'80s Wedding Songs That Will Stir Up Nostalgia In Every Late Boomer

In some ways, weddings are all about nostalgia. Okay, the people actually getting married may be young and at least attempting to get in on the latest trends, but these events are also typically family affairs with multiple generations getting together to celebrate the new couple. Today, that likely means a late boomer — or two, or more — is involved, and they are well-situated to have a nostalgic take on their own youth in the 1980s. Besides having a bit of a "Sunrise, Sunset" moment while watching the next generation enter into a new phase of life, boomers may also find their nostalgia instinct triggered when gazing around at the fashion and décor. Indeed, some '80s fashions, like big, puffed-sleeve dresses and downright monumental cakes, are making something of a comeback in the wedding world (though few seem bold enough to don a very '80s tulle-and-lace-bedecked headpiece).

But, if we're talking serious nostalgia, nothing hits you in the bygone youth quite like a good song. Combine that with wedding memories, and you have a powerful brew in the form of '80s wedding tunes. Some of the best that blasted out over the reception dance floor back in the day still have power now — it's not for nothing that these songs are still classics of wedding receptions in the 21st century. And for late boomers who really came of age in this decade, hearing them now is sure to be a real blast from the past.

If you were hip to emerging hits and really wanted to get people out on the dance floor, shaking their crunchy perms and poofy satin dresses, then you could do hardly better than "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)." Of course, this joyous tune is still a great selection for a modern wedding playlist, too. When it was released as the lead single for Whitney Houston's 1987 album, "Whitney," some noticed similarities to synthy dance hits by Cyndi Lauper and even Houston's earlier chart-topper, 1985's "How Will I Know." But "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" is a bright, poppy tune, and Houston's powerhouse vocals carried it all the way to the top of the Hot 100 for two weeks (one of many records set as part of the hidden truth of Houston's career).

If you actually listen to the lyrics, the song may seem like a bit of an odd duck at a cheerful wedding, with Houston embodying someone who's still looking for a partner, whether that's for a dance or a lifetime. Yet, given how this song still gets play at wedding receptions decades later, you can't deny that it's a bop. Whether it brings someone back to the days of their own wedding (or perhaps a turn as a bridesmaid in a, ahem, distinctive dress) or makes the case for a boomer aunt or uncle actually having good taste, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" is a wedding nostalgia touchstone.

Ready for the slow dance? How about one that can, when deployed correctly, really wallop you with nostalgia to the point where it feels like you've time-warped back to the Reagan era? If that's more or less your aim, you've simply got to put on "Take My Breath Away," recorded by new wave band Berlin in 1986. It's got real '80s cred, with a single cover that could represent the hairstyling of an entire decade all on its own (hello, feathered layers and volumizer!), synth-pop pioneer Giorgio Moroder as a co-writer, and a place of pride on the "Top Gun" soundtrack.

It's also a dreamy, romantic tune that was just right for weddings of the era — and arguably can fit in fine at modern receptions, too. Heck, even today's nuptials probably wouldn't do wrong with a bit of romantic new wave mixed into the playlist, not just for nostalgia's sake but because the song is honestly that good. Lead singer Terri Nunn brings a swooning longing to the lyrics, turning what could be a ho-hum romance song into a ballad that surely left many a couple clinging to each other in the dimmed confines of a dance hall or reception space. Plus, nowadays it may also lead to some fun "Top Gun" references, so get your movie trivia and aviator sunglasses ready (even if, okay, the film has little to do with the real TOPGUN program).

For the perfect singalong, there's always "Don't Stop Believin'," the Journey song that makes everyone belt out the lyrics as if by instinct. Released in 1981 off the band's "Escape" album, this is a power ballad that's hopeful, celebratory, and just plain fun. That makes "Don't Stop Believin'" perfect for a wedding, especially farther along in the night, when perhaps a beverage or two makes singing along and enthusiastically playing air guitar all the easier (air guitar was a bit more cutting-edge back in the '80s).

Besides the soaring tune, sick guitar riff, and hopeful lyrics, the song also has a heartwarming backstory that could serve as a hopeful touchstone for a young couple starting their life together. As Journey's keyboard player, Jonathan Cain, told NPR, he was a cash-strapped musician in the 1970s who found himself calling Dad to beg for money. "Should I come home?" he remembered asking. Cain's father responded by saying, "We've always had a vision, son. Don't stop believing.'" Cain scribbled it down in a notebook, and when Journey was putting together tracks for "Escape," that phrase came to fruition. While it's assuredly a cross-generational crowd-pleaser, the song (perhaps combined with some of the more tragic details of Journey) can also serve as a reminder to couples and wedding guests alike that things really can work out. Perhaps you can even ask your favorite boomer relative to confirm for you, as soon as they put down the air guitar.

For a bit of sentimentality that isn't strictly romantic, the 1984 hit, "I Just Called to Say I Love You," brings a real hit of nostalgia courtesy of R&B legend Stevie Wonder (whose real name, by the way, is a bit complicated). It's a sweet song that evokes a touching parent-child dance at a wedding reception, a tradition that's been going on for generations. The tune is also gentle but upbeat, less likely to leave many in attendance weeping into their Champagne (ahem, "Butterfly Kisses").

Also, if you or a boomer relative are perhaps a little tired out by the sometimes manic electronic side of '80s music, Wonder's hit brings a breath of fresh air to the evening. Okay, it does have the characteristic synthesizer and drum machine that so many chart toppers of the era had. With that said, it's a smooth jam that skillfully combines a gentle dance beat (no awkward middle school-inspired slow dancing here, thanks) with Wonder's beloved vocals. So, it's no wonder that it spent weeks at the top of multiple charts, including three weeks on the Hot 100. As if that weren't enough, Wonder's track also garnered both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for best original song (as it appeared in 1984's "The Woman in Red").

By the 1980s, British singer and musician Steve Winwood was already something of an industry veteran. He'd knocked around for a bit playing jazz and jazz-inspired music, even sliding into rock, where he would occasionally play in bands for Eric Clapton and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, among others. Eventually, he tried to make it as a solo artist with a more mainstream pop sound. In 1986, he released "Back in the High Life," the album that produced the highly danceable and very '80s single, "Higher Love," made all the catchier with backing vocals by Chaka Khan and the soul-inspired singing of Winwood himself. When it hit the DJ playlists, it became a wedding reception classic that spans the decades from the '80s to today.

Okay, some people are a bit sassy about the actual content of the song, which vaguely discusses a yearning for some sort of elevated love (co-writer Will Jennings later said it was actually about longing for spiritual transcendence). But how much did that really matter when the wedding DJ started playing it and the dancing began? If you weren't overly worried about being cool, this was — and still is — a good dance pick for the reception playlist. And while it's hard to pin down a single track as representative of the entire decade, you can't deny that "Higher Love" is absolutely a product of its era, with plenty of bubbling synth and energetic drumming that leads straight to nostalgia town.