Suggestions for 80's & 90's songs to add to our song list

[Telenator]

We're looking to add more 80's and 90's tunes to our song list and my memory just ain't what it used to be.

The songs should have a certain longevity to them as we're not into swapping out songs month after month.

Currently we're doing stuff like "Interstate Love Song" and "Plush" by STP, Green Day, Bon Jovi, The Cars and .38 Special. The songs we've chosen all rock and have endured. We're looking to add just a few more classics and we're particularly weak in the 90's category.

What say ye?

[Colo Springs E]

Some are 80s, some are 90s:

Possum Kingdom by the Toadies
Various Cure songs
Story Of My Life by Social D
Blitzkrieg Bop Ramones (or is that late 70s?)
All Violent Femmes
Should I Stay Clash; I think Rock the Casbah would go over well too
Be My Girl Jet (might be 2000s, goes over real well)
Sublime songs, people love them; we do the two big ones (What I Got, Santeria), but personally I think it'd be better to do a couple off the beaten path...
Cake songs KILL, we do The Distance and Short Skirt/Long Jacket and the crowd loves these...

[goldtopper]

You could go with a smaller band like mpls' Suburbs hits like Baby Heartbeat or Music for Boys- very cool tunes.
Stray Cats Rev It Up and Go or Rock this town.
Anything by George Thorogood really cranks up a crowd.
Stones Miss You, Respectable or When the Whip Comes Down.
Turning Japanese by the Vapors.
Take a Long Line by Angel City

[dean]

A few others to consider might be:

Dyslexic Heart - The Replacements
Love is the Law - The Suburbs (good call on them, goldtopper!)
Without a Trace or Somebody to Shove - Soul Asylum
Betterman - Pearl Jam

Have fun!

Dean

[genelovesjez]

American Music by the Violent Femmes. Bulletproof!

[Telenator]

LOL! I'm such a geezer I haven't even heard of a lot of this stuff. Always good to learn new music! At least the majority of modern songs I've learned seem to be a lot easier to play than much of the old stuff we play. It's the production that that goes into modern music can be a real bear!

[franchelB]

How'bout "Jesse's Girl" or "I've done everything for you"?;)

For the '80s, any single from:
1. AC/DC's "Back in Black
2. Van Halen
3. Foreigner
4. Guns & Roses
5. Ratt's "Round & Round"
6. Motley Crue's "Smokin' in the Boys Room"
7. Billy Squire
8. The Black Crowes
9. Journey

There ya'go...one full set of songs!!

[Telenator]

Originally Posted by franchelB

How'bout "Jesse's Girl" or "I've done everything for you"?;)

For the '80s, any single from:
1. AC/DC's "Back in Black
2. Van Halen
3. Foreigner
4. Guns & Roses
5. Ratt's "Round & Round"
6. Motley Crue's "Smokin' in the Boys Room"
7. Billy Squire
8. The Black Crowes
9. Journey

There ya'go...one full set of songs!!

LOL! A full set? We play 14 to 16 songs per set and take 15 minute breaks. We're the hardest working cover band in our area! Club owners love it!


Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I'm copying them into a WORD document to be decphered later and shared with the band.

[FrankB]

1970's Jerry Reed- Bandit theme.. eat bound and down loaded up and truckin...great song...

[ClearwaterMike]

AC/DC's "Long Way to the Top" (if you've got some bagpipes around...)

Greg Kihn Band's "Breakup Song" (amost too easy!)

Mellencamp: "ROCK in the USA" and "Wild Nights"

Bryan Adams: "Summer of '69" (this is probably a 70's song, though)

Golden Earring: "Radar Love"

G'n'R: "Sweet Child of Mine"

Tom Petty: "Runnin' Down a Dream"

Added Later:

Just saw getbent's list -- I agree with "Closing Time" and "Jenny Jenny". Everyone knows the words.

And I like "Runaway Train" by Soul Asylum, but I think that's a 90s tune.

[getbent]

867-5309 Jenny, Jenny who can I turn to
closing time semisonic
Tom Petty
Hey Jelousy Gin Blossoms

[wilkat1]

Ways to be Wicked - Lone Justice
Jason and the Scorchers - pick one. I always liked "A Bible and a Gun"
Breakdown - Petty
Give Me One Reason - Tracy Chapman

[Skully]

867-5309 Jenny, Jenny who can I turn to
closing time semisonic
Tom Petty
Hey Jelousy Gin Blossoms

Ooh... I dig those, although I'm more partial to the Gin Blossoms' "Found Out About You." That song should be in the best lyrics thread, along with Don Henley's "Boys of Summer," which has similar sentiments of loss and longing. Of course, the broke, alcoholic author of "Found Out About You" blew his brains out after the group kicked him out of the band prior to the song's release, while Henley can afford to wipe his butt with thousand dollar bills.

[Brian blaut]

You can't beat "Rock This Town" by the Stray Cats. Everyone remembers it. Its got energy and fun as heck to play.

[Telenator]

Feelin' older by the minute!

[studio1087]

London Calling - The Clash
Better Now - Collective Soul
I Will Follow - U2
My Sharona - The Knack
Psycho Killer - Talking Heads
Mexican Radio - Wall of Voodoo
Is She Really Going Out With Him? - Joe Jackson
I Wanna Be Sedated - The Ramones
Seven Chinese Brothers - REM
Should I Stay or Should I Go - The Clash

[Dillon]

I play with folks who are much younger than I am. We always get good responses to:

Sweet Child of Mine
867-5309 (Jenny)
Save It for Later/What I Got medley
I Melt with You
I Fought the Law (Clash version)

If a song has made a big national commercial campaign, we have probably tried it at rehearsal. Cadillac, Circuit City, birth control pills...We're shameless when it comes to familiar songs.

[Rocker AK]

Don't Misunderstand Me - Rossington Collins
End of the Line - Allman Bros.
Rock & Roll Aint Noise Pollution - AC/DC
Still Got The Blues/Cold Day in Hell - Gary Moore
Never Been Any Reason - Head East (Good 70's Tune)

Anything from Alice in Chains, G N' R or STP. A good SRV song will rock the house.

Anything from Rick Springfield and that Jenny 8675309 song is horrible. I would immediately leave the bar if a band started playing that mess... unless the drinks were free :-)

Songs not to play - Paranoid, You've Got Another Thing Coming, Wonderful Tonight, Ain't Talkin' Bout Love - These trigger my gag reflex! It's like that first whif of poo...I know if I smell it again I'm gonna toss.

[Dave W]

Some excellent choices here. And if you're not familiar with them, I'd guess most of them can be found on YouTube.

I'll add a few more:

The Pixies: Here Comes Your Man
Del Amitri: Always The Last To Know
The Lemonheads: It's a Shame About Ray, Into Your Arms
XTC: Senses Working Overtime
Offspring: Come Out And Play
Blur: Song 2

[Colo Springs E]

Originally Posted by Dave W

Some excellent choices here. And if you're not familiar with them, I'd guess most of them can be found on YouTube.

I'll add a few more:
Offspring: Come Out And Play
Blur: Song 2

....great sing-a-long sons, the audience going "woo-hoo!" is a rush during Song #2! Easy as hell to play, too.

[Seanycaster]

The Police - Message in a Bottle, Word Up by cameo translates brilliantly into a guitar based rock song and would surprise some people too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VlSE4OpKDU

[Jelly]

Some good suggestions, but they seem sparse on the 90's tunes. Colo Springs E and Dave W seem to be on the right track regarding that. I'll add a few, but I guess it depends on your audience:

I'm the One - Descendents
On Fire - Sebadoh
I'm on a Plain - Nirvana
In the Garage - Weezer
Ditch Digger - Rocket From the Crypt
Teeth Like God's Shoeshine - Modest Mouse (but good luck trying to figure out the lyrics for any Modest Mouse song)

[Thelonious Monkey]

I'm not sure of the years for these, but these tunes seem to work real good in the bars around Pittsburgh:

All for You - Sister Hazel
Patience - GnR
Save The Night - Eagle Eye Cherry
Rain King - Counting Crows
Copperhead Road - Steve Earle
Black - Pearl Jam
Lightning Crashes - Live