dilemma that many DJs experience today.
The once-popular “must play” songs of yesterday often appear more on the “do not play” lists of today. This is because many of these songs are considered by many to be “overplayed”. However, as was the case with the facility representative I cited at the beginning of this story, the DJ took the brunt of the negative perception for playing the song. The truth is . . . these songs are still requested by some clients. By probably a 50/50 ratio, brides still request these party favorites! Why? Well, to fully understand this – you have to put yourself in the shoes of a customer. Some people simply don’t attend weddings very often. To them, these songs are great dance songs and the word “overplayed” is not in their vocabulary.
What is unfortunate is the negative perception that befalls many DJs who play these types of songs. I can assure you that nobody is more sick of these types of songs, than a DJ. However, their obligation is to respond to the needs of their customers. To program the requested music. So yes, it is possible to hear the Chicken Dance at any celebration, from simple to elegant. The important thing to remember is . . . if an overplayed song is showcased at a wedding – it likely has more to do with the customer requesting its inclusion, than the DJ insisting on reliving the early 90’s.
