Members chemikool Posted February 27, 2013 Members Share Posted February 27, 2013 Hey everyone - I'd like to ask your collective assistance with some songs. Setup: I booked a private party on an upcoming Friday night (about 2 months away) with my rock band and overheard the client talking about the party the following Saturday night. I enquired about that as well (One setup/teardown for 2 gigs, etc...) and the client let me know that they were actively looking for a "crooner set" for the Saturday night dinner hour. I parlayed my Friday gig into a Friday/Saturday gig but now I have to learn a set's worth of crooner toons. So here I am asking for suggestions. I'm thinking 7-10 songs. The whole band doesn't have to learn them, just me as I'll be performing them solo. I'm not looking for the world's hardest songs, nor am I going obscure. I want the lowest-hanging fruit there is for the genre. For example, I already play Fly Me To The Moon and am hopeful that I'll get suggestions along this vein. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted February 27, 2013 Moderators Share Posted February 27, 2013 ah, the Great American Songbook thing...for starters, but certainly, there are many ways to go with the 'crooner' thingSinatra is a great start, also Nat King Cole (Mona Lisa, for example)...How about (from my own song list) Beyond the Sea, High Hopes, Ramblin' Rose, At Last, Georgia on My Mind, Killing Me Softly, Mack the Knife, Misty, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Swinging on a Star, What a Wonderful World...this would be what I consider my 'dinner set'...the tempos are not all slow, some have a nice bounce, others are just nice and lilting, some are a touch 'torch-y'.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chemikool Posted February 27, 2013 Author Members Share Posted February 27, 2013 Great songs DM! I've always liked Mack the Knife; What a Wonderful World is too good to pass up. What span of time would be considered the "Crooner" years? 30's, 40's and 50's and maybe a dab of early 60's? Are the 20's in there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoadRanger Posted February 27, 2013 Members Share Posted February 27, 2013 Hey, go Star Trek on their arses : http://www.amazon.com/This-Ones-Heart-James-Darren/dp/B00000JZ0Z A good selection of tunes that have stood the test of time. Another newish album by him: http://www.amazon.com/Because-You-James-Darren/dp/B00005M0FX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Shaster Posted February 27, 2013 Members Share Posted February 27, 2013 Perhaps songs that don't have a whole bunch of lyrics and changes? Sometimes I like to do these for that very reason - Fly Me to The Moon, Autumn Leaves, All Of Me, Bye Bye Blackbird, When You're Smiling...However, my real top ten "bullet" lounge tunes are: The Way You Look Tonight (note the bridge changes keys), Girl From Ipanema, Don't Get Around Much Anymore, L.O.V.E., Sunny Side Of The Street, Georgia, Wonderful World, It Had To Be You, It's Only A Paper Moon, and the aforementioned Fly Me To The Moon.Note that other songs mentioned in this thread are great songs but they have some serious changes. For instance, Mrs.Jones has got some quirky and quick / II / V / turnarounds in the bridge that could get you lost in a hurry. Other tunes like Mona Lisa or Unforgettable are fantastic tunes but you really have to know them. I personally wouldn't want to tackle them without the proper time investment.So... I would suggest you pick songs you've heard before, and can learn quickly. Perhaps songs with a basic 32 bar format, and easy lyrics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Piano Whore Posted February 28, 2013 Members Share Posted February 28, 2013 Maybe you should consider throwing in a couple like "Just the Way You Are" or "Moondance"- think crooner sound, not just the era the song first came out. Mixed in with the Sinatra absolutely noone will mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pogo97 Posted February 28, 2013 Members Share Posted February 28, 2013 Here's the first half of my "Old Pop" book with lyrics & chords, in case that's useful to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Graeca Posted February 28, 2013 Members Share Posted February 28, 2013 In addition to the excellent suggestions already listed, these have been very good for me (and my tip jar):I Can't Help Falling In Love With You (Elvis)Moon River (Andy Williams)Shadow Of Your Smile (Tony Bennet)Welcome To My World (Dean Martin)MacArthur Park (Richard Harris) -lot of words/chords, but if you can pull this one off, you'll often find a large denomination "thank you" in the tip jar!) Cuando Calienta el Sol (Trini Lopez) - Another song that seals the deal...for auditioning for a crooning gig, I Can't Help Falling In Love With You and this one have been keys to the door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SusieP Posted February 28, 2013 Members Share Posted February 28, 2013 chemikool wrote: Hey everyone - I'd like to ask your collective assistance with some songs. Setup: I booked a private party on an upcoming Friday night (about 2 months away) with my rock band and overheard the client talking about the party the following Saturday night. I enquired about that as well (One setup/teardown for 2 gigs, etc...) and the client let me know that they were actively looking for a "crooner set" for the Saturday night dinner hour. I parlayed my Friday gig into a Friday/Saturday gig but now I have to learn a set's worth of crooner toons. So here I am asking for suggestions. I'm thinking 7-10 songs. The whole band doesn't have to learn them, just me as I'll be performing them solo. I'm not looking for the world's hardest songs, nor am I going obscure. I want the lowest-hanging fruit there is for the genre. For example, I already play Fly Me To The Moon and am hopeful that I'll get suggestions along this vein. Thanks! Nice & Easy Summertime Fly Me To The Moon Blue Moon I Left My Heart in San Francisco When I Fall In Love I'm In The Mood For Love Unforgettable All easy-peasy to croon. Best of luck. xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MDLMUSIC Posted February 28, 2013 Members Share Posted February 28, 2013 Though not specifically "crooner" songs, I find that those old 50's ballads using the I-VIm-IV-V chords always go over we'll in almost any setting where people want to slow dance or listen to soothing music. I'm talking tunes like "Stand by Me", "Angel Baby", "Silhouettes", etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted February 28, 2013 Moderators Share Posted February 28, 2013 Pogo...noticed something in your chart for 'Fever' (which I used to do for many years)...you have a line "Chicks were born to give you fever Be it fair and have a sense of game' which I believe should read 'Be it Farenheit or Centigrade'.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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