Playing country for Europeans

[pklima]

I live in Poland, but having lived 17 years in Texas I love country music and try to stick some country songs into my pop bands' sets. Of course you can't do "Screw You We're From Texas" or probably even Roger Creager "Everclear" because few people will get the cultural references, but some stuff does work very well.

Some that I've found that work:
"Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum (popular enough to get radio airplay here)
"Homegrown Tomatoes" by Guy Clark
"Wagon Wheel" by Old Crow Medicine Show (I'm really surprised this one gets good responses, but due to lack of banjos and fiddles we do a pretty modern version and I do my best Colt Ford imitation on the third verse)

Work OK but better with more foreigners in the crowd:
"Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" by Miranda Lambert
"Hemingway's Whisky" by Guy Clark

Throw some more ideas at me. I'm thinking funny or romantic songs would be easiest, basic stuff that everyone gets immediately even if they've never heard the song before or their grasp of English isn't perfect. I'm probably not gonna do a full country project anytime soon, but it would be great to have a solid set's worth.

If anyone's curious how we do them we've got most of these at my Youtube channel, except for "Need You Now" because the camera always seems to run out of battery before we get to it, haha. Too bad though, it's such a great song.

[Phalex]

A Boy Named Sue by Johnny Cash is a great and humorous song.

My Girl Bill by Jim Stafford is great too.

[crijan]

David Allen Coe - You Never Even Called Me By My Name - aka the Perfect Country and Western Song

[Russell L]

Give 'em some Waylon Jennings (Good Hearted Woman). Johhny Cash (Folsom Prison Blues). Hank Williams (Your Cheatin' Heart).

But you'll bring the house down with David Allan Coe (The World's Greatest Country Song, or whatever the name of it is---ya'll know, the one about "You don't have to call me darlin', darlin'..." What's the correct title of that?).). Trust me, you gotta do that!

EDIT: beat me to it crijan. That's it!

[pklima]

Thanks! I was also thinking about doing some Tex-Mex stuff, like "Hey Baby Que Paso" or "Una Mas Cerveza".

[totallyfrozen]

Take This Job and Shove It - Johnny Paycheck

[MalcolmAmos]

Here is the index to our gig book. The names may jog your memory. The numbers are the page number, low numbers were put in the book first. It's all ole time basic Country.

Have fun.

Index
500 MILES AWAY FROM HOME 47
A
ACT NATURALLY 93
ALL MY EXXES 114
AMARILLO BY MORNING 115
AN AMERICAN TRILOGY - Elvis Presley 107
APARTMENT NUMBER NINE 36
ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT Gag Song 116
AULD LANG SYNE 177
AWAY IN A MANGER 176
B
BACK HOME AGAIN 118
BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN 120
BANDY THE RODEO CLOWN 41
BEFORE I DIED 121
BEGGING TO YOU 122
BLUE SIDE OF LONESOME 17
BLUE SKIES 106
C
CAPO PLACEMENT V
CATFISH JOHN 165
CHORD PROGRESSION 4
CHRISTMAS 172
CHRISTMAS LONG AGO 73
COLD COLD HEART 123
COOL WATER 124
COULD I HAVE THIS DANCE 13
COWBOY LOGIC 48
COWBOY PRIDE 125
COWBOY’S SWEETHEART 30
CRAZY 88
CRYING TIME 43
D
DECK THE HALLS 178
DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS 127
DIGGIN UP BONES 16
DON'T COME CRYING TO ME 31
DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS TO GIG'S 6
E
ELVIRA 37
EXCEPT FOR MONDAYS 95
F
FADED LOVE in G 11
FIFTEEN YEARS AGO 71
FIRST TRAIN HEADING SOUTH 9
FOLSOM PRISON BLUES 128
FOUR WALLS 159
FOUR STRONG WINDS 42
FOURTEEN MINUTES OLD 61
G
GEORGIA ON MY MIND 87
GOD MUST BE A COWBOY 129
GOD REST YE MERRY, GENTLEMEN 179
GOOD HEARTED WOMAN 22
GOODNIGHT IRENE 131
GOSPEL MELODY 68
GREENSLEEVES 170
H
HANK WILLIAM'S MEDLEY 15
HAPPY BIRTHDAY 72
HAVE I TOLD YOU LATELY THAT I LOVE YOU 109
HE THINKS I STILL CARE 80
HE TOUCHED ME 34
HEARTACHES BY THE NUMBER 7
HELLO WALLS 112
HELP ME MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT 40
HEY GOOD LOOKIN’ 89
HOME ON THE RANGE 133
HONKY TONK ANGELS 44
HONKY-TONK HARDWOOD FLOOR in C 64
HORSE WITH NO NAME 90
HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN 76
I
I NEVER PASS THERE ANYMORE 163
I FALL TO PIECES 50
I GOT A HOLE IN MY PIROGUE 134
I WALK THE LINE 58
I WAS ALMOST PERSUADED 12
I'M GONNA MISS HER 97
I'M JUST AN OLD CHUNK OF COAL 24
IN THE GARDEN 33
IN THE JAILHOUSE NOW 135
IS ANYBODY GOIN TO SAN AN-TONE 70
I'VE GOT A TIGER BY THE TAIL 23
J
JACK OF DIAMONDS 167
JAMBALAYA 28
JINGLE BELLS 83
JUST A CLOSER WALK 10
JUST BECAUSE 14
K
KAW - LIGA 79
L
LET THE COWBOY DANCE 29
LORD I HOPE THIS DAY IS GOOD 55
LOVING HER WAS EASIER 162
LUCKENBACH, TEXAS 136
M
MAJOR SCALE REFERENCE CHART 3
MAKING BELIEVE 35
MAMA, HE’S CRAZY 137
MARIE LA VEAU 45
MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS 25
MINOR SCALE REFERENCE CHART 3
MISCELLANEOUS 5
MY SHOES KEEP WALKING BACK TO YOU 160
MY HEART SKIPS A BEAT 66
O
O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM 169
OH LONESOME ME 63
OKIE FROM MUSKOGSE 27
OLE SLEW-FOOT 102
ON THE ROAD AGAIN 86
P
PAPER ROSIE 99
PEACEFUL EASY FEELING 113
PRETTY PAPERS 168
PRICIOUS MEMORIES 166
R
RAILROAD BUM 59
RED RIVER VALLEY 69
RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER 171
S
SAN ANTONIO ROSE 20
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN 173
SANTA LOOKED A LOT LIKE DADDY 138
SATIN SHEETS 39
SEVEN SPANISH ANGELS 81
SHE KNOWS WHY 19
SHE’S GONE GONE GONE 161
SILENT NIGHT 174
SILVER BELLS 74
SILVER THREADS AND GOLDEN NEEDLES 139
SIOUX CITY SUE 140
SNOWBIRD 141
SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW 111
STAR SPANGLED BANNER 84
STARDUST 110
STRAWBERRY ROAN 142
SUPPER TIME 52
SWEET BETSY FROM PIKE 57
T
TAKE ME BACK TO TULSA 26
TEARS IN HEAVEN 104
TEDDY BEAR 67
TENNESSEE WALTZ 100
TEXAS 164
THE FISHING SONG 97
THE KEY'S IN THE MAIL BOX 103
THE LOST HIGHWAY 144
THE NEXT ONE’S IN G 4
THE TALKING WALLS 98
THERE GOES MY EVERYTHING 21
THEY’LL NEVER TAKE HER LOVE FROM ME 145
THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME 54
THREE WISHES 75
TODAY I STARTED LOVING YOU AGAIN 146
TOGETHER AGAIN 38
TUMBLING TUMBLEWEEDS 147
U
UNCLOUDED DAY 53
UNDER YOUR SPELL AGAIN 32
W
WABASH CANNONBALL 148
WALK ON BY 149
WALTZ ACROSS TEXAS 18
WATERMELON TIME IN GEORGIA 92
WELCOME TO MY WORLD 150
WHAT AM I DOING HERE 151
WHAT CHILD IS THIS (GREENSLEEVES) 170
WHEN THE WORK’S ALL DONE THIS FALL 153
WHEN I DIE, JUST LET ME GO TO TEXAS 8
WHEN THE ROLL IS CALLED UP YONDER 56
WHERE DO COWBOYS GO WHEN THEY DIE 155
WHY ME? 51
WILD SIDE OF LIFE 157
WORRED MAN BLUES 85
Y
YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS 158
YOU AIN'T WOMAN ENOUGH TO TAKE MY MAN 101
YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE 91
YOUR GOOD GIRL’S GONNA GO BAD 130

[pklima]

Thanks, I know most of those so I can make a shorter "for Euros" list.

I wonder how well fun songs about divorce like "Cheaper To Keep Her" would do here!

[Lady Kayri]

There are a lot of Brad Paisley songs, especially the more humorous ones, that might work for you; say "Celebrity" (some of the verses can be changed around to make a better fit to the "diva culture" stereotypes in your country), "I'm Gonna Miss Her," and "Mud on the Tires." Trace Atkins' "Hot Mama" is a possibility, and also Lonestar's "Mr. Mom" perhaps.

[pklima]

Yeah, definitely. I don't think "Celebrity" would even need any changes.

I think putting together a set with the one project I have with a male singer will be easy, but I could still use some more songs for my main band with two girl singers to possibly do. Doesn't need to be classic stuff, either, most of our audience is in their late teens.