Requests: what do people ask you to sing

Subject: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: Bert
Date: 27 Feb 14 - 03:40 AM

The reason that I started this thread is because I am singing a bit more nowadays and would like to expand my song list.

Recently I was asked to sing

The Barley Mow
Beer Glorious beer

and two of mine

Three Minute Man
Size Doesn't Matter.

But as I said I am looking for what people like so what requests have you had recently.

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Feb 14 - 04:39 AM

A long way away!

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Feb 14 - 04:41 AM

Depends both on voice and audience. The repertoire the latter expects then depends on region as well: a Geordie set is likely to be very different from an Essex one, for instance.

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: cooperman
Date: 27 Feb 14 - 05:03 AM

I often get asked for John Denver but I struggle to remember songs, even my own! I have to practice them before hand. When I promise to do a requested song next time, often the person who asked is not there!! Re-aquaints you (and the audience) with the song though. What is possible is to be 'armed' with several songs and say..pick one of these. That also has the advantage of ruling out some songs you don't like.

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: BobKnight
Date: 27 Feb 14 - 05:14 AM

They often ask me to sing my "Swan Song" which is actually called Walker Dam and is about the shape-shifting Queen of Swans, or The song about the girl with long dark hair. (The Ground She Walks Upon)Or a song called The Fermer's Wife And Me, or a few others of my own songs.

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 27 Feb 14 - 06:32 AM

Over The Hills and Far Away.

Dave H

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: GUEST,Triplane
Date: 27 Feb 14 - 08:55 AM

From younger people songs their granny sang or heard their parents playing in the car.
From older folks ? songs that they liked and were overplayed in their time and bring back memories.
In a nutshell in line with all music "nostalgia"

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 27 Feb 14 - 09:24 AM

My usual request is 'Can you sing something from Scotland. So we can't hear you...' :-)

Seriously though, I am no serious performer but have been involved in running events for 30+ years. At a folk event people are generally happy to hear whatever you sing. In a pub or 'open' environment I notice the common one is 'sing something Irish'. This usually equates to something made popular by the Pogues! But we have been asked for things ranging from 'Coward of the County' to 'Bohemian Rhapsody. Go figure as you USers say :-)

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: Rob Naylor
Date: 27 Feb 14 - 10:46 AM

They seem to prefer my singing on instrumentals!

Again no serious performer here. I try to mix up styles and periods, but people who've heard me do a fair cross-section of my repertoire ask for and seem to think I can do (on a good day, when I'm not too nervous) decentish versions of:

- Grantchester Meadows (Pink Floyd)

- Sound of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel)

- Dr Syn (Bob Kenward)

- Sara (Bob Dylan)

- Intervention (Arcade Fire)

- Julia We Don't Live In The Sixties (Indelicates)

- The Trees they Do Grow High (trad)

- Banks Of The Sweet Primroses (trad)


In venues where my repertoire's unknown I tend to get asked if I know:

- Dirty Old Town

- Wonderwall

- Hotel California

- Scarborough Fair

- Duelling Banjos

- House Of The Rising Sun

....all fairly predictable. Suppose I'll have to learn the 3 I don't know one day soon!

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: MikeL2
Date: 27 Feb 14 - 02:38 PM

Hi

Usually something I didn't know !!!

Cheers

MikeL2

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: Irene M
Date: 27 Feb 14 - 02:46 PM

After 1am, it was always "giz floooor a Scotland".
If I was on at 1am, it was always somewhere in rural Argyll and there was always a "funny" smell in the clouds of smoke!

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Feb 14 - 03:08 PM

They ask me to sing Far Away.

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Feb 14 - 08:30 PM

I am not a performer. At maritime sings, I have often been asked for "My Jenny Wren Bride".

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 Feb 14 - 01:48 AM

People ask me to sing "The Key of R" and my twisted version of "Singing in the Rain." Wish they'd ask me to sing something serious sometime, but I guess I should be happy they ask.

Oh, one time when I was doing field work as a government investigator, a man said "I'm not tellin' you nothin'....until you sing me that song about Charlie and the MTA."

And come to think of it, people ask me to sing "River" by Bill Staines, and "Julian of Norwich" by Sydney Carter.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: Bert
Date: 28 Feb 14 - 01:53 AM

Joe ...Wish they'd ask me to sing something serious sometime,...

Yep, sing one funny song and you never get to sing anything serious again :-)

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: GUEST,FloraG
Date: 28 Feb 14 - 03:49 AM

My oddest request was ' This was my mothers accordian. I'll lend you this, and If you can play me a tune on it next time I see you ( a regular 8 week pub booking) you can have the accordian'. I don't actually play keyboards - but difficult to resist a challenge. I learnt ' the Roseville fair ' in C - not too many notes or jumps up and down.
When we were next there the gent wasn't. We did the song anyway on his mothers accordian - which was fairly aged and just about in tune but nicely painted with canal boat type decorations.
A few weeks later I read in the local paper the pub was having a memorial do for him so I ended up with the accordian anyway.
FloraG.

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 28 Feb 14 - 04:14 AM

Sing "Softly"

This to a Welsh church tenor who recognises the following dynamics
pp = pretty poweful
ff = f____ furious

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: cptsnapper
Date: 28 Feb 14 - 08:13 AM

There are several songs that people have asked me to sing but two stand out in particular because of the reasons why they were requested. One was Boulder To Birmingham which somebody heard me sing and who asked me to sing it again because she said that it had saved her life!!

The other one was Song For A winter's night which one guy heard me sing and which he continually asked me to sing again. Eventually we had a chat and he told me that his wife and daughters had died in a fire and the song said what he would have liked to have been able to say to them.

Both occasions made me realise that whatever you play will be picked up by different people for different reasons which to me says that when you perform there are as many performances taking place as there are people in the audience.

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: Harmonium Hero
Date: 28 Feb 14 - 08:47 AM

I don't often sing in cirumstances where I'm likely to be asked for random songs, as in "do you know 'Cheatin' Heart'? So it's always something that they've heard me singing, such as:
Spencer The Rover
The Swan Swims Bonnie
The Magdalen Green
Lakes of Ponchartrain
Andrew Rose
....er, come to think of it, mostly songs off my first CD.
Must have got that one right then.
John Kelly.

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: GUEST,Roger the Skiffler sans cookie
Date: 28 Feb 14 - 09:42 AM

Usually people ask me NOT to sing, or it's "Do you know The Road to Mandalay?", "Yes, shall I sing it?", " No, take it" (Boom Boom).
However, when we're in "Dendros", my Greek friend Yorgos always wants me to sing House of the Rising Sun (every damn night)and his wife, Irene asks for "Misery" (actually Trouble). My sister in law opts for my notorious venue-emptying Blue Suede Shoes for some reason.
RtS

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: Sir Roger de Beverley
Date: 28 Feb 14 - 10:41 AM

When playing in pubs - Dirty old town, Fields of Athenry, Brown eyed girl (because they are all Irish :-)) and mandolin wind and duelling banjos (because I play mandolin.)

R

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: GUEST,banjoman
Date: 28 Feb 14 - 10:49 AM

as far away as possible

Subject: RE: Requests: what do people ask you to sing
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 28 Feb 14 - 11:56 AM

don't encourage it. you're in charge up there. you make the decisions.
its nice that they know your work. but they don't always choose right.