Inappropriate song requests?

Dave Muscato · #1 08-03-2007, 03:07 PM

By inappropriate, I don't mean vulgar; I mean that they don't fit the situation.

What kind of song requests have you gotten, where you thought, "Why would you request that? Do you even know what that song is about?"

I'm talking weddings, etc, where the song is completely out-of-place, but sounds pretty if you don't pay attention to the lyrics.

I'll go ahead and say The Police's "Every Breath You Take" and get it out of the way.

We had a request at a wedding gig - by the bride - for John Mayer's "Good Live is On The Way." The title, which is also a line in the chorus, is positive enough, but the song is about how he's been broken up with this girl for 3 years, and he's ready to move on and start over.

http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.n...2570D100177B91

Your turn

Incognitus · #2 08-03-2007, 03:22 PM

Freebird.

Gard · #3 08-03-2007, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Incognitus

Freebird.

Inappropriate at any time on any gig.

(My usual reply is a one finger gesture, followed by announcing on the PA "There is your free bird."

)

Musiclogic · #4 08-03-2007, 09:29 PM

Metal Band, Metal club, and a woman walks up and asks if we could play "99 luftballoons" her favorite song at the time.....even then people were generally oblivious to anything and everything, it's just become more prevolent.

Dave Martin · #5 08-04-2007, 07:17 AM

This will be an endless list - from the bride who wanted "Help Me Make It Through The Night" as her first dance to the one who wanted David Gray's "You're the One I Love" (About a guy bleeding to death). They just don't pay attention, do they?

threshar · #6 08-04-2007, 07:39 AM

We mostly play caribbean and reggae. (We do some funk and other stuff as well, but its like 90% caribbean)

A guy comes up at a private party asking if we can play any Bob Seger. We said "Yeah, no. we don't play his music" "Well, what about Wilson Pickett?" "Uhh. did you not realize 'Mustang Sally' that we played a few songs ago is by him?" The guy was *completely* faced. The upside to a roomful of drunks is they dance a lot more than the sober crowd. The downside is they are drunk.

KIRKSFANGS · #7 08-04-2007, 08:13 AM

I play in a band that does quite a few wedding gigs in addition to dance clubs and corporate affairs. The keyboardist and sax player in my band often contract seperately to do the cocktail hour at the wedding we perform at. One of their staple tunes is "Yesterday " by the Beatles. Absolutely HILARIOUS if you think of the lyrics from the groom's point of view !!

mlbarlow · #8 08-04-2007, 08:37 AM

"Hang on Sloopy"

We do funk originals.

HollowBassman · #9 08-04-2007, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Incognitus

Freebird.

+1
I'm in a blues duo right now and we got that request. I was thinking "what do you want us to do, hum the parts for the other 2 guitars, piano, and drums".

I'm not saying that we don't do songs from bands with more instruments, but I don't think that song would work.

ducknturtle · #10 08-04-2007, 11:03 AM

Whipping Post would be innapropriate at a wedding.

troy mcclure · #11 08-04-2007, 05:00 PM

My band played a wedding and we asked for a list of songs prior.... One of the grooms requests was "He Stopped loving her today" by george jones. We didn't think it was appropriate, so we used as prerecorded break music.

metalmariachi · #12 08-04-2007, 05:11 PM

That brings up the question of when and how to request a song.
http://www.glazedmusic.com/crayfish/band_advice.htm
MM

Eminentbass · #13 08-05-2007, 03:05 AM

Extreme - "More than words"... If I'm not mistaken it sound like a song about a guy guilt tripping a girl into bed?

Deacon_Blues · #14 08-05-2007, 01:17 PM

The other band members in my first band never gave much thought on what the lyrics were about although I tried several times to tell them to take this into consideration too, as we played on a lot of weddings too. I should have been totally refusing singing/playing some of the songs. The worst example I can remember was when we played "This Masquerade" on a wedding.

I think I cannot bring another song into my mind that would be more inappropriate on a wedding than that one. I just made sure we ended the song pretty quickly and I sung it as unclearly as possible so the people wouldn't hear the words.... I'm glad no-one commented on that afterwards.

bassistloaded21 · #15 08-05-2007, 01:22 PM

At a wedding last week, we had to play"Whats goin on" by Marvin Gaye 5 times. 3 times in a row, then 2 times later in the nite.

Geeque · #16 08-05-2007, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Incognitus

Freebird.

We got that one once. We played our own three piece arrangement of it.

**Eric Perry** · #17 08-05-2007, 03:15 PM

It's inevitable, we always get either "SKYNARD!!!" or "PANTERA!!!!!"

bopeuph · #18 08-05-2007, 03:20 PM

In a jazz combo, we always got Sublime requests by college students. They are like "what, Sublime is jazzy."

Brown Eyed Girl seems to be a commonly despised request.

Nick

ryco · #19 08-05-2007, 03:36 PM

I was playing a dance at the senior center a while back. The director lady asked for a jazz band so I hired a couple of jazz buddies - keys and drums.

About an hour into the gig a couple dressed in country garb asked if we played any old Elvis or old rock tunes. I said I did, but my buddies didn't.

I'm 51 and I thought my music carrer has now come full circle. I remember the rock casuals I played in the 70s where, inevitably, some old couple would come up and ask if we knew any jazz or old standards.

How the wheel does spin

scootron · #20 08-05-2007, 03:41 PM

Yeah, our inappropriate song requests usually come from our own singer.