Easy going slow dancing

[richardmac]

I have a gig in about a week and the person who hired me says the crowd is in their 50's and 60's and want "Easy going, slow dancing music" like Elton John, Billy Joel, The Beatles, etc.

 

I cover all 3 of those artists, but I have three questions for any folks here with experience with this demographic. Any help appreciated.

 

1. I know tons of songs by those artists, but they have a lot of slow songs that are NOT romantic. "Daniel" being a great example. Or "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word." Do I shelf these songs, use them anyway, or use them only if I desperately need material?

 

2. The person who hired me says "Easy going slow dancing," but I've got some really good dance music that works with 30's through 50's. Since this is a benefit, it could be that the demographics will include some younger folks in with the old farts. My plan is to have a mini-set of danceable music and scan the crowd, and if the dance floor is packed all night with old people I won't use them, but if the old folks get tired and clear the floor, I've got nothing to lose by pulling out the faster tunes. This does create a potential issue with my employer, who requested easy going slow dancing music. I'm meeting up with him on Friday to check out the venue and I'm going to ask him if my plan is OK. Thoughts on that? Am I better off telling him, or just going with what I know works? He seems inexperienced at planning things like this.

 

3. For this oldster easy slow AND slow music crowd, what staple songs should I add to my song list? I think "Unforgettable" would be one. What would be some others?

 

Thanks in advance...

[lz4005]

As for #1, I've found that dancers almost never care about lyrics.

[EightString]

"Yesterday" by The Beatles and "Just the Way You Are" by Billy Joel seem like obvious choices.

 

Here are a few suggestions beyond that:

 

"At This Moment" - Billy Vera

"Wicked Game" - Chris Isaak

 

Blue Moon

Fly Me to the Moon

I Left My Heart in San Fran

Misty

My Funny Valentine

The Nearness of You

Stardust

The Way You Look Tonight

 

 

I put a lot of romantic jazz standards here because my experience has been that people of all ages seem to like that stuff.

[richardmac]

 

As for #1, I've found that dancers almost never care about lyrics.

 

 

Well, yeah, that's what I'm wondering. I've been Googling "Top 100 Love Songs" and a lot of them aren't. Weird...

[richardmac]

 

"Yesterday" by The Beatles and "Just the Way You Are" by Billy Joel seem like obvious choices. Here are a few suggestions beyond that: "At This Moment" - Billy Vera "Wicked Game" - Chris Isaak Blue Moon Fly Me to the Moon I Left My Heart in San Fran Misty My Funny Valentine The Nearness of You Stardust The Way You Look Tonight I put a lot of romantic jazz standards here because my experience has been that people of all ages seem to like that stuff.

 

 

Yeah, I'm thinking along the same lines. I have Misty on my list to learn. I can play by ear and a lot of these songs I already know - I just don't know every single chord and word. That's what the iPad is for. Not to start another debate about whether people should ever have lyrics in front of them or anything. But I really like stretch gigs like this, because they force me to stretch and I always end up with 10 - 15 new songs in my list.

 

Regarding "Yesterday," that is exactly what I'm talking about. That's a song I almost always do because it's got such universal appeal. But that is, to paraphrase Thomas Dolby, not a love song, but more like a love gone wrong song. But I found it on almost every Top 100 Romantic Hits list online. I'm a pretty literal guy and I need stuff spelled out for me. Is this because people's perception of a song is more important than what the song actually means?

[lz4005]

 

Is this because people's perception of a song is more important than what the song actually means?

 

 

Every time. Yes.

 

I used to do wedding photography, and you wouldn't believe how many "first dance" and "father/daughter dance" songs people used were totally inappropriate lyrically.

[yanktar]

IMHO, you are going about it all wrong. I suggest you look at the basic rhythms and beats of dance music:

1.Rumba (quick-quick-slow, quick-quick slow) like "I Just Called to Say I love You". Rumba is called "The Latin Waltz". Beatles did a lot of rumbas.

2. Cha-Cha (slow-slow-quick-quick-quick, or 1-2-cha-cha-cha). "Lyin' Eyes" and "Smooth" are both Cha-Chas

3. Mambo (pause-step-step-step, or wait-2-3-4 )...Jeez if you can't find Mambos...

4. Salsa ( step-step-step-pause, or 1-2-3-wait) Salsa is just like mambo but you step on the first beat, not the 2nd.

5. Swing or Jive (slow-slow-quick-quick or step, step, rock-step) Anything from "Take the A-Train" and "Rock Around the Clock" on...that kind of beat. Lots of Rock is Jive

6. Waltz. WALTZ???? WHAT IS HE? NUTS? Nope. Lots of waltzes in Rock--Norwegian Wood, Hey, You've Got to Hide Your Love Away, Holiday Inn (Elton John), Piano Man. Anything in 3/4 or 6/8 in 2 can be a waltz.

7. Merengue: (1-2-3-4, basic march step) 99.9% of all pop music in 4/4 can be danced to by a merengue. Most disco dancing is based in merengue (OK, {censored}TY merengue).

 

 

Check it out!

[ProToneThinline]

 

My plan is to have a mini-set of danceable music and scan the crowd, and if the dance floor is packed all night with old people I won't use them, but if the old folks get tired and clear the floor, I've got nothing to lose by pulling out the faster tunes.

 

 

I think that's a great plan. What I've found is that many "employers" think they know what their crowd wants, but are usually badly mistaken....

[leftyjay]

rod stewart's great american songbook series cds have a ton of good standards that fit the 50-70 age bracket. i play quite a few of them myself. plus the cd comes in handy for dinner music when you take a break.

[richardmac]

 

IMHO, you are going about it all wrong. I suggest you look at the basic rhythms and beats of dance music: 1.Rumba (quick-quick-slow, quick-quick slow) like "I Just Called to Say I love You". Rumba is called "The Latin Waltz". Beatles did a lot of rumbas. 2. Cha-Cha (slow-slow-quick-quick-quick, or 1-2-cha-cha-cha). "Lyin' Eyes" and "Smooth" are both Cha-Chas 3. Mambo (pause-step-step-step, or wait-2-3-4 )...Jeez if you can't find Mambos... 4. Salsa ( step-step-step-pause, or 1-2-3-wait) Salsa is just like mambo but you step on the first beat, not the 2nd. 5. Swing or Jive (slow-slow-quick-quick or step, step, rock-step) Anything from "Take the A-Train" and "Rock Around the Clock" on...that kind of beat. Lots of Rock is Jive 6. Waltz. WALTZ???? WHAT IS HE? NUTS? Nope. Lots of waltzes in Rock--Norwegian Wood, Hey, You've Got to Hide Your Love Away, Holiday Inn (Elton John), Piano Man. Anything in 3/4 or 6/8 in 2 can be a waltz. 7. Merengue: (1-2-3-4, basic march step) 99.9% of all pop music in 4/4 can be danced to by a merengue. Most disco dancing is based in merengue (OK, {censored}TY merengue). Check it out!

 

 

In my experience/opinion people do not dance to beats - they dance to songs, specifically songs they know and love to dance to. And there are some songs that seem to have a great appeal and some songs that just plain don't work. Case in point - my 50's medley. It goes like this: Hound Dog/Rock Around The Clock, Don't Be Cruel, Hound Dog. Last time I played it at a gig of 40 - 50 somethings, I started Hound Dog and the dance floor got full. I went into Rock Around the Clock and it got fuller. I got to Don't Be Cruel and a quarter of the dance floor left. Same exact drum beat throughout the medley (a la Jive Bunny.) Went back to Hound Dog and some people who left came back. The way I did the arrangement the beats and rhythms were pretty much the same.

 

OK, that was only one gig. But I've heard other people tell a similar story with medleys.

 

Or am I misunderstanding what you meant?

[richardmac]

 

rod stewart's great american songbook series cds have a ton of good standards that fit the 50-70 age bracket. i play quite a few of them myself. plus the cd comes in handy for dinner music when you take a break.

 

 

Good idea! I'll check it out. Thanks!

[tim_7string]

At my gigs, people will always dance for "Imagine" and "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," even though neither one is a love song.

 

Those kooky people.

 

I wouldn't worry about the lyrics too much. If people have seen your show and know what kind of material you do, just do it, maybe enhancing it with a few more numbers in the same vein.

[Mike McLaughlin]

I don't do many slow songs at my happy hour gig, but people always dance to:

 

Then You can Tell Me Goodbye - Casinos/Neil McCoy/etc.

 

When You Say Nothing At All - Keith Whitley/Allison Krauss

[Shaster]

If the gig is in a week you might be better off trying to pick the tunes from your current list. Flubbing a well known tune usually isn't a good idea - well maybe with the exception of New York, New York. Seems like you can butcher that tune and people are still happy.

 

Anyway, I play a lot for folks in the 40 to 60 range and +1 to Fly Me To The Moon. And don't forget The Girl From Ipanema - even "young" folks like and know that one. Have I told You Lately I love Yuu, and I Can't Help Falling In Love are also big. And the almost mandatory What A Wonderful World, My Girl and Stand By Me.

 

Don't forget about a few cheesy rock tunes like Old Time Rock & Roll. And Mustang Sally would also be a no brainer along with Brown Eyed Girl. And in my part of the world, one or two light Disco tunes and some Reggae work with that crowd.

 

So my suggestion is to go through your list. If you find stuff like the above or Drift Away or The Lady In Red.... dust them off and go to town. And don't be surprised if you also wind up playing I Saw Her Standing There or Johnny B. Goode or I Feel Good whatever.

 

And when all else fails.... play Sweet Caroline

[daddymack]

I wouldn't sweat the 'sentiment', worry about recognition. As was said, people in our age bracket (yes, I'm freakin' OLD ) want to sing along, even if it is their heads...

my duo gigs' set list was the perfect old fogeys show:

Unchained Melody

Walk Away Renee

Venus (not the Shocking Blue one)

Lonesome Town

Jingle Bell Rock

Tuesday Afternoon

Downtown

Country Roads

City of New Orleans

A Little Help From My Friends

Here, There and Everywhere

Norwegian Wood

add a few choice others like Travelin' Man, Cathy's Clown, Blue Bayou, Stand By Me, You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin'...and there is one sleep inducing set for you...

[jayare]

I just did one last week (Angels For Animals Wine-Taste)

first of all ...Its probably gonna be laid back,musically.The most important thing will be the VOLUME.You could probably do Metallica if it was soft enough.

Also...at most benefits...there are a lot of announcement,drawings,etc,etc.

Do you do any instrumentals??They always come in handy.

If your contact is a guy---dont worry..they are clueless...Its like a wedding......no one talks to the groom/father of the bride

Last but not least.......UNCHAINED MELODY

[Sgt. Rock]

"Knocking On Heaven's Door"? I've had people slow dance to "Michelle".

[yanktar]

 

In my experience/opinion people do not dance to beats - they dance to songs, specifically songs they know and love to dance to. And there are some songs that seem to have a great appeal and some songs that just plain don't work. Case in point - my 50's medley. It goes like this: Hound Dog/Rock Around The Clock, Don't Be Cruel, Hound Dog. Last time I played it at a gig of 40 - 50 somethings, I started Hound Dog and the dance floor got full. I went into Rock Around the Clock and it got fuller. I got to Don't Be Cruel and a quarter of the dance floor left. Same exact drum beat throughout the medley (a la Jive Bunny.) Went back to Hound Dog and some people who left came back. The way I did the arrangement the beats and rhythms were pretty much the same. OK, that was only one gig. But I've heard other people tell a similar story with medleys. Or am I misunderstanding what you meant?

 

 

 

Well, since my wife and I do a lot of ballroom, we listen for the beat and are biased. But, NATURALLY, we prefer to dance to stuff we know and like, but especially unexpected stuff that we know as songs but never thought about the beat (like "Lyin' Eyes" as a cha-cha).

Never do "free form" anymore...to beats like that we are probably doing merengue

 

She's a better dancer than me since she has to do everything I do backwards and in heels, but she cannot dance a Mambo to save her life. She can Salsa, which is exactly the same thing but on the first beat, but the Mambo trips her up everytime--the first beat pause. Still, my job is to make everybody look at her...and they do.

I mean, how many times do you want to tango to "Hernando's Hideway"? Never again! (BTW, I believe you can do a slow tango to "Michelle"

[richardmac]

If the gig is in a week you might be better off trying to pick the tunes from your current list. Flubbing a well known tune usually isn't a good idea - well maybe with the exception of New York, New York. Seems like you can butcher that tune and people are still happy. Anyway, I play a lot for folks in the 40 to 60 range and +1 to Fly Me To The Moon. And don't forget The Girl From Ipanema - even "young" folks like and know that one. Have I told You Lately I love Yuu, and I Can't Help Falling In Love are also big. And the almost mandatory What A Wonderful World, My Girl and Stand By Me. Don't forget about a few cheesy rock tunes like Old Time Rock & Roll. And Mustang Sally would also be a no brainer along with Brown Eyed Girl. And in my part of the world, one or two light Disco tunes and some Reggae work with that crowd. So my suggestion is to go through your list. If you find stuff like the above or Drift Away or The Lady In Red.... dust them off and go to town. And don't be surprised if you also wind up playing I Saw Her Standing There or Johnny B. Goode or I Feel Good whatever. And when all else fails.... play Sweet Caroline

 

LOL. I'm not a rookie. If I don't know a song I don't play it in front of 250 people. But I'm very very capable of learning a bunch of new songs in a week. Done it before.

 

"What A Wonderful World" is a great one - I'm adding that to my list.

[doezer]

you sure he doesnt mean "slow dancing" as in not too fast or not too punk/rock n rolley..

but he may not necessarily mean as slow as for example "i love you just the way you are"

 

for example stuff like "have you ever seen the rain" etc.. with that kind of beat should work too no??

[richardmac]

Pretty sure, yeah. When I talked to him he mentioned "Your Song" and "Just The Way You Are." But as others have pointed out, he might not be the best judge of what they are going to want. Or, he could be right on the money. I guess I need to be ready for anything, but that's good advice for any gig.