There are times Sally and I are together, where there is live music and she often likes to get up and dance to it. I am not very confident in my “hoofing” abilities, so I don’t always want to get up and “cut a rug” as they used to say.

There are times, though, when I hear a slow melodic song, often times looked upon as a romantic song, that I do enjoy dancing to with my bride. There’s something about dancing close, and trying to emulate the artists by softly singing in Sally’s ear as I try not to step on her feet. There is some great slow music to dance to, and I am from what I feel is the greatest generation of all time, which included decades of wonderful music by some great writers and performers.

Some, but not all, of the honorable mention songs which I’d gladly get up and dance to with Sally include: Mustang Sally (Wilson Pickett), and Sally Go ‘Round the Roses (the Jaynetts), for obvious reasons, Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show), Savannah (Jimmy Buffett) and Bubbles Up (also Jimmy Buffett), Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World (Israel Kamakawiwi’ole), Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (the Platters), The Great Pretender (again, the Platters), and What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong). Most of these are slow ones and easy for me to dance to. The first two aren’t really slow, but I’ll dance to them because of who is named in the titles. They all do, though, allow me sing to my favorite girl while I’m trying not to throw out a hip, or make her cringe with my voice. I do have a list of some favorite songs though that would be part of my personal “Top 25 Great Romantic Songs to Dance to” Countdown. So, move over Casey Kasem, and take a look at my Top 25 Countdown. It’s patterned as is yours, in reverse order, 25 to 1. The list includes:

25. My Cherie Amour by Stevie Wonder

24. Stand by Me by Ben E. King

23. In My Life by The Beatles

22. Endless Love by Diana Ross & Lionel Richie

21. Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You by Frankie Valli

20. My Girl by The Temptations

19. When I Fall in Love by The Lettermen

18. Here, There, & Everywhere by The Beatles

17. When a Man Loves a Woman by Percy Sledge

16. If by David Gates and Bread

15. Just the Way You Are by Billy Joel

14. Stuck On You by Lionel Richie

13. Unforgettable by Nat King Cole

12. Remember When by Alan Jackson

11. Faithfully by Journey

10. A Whole New World by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle, and also by Brad Kane and Lea Solonga

9. My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion

8. If I Fell by The Beatles

7. I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston

6. Can You Feel the Love Tonight by Elton John

5. Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton

4. Your Song by Elton John

3. Three Times a Lady by The Commodores (*First song danced to by Sally and me the night we met,

and later repeated at the same place six months later when I proposed to her)

2. Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley

1. Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers

Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Dick Van Dyke, I am not, and never did, do, or will claim to be. I wish I could have learned to dance like my parents, Joe X. and Mary (they were outstanding dancers on dance floors and skating rinks too). I am envious of my sister and brother- in-law, Sandy and Dick, who are as smooth as ice, and as rhythmic and flowing to all genres of music, as Fred and Ginger on the dance floor. I did take Disco lessons for a couple months, but basically only learned John Travolta’s, Tony Manero signature right index finger extended up and down as my hips move back and forth, and also the Step, Ball, Change, dance step, so Sally has had to settle for my more confident slow dancing these past 45 years. I do rate myself a PG (Pretty Good) at doing “The Stroll,” and “The Twist” (Believe it or not, Dad gave me a pretty good hint on how to do The Twist after watching it on TV, when he said it looked like someone drying off his/her backside with a towel after showering).

Tell you the truth though, I certainly don’t mind, at all, holding my bride close to me and singing some great romantic tunes from my Countdown List in her ear. (I do that in the car too, but without the dancing part.) It can’t help but feel so good with the right music, and definitely the best partner in the world.