Since HS, the days of burning questionably obtained music from the internet onto CDs, all of my playlists have been called "Random Noise", because it will go from Ian Malcom saying "Life Finds Away" in Jurassic Park to the Spice Girls "Wannabe" to "The Theme from Land of the Lost". So here is my Random Noise Bar Edition Playlist
1) "Theme from Cheers" classic bar song whose lyrics are way different than you remember.
2) "I Want It That Way" Backstreet Boys classic that will get everyone singing
3) "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" Charlie Daniels Band another classic bar song that will appase the country music fans and get no complaints from anyone else
BONUS TRACK- "Adrian Cronauer Pt 4" from the Good Morning Vietnam Soundtrack. Robin Williams intros the next song
4. "Dancing Queen" Abba
5. "Tribute" Tenacious D
6. "Firework" by Katy Perry as covered by Jennie Lena from "The Interview" Soundtrack
1. "Jesse's Girl" by Rick Springfield -- no one has ever not enjoyed this song, it builds well (from the lower and quieter "Jesse was a friend..." intro to the highs of the "HOW CAN I FIND A WOMAN LIKE THAT), and it will lure them in.
2. "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire -- need to play something with some rhythm/funk to it that people can dance to, and this wedding reception staple is it.
3. "Wagon Wheel" - you need some country, but "Friends in Low Places" is a little played out, so you go for this song that everyone knows the lyrics to to please the country-western demo.
4. "The Way You Make Me Feel" by Michael Jackson -- you slowed it down with the country, but you need to start luring the people out to the dance floor again, so you go with the King of Pop, but not the more obvious choices (ABC, Billie Jean). Nice beat, backup singers get to help, drummer gives the folks something to clap/snap to.
5. "Respect" by Aretha Franklin -- now to cook with gas and build the crowd on the dance floor, you give a nod to the ladies in the crowd (knowing that the men will follow them), and play this Aretha Franklin staple (rather than Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive", which would also fit here but is a little too slow/not as much fun).
6. "Uptown Funk" - close it out with something from the 21st century that shows you got the range, but still hits the right notes with the older crowd, and this does that perfectly.
1) "Party in the USA" - We're starting this off strong. The first thing anyone is gonna hear is that guitar riff.
2) "Galway Girl" - Who doesn't love a bit of Steve Earle? I'd rather go with "Copperhead Road", but our bagpiper (bagpipist?) left the band after the great "Shipping Up To Boston" Rift of 2018
3) "S.O.B." - Assuming this particular establishment doesn't mind a bit of light swearing.
4) "Friends in Low Places" - I hate to copycat you, but this is a perfect selection.
5) "All The Small Things" - The people are gonna sing along, especially when we get to the "NA NA NA NA NA NA NA" part
6) "Purple Rain" - We started strong, we're gonna end it strong. But probably not do all 3 minutes of the outro.
I pick all these knowing absolutely zero about how hard they are to actually play because I cannot the music or sing.
1. “The Middle,” Jimmy Eat World. It’s simple to play, easy to sing, low chance of screwing up.
2. “I Believe in a Thing Called Love,” The Darkness. Do this before your singer’s voice is cracked. You know he can’t hit the falsetto, but he doesn’t.
3. “C’est le vie,” Chuck Berry. Two chords. Your singer needs a break. Get the crowd back and dancing like Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace.
4. “Born This Way,” Lady Gaga. Gotta have something from this century.
5. “Don’t Stop Me Now,” Queen. By now everybody is fairly drunk and will put up with your lead singer’s Freddy Mercury posing. About the most attainable Queen song.
6. “Show Me the Way to Go Home,” standard. Do it in whatever style suits your band, but a slow, drinking song-style rollick is best for “Show me the way to go home / I’m tired and I want to go to bed / I had a little drink about an hour ago / and it went right to my head.”
I went to a small music festival in my town this weekend. I went early and saw the first of 3 bands scheduled for the day. While this isn't what they played, this is what my band, Jackie Daytona and the Gizmos would play if we landed that gig. No explanations given because no explanations are needed.
Night Moves-Bob Seger: Seger playing the role of Fleetwood Mac here
What's Up- 4 Non Blondes: I think can hit the finally left the kids at home demographic.
Rock n Roll All Night-KISS: No one hates this song. Gets people to order another beer.
Rockstar -Nickelback: Everyone may not like Nickelback but they know Nickelback and that is close enough, and there is whole swatch of millennials that liked Nickelback.
I Think We're Alone Now- Tommy James and Shondells: gets both the 60s and 80s groups with the Tiffany cover.
Mainstreet- Bob Seger: I know I double Seger'd but Mainstreet is the greatest bar song in the world. When you hear it you think, I should be at a bar or get to one as quick as I can.
Most of these song will also cause part of the crowd to sing along, which reminds people of a real concert and then they are having a good time and bonding with the other people that know those songs.
I'm glad there was a Hootie mention in here, as it has long been my position that Hootie themselves are the greatest bar band of all time, and I say that as a compliment.
It sort of feels like we've been locked up for 18 months, and you unsuccessfully tried to get put into solitary confinement. (The 6-year old had a shiv...)
"Time Is On My Side" The Rolling Stones
A guy can dream can't he?
"Blister in the Sun" Violent Femmes
Need to get the crowd involved. Also, why not try to instigate some awkward questions from the kids on the car ride home.
"Angel From Montgomery" John Prine
Proceeded by a semi-longwinded rant about John Prine dying of Covid then telling the crowd to get vaccinated. Your wife who's standing at the bar gives you a look, so you shut-up and start the song.
"Werewolves of London" Warren Zevon
For Halloween
"Rockin' in the Free World" Neil Young
The recently divorced bass player's kind of drunk now. He keeps changing the chorus to "Keep on rockin' out with Free Bird". His buddies think this is fantastic and they try to join in.
The owner pulls the plug. You're not invited back.
"There’s a guy in an Ohio State polo shirt trying to hit on a table of seven women, none of whom appear to be the least bit interested."
Enough about Urbz's adventures from last Saturday night.
Since HS, the days of burning questionably obtained music from the internet onto CDs, all of my playlists have been called "Random Noise", because it will go from Ian Malcom saying "Life Finds Away" in Jurassic Park to the Spice Girls "Wannabe" to "The Theme from Land of the Lost". So here is my Random Noise Bar Edition Playlist
1) "Theme from Cheers" classic bar song whose lyrics are way different than you remember.
2) "I Want It That Way" Backstreet Boys classic that will get everyone singing
3) "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" Charlie Daniels Band another classic bar song that will appase the country music fans and get no complaints from anyone else
BONUS TRACK- "Adrian Cronauer Pt 4" from the Good Morning Vietnam Soundtrack. Robin Williams intros the next song
4. "Dancing Queen" Abba
5. "Tribute" Tenacious D
6. "Firework" by Katy Perry as covered by Jennie Lena from "The Interview" Soundtrack
Let's get weird:
1 - The General (Dispatch)
We're gonna rope-a-dope this bar.
2 - Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (The Police)
I forgot to mention that as the set list goes along, we're adding band members
3 - Girlfriend (Matthew Sweet)
We have a bass player, but we ALSO have a guitar player.
4 - This Year (Mountain Goats)
The unexpected singalong
5 - Skyfall (Adele/Paul F. Tompkins)
Wait, you have a brass section?
6 - Get It On (Chase)
Holy shit, and WHAT a brass section it is! Good night, Bloomington-Normal!
By now, the bar is deeply confused and delighted, and I consider this evening a success.
1. "Jesse's Girl" by Rick Springfield -- no one has ever not enjoyed this song, it builds well (from the lower and quieter "Jesse was a friend..." intro to the highs of the "HOW CAN I FIND A WOMAN LIKE THAT), and it will lure them in.
2. "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire -- need to play something with some rhythm/funk to it that people can dance to, and this wedding reception staple is it.
3. "Wagon Wheel" - you need some country, but "Friends in Low Places" is a little played out, so you go for this song that everyone knows the lyrics to to please the country-western demo.
4. "The Way You Make Me Feel" by Michael Jackson -- you slowed it down with the country, but you need to start luring the people out to the dance floor again, so you go with the King of Pop, but not the more obvious choices (ABC, Billie Jean). Nice beat, backup singers get to help, drummer gives the folks something to clap/snap to.
5. "Respect" by Aretha Franklin -- now to cook with gas and build the crowd on the dance floor, you give a nod to the ladies in the crowd (knowing that the men will follow them), and play this Aretha Franklin staple (rather than Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive", which would also fit here but is a little too slow/not as much fun).
6. "Uptown Funk" - close it out with something from the 21st century that shows you got the range, but still hits the right notes with the older crowd, and this does that perfectly.
we play neck and we leave
1) "Party in the USA" - We're starting this off strong. The first thing anyone is gonna hear is that guitar riff.
2) "Galway Girl" - Who doesn't love a bit of Steve Earle? I'd rather go with "Copperhead Road", but our bagpiper (bagpipist?) left the band after the great "Shipping Up To Boston" Rift of 2018
3) "S.O.B." - Assuming this particular establishment doesn't mind a bit of light swearing.
4) "Friends in Low Places" - I hate to copycat you, but this is a perfect selection.
5) "All The Small Things" - The people are gonna sing along, especially when we get to the "NA NA NA NA NA NA NA" part
6) "Purple Rain" - We started strong, we're gonna end it strong. But probably not do all 3 minutes of the outro.
I pick all these knowing absolutely zero about how hard they are to actually play because I cannot the music or sing.
Mr. Brightside is the closer, that's all I know.
1. “The Middle,” Jimmy Eat World. It’s simple to play, easy to sing, low chance of screwing up.
2. “I Believe in a Thing Called Love,” The Darkness. Do this before your singer’s voice is cracked. You know he can’t hit the falsetto, but he doesn’t.
3. “C’est le vie,” Chuck Berry. Two chords. Your singer needs a break. Get the crowd back and dancing like Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace.
4. “Born This Way,” Lady Gaga. Gotta have something from this century.
5. “Don’t Stop Me Now,” Queen. By now everybody is fairly drunk and will put up with your lead singer’s Freddy Mercury posing. About the most attainable Queen song.
6. “Show Me the Way to Go Home,” standard. Do it in whatever style suits your band, but a slow, drinking song-style rollick is best for “Show me the way to go home / I’m tired and I want to go to bed / I had a little drink about an hour ago / and it went right to my head.”
I went to a small music festival in my town this weekend. I went early and saw the first of 3 bands scheduled for the day. While this isn't what they played, this is what my band, Jackie Daytona and the Gizmos would play if we landed that gig. No explanations given because no explanations are needed.
1. Mustang Sally - Wilson Pickett
2. Semi-Charmed Kind of Life - Third Eye Blind
3. Birdhouse in Your Soul - They Might Be Giants
4. Stacy's Mom - Fountains of Wayne
5. And She Was - The Talking Heads
6. Take Me Home Country Roads - John Denver
This is the "win the crowd over" set. These are all songs I can personally play, so that takes care of "mediocre bar band".
Opener: Little Feat: Willin'
2nd: Nick Lowe's Cruel to be Kind, but done like Letters to Cleo- more uptempo than the original
3rd: Seger- Turn the Page
4th Biz Markie: Just a Friend.
5th: Ryan Adams: Oh My Sweet Carolina
6th: Beatles: Back in the USSR
Suggestion: ACBN Bar Playlist on Spotify
The secret to any successful bar band is playing songs drunk girls will sing along to. That being said ignore my first entry.
Thin Lizzy-Boys are Back in Town
Heart-Barracuda
Outkast-Hey Ya
Toto-Africa
Journey-Don’t Stop Believing
Isley Brothers-Shout
Night Moves-Bob Seger: Seger playing the role of Fleetwood Mac here
What's Up- 4 Non Blondes: I think can hit the finally left the kids at home demographic.
Rock n Roll All Night-KISS: No one hates this song. Gets people to order another beer.
Rockstar -Nickelback: Everyone may not like Nickelback but they know Nickelback and that is close enough, and there is whole swatch of millennials that liked Nickelback.
I Think We're Alone Now- Tommy James and Shondells: gets both the 60s and 80s groups with the Tiffany cover.
Mainstreet- Bob Seger: I know I double Seger'd but Mainstreet is the greatest bar song in the world. When you hear it you think, I should be at a bar or get to one as quick as I can.
Most of these song will also cause part of the crowd to sing along, which reminds people of a real concert and then they are having a good time and bonding with the other people that know those songs.
I have to think about my six songs, but I know I'm closing with Wonderwall.
I'm glad there was a Hootie mention in here, as it has long been my position that Hootie themselves are the greatest bar band of all time, and I say that as a compliment.
"Folsom Prison Blues" Johnny Cash
It sort of feels like we've been locked up for 18 months, and you unsuccessfully tried to get put into solitary confinement. (The 6-year old had a shiv...)
"Time Is On My Side" The Rolling Stones
A guy can dream can't he?
"Blister in the Sun" Violent Femmes
Need to get the crowd involved. Also, why not try to instigate some awkward questions from the kids on the car ride home.
"Angel From Montgomery" John Prine
Proceeded by a semi-longwinded rant about John Prine dying of Covid then telling the crowd to get vaccinated. Your wife who's standing at the bar gives you a look, so you shut-up and start the song.
"Werewolves of London" Warren Zevon
For Halloween
"Rockin' in the Free World" Neil Young
The recently divorced bass player's kind of drunk now. He keeps changing the chorus to "Keep on rockin' out with Free Bird". His buddies think this is fantastic and they try to join in.
The owner pulls the plug. You're not invited back.