Songs you're kind of embarrassed to know

[deecher99]

Have any of you guys learned or are learning a song that you are playing for your benefit but would never ever bring up to your band to cover that you're kind of embarrassed to know? It might be a song so outside your typical genre that friends might laugh at you or something. I learned a song by Liz Phair called Leap of Innocence because I liked the melody but the song is admittedly kind of cheesy. I simply learned it for me, and probably no one else will ever hear me play it, but ultimately I enjoy it.

Can someone out there relate?

[Hoover]

No.

Meaning no, I cannot relate, not No I never learned an embarassing song.

One thing I learned from being a professional musician is that someone somewhere loves every song (digression: I realize that statement has the same potential scope error that Lincoln's famous "You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time" quote suffers from), so it's very rewarding being able to play any song.

A fireman's friends don't laugh at him for doing his job well. A factory worker's friends don't laugh at him for doing his job well. Why should a musician's friends laugh at him for doing his job well? 'Cuz that's our job: playing songs that people will enjoy. Heck, you enjoyed that Liz Phair song, why should you give a crap what your friends or bandmates think?

[Fassa Albrecht]

I used to be able to play S Club 7's Bring It All Back.


Man that's not cool.

[geeza]

Originally Posted by Hoover

No.

Meaning no, I cannot relate, not No I never learned an embarassing song.

One thing I learned from being a professional musician is that someone somewhere loves every song (digression: I realize that statement has the same potential scope error that Lincoln's famous "You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time" quote suffers from), so it's very rewarding being able to play any song.

A fireman's friends don't laugh at him for doing his job well. A factory worker's friends don't laugh at him for doing his job well. Why should a musician's friends laugh at him for doing his job well? 'Cuz that's our job: playing songs that people will enjoy. Heck, you enjoyed that Liz Phair song, why should you give a crap what your friends or bandmates think?

+1,000,000
I've played eveything from metal to polkas to bluegrass to show tunes to folk to hard rock. Every genre taught me something that I could use in every other situation.

[FrankDV]

My bandmates made me learn every rose has its thorn by poison so we could play it at a gig

[Fassa Albrecht]

I STILL remember Another One Bites The Dust (Queen) and She Bangs The Drums (Stone Roses) from the FIRST DAY I picked up a bass.

[heroincredible]

Originally Posted by Fassa Albrecht

I STILL remember Another One Bites The Dust (Queen) and She Bangs The Drums (Stone Roses) from the FIRST DAY I picked up a bass.

Why would you be embarassed to know Another One Bites the Dust?

[Fassa Albrecht]

Originally Posted by heroincredible

Why would you be embarassed to know Another One Bites the Dust?

Because it was the first bassline I ever learnt and I can STILL remember it....I was so proud of myself when I learnt that and now I cringe at being proud of a one-string bassline.

[WhisperAPrayer]

How about the Pokemon theme song?

or if we're talking about the first thing we learnt, Tommy Gun.

[rcarraher]

Originally Posted by deecher99

Have any of you guys learned or are learning a song that you are playing for your benefit but would never ever bring up to your band to cover that you're kind of embarrassed to know? It might be a song so outside your typical genre that friends might laugh at you or something. I learned a song by Liz Phair called Leap of Innocence because I liked the melody but the song is admittedly kind of cheesy. I simply learned it for me, and probably no one else will ever hear me play it, but ultimately I enjoy it.

Can someone out there relate?

Not so much that I would be embarrassed to play them with the band, one we do about once a year when we get silly. The only song I have ever sung on stage. Henery VIII al la Hermans Hermits. Now if thats not juvenile, I don't know what is. But its a blast when we do it. The other is that Four Non Blondes tune, Whats Up. Not that the band doesn't like it, or it doesn't fit our usual stuff, but it takes someone with about a 2 1/2 octave voice. So I learned it with and for a guitar player/vocalist that does. He sets in occasionaly.

[heroincredible]

Originally Posted by Fassa Albrecht

Because it was the first bassline I ever learnt and I can STILL remember it....I was so proud of myself when I learnt that and now I cringe at being proud of a one-string bassline.

Yea, knowing how to play a memorable bassline to a good song certainly is embarassing

[Fassa Albrecht]

Originally Posted by heroincredible

Yea, knowing how to play a memorable bassline to a good song certainly is embarassing

Come on, it's three notes!

[Eric Perry]

Originally Posted by heroincredible

Yea, knowing how to play a memorable bassline to a good song certainly is embarassing

+1

[Fassa Albrecht]

Arrrgghh I hate that stupid bassline...

[BillyRay]

Three notes, you must be playing it wrong, there's more than three notes to it. Or did you never bothered to learn it front to back ?

[5StringBlues]

At parties when I was younger,my friend would break out the acoustic guitar and we'd have a "Who knows the worst song ?" contest.

9 times out of ten I would win with Jessie's Girl by Rick Springfield

[Eric Perry]

Originally Posted by BillyRay

Three notes, you must be playing it wrong, there's more than three notes to it. Or did you never bothered to learn it front to back ?

I'm gonna go with the latter.

[Jeff K]

Originally Posted by Fassa Albrecht

I was so proud of myself when I learnt that and now I cringe at being proud of a one-string bassline.

Actually, if played correctly, you'll cover 3 strings. (Admittedly, your time spent on the D string will be minimal, but it is there.) And while it might not be the most challenging bassline, it's certainly a good one. Some of the most memorable lines are pretty simple (My Girl; Iron Man; etc.)

[fearceol]

Originally Posted by Hoover

No.

Meaning no, I cannot relate, not No I never learned an embarassing song.

One thing I learned from being a professional musician is that someone somewhere loves every song (digression: I realize that statement has the same potential scope error that Lincoln's famous "You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time" quote suffers from), so it's very rewarding being able to play any song.

A fireman's friends don't laugh at him for doing his job well. A factory worker's friends don't laugh at him for doing his job well. Why should a musician's friends laugh at him for doing his job well? 'Cuz that's our job: playing songs that people will enjoy. Heck, you enjoyed that Liz Phair song, why should you give a crap what your friends or bandmates think?

Agree 100 %.

Everyone has their own idea of "good" music, and if any aspect of it embarrasses a person, then music is not for them IMO. A particular type of music may not move you in a way that another type might, but "embarrassment" should never be an issue.

[Eric Perry]

Originally Posted by Jeff K

...Some of the most memorable lines are pretty simple (My Girl; Iron Man; etc.)

Not for a virtuoso like Fassa... errrr, something.