Someday, When You’re Feeling Low,
You’ll Be Glad This Was Your First Dance
By Aaron Wulff
Frank Sinatra is one of the coolest cats there ever was. He has a legendary voice, an immaculate repertoire, and a killer style. If he were still alive, I’m sure he’d be disappointed with today’s pop music and pissed about taking his shoes off at the airport.
Frank’s list of wedding-worthy songs is long and distinguished. It’s so long, in fact, that Brides.com even published a list of the Top 40 Frank Sinatra songs to play at your wedding. I read through the list and had to take a nap.
A handful of those 40 songs frequently rise to the top, and one of them is “The Way You Look Tonight.” Let’s pay homage to “Old Blue Eyes” and break down this classical tune with lots of charm. It makes for a snazzy first wedding dance
“The Way You Look Tonight” was initially sung by dance extraordinaire Fred Astaire in the 1936 movie Swing Time. In the movie, Astaire sings the song to Ginger Rogers, who’s feeling far from attractive. He doesn’t care, because he loves her “just the way she looks” tonight.
When the song was written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields, Fields was quoted as saying, “the first time Jerry played that melody for me I went out and started to cry. The release absolutely killed me. I couldn’t stop, it was so beautiful.”
Sinatra recorded his version in 1964, a snappy mix of classical meets pop, and easily the most famous version.
Before you jump in, don’t forget you’ve got access to plenty of other stellar versions including Tony Bennett, Michael Bublé, Harry Connick Jr., Rod Stewart, and more.
Few songs deserve as much praise for capturing a guy’s unconditional devotion to his gal. Thus, the tune makes for a perfect theme for a wedding, or for those evenings when you’re not feeling as sexy as you’d like.
When a couple comes to me with this song my first question is, “how big is your dance floor?”
Reason? This track screams foxtrot, and the quintessential experience will be gliding around the dance with your partner with a grapevine step or two. Moreover, if you have the floor space for it, foxtrot is an excellent dance for beginners.
If you don’t have the luxury of a sizeable dance floor then you can definitely get by with a box step.
Could you do a swing step to it? I’ll pass. The tempo is too slow for my taste.
The big band instruments and swingin’ feel make this an easy song to follow. Leaders should have no trouble hearing the beat, and the tempo is consistent. Just after the three-minute mark, the track slows down and you can tack on a fancy ending.
Another plus is that the song isn’t too long. Should you still cut it? You could, but you’re probably better off keeping the audience entertained with some choreographed steps instead.
You won’t score any points for originality with this tune, but there’s a reason “The Way You Look Tonight” is an intergenerational favorite for weddings. The beat, lyrics, instrumentation, and styling are all top-notch. And for those reasons, it gets a high danceability score, especially if you choose the foxtrot step.
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