Songs you just won't play

[Not yet]

Stormy Monday
Sweet Home Chicago
Mustang Sally

Yea, usually playing the blues

And Jumpin Jack Flash

 

[Bahjark]

John Cage's 4'33"

Way too technical

 

[Dincrest]

Anything by Barney the purple dinosaur.

 

[40Hz]

I prefer to never say “never.”

I rather keep my options open, my opponents guessing, and my friends amused.

 

[Pings Bass]

I have yet to meet a piece of music I wouldn't play for money.

 

[Pings Bass]

John Cage's 4'33"

This piece is the meta punchline to the old joke "How do you get a guitar player to play quietly? Put a sheet of music in front of him."

 

[bass12]

John Cage's 4'33"

I play that one all the time during sound check.

 

[leche]

Let it be
No woman no cry

 

[2manynotes]

I plays whatever pays. Music, that is.

 

[Son of Wobble]

No woman no cry

What?! But this is one of the more beautiful lyrics in pop!




No woman, no cry
Make your mother sigh
She's old enough to know better.
No woman, no cry

The King of Marigold was in the kitchen
Cooking breakfast for the Queen
The Queen was in the parlor
Playing piano for the children of the King.

No woman, no cry
Make your mother sigh
She's old enough to know better.
No woman, no cry

The King was in the garden
Picking flowers for a friend who came to play
The Queen was in the playroom
Painting pictures for the children's holiday.

No woman, no cry
Make your mother sigh
She's old enough to know better.
No woman, no cry

The Dutchess of Kircaldy always smiling
And arriving late for tea
The Duke was having problems
With a message at the local Bird and Bee.

No woman, no cry
Make your mother sigh
She's old enough to know better.
No woman, no cry

 

[wmhill]

There are a lot of songs that I dislike, but I get paid to play songs that people enjoy. So tomorrow I'm gonna play wagon wheel, mustang sally, and sweet home Alabama, and come home with a couple hundred bucks in my pocket. I'm plenty OK with that.

 

[2tonic]

Back in the olden days (good story so far, huh?) when I was FOH/tech for a LARGE concert venue/club (1600 capacity), they had a great jam night on Mondays. Lots of talent (touring pro's, session guys, famous blues sidemen, members of local acts) led to some really good random combos of personnel, great musicianship, and good times. There was always, however, some wet rags in the pile (do I need to specify "guitarists"?) that insisted on dragging the vibe down by playing either " Cocaine" or "Breakdown", every week, without fail.
Interminably long versions with vapid solos that wore on everyone, except the shining star axeman living out his R&R fantasy.
I had a friend, another touring pro engineer, who would often show up, when in town, to catch up on the latest gossip. The other musicians would recognize his arrival as the signal to drag me up on stage to play, as he would " babysit" the board.
Great times. Throwing a funk breakdown into a revved up Jeff Beck/SRV "Superstition", pumping up some Motown standards, even Badfinger tunes with great harmony vox.
Then they would drop the rags on stage in front of me.
Knowing I was burnt on their tunes.......
Knowing I would rather have root canal surgery......
Yes, my Friends did this to me........and I always fell for it!
I'd have new hope every time, that maybe they had learned something new. How to play the same four chords in a different order. Up to this time, I never realized the dearth of four chord songs in all of recorded rock and roll! PLEASE, something new!
Hope springs eternal, but, invariably, the same old tripe would get trotted out for another airing.
I'd play my best, try to be encouraging, but eventually the smile, color, interest, focus, and will to live would drain from my face.
The happy ending was when I told all the participants it would never happen again, and demanded of one of the more "experienced" guitarists, that he take 20 minutes and woodshed these guys through some new tunes.
I love the music of Tom Petty and Eric Clapton, but no....just no.

I won't ever play those songs again...........
Well..........
Not without a "Dear God, let it end" expression on my face.
Call me bigoted, close minded, insensitive....do your worst. I have video footage which, after viewing, no jury in the land would convict me.

 

[TheReceder]

We Built this city... Starship
Achy Breaky Heart

 

[Pauly 4001]

Totally intended to be lighthearted conversation, and not serious discussion. Play what you like.

However, there some songs I just won't play. Ever.

1. Anything from Lynyrd Skynyrd.
2. Radio country.
3. Eye of the Tiger. (My high school's mascot was a tiger and I was in the marching band, jazz band, pep band, all the bands. We played this horrid song a zillion times and if I never hear it again it'll be too soon. In fact, just recently I left a restaurant while waiting for a table because it came on the overhead. Grrrr......)

So, what won't you play?

I obstinately refused to play Sweet Home Alabama in my former band, and refused any BTO or the Guess Who's "laughing". The rest of the band decided that I had a thing against fat white man music.

Xmas music. Never have liked it, and will studiously avoid having to play it.

I never did quite learn some of the parts to some of those damn Xmass songs even though we played them every year.

BTO's "Taking Care Of Business". Because never, ever,
ever, again. Ever.

Never, ever, and I saw them on a triple bill with Black Oak Arkansas and Brownsville Station. Ick.

 

[5StringBlues]

What?! But this is one of the more beautiful lyrics in pop!




No woman, no cry
Make your mother sigh
She's old enough to know better.
No woman, no cry

The King of Marigold was in the kitchen
Cooking breakfast for the Queen
The Queen was in the parlor
Playing piano for the children of the King.

No woman, no cry
Make your mother sigh
She's old enough to know better.
No woman, no cry

The King was in the garden
Picking flowers for a friend who came to play
The Queen was in the playroom
Painting pictures for the children's holiday.

No woman, no cry
Make your mother sigh
She's old enough to know better.
No woman, no cry

The Dutchess of Kircaldy always smiling
And arriving late for tea
The Duke was having problems
With a message at the local Bird and Bee.

No woman, no cry
Make your mother sigh
She's old enough to know better.
No woman, no cry

Ok, (hairtoss) I give it a 7. It's got a good beat, you can dance to it.

 

[lokikallas]

i don’t feel right playing brown sugar, or any references to underage girls.

 

[5StringBlues]

Jimmy Buffet

 

[Pdaddy1978]

Yeah... I'll double down on Achey Breaky Heart, Throw boot scoot boogie on the pile.
Seasons in the sun?... You don't have a big enough pistol to hold to my head....
Muskrat love?

 

[Son of Wobble]

i don’t feel right playing brown sugar, or any references to underage girls.

This, plus any songs promoting marital infidelity (eg, "Me and Mrs. Jones"), drug use (eg, "With A Little Help From My Friends") or illegal street racing (eg, "Little GTO").

 

[Pdaddy1978]

This, plus any songs promoting marital infidelity (eg, "Me and Mrs. Jones"), drug use (eg, "With A Little Help From My Friends") or illegal street racing (eg, "Little GTO").

And don't forget Dont stand so close to me(pedophilia) I love the dead ( necrophilia)
And Take the money and run (larceny)!