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

[Rockin Mike]

I quit a band once because I didn't want to play Madonna. Should have stayed with it, they got some good gigs.

Unless you're in your room playing for the mirror, you're there to play what the audience wants. Get in a band that plays 90% tunes you like and call yourself lucky.

 

[RS]

I am a bit surprised, though, at how many people are willing to play complete dreck as long as it pays. I guess money isn't that important to me.

I'm also amazed at how many people seemingly willingly play in insipid cover bands. I don't understand: how can it be satisfying to play music that you have no passion for, in order to be paid enough to continue to play this same music? What's the point? Why wouldn't you just work a regular, uninspiring job, and skip the late nights and load outs? Not trolling here, I'm genuinely confused.

+1.

Comparing a normal blue/white collar job vs. an artistic/creative on is apples and oranges on so many levels. Then lump on top of this false analogy the fact that I'd wager most people in cover bands don't earn enough to support themselves/families. So why "suck it up"?
Need for attention, getting chicks, and/or avoiding your annoying spouse/gf/kids are the only good answers I can come up with.

 

[ToneMonkey]

You could always try to have fun with it. Total tongue-in-cheek laughing at it the whole time you're doing it.

I used to know a cover band that did that a lot with this sort of objectionable material. The entertainment value made it tolerable.

 

[T Bassman]

More music for stupid folks ( who else would this crap appeal to?)

Id have the same reaction if asked to perform this nonsense. Good for you for having the integrity to stand up for yourself man!

 

[electracoyote]

(pedro puts on flame suit.)

Some months ago we got a request to do 'Red House' by Hendrix. I politely declined. We play mainly Motown, Stax and dance oriented music. The goal is to fill the dance floor and I can't imagine too many songs that would clear the dance floor faster than Hendrix.

Now there's a legit reason to refuse to play a song: Because you know half of your audience will go outside for a smoke, the other half will hit the restroom, many of them will leave the club altogether, and the venue owner/MOD will give the band the "what the hell are you doing?" stink eye.

 

[warnergt]

Some months ago we got a request to do 'Red House' by Hendrix. I politely declined. We play mainly Motown, Stax and dance oriented music. The goal is to fill the dance floor and I can't imagine too many songs that would clear the dance floor faster than Hendrix.

"Red House" can be hot or cold. We have played it in places
where it not only got requested, it filled the dance floor.
And they were grinding and doing pretty much everything
just short of sex on the dance floor. You never know.

 

[warnergt]

Am I the only person who feels like there are enough GREAT songs out there, that it is absolutely POINTLESS to play crappy ones, just because you're in a cover band?...

Sure. However, "Call Me Maybe" (the song that started this
thread in the OP) is at #1 on iTunes. If the song is at #1,
isn't that pretty much the definition of a great song?

I've been in arguments with my BL over what tunes to play.
I pick one and he says, "That's too obscure." Let's see. It was
a Top Ten hit. How is that remotely obscure?

Just be careful how you define "GREAT" (or "obscure"). It might
not be what you say it is.

 

[electracoyote]

Sure. However, "Call Me Maybe" (the song that started this
thread in the OP) is at #1 on iTunes. If the song is at #1,
isn't that pretty much the definition of a great song?

I've been in arguments with my BL over what tunes to play.
I pick one and he says, "That's too obscure." Let's see. It was
a Top Ten hit. How is that remotely obscure?

Just be careful how you define "GREAT" (or "obscure"). It might
not be what you say it is.

That's a great point, and for those of us who actually use charts and audience reaction to pick songs, it's a great strategy.

Be careful though: Sometimes a song made the Top Ten and then fell WAY out of favor to the point that it never bounced back and people still wrinkle their noses at it. You have to combine Top 10/Top 40 with staying power and current appeal, which varies from song to song.

 

[droo46]

I'd play Call Me Maybe before I'd play Nickleback or Creed...but I'll play anything. Money speaks to me and I'm not picky about how it finds its way into my wallet.

 

[BBox Bass]

Today I remembered that about 5 years ago, two members of my band wanted to play Buckcherry's Crazy Bitch. I am fine with songs with adult content if the lyrics are clever, subtle, or don't beat you over the head with the subject matter, but I thought that song was too vulgar, so I said no way. The lead guitarist and singer took my side, but the rhythm guitarist and drummer got upset and called us a bunch of prudes.

About 6 months later, the drummer quit and joined another band that played it all the time. Then about a year after that, I joined his new band. When I asked if they still played it, they all screamed "No way! We hate that song! We're sick of it!" I only played it a couple of times with them, and that was only after someone in the audience begged. I can recall a few occasions when the drummer would start screaming obscenities when it was requested. Sometimes he would sing it, but replaced every F-bomb with "bleep", which was sort of funny the first few times. Other times we played Lit Up instead. Yeah, I know it's about drug use, but the F-bomb only shows up once.

 

[malthumb]

Sure. However, "Call Me Maybe" (the song that started this
thread in the OP) is at #1 on iTunes. If the song is at #1,
isn't that pretty much the definition of a great song?
.........

No......it's the definition of a popular song, and in some cases a novelty song. I was once in a band that wanted to play the song that was most popular in our area for a short while. Can't remember the name or the group performing it (definition of a NOT great song, maybe?) but it was a novelty. The lyrics went "Who dat is? Oh that's just ma baby daddy". Did the fact that it was played on the radio a lot and therefore requested at a lot of gigs (we never played it) make it great? No.

I think a big part of the #1 placement on iTunes is the viral video of the Harvard Baseball Team hamming it up on their bus. I had never heard CMM until I saw this clip on the Today Show......

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/09/harvard-baseball-call-me-maybe_n_1504147.html

 

[pedro]

"Red House" can be hot or cold. We have played it in places
where it not only got requested, it filled the dance floor.
And they were grinding and doing pretty much everything
just short of sex on the dance floor. You never know.

You can have it. After working our asses off playing Four Tops, Temptations, Sam and Dave I'm not about to risk it.

 

[pedro]

Now there's a legit reason to refuse to play a song: Because you know half of your audience will go outside for a smoke, the other half will hit the restroom, many of them will leave the club altogether, and the venue owner/MOD will give the band the "what the hell are you doing?" stink eye.

BINGO.

 

[malthumb]

Well, if you were in a cover band(not sure if you are), would you rather play in better paying bars that have a built in crowd, where you know that no matter what, there's going to be a line out the door on the weekends? And tons of hot girls whooping it up right in front of you?

Or, you can play only the songs you and your bandmates want to play, and get booked in crappy bars who pay you very little or based on draw.

I've done both...and I have much more fun playing the packed bars. The energy of the performance and crowd gets me going more than what the song is. And there's so many cover bands out there that don't stay current, even though a song like Call me Maybe SUCKS and is so cheesy, it's fun to get the reaction it gets, and the bar owners love having their crowd jumping all over the place too.

Just like the song Shout too. Hate it...goes over killer, I'm confused every time we play it

I get your point. It would be a consideration if we didn't already have a number of songs on our set lists that get the crowd up. In one set we play, in this order

• I Can Never Take The Place Of Your Man (Prince)
• Paparazzi (Gaga)
• Fire (Pointer Sisters)
• Kiss (Prince)
• Moves Like Jagger (Maroon5)
• Word Up (Cameo)

We often have girls up dancing through that whole section, then we bring it down a little with Rollin' In The Deep and then get silly with The Way I Am (Ingrid Michaelsson) to close the set and introduce the band members.

We can get people dancing and having a good time without resorting to the newest bright shiny object.

In another set we string together

• Forget You (Cee-Lo Green)
• Hey Ya (Outkast)
• Boogie Oogie Oogie (Taste of Honey)
• Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry)

A lot of dancing and audience "help" on those. No need to resort to the bright shiny object / hot song of the day.

 

[malthumb]

You can have it. After working our asses off playing Four Tops, Temptations, Sam and Dave I'm not about to risk it.

YES!

 

[malthumb]

I gotta weigh in because I haven't seen this point emphasized, and it needs to be: there is zero room for dissension on stage. It is extremely unprofessional, and undermines everything your band is trying to do. I look at a band as a team, and everyone makes sacrifices for the greater good, especially on stage. Whining, making faces, not playing your best -- these are just selfish things. There won't be one other person in the room who would appreciate one of the players acting like that.

For the record, four people heard our conversation, guitarist, drummer, singer, and me. We were in a huddle with the mics muted while the guitarist switched guitars. I'm not an idiot. I am a BL in another project and I know how to "say it loud with a whisper".

Any differences you have in the band should be hashed out before or after a performance, away from the venue preferably. On stage, it should be all smiles and let's kill this thing, together.

Actually, they WERE agreed before we got to the venue.....and confirmed as we were setting up. It didn't become an issue until the BL started to cave in under the pressure of two people at one table. What he either didn't realize or had forgotten is that since we had previously AGREED that under no circumstances would we add this song to Saturday's performance, the singer spent no time learning the lyrics. That would have been fun. Watching her sing to the lyrics streaming across her iPhone.

I've played plenty of songs I never want to hear again, but I always figured it was my job to make the song better, especially if I didn't like it. And just trying to make it better usually does.

So have I. Still do. Did some Saturday. There's a clear line between don't like and HATE. And if the song that is hated doesn't add anything to an already energy filled set that does a nice job of sparking the audience, why bother?

 

[Roy Vogt]

I was schooled in this by a younger girl singer (who has her head on straight) when she was talking about singing "This Will Be" at some wedding gig. She said, "Well, it's not my favorite, but it's only 3 minutes of my life."
Well said!

 

[malthumb]

I was schooled in this by a younger girl singer (who has her head on straight) when she was talking about singing "This Will Be" at some wedding gig. She said, "Well, it's not my favorite, but it's only 3 minutes of my life."
Well said!

That's a cool way to look at it. On June 22nd CMM will occupy 3 minutes of my life. And I'll probably have a blast playing it, because I'll take the advice of many who've weighed in here and "tweak it" a little. I'm actually working on that now between posts. . But on June 23rd I will bgin to lobby my band to NOT add this to any of our set lists. I may be willing to compromise that if it's a slow night and someone requests it, then what the hell. But I do not want to feature it. At all.

 

[silentstranger]

It's about a girl who is 17. Problem in Tunisia... In Spain that would be seen as a bit old I guess.

She does appear rather under dressed on the cover art.

Whoops, I never heard the real story before...or saw the cover of the single 17 is getting into murky legal waters here in the States. She certainly LOOKS old enough on the cover though...still pretty good looking now actually, if her realtor website is to be believed, lol (you guessed it, mysharona.com).

I get your point. It would be a consideration if we didn't already have a number of songs on our set lists that get the crowd up. In one set we play, in this order

• I Can Never Take The Place Of Your Man (Prince)
• Paparazzi (Gaga)
• Fire (Pointer Sisters)
• Kiss (Prince)
• Moves Like Jagger (Maroon5)
• Word Up (Cameo)

...

Dude, that set sounds like it would KILL. Don't think I've ever heard anyone cover I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man live; that's one of my favorite songs ever.

 

[malthumb]

.....

Dude, that set sounds like it would KILL. Don't think I've ever heard anyone cover I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man live; that's one of my favorite songs ever.

To up the fun factor a bit, I sing lead on that one.