Ever hate a song so much you'd risk being fired?

[the yeti]

I'll play just about anything that the crowd wants to hear. Sometimes you just have to make it your own, instead of attempting to ~faithfully~ replicate the original.

But then again, maybe I'm, just a whore...

me too apparently.

 

[malthumb]

I figured I'd bump this as I'm in a similar situation. There's very few songs that I'll ever raise issue with, but one BL I work with has suggested "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke.
It's hard for me to play a tune that is blatant rip off of one of my favorite tunes, "Got to Give It Up". What makes it worse is that the band is a bunch of middle aged dudes, and I think we'd look ridiculous singing this one. Plus I don't like the tune. Maybe if it were a different band and audience.....

When I first heard "Blurred Lines" I thought it was a blatant ripoff of "Got To Give It Up". Then I listened (really listened) to GTGIU as well as the way I've played it over the years. Then I listened (really listened) to BL. Same groove and feel? Definitely. When I play my version of GTGIU over the recording of BL, it fits nicely. But it is NOT the same.

Since it fits nicely, I've decided to have some fun with it. When we do add it to our show, I am going to use my Banshee2 voice box during one of the changes and play/voice "Keep on dancing.....got to give it up".

 

[adam on bass]

Ego often gets in the way of peoples decisions in a band. If someone is paying me to play it, I will. It's a job, do you tell your boss you aren't going to so something because you don't like it? Start a band that you love the music and do the other band too, simple as that. It's a simple matter of economics, do you want to make money? People dancing = Drink sales, Drink Sales = Happy owners/manager, Happy Owners/Managers = More money for you and your band.

We play Blurred, Get Lucky, Call Me and countless others I would care less to play but until the music I write starts tearing up the charts and puts food on my table then I am a Paid Professional Musician. Key word is Professional and being that way with patrons, owners and private party coordinators will get you many more, better paying gigs.

When I get a couple hundred dollar bonus a weekend because the dance floor is packed for three hours because I let my ego go by the wayside then I made the professional, right decision. And when you are getting 75% return customers in the venues, you will forget you hate a song that puts that money in your pocket.

 

[malthumb]

Ego often gets in the way of peoples decisions in a band. If someone is paying me to play it, I will. It's a job, do you tell your boss you aren't going to so something because you don't like it? Start a band that you love the music and do the other band too, simple as that. It's a simple matter of economics, do you want to make money? People dancing = Drink sales, Drink Sales = Happy owners/manager, Happy Owners/Managers = More money for you and your band.

We play Blurred, Get Lucky, Call Me and countless others I would care less to play but until the music I write starts tearing up the charts and puts food on my table then I am a Paid Professional Musician. Key word is Professional and being that way with patrons, owners and private party coordinators will get you many more, better paying gigs.

When I get a couple hundred dollar bonus a weekend because the dance floor is packed for three hours because I let my ego go by the wayside then I made the professional, right decision. And when you are getting 75% return customers in the venues, you will forget you hate a song that puts that money in your pocket.

I almost hate to rewind this thread that some knucklehead started more than twenty pages ago, but what the hey.....

My band is gonna play Blurred Lines and Get Lucky. We've played Moves Like Jagger, F*** You, Hey Ya, Runaway Baby, and a whole lot of other lightweight stuff that people love to dance to. Point is.....we get it.

But as a band, we also discuss our own likes and dislikes. I don't like Call Me Maybe so as a band we don't do it. Our singer doesn't like Locked Out Of Heaven, so we haven't done it yet, even though we rock the hell out of it in practice. For clarity, she likes the song, she doesn't like how she sounds singing it.

Now, even though we don't play those songs, if we were playing a private event and the people hiring us asked us to play them, we would play them. But when we're playing at a club and being paid by the club, we do not feel obligated to play a song we don't like because the drunk chick at the third table to the left yells out "Play Call Me Maybe". She is not paying us. The club is paying us to entertain her and others. And we do. By the time we are done playing Moves Like Jagger, Blurred Lines, Get Lucky, F*** You, Runaway Baby, Paris, Word Up, Superstition, Higher Ground, Play That Funky Music, etc.....drunk girl and her friends will have danced themselves to exhaustion and forget they ever asked us to play anything.

The clubs pay us to entertain, not to play specific songs. BTW.....wonder how the girl at the third table to the left got drunk? Paying our client for drinks while enjoying everything we were playing. So....I didn't play "that" song......sue me.

 

[jive1]

I forgot to mention our next gigs are at an American Legion and a restaurant typically frequented by middle-aged and older folks. The last gigs I've done at the restaurant had a 30th HS reunion, and a 60th birthday party. The VFWs, American Legions, and Animal Lodges around here typically have Country and the crowd is more into Family Tradition and Red Solo Cup than Call Me Maybe. I have no problem playing songs that I don't like if the crowd would be into it, and the band can pull it off. In this case, I have my doubts with Blurred Lines.

 

[DWBass]

Now, even though we don't play those songs, if we were playing a private event and the people hiring us asked us to play them, we would play them. But when we're playing at a club and being paid by the club, we do not feel obligated to play a song we don't like because the drunk chick at the third table to the left yells out "Play Call Me Maybe". She is not paying us. The club is paying us to entertain her and others. And we do. By the time we are done playing Moves Like Jagger, Blurred Lines, Get Lucky, F*** You, Runaway Baby, Paris, Word Up, Superstition, Higher Ground, Play That Funky Music, etc.....drunk girl and her friends will have danced themselves to exhaustion and forget they ever asked us to play anything.

The clubs pay us to entertain, not to play specific songs. BTW.....wonder how the girl at the third table to the left got drunk? Paying our client for drinks while enjoying everything we were playing. So....I didn't play "that" song......sue me.

I hear what you're saying but check it......if that person requests a song and you guys play it.....word of mouth gets out that 'hey, this band played a song I like! They were great!" They in turn invite a ton of their friends to come out to see y'all the next time you play. Venue owner notices increased patronage and gives kudos and maybe a raise! Whether you guys like it or not, it's a business and a business partnership! If it's a hot tune, why not play it? I don't get this refusal to play hot tunes! Unless the band is full of retirees...maybe not play any teenybopper stuff but I'm just sayin'...... I quit my last band over this! BL just refused to play ANYTHING that was hot! Not a single current top40 song! Dumb! Just dumb! Folks would just sit there and stare at us!

 

[DWBass]

I have no problem playing songs that I don't like if the crowd would be into it, and the band can pull it off. In this case, I have my doubts with Blurred Lines.

This makes sense. Know your demographic. Very important.

 

[malthumb]

I hear what you're saying but check it......if that person requests a song and you guys play it.....word of mouth gets out that 'hey, this band played a song I like! They were great!" They in turn invite a ton of their friends to come out to see y'all the next time you play. Venue owner notices increased patronage and gives kudos and maybe a raise! Whether you guys like it or not, it's a business and a business partnership! If it's a hot tune, why not play it? I don't get this refusal to play hot tunes! Unless the band is full of retirees...maybe not play any teenybopper stuff but I'm just sayin'...... I quit my last band over this! BL just refused to play ANYTHING that was hot! Not a single current top40 song! Dumb! Just dumb! Folks would just sit there and stare at us!

I get your point, but if we play 3 of the 5 hottest songs going and don't play the 4th or 5th, we still get love. At least that's been my experience. The drunk girl at the 3rd table on the left scenario I used above was a specific and real incident. I could even tell you what she was wearing. She had a blast that night and has seen us at least twice since.

 

[malthumb]

I forgot to mention our next gigs are at an American Legion and a restaurant typically frequented by middle-aged and older folks. The last gigs I've done at the restaurant had a 30th HS reunion, and a 60th birthday party. The VFWs, American Legions, and Animal Lodges around here typically have Country and the crowd is more into Family Tradition and Red Solo Cup than Call Me Maybe. I have no problem playing songs that I don't like if the crowd would be into it, and the band can pull it off. In this case, I have my doubts with Blurred Lines.

Dude, that trumps the whole conversation! It's one thing to skip playing one song your audience wants. It is far worse to spend time and energy playing something you know they have no use for.

 

[Lobomov]

I havent read the entire thread, but c'mon .. it's popular, it's catchy, it easy and people will go wild.

What is there not to like?

Edit: Just saw the Roots playing it
Invalid Link Removed

 

[jnuts1]

Get over yourselves & play the tunes. Heck I will play I'm a Barbie Girl a thousand times in a row if someone is paying me.

 

[zachoff]

The #1 reason I don't play in cover bands anymore is because I know I'll hate at least one, if not all, of the songs that tend to get played. I've never been fired, but I've quit bands because I hated the music so much.

 

[fhm555]

I almost quit over a song. Not because I hated it, I hated how bad it sounded when we did it.

 

[two fingers]

No, I'm an adult and a professional.

Bingo. It's a pop song. It sounds just like EVERY OTHER pop song out there right now. And I bet YOUR favorite songs haven't gotten 492 MILLION hits on youtube either. It's a hit. Play it for three minutes and move on. You're being a douche. And most of the guys who "have your back" on this thread probably don't even play private parties. They play in ROCK BAR BANDS. So their opinions factor ZERO into the discussion because they don't get THOUSANDS of dollars to make a private party customer happy. They get $400-$500 to play songs that every single other bar rock band plays and probably make me roll MY eyes. You can only "Turn the Page" so many times. Just sayin.

 

[bluewine]

Song selection or opinions on songs is not a part of my job or role within my band.

I don't obsess on things like what I like and what I don't like anymore.

blue

 

[deathsdj]

Man just play it. No big deal. Make it better if you don't like it.

My last band (years ago) had a metal version of "You Can't Touch This" that people loved when we played it. You don't often see a packed dance floor at a metal show.

I really didn't care for the original song. We made it so we liked it. It actually started as a joke.

Now with that being said I'm not sure what you could do to make that song better...

Cheers!

MJW

 

[MazingerZ]

Actually don't call me maybe is kinda fun IMHO; Funk it up a bit and slap baby slap;

 

[malthumb]

Song selection or opinions on songs is not a part of my job or role within my band.

I don't obsess on things like what I like and what I don't like anymore.

blue

Just curious.....why is that?

 

[Joe Louvar]

I forgot to mention our next gigs are at an American Legion and a restaurant typically frequented by middle-aged and older folks. The last gigs I've done at the restaurant had a 30th HS reunion, and a 60th birthday party. The VFWs, American Legions, and Animal Lodges around here typically have Country and the crowd is more into Family Tradition and Red Solo Cup than Call Me Maybe. I have no problem playing songs that I don't like if the crowd would be into it, and the band can pull it off. In this case, I have my doubts with Blurred Lines.

+1. Totally Agree. However, if the one paying me wants me to play it - I’d play it. Geez, it's just a song and it may be more fun later telling the BL "I told you".

 

[DWBass]

..........it's just a song and it may be more fun later telling the BL "I told you".

Had that happen many times and the tunes became regular setlist tunes! We'd play it and all of a sudden everybody got up to dance! I looked at the BL like