Help! Song choice for first dance…dying man

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Beloved 75 yr old husband/dad/grandpa was just diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (rare, rapidly progressing, untreatable terminal illness). He always wanted to take his wife to a military ball (he’s retired military) and now will never have the chance, so we are throwing him his own ball. ON MONDAY. Less than a week after his diagnosis (because it’s that fast-moving of a disease). He is quickly losing mobility and went from playing pickle ball 2 weeks ago to using a walker a week later. Cognitive ability too - last week he was VERY excited about the idea of a ball, and by today he’d forgotten all about it, despite talking about it each day all week. (But he’s still very happy about the idea - it just seems new to him today.)

A friend is going to invite him & his wife to lead the first dance. HERE’S WHERE I NEED HELP: please offer suggestions for first dance songs that are slow, sway-back-and-forth songs, and don’t promise everlasting love or claim it’s a wonderful world or anything else. Just something sweet and lovely but that fits an occasion on which all will be aware it’s his last dance and he’s likely to be gone within weeks to months. So, um, what’s the perfect song for him to dance with his wife that also goes nicely with a “we know you’re dying” event?

He likes 60s music & some from 50s/70s. He is the most kindhearted and amazing man. Life is super F-ing sad for all of us right now and we just really, really want him to have this moment of joy. Thanks in advance for any ideas.

Kleenex as table decorations for this one. Oof.

The Last Waltz sung by Engleburt Humperdinck. Two boxes of Kleenex.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=hkqsJIQFKNc&feature=share

[Anonymous]

I Just Wanna Dance With You - George Strait

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fix You by Cold Play

My God what is wrong with people.

[Anonymous]

Christina Perri - A Thousand Years

[Anonymous]

Songs Fred Astaire sang in movies. Night and Day, Cheek to Cheek, etc.

[Anonymous]

Lovely Day by Bill Withers

[Anonymous]

"Dance Me to the End of Love" by Leonard Cohen. This is a beautiful song but also very sad. But, this is an incredibly sad occasion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ll Be Seeing You by Eddie Haywood:

I'll be seeing you
In all the old familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces
All day through
In that small cafe
The park across the way
The children's carousel
The chestnut tree
The wishing well
I'll be seeing you
In every lovely summer's day
In everything that's right and gay
I'll always think of you that way
I'll find you in the morning sun
And when the night is new
I'll be looking at the moon
But I'll be seeing you
I'll be seeing you
In every lovely summer's day
In everything that's light and gay
I'll always think of you that way
I'll find you in the morning sun
And when the night is new
I'll be looking at the moon
But I'll be seeing you

Billie Holiday's version !

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll Be Seeing You by Eddie Haywood:

I'll be seeing you
In all the old familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces
All day through
In that small cafe
The park across the way
The children's carousel
The chestnut tree
The wishing well
I'll be seeing you
In every lovely summer's day
In everything that's right and gay
I'll always think of you that way
I'll find you in the morning sun
And when the night is new
I'll be looking at the moon
But I'll be seeing you
I'll be seeing you
In every lovely summer's day
In everything that's light and gay
I'll always think of you that way
I'll find you in the morning sun
And when the night is new
I'll be looking at the moon
But I'll be seeing you

Billie Holiday's version !

This is a wonderful song but much too sad under the circumstances.

[Anonymous]

Crazy Love (Van Morrison but Bryan Ferry did a great version in the movie She’s Having A Baby)

I can hear her heart beat for a thousand miles
And the heaven opens every time she smiles
And when I come to her, that's where I belong
I guess I'm running to her like a river's song
She gives me love, love, love, crazy love
She gives me love, crazy love
She's got a fine sense of humour, when i´m feeling down
And when I come to her when the sun goes down
She takes away my trouble, takes away my grief
Takes away my heartache in the night like a thief
She gives me love, love, love crazy love
She gives me love, crazy love
I guess I need her in the daytime
I guess I need her in the night
Someone strong to put my arms around her
I kiss her, kiss her tight
She gives me love, crazy love
She gives me love, crazy, crazy love
A crazy love

[Anonymous]

Thank you everyone. This morning I played a few songs for him & got very different reactions. He enjoyed “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” by Frankie Valli - tried to remember the words but struggled. I played “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King and he closed his eyes, sang almost the whole thing, and tears rolled down his cheeks. Sam Cooke’s “You Send Me” made his smile but he couldn’t remember the words.

So, we’re still working on it but I think we have some ideas of reactions. He spent the day with family today and seemed to want to be present for every moment of it even though he was quite tired. I hope tomorrow goes well for him and brings him joy and some sense of closure with this group of people he cared so much about.

[Anonymous]

I’m so sorry for what you’re going through, OP.

I love Sam Cooke and also recommend Nothing Can Change This Love.

[Anonymous]

If he liked Stand by Me, try Unchained Melody. It’s one of my dad’s favorite songs and he’s the same age and loves Stand by Me. He also loves loves loves Midnight Train to Georgia but that’s not really the first dance vibe you’re going for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If he liked Stand by Me, try Unchained Melody. It’s one of my dad’s favorite songs and he’s the same age and loves Stand by Me. He also loves loves loves Midnight Train to Georgia but that’s not really the first dance vibe you’re going for.

Oh! He also loves Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin - that could fit the bill!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lovely Day by Bill Withers

+1