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Friends & Love

36 Anniversary Songs, From the First Year to the Fiftieth

Jordan Ellis

Jordan Ellis · Music Producer & Vocal Director

Updated September 23, 2026 · 27 min read

A couple slow-dancing at home in warm light, celebrating their anniversary

The best anniversary songs are "At Last" by Etta James for a love that took a long road, "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton for everyday devotion, "Remember When" by Alan Jackson for a 25th or 50th slideshow, and "Anniversary" by Tony! Toni! Toné! for a slow-jam night at home. The right one depends on the year and the room.

An anniversary song has a harder job than a wedding song. It has to hold years of ordinary Tuesdays and a couple of genuinely bad weeks, it has to sound like the two of you rather than every other first dance, and it often has to work in front of relatives. So the thirty-six songs below are grouped by the moment you need them for: timeless slow-dance classics; songs written for a husband or wife; milestone songs for a 25th, 40th or 50th, including the ones grown children choose for their parents; country love; soul and Motown; R&B; and modern picks for couples who married in the last decade or so. Every entry says who it suits, and when to skip it.

One thing we have learned from recording anniversary songs: the vocal that makes a partner of twenty years cry is almost never the big, belted chorus. It is the verse sung close to the microphone at half-voice, the way people talk across a kitchen table late at night. Belting is for weddings; the murmur is for year twenty. Listen for that when you choose from this list, because the borrowed song with the most intimate first verse usually beats the one with the biggest ending.

The timeless slow-dance classics

  1. 1.At Last — Etta James (1960)

    "At Last" by Etta James is the song to play when your anniversary celebrates a love that took a long road to arrive. It is older than most people assume: Mack Gordon and Harry Warren wrote it for the 1942 Glenn Miller film Orchestra Wives, and James made it hers on her 1960 debut album of the same name, turning a big-band ballad into a slow-burning soul vocal wrapped in strings. That history suits an anniversary, because it is a song about waiting that itself waited almost two decades to become the standard it is now. Use it for the first dance you re-create at a milestone party, or for the moment in the evening when you want the whole room to go quiet and watch the two of you. It is the wrong pick if your story was easy and sunny from the first date, when the drama of a long-awaited arrival will feel borrowed; reach for "My Girl" by The Temptations instead.

  2. 2.Unchained Melody — The Righteous Brothers (1965)

    "Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers suits the couple who have spent real time apart, through deployments, long-distance years or night shifts that never lined up. Alex North and Hy Zaret wrote it for Unchained, a 1955 prison film, which explains why it aches the way it does: it was always a song about someone counting the days until they are home. The 1965 recording is effectively a Bobby Hatfield solo, and it climbed back up the charts in 1990 after the pottery-wheel scene in Ghost, so two generations at a family party will know it within two notes. Cue it for a slow dance that is meant to feel like a reunion, and let the famous climb near the end do the talking for you. It is the wrong pick for a couple who have barely spent a night apart, where the longing will ring false; reach for "Better Together" by Jack Johnson instead.

  3. 3.The Way You Look Tonight — Frank Sinatra (1964)

    A promise to remember your love exactly as they are in this one moment, delivered with an easy swing. It's effortlessly romantic and perfect for couples who like a little bounce in their slow dance rather than a full-on tearjerker. Ideal if you met on a dance floor or just always end the night swaying in the kitchen.

  4. 4.God Only Knows — The Beach Boys (1966)

    Often called one of the greatest love songs ever written, it's a quietly staggering admission that life without the other person is simply unimaginable. The sunny arrangement hides a much deeper ache, which makes it a beautiful choice for a couple whose bond runs far past the surface. Play it for a long-married pair who'd rather not say the big things out loud.

  5. 5.Your Song — Elton John (1970)

    Bernie Taupin's lyric has the charm of someone who is a little embarrassed to be offering a love song at all, and Elton John's melody makes that shyness sound like the most generous thing in the world. It's ideal for the couple whose romance was never about extravagant gestures, just the steady work of showing up. A perfect fit for a first anniversary spent at home rather than somewhere expensive.

Written for a husband, wife, or the one who stayed

  1. 6.Wonderful Tonight — Eric Clapton (1977)

    "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton is the husband-to-wife anniversary song for a love built on ordinary evenings rather than grand ones. The song came out of an evening in 1976 when Clapton sat downstairs while Pattie Boyd took her time choosing an outfit before a party, and it was released on Slowhand in 1977; the whole song is a man noticing his partner in a moment most people would have spent checking the clock. That is why it holds up after years together: it praises the version of your partner you see every day, not the one in the wedding album. Play it while they are getting ready for your anniversary dinner, or lay it under a slideshow of candid, unposed pictures from the kitchen and the car. It is the wrong pick if your partner would rather be celebrated for what they do than for how they look, since the song is almost entirely about appearance; reach for "You Are the Best Thing" by Ray LaMontagne instead.

  2. 7.Just the Way You Are — Billy Joel (1977)

    A grown-up promise to love someone as they are, not as they might one day become. It's warm and reassuring in a way that only makes more sense after years together, when you've both changed and stayed anyway. A natural pick for a couple who've weathered enough to know that not changing each other was the whole point.

  3. 8.You Are the Best Thing — Ray LaMontagne (2008)

    Joyful, horn-driven soul about someone who arrived and quietly made everything better. It's the rare anniversary song that makes you want to dance around the living room instead of dabbing your eyes. Perfect for the couple whose love has always been more of a celebration than a slow, solemn ballad.

  4. 9.Everything — Michael Bublé (2007)

    A modern standard about a partner who is your everyday everything, quirks and all, set to an easy, hummable groove. It's upbeat, universally loved, and impossible to dislike, which makes it a safe crowd-pleaser when the whole family is in the room. Great for an anniversary party where you want people smiling rather than crying.

  5. 10.Die a Happy Man — Thomas Rhett (2015)

    For a partner who is, plainly, enough, "Die a Happy Man" by Thomas Rhett is the country anniversary song to play. Its subject is Lauren Akins, the childhood friend Rhett married, and he co-wrote it with Sean Douglas and Joe Spargur; and the 2015 single spent six weeks at number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. The song's point is gratitude without conditions: no bucket list, no bigger house, nothing left to prove. That contentment lands hardest a few years into a marriage, when life has gotten busy and it is worth saying out loud that the busy life is the good one. Play it in the car on the way to dinner, or as the last song of the night once the dishes are done. It is the wrong pick if the year was rough and the honest mood is repair rather than contentment; reach for "I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz instead.

Milestone songs for a 25th, 40th or 50th (and for your parents' anniversary)

  1. 11.Remember When — Alan Jackson (2003)

    "Remember When" by Alan Jackson is the song for a 25th, 40th or 50th anniversary slideshow, because it is built like one. Jackson wrote it on his own about his marriage to Denise, whom he met as a teenager at a Dairy Queen in Newnan, Georgia, and the verses walk through a whole shared life: young love, a rough stretch, children, and the two of them getting older. Released in late 2003, it spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard country chart in early 2004. Because the song moves in order, it pairs naturally with photos laid out year by year, from the wedding to the grandchildren, which is why grown children planning their parents' party reach for it. It is the wrong pick if the marriage had a rupture nobody wants replayed in front of relatives, since the song openly acknowledges hurt; reach for "Through the Years" by Kenny Rogers instead.

  2. 12.Through the Years — Kenny Rogers (1981)

    "Through the Years" by Kenny Rogers sounds like a thank-you from one spouse to the other after a lifetime, which makes it a natural choice when the children are the ones planning the party. Steve Dorff and Marty Panzer wrote it, and Rogers' recording, released at the end of 1981, reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the adult contemporary chart in 1982. The song is gentle, unhurried and completely unironic, which suits a 40th or 50th where the guests of honor are in their seventies and want to dance to something slow and familiar. Cue it for the couple's dance after dinner, with the grandchildren crowding the edge of the floor. It also works as the music under a family toast. It is the wrong pick for a couple five years in, whose story cannot yet carry the weight of the lyric; reach for "Better Together" by Jack Johnson instead.

  3. 13.Still the One — Orleans (1976)

    "Still the One" by Orleans is the upbeat anniversary song for a couple who want to celebrate staying together without getting misty. It was written by John Hall and Johanna Hall, who were married at the time, and the story goes that Johanna drafted the lyric after a friend wondered why nobody wrote songs about staying together instead of breaking up. Released in 1976, it reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100. That origin makes it a small manifesto for long marriage: it is not a love-at-first-sight song, it is a still-here song. Play it as the couple walks into their own anniversary party, or as the moment the dance floor opens after the toasts, when you want the whole room on its feet. It is the wrong pick if you want a slow dance, since its tempo is built for smiling rather than swaying; reach for "Grow Old With Me" by John Lennon instead.

  4. 14.Grow Old With Me — John Lennon (1984)

    "Grow Old With Me" by John Lennon is the milestone song for a 25th or 50th, when growing old together has stopped being a plan and become the story. Lennon taped it as a home piano demo in 1980, not long before his death, and it came out on the posthumous Milk and Honey album in 1984; he wrote it as a companion to a Yoko Ono song, the pair inspired by the poetry of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Mary Chapin Carpenter's 1995 cover carried it into a new wave of anniversary parties and vow renewals. Because the original is a rough demo, it feels private, like overhearing a promise not meant for an audience. Play it at the end of a family toast, or for the two of you alone after everyone leaves. It is the wrong pick at a first anniversary, where the old-age promise can feel like a costume; reach for "Lover" by Taylor Swift instead.

  5. 15.Look at Us — Vince Gill (1991)

    "Look at Us" by Vince Gill is the country anniversary song for a couple whose friends have watched other marriages come and go. Gill wrote it with Max D. Barnes, and it was released in September 1991 as a single from Pocket Full of Gold, reaching number four on the Billboard country chart. The song looks at a long marriage from the inside, with a kind of proud disbelief that the two of you made it this far and still reach for each other's hand. That quiet pride is exactly the tone of a 25th or 30th anniversary toast, which is why it works played low underneath one while a son or daughter speaks. It also makes a lovely walk-in for a vow renewal. It is the wrong pick for couples who have no patience for slow country ballads or who want a bigger, louder moment; reach for "Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers instead.

  6. 16.Anniversary Song — Al Jolson (1946)

    "Anniversary Song" by Al Jolson is the one to know if you are throwing a party for grandparents or great-grandparents, because for many couples of that generation it is simply the song that gets played at anniversaries. Jolson and Saul Chaplin set words to Ion Ivanovici's 1880 waltz "Waves of the Danube" for the 1946 film The Jolson Story, and the record peaked at number two early in 1947. It is a true waltz, counted in three, so older guests who learned to dance properly finally get to show off, and the younger crowd usually ends up watching from the edge of the floor. Play it for a 50th or 60th, ideally right after the toast. It is the wrong pick for anyone under fifty unless there is a family story attached, since it will come across as a period piece; reach for "Remember When" by Alan Jackson instead.

Country love that goes the distance

  1. 17.Amazed — Lonestar (1999)

    "Amazed" by Lonestar is the anniversary song for couples who married around the turn of the millennium, when it was the first-dance song of the moment. Written by Marv Green, Chris Lindsey and Aimee Mayo, it topped the Billboard country chart in 1999 and then the Hot 100 in 2000, one of the rare country ballads to do both. The song describes being newly astonished by someone every day, which is exactly the claim a long marriage gets to make with evidence behind it. If it was your first dance, play it again at your 20th or 25th and dance to it in the same corner of the room you remember; the callback does half the emotional work for you. It is the wrong pick for a couple who never had country in their lives, when it will sound like somebody else's wedding; reach for "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran instead.

  2. 18.Making Memories of Us — Keith Urban (2005)

    A vow to keep building a life together, one memory at a time, with Urban's warm and unhurried delivery. It's perfect for a couple looking back on the years they've already stacked up while quietly promising to keep stacking. A lovely choice for a milestone dinner where you're taking stock of everything you've made.

  3. 19.Then — Brad Paisley (2009)

    Charts the way love keeps deepening across the years, until the feeling at the start turns out to have been only the opening chapter. It was practically written for this exact occasion, tracing a relationship forward instead of freezing it at the wedding. Ideal for the couple who feel like the best years keep landing later than expected.

  4. 20.Forever and Ever, Amen — Randy Travis (1987)

    "Forever and Ever, Amen" by Randy Travis is the country anniversary song with a grin in it, for couples whose love is steady and a little bit funny. Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz wrote it, and in 1987 it spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard country chart before winning the songwriters the Grammy for Best Country Song. The song promises to keep loving someone long after their hair has gone gray or gone altogether, which gives a 30th or 40th anniversary party permission to laugh at the years instead of tearing up over them. It is a great dance-floor pick at a family celebration, where the older guests sing along and the grandchildren pick up the chorus by the second time around. It is the wrong pick for a private, tender moment, where its bounce will break the spell; reach for "Remember When" by Alan Jackson instead.

  5. 21.Speechless — Dan + Shay (2018)

    Inspired by both singers' weddings, it captures the exact moment when words fail you and you just stand there undone. It's a tearful modern-country choice for milestone celebrations and vow renewals, when the feeling is bigger than anything you could say. Keep it for the moment you actually want to be speechless.

Soul and Motown forever

  1. 22.My Girl — The Temptations (1964)

    The sunniest declaration of love in the Motown catalog, built on that unmistakable rising guitar line and a grin you can hear. It's pure, uncomplicated joy, which makes it a wonderful anniversary pick for a couple whose love has always felt easy and bright. Play it loud and watch a whole room start swaying.

  2. 23.Let's Stay Together — Al Green (1971)

    "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green is the soul anniversary song about the promise that matters most after the wedding: staying. Its credits go to Green, his producer Willie Mitchell and the Memphis drummer Al Jackson Jr., and it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1972, carried by a relaxed Memphis groove and a falsetto that never pushes. It is a commitment song more than a romance song, which makes it right for couples who have been through a hard season, a move, a layoff, a new baby, and came out the other side still choosing each other. Put it on for a slow, loose-limbed dance in the kitchen, or as the opener of an anniversary dinner playlist while the food is still cooking. It is the wrong pick for a first anniversary that has been all sunshine, where the vow to hold on can feel premature; reach for "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones instead.

  3. 24.L-O-V-E — Nat King Cole (1965)

    Cole spells out love letter by letter over a bright, big-band swing, in one of the most charming standards ever recorded. It's playful and elegant at once, perfect for a couple who love a bit of old-fashioned romance without the heaviness. A great fit for a dressed-up anniversary dinner or a first-dance callback.

  4. 25.Have I Told You Lately — Van Morrison (1989)

    Originally a tender, almost prayerful thank-you from Morrison, later turned into a wedding-and-anniversary staple by Rod Stewart's hugely popular cover. Either version works beautifully as a reminder to say the thing you assume your partner already knows. Ideal for an anniversary where the whole point is finally saying it out loud.

  5. 26.Crazy Love — Van Morrison (1970)

    A gentle, gospel-tinged soul ballad about the quiet, steadying kind of love that gets you through the day. It's intimate rather than showy, which suits a private anniversary moment more than a big party. Put it on for a slow dance in the kitchen when it's just the two of you.

R&B anniversary songs and slow jams

  1. 27.Anniversary — Tony! Toni! Toné! (1993)

    "Anniversary" by Tony! Toni! Toné! is the R&B slow jam that is literally named for the occasion, and it is still the one people ask the DJ for at anniversary parties three decades on. Group member Raphael Wiggins, later known as Raphael Saadiq, wrote it with keyboardist Carl Wheeler, and the 1993 single from Sons of Soul reached number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the R&B chart, going gold. The song is patient and unhurried, built around a couple marking another year together, which makes it the right way to close an anniversary dinner at home with the lights down. It suits couples who came of age with nineties R&B and want their own soundtrack rather than their parents'. It is the wrong pick for a mixed-generation family party where the grandparents want something they recognize; reach for "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green instead.

  2. 28.Spend My Life with You — Eric Benét feat. Tamia (1999)

    "Spend My Life with You" by Eric Benét featuring Tamia is the R&B duet for couples who want both voices in the room. Released in June 1999 from Benét's album A Day in the Life, it spent three weeks at number one on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, reached number 21 on the Hot 100 and was certified gold. Because it plays out as a conversation, one singer asking and the other answering, it works beautifully for a vow renewal where each of you says something, or for a couple who sing, even badly, and want to trade the verses at their own party. The two voices also give a slideshow a natural shape, one half of the photos for each of you. It is the wrong pick for a surprise played to one person, since the duet makes more sense sung to each other than aimed at someone; reach for "Adorn" by Miguel instead.

  3. 29.Love — Musiq Soulchild (2000)

    "Love" by Musiq Soulchild is the neo-soul anniversary pick for a partner who likes their romance quiet and a little philosophical. The single, from his debut album Aijuswanaseing, climbed to number two on Billboard's R&B chart and number 24 on the Hot 100 in 2001, and stayed on the R&B chart for thirty-eight weeks. The song is a meditation on love itself rather than a portrait of one person, which is its strength here: it can sit underneath a letter you read aloud, or behind a slideshow, without competing with your own words. Put it on at the start of a quiet anniversary dinner at home, before anyone has said anything important. It is the wrong pick if you want your partner to feel named and described, since the song never gets specific about anybody; reach for "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton, or a song written from your own story, instead.

  4. 30.Adorn — Miguel (2012)

    "Adorn" by Miguel is the modern R&B anniversary song for a couple whose romance still runs warm. Miguel wrote it himself, and the 2012 single from Kaleidoscope Dream reached number one on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop chart and number 17 on the Hot 100 before winning the Grammy for Best R&B Song in 2013. It is sensual without being explicit, and its gliding, falsetto-led groove makes it a natural close to an anniversary dinner out, or the first song on once you are home and the sitter has gone. For couples who married in the last decade, it often sounds like the reception, which gives it a built-in memory. It is the wrong pick for the family party, where grandparents and kids are in the room and the mood should be sweet rather than sultry; reach for "My Girl" by The Temptations instead.

Modern anniversary picks

  1. 31.Come Away With Me — Norah Jones (2002)

    An intimate, unhurried invitation to slip away together and leave the rest of the world behind. Its hushed, late-night warmth makes it perfect for a quiet anniversary dinner at home or a slow dance in a dim kitchen. Reach for it when you want the evening to feel like a secret the two of you are keeping.

  2. 32.Better Together — Jack Johnson (2005)

    Easygoing and sincere, it lands on the simple truth that everything is just better with the other person around. There's no drama and no grand climax, only a relaxed gratitude that suits laid-back couples down to the ground. A great fit for a barefoot, no-fuss anniversary at home.

  3. 33.I Won't Give Up — Jason Mraz (2012)

    A song about staying, choosing each other again, and weathering the rough patches instead of walking away. It fits couples who've earned a few of their anniversaries the hard way and are proud of the fact. Play it when the milestone is really about surviving something together and coming out closer.

  4. 34.Thinking Out Loud — Ed Sheeran (2014)

    "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran is the modern anniversary pick for couples who used it as their first dance and want to feel those vows land again. Sheeran wrote it with Amy Wadge, and it won the Grammy for Song of the Year in 2016; its whole premise is a love that outlasts looks, memory and the dance moves of your twenties. That long view is exactly what an anniversary celebrates, which is why the song often reads better at year ten than it did at the reception. The tempo sits at an easy sway, slow enough for a partner who swore they would never dance in public again to follow along. For a real callback, re-create the choreography you learned for the wedding, however badly it has aged. It is the wrong pick if half the couples you know used it too and you want something that feels only yours; reach for "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones instead.

  5. 35.Lover — Taylor Swift (2019)

    A dreamy, waltzing pledge to be someone's lover for the long haul, with a tenderness that feels handwritten. Its follow-you-anywhere devotion has quickly made it a new anniversary favorite for younger couples. A lovely pick for a slow dance that wants to feel current rather than nostalgic.

  6. 36.Adore You — Harry Styles (2019)

    Devotion at full volume — a bright, adoring pop anthem for the couple who still light up when the other one walks into the room. It's celebratory and a little playful, better suited to dancing than crying. Put it on when your anniversary mood is closer to a party than a candlelit hush.

Choosing your anniversary song by story, room and year

Your shared history should choose the song before the calendar does. If you met on a dance floor, a swing standard like "The Way You Look Tonight" or "L-O-V-E" will mean more than any modern ballad; if your love has been steady and unglamorous, "Wonderful Tonight" or "Then" will hit harder than the big power ballads. If you were raised on Motown, three bars of "My Girl" will do more than a five-minute epic, and if your early dates had a nineties R&B soundtrack, "Anniversary" or "Spend My Life with You" is already half-written into your history. Country households have their own deep bench, and our list of country love songs goes further than the five here.

It also helps to know exactly what you're using it for. A slow dance wants a comfortable tempo you can actually sway to; a party wants something the whole room can sing; a quiet dinner just wants one song on repeat that neither of you talks over. And check that the story actually fits. "At Last" is about the wait finally ending, "I Won't Give Up" is about surviving the rough stretches, and "Remember When" admits there were hard years, so borrow their weight only where it's true to the two of you. If the song is really a gift from one of you to the other, the picks in songs written about husbands lean more personal than the couple standards on this page.

And here's the honest limit of every song on this list: they were written about someone else's love story. The name in the chorus, the specific memories, the little in-jokes belong to another couple. If you want a song where the chorus says your partner's name and the verses remember your actual years together, real songwriters can write one about yours, with real vocals, ready in 24 hours. And if you'd rather put pen to paper yourself, our guide to writing an anniversary song of your own walks you from the first memory to a finished chorus.

  • For a first anniversary: "Come Away With Me" or "Lover" for something new and intimate.
  • For a slow dance at home: "At Last," "Unchained Melody" or "Anniversary."
  • For a 25th or 50th, or your parents' party: "Remember When," "Through the Years" or "Grow Old With Me."
  • For the couple whose story nobody's written yet: a custom song with your partner's name in it.

Anniversary songs by year: the first, the tenth, the 25th and the 50th

The year on the card changes what a song needs to do. A first anniversary is still close enough to the wedding that the natural move is a callback: the first-dance song, or something new and intimate like "Come Away With Me" or "Lover" that marks the start of your own traditions. Around the fifth year, when there may be small children and very little sleep, the best picks are the grateful ones, "Die a Happy Man" or "Better Together," because the honest feeling is relief that the chaos is shared.

By the tenth, a couple has usually earned a song about staying, which is where "Let's Stay Together" and "I Won't Give Up" come in, and it is also the year many people start looking for a bigger gesture; our ideas for a 10-year anniversary gift pair well with a song chosen this carefully. The 25th is the first anniversary where a slideshow really works, since there are enough photos to tell a story, and "Remember When" or "Look at Us" will carry it; if you are planning around silver, see our 25th anniversary gift ideas.

The 40th and 50th are usually organized by the children rather than the couple, and the song choice shifts accordingly: pick something the guests of honor danced to when they were young, like "Anniversary Song" or "Through the Years," and let them have the floor. A song from the kids to their parents is its own kind of thank-you, and our recent walkthrough on turning gratitude into lyrics shows how to write one. If the siblings are pooling for something to sit alongside the music, there are presents for Mom and Dad's big year worth a look.

  • First year: re-create the first dance, or start a new tradition with "Lover."
  • Fifth to tenth: grateful songs and staying songs, "Die a Happy Man" and "Let's Stay Together."
  • 25th: build the slideshow around "Remember When" or "Look at Us."
  • 40th and 50th: let the couple dance to their era, "Anniversary Song" or "Through the Years."

How to use these songs on your anniversary

A song only becomes a gift when you stage it, so plan the moment as carefully as you'd plan the dinner. The most reliable move is a slow dance: clear a little floor space in the living room, dim the lights, and press play on the one song that has always been yours, even if it's the middle of a Tuesday. If you have old footage or photos, a short slideshow set to the right track, years of trips, kids and ordinary mornings, is almost unfairly effective, especially at a milestone anniversary with the whole family in the room.

You can also build the whole evening around it. Cook the meal you ate on your first date, put the album on low underneath dinner, and re-create your first dance at the end, right down to where you each put your hands. If your partner would rather cry in private than perform in front of relatives, do the opposite and play it for them alone in the car or the kitchen, where the moment belongs to just the two of you. However you do it, choosing the song in advance and letting it land at the right second is what turns a good anniversary into one you'll both bring up for years.

  • Re-create your first dance to the exact song from your wedding.
  • Set a photo slideshow of your years together to one meaningful track.
  • Play the album low under a home-cooked version of your first-date meal.
  • For a private moment, save it for the car or the kitchen, just the two of you.

Make it personal: a song that's only yours

All thirty-six of these songs were written for somebody else's marriage. A borrowed anniversary song can set the mood of your years together, yet it will never mention the apartment with the broken radiator, the name of your first dog, or the nickname nobody else is allowed to use. Details like those are what make a partner stop mid-sentence and ask who told you that.

A custom anniversary song closes that gap. A five-minute questionnaire collects the facts only you know, from the night you met to the year that nearly broke you, plus the style you both love, whether acoustic, soul, country or gospel. Real songwriters build an original song around those answers, sung with real vocals and your partner's name in the chorus. Delivery is within 24 hours, or as fast as one hour with express, on a private song page to play, download and send to the kids; revisions are unlimited, and a 30-day 100% money-back guarantee stands behind it. If you'd like to hear a finished one first, our sample songs are the fastest way to imagine yours. For a husband writing to his wife, there is a song written just for her; for a 25th, 40th or 50th, a milestone song that names the years can be the centerpiece of the party.

A custom anniversary song

Written from your story, with their name in the chorus.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is the most popular anniversary song?

"At Last" by Etta James and "Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers are the enduring classics, while "Amazed" by Lonestar and "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran lead the picks for couples who married more recently. At parties for older couples, "Anniversary Song" by Al Jolson and "Through the Years" by Kenny Rogers are still widely requested.

What is a good anniversary song for my husband?

"Just the Way You Are" (Billy Joel), "You Are the Best Thing" (Ray LaMontagne) and "Die a Happy Man" (Thomas Rhett) all work beautifully from a wife to a husband — warm, grateful and easy to play at a celebration or slip into a message.

What is a good anniversary song for my wife?

"Wonderful Tonight" (Eric Clapton), "The Way You Look Tonight" (Frank Sinatra) and "Thinking Out Loud" (Ed Sheeran) are the go-to picks from a husband to a wife — romantic without being over the top, and easy to dance to at home.

What are good songs for a 25th or 50th anniversary?

For a milestone, reach for songs about a whole life shared rather than a single moment: "Remember When" (Alan Jackson), "Grow Old With Me" (John Lennon), "Look at Us" (Vince Gill) and "Through the Years" (Kenny Rogers). For a 50th, add a song from the year the couple married so they can dance to their own era.

What song should we play for our parents' anniversary?

Start by asking whether they already have "their" song; if they do, nothing beats it. If not, "Remember When" by Alan Jackson suits a slideshow, "Through the Years" by Kenny Rogers suits the couple's dance, and "Still the One" by Orleans gets the room up after the toasts. Hits from the year of their wedding are also a safe, personal choice.

Is there a song called "Anniversary"?

Two well-known ones. "Anniversary" by Tony! Toni! Toné! (1993) is an R&B slow jam that reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, and "Anniversary Song" by Al Jolson (1946), set to the old waltz "Waves of the Danube," is the traditional pick at parties for older couples.

What song should we play for our first dance on an anniversary?

For a re-created first dance, couples usually return to a timeless classic like "The Way You Look Tonight" or "At Last," or a country favorite like "Amazed" — slow enough to hold each other to, and meaningful without being over the top.

Can I get a custom song written for our anniversary?

Yes. After a roughly five-minute questionnaire about your years together, real songwriters write an original anniversary song and record it with real vocals, naming your partner and the moments you shared, in the style you choose. It is delivered within 24 hours, with unlimited revisions.

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Their song is waiting to be written.

Share your story in 5 minutes. Unlimited revisions, money-back guarantee.

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