Songs you hate playing - but audience wants

[Tracy Sheehan]

True story: Some lady who had a few too many drinks once requested me to "Play that song, you know which one I mean, it's the one they play on the radio."

And when some one requests some off the wall song no one in the band has ever heard.You tell them that and they say,play it any ways.(True stroy also).

[Billy Tonnesen]

Don't forget "Elvira", thats always good for a 30 minute line dance that really ticks off the Swing Dancers. There's not too much you can do with this song playing it over and over for the line dancers.

[Don Wright]

I get a lot of folks shouting requests for "Please Turn It Down" and "You Ain't No Good" at almost every gig I play. I've never heard of those songs. Has anyone else experienced this?

[Mike Ester]

Don't forget "Elvira", thats always good for a 30 minute line dance that really ticks off the Swing Dancers. There's not too much you can do with this song playing it over and over for the line dancers.

Friends don't let friends line dance.

[Barry Blackwood]

Friends don't let friends line dance.

Oh, if only that were true ....

[Tommy Shown]

Well I am also a writer, and I remember one of the first songs that I ever wrote.The song took me 15 minutes to write and six months to finish it. One day, I was over at my Mom and Dad's working on it with my mother( who was the musical genuis in the family).
We had been working that long to get the song in meter. Well I got aggravated, and said that I was tired of doing "this damn song". About the time, I got through saying that, my dad walked by and in stearn voice said," Boy, Don't you ever get tired of doing that damn song, because if you play regular, you will be doing it regularly. Important words of wisdom, from a man that could only play a car radio.
Tommy Shown

[George McLellan]

For me it's "Don't Be Angry" & "Please Release Me". I play what ever the band/audiance wants but for me, if I never hear either of those two songs again it'd be too soon.

Geo

[Herb Steiner]

Interesting side note:

Johnny Bush's second biggest hit, "Green Snakes On the Ceiling," was supposed to be an album cut. Bush didn't care for the song at all, but producer Ray Pennington said "it's an album cut, we're doing a favor for the songwriter, forget about it."

Well, the song hit, and Bush has had to sing it on every show for the last 35 years.

Bush opines "be sure you like every song you record, because for sure the one you like least will be the one that hits the charts."

[Barry Blackwood]

Green Snakes on the Ceiling completely escaped my radar. Go figure. It sounds like one I would've hated, though.

[b0b]

I used to play with Danny Rose. Danny wrote a song called "Anything" because people were always telling him to "just play anything". It was a really good song, actually. People always requested it by name.

[Paul Wade]

old time rock and roll and steel guitar rag

p.w

[Wayne Franco]

I too have songs I absolutely hate. Achy Breaky Heart probably heads the list. Play a few of the recognizable hooks that must be played. (Can't think of any steel guitar hooks in Achy Breaky) but getting into the music itself is always fun. Thinking of some new ideas with the chord progression or other ways to imbellish the melody can take you away from the revolting words and bad basic melody of the song. Just have fun. Win/Win

Wayne

[Barry Blackwood]

Play Achy Breaky in some 'weird' time signature and watch the dominoes (line dancers) fall! Guaranteed to provide maximum entertainment for the band, Wayne.

[Wayne Franco]

I've played sleepwalk many times to a bossa nova beat. Works great. It would be a real challenge to play achy breaky heart in say... 5/4

Wayne

[John Billings]

Hey! Barry! Didn't read page one of the thread didja?
To quote some idiot named Billings:
"Achey Breaky" was a lot of fun. I would get the band to add one measure of 5/4 to it. It was hilarious to watch the line dancers crash into each other tryin' to figure out what had just happened."

[John Steele]

Mike P, I might even be able to beat that.
Last week I was at a jam involving a really fine jazz quintet. During a tune an audience member shouted "Play the Star Trek song !". The alto saxophone player, a very talented guy, managed to interpolate the Star Trek Theme into his improvised chorus. We thought that was pretty cool.
The audience member however, shouted back:
"No, not the one from the movie,
the one from the book !"

Figure that one out.
-John

[Rich Peterson]

I've played sleepwalk many times to a bossa nova beat. Works great. It would be a real challenge to play achy breaky heart in say... 5/4

Wayne

"Sleepwalk" bossa nova? I'll have to try that. I enjoy doing songs in unexpected styles.

But the best style for "Achy Breaky" is ska. Actually makes it fun to play.

[Larry Edwards]

i love steel guitar but one song i could never get into was nightlife

[David Tunnell]

"Okie From Muskogee". Merle Haggard is great, but I'm not much on that one.

[Barry Blackwood]

Hey! Barry! Didn't read page one of the thread didja?

Sorry, John. People of my age are allowed to occasionally forget ....