Songs you just won't play

[pappabass]

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

1. Anything from Lynyrd Skynyrd.


So, what won't you play?

Be careful!! I live in Alabama!!
Songs, sick of wagon wheel, we played it last night.
Bruce Springsteen- baby I'm on fire.
Sounds like a pervert song.

 

[HardNHeavy]

oh god where does one begin....If i'm getting paid i'll play anything....Otherwise "Mustang Sally" or any 1-4-5 blues song that is overly redundant. I hate rap and and hip hop...But there are some decent funky basslines contained there, as well as R&B. I'm a rocker but i appreciate good players and a groove......Sometimes you can have a good time with songs you hate. You never know till ya try.

 

[mdlewis]

I'll play whatever, over-played hits, polka, country, metal, whatever. I have no shame, if you hire me to play I'll do my best at whatever the gig is. There were a bunch of little kids boppin around in front of us at a recent food truck fest the 80s cover band I'm in played, so we busted into "baby shark"

I had to Youtube what "Baby Shark" was. Kinda wish I hadn't but there it was.

If I'm being paid, I'll literally play anything. If I'm not, there's a boatload of stuff I'd rather not play that would be guaranteed to offend at least one person on this board and probably many more.

When you get to 63 there's lots of songs you never need actually hear again because they've been indelibly etched into your brain. Strangely enough, in some sort of adaptive response, I find these much harder to actually remember to play...I think my brain is reflexively wiping these.

 

[obimark]

None. I will play ANY song...for the right price. My going rate for Taylor Swift is $100 per song.

 

[G On Bass]

I will play what I have to for the gig. But I argue strongly against:

All note-for-note/tribute band material.
95% of straight classic rock covers. We totally re-work a few Classic Rock songs and that is fun, sounds good, and crowds love 'em.
Anything with slap bass
Any version, any arrangement, any style of: Knockin' On Heaven's Door, I Love Rock and Roll, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Free Fallin', Life In The Fast Lane, Sharp Dressed Man, Barracuda, Livin' On A Prayer and You Give Love A Bad Name. (Edit: Add Rolling In the Deep, Sex On Fire and Get Lucky (Daft Punk)

All that being said, and no offense to the many dozens of gigging bands in my area whose setlists are built around that stuff, if I end up in a project that plays any of the above, then that is on me for making a poor choice and I must suffer the consequences. These days, it's originals and jam/Blues/Rock re-works for me. YMMV.

 

[bassdude51]

Man, this thread has now made me go to Google and look up lists of..........all time worst songs ever.

Ok, here are a couple of songs where I would not play bass.

"MacArthur Park", Richard Harris (1968)

"Ebony and Ivory", Paul McCartney featuring Stevie Wonder (1982)

Rock & Roll All Nite, Kiss (I would if the band would do a C&W version.) ()

a few more.................

One Bad Apple, The Osmonds

Jive Talkin', The Bee Gees

Billy Jean, MJ

I'd probably play this one. It's so "tribal". Reluctantly.

 

[BBQV]

I just called to say I love you. Can’t stand it.

 

[LBS-bass]

Hey Joe.

Every guitarist and their brother does a 15 minute version of Hey Joe, no one ever signals when they're gonna do the signature run, and everyone has their own take on how that signature run "should go".

§$%# Hey Joe. With a barbwire enhanced baseball bat and no lube.

Oh lord. We played a CCR tribute show and learned a few songs for that we figured we'd never play again. Then we got the call to play a long night and were scrambling for material so I said, well, we can always do "Suzie-Q." Not that I wanted to, mind you, but we were desperate.

Somebody else in the band pitched a fit over it because it's "overplayed, overdone, blah blah blah."

Two weeks later that same guy suggested we add "Hey Joe" to our list.

 

[IamGroot]

Anything that is immoral or blasphemous.

 

[gidbass]

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’ll play anything I can that someone wants to hear. I enjoy playing, especially with others, especially if folks are listening.

Good Luck!

 

[LBS-bass]

There is one song that's common on song lists that I won't play, but it has nothing to do with the song being overplayed (though it is). It's because I can't feel good about the lyrics, which I interpret as racist. Other people have disagreed with me on this and I'm not going to name the song, but when I'm thinking about an audition and see it on someone's set list it's an instant pass from me.

Other than this, I'm not really going to be too picky. I'm sure there are other songs that would rise to this level for me for similar reasons, but no one has ever asked me to play them.

 

[Altitude]

I play whatever the band I am playing with is playing. I'm just the bass player, I have no diva status to refuse to play a song.

Mark

Right. I’ll admit there are few songs I’m less excited about when they come along (damn Rick Astley song), but my job is to execute as well on the ones I hate as the ones I love.

 

[Verb the Noun]

I had a very brief dip into the cover band pool. At that time I drew the line at anything by Creed. Figured out quickly covers were not my cup o tea in general and bowed out of the project.

My take on covers has changed a bit since. Now, I kinda dig just using the original as a general blueprint. Free artistic license to play/arrange it however the hell I feel like with the goal of owning it. The more tired and obnoxious the original was the better. My originals band keeps pretty true to the two covers we occasionally work in, but my garage jam project does some WONKY versions of songs. Turning a song you hated into a great jam is fantastic.


This guy gets it.

 

[Altitude]

I read somewhere that the guys in the band Simple Minds all hate “Don’t You Forget About Me.” Apparently they didn’t write it and were essentially commissioned to play it for whatever soundtrack it appeared on.

But name any two other Simple Minds songs. No Googling. That song literally made their career.

 

[JPaulGeddy]

I don't have morals when it comes to songs. I just have rates.

 

[bobba66]

Inna-Gadda-da-vida. It just takes forever.

 

[Altitude]

My take on covers has changed a bit since. Now, I kinda dig just using the original as a general blueprint. Free artistic license to play/arrange it however the hell I feel like with the goal of owning it.

I like that approach too and have used it in a few really musically rewarding projects. For the inexperienced here, I think we should disclose that from an employability standpoint, this is equal to being an originals band.

 

[Altitude]

There is one song that's common on song lists that I won't play, but it has nothing to do with the song being overplayed (though it is). It's because I can't feel good about the lyrics, which I interpret as racist. Other people have disagreed with me on this and I'm not going to name the song, but when I'm thinking about an audition and see it on someone's set list it's an instant pass from me.

Other than this, I'm not really going to be too picky. I'm sure there are other songs that would rise to this level for me for similar reasons, but no one has ever asked me to play them.

I can understand this point of view. Have you discussed it with your band mates? There are a zillion songs, maybe don’t play that one.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

Gimme $$$$, and I'll play whatever you want.

 

[klejst]

Sweet Caroline...overdone and overused.