Music changes rapidly, and sometimes it's hard to keep up with the newest hits. Some songs might be popular for a few weeks and then fizzle out hard. Others might stay for a few months, while the true hits will stand the test of time. The biggest thing to keep in mind when requesting songs is, "What do I want to sing along to?" There are a lot of songs that definitely fit this category, but first, lets start with types of song requests that should be avoided because they don't really fit the show.
Song Requests to Avoid:
1. Instrumental Songs
While there are plenty of songs that allow us to show off our chops as piano players like Great Balls of Fire, Johnny B Goode, and even Freebird, we're mostly focused on how we can get the audience involved as much as possible. So, requesting instrumental songs like Scott Joplin's The Entertainer, or old jazz standards like Autumn Leaves or Take the A Train, and pretty much anything classical - think Debussy, Mozart, Bach, Shostakovich, etc. are not really good choices. These most likely won't get played because it's not that type of show.
1. Slow Songs (kind of)
Most ballads tend to not work very well. They kind of bring down the energy that we as entertainers are trying to build throughout the night. There are a few outliers, though, like Bruno Mars's When I Was Your Man, Adele's Someone Like You, and even Poison's Every Rose Has It's Thorn, that can get a crowd going. If you're thinking of requesting songs like The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald or The Cat's in the Cradle, it might be a good idea to reconsider. While they're songs that quite a few people might know, they just don't bring an audience together other than having them think, "Hmm...it might be time to leave," which is not what we want.
That being said, the best requests are often crowd-pleasers—songs that people know and love, which get everyone singing along, clapping, or dancing. Here are some of the top requests that tend to work well for dueling pianos:
1. Classic Rock Anthems
You basically can't go wrong with classic rock. There's just a universal appeal to these songs that have engrained them in piano bar repertoire for years to come. These songs are known by most people and are great for sing-alongs.
"Don't Stop Believin'" – Journey
"Livin' on a Prayer" – Bon Jovi
"Sweet Caroline" – Neil Diamond
"Bohemian Rhapsody" – Queen
"Piano Man" – Billy Joel
"Brown Eyed Girl" – Van Morrison
"American Pie" – Don McClean
"Bennie and the Jets" – Elton John
"Jack and Diane" – John Mellencamp
"Jesse's Girl" – Rick Springfield
"American Girl" – Tom Petty
"Have You Ever Seen the Rain" – CCR
"Hotel California" – The Eagles
"Come Sail Away" – Styx
"Home Sweet Home" – Motely Screw
"In the Air Tonight" – Phil Collins
"I Want You to Want Me" – Cheap Trick
"Rock and Roll All Nite" – Kiss
"Satisfaction" – The Rolling Stones
"Shook Me All Night Long" – AC/DC
And last by not least:
"Free Bird" – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Yes, the song that everyone shouts out at most live music events is actually one of my favorite songs to play. Although, not really a "sing-along," it's all about making it entertaining and hammering out a great solo at the end.
There are many other songs deserving to be on this list, but this is a pretty good start. For more ideas, check out this list of some of the best classic rock songs.
2. Pop Hits and 90s/2000s Throwbacks
Pop songs, particularly upbeat ones, energize the crowd and get everyone involved. These are the type of songs that can quickly get people out of their seats and dancing and include throwback hits from the '90s and early 2000s tend to evoke nostalgia and get people excited to relive some of their favorite tunes from their youth.
"Uptown Funk" – Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars
"Shake It Off" – Taylor Swift
"1,000 Miles" – Vanessa Carlton
"I Gotta Feeling" – The Black Eyed Peas
"Can't Stop the Feeling!" – Justin Timberlake
"All the Small Things" – Blink 182
"Stacy's Mom" – Fountain's of Wayne
"Mr. Brightside" – The Killers
"Wonderwall" – Oasis
"Wannabe" – Spice Girls
"Bye Bye Bye" – *NSYNC
"Toxic" – Britney Spears
"No Scrubs" – TLC
"I Want It That Way" – Backstreet Boys
3. Classic and Timeless Songs
These songs have stood the test of time and appeal to multiple generations, making them great choices for a crowd that enjoys a mix of timeless ballads and slower tunes. A lot of classic rock could probably fit on this list as well, but this is a list of the best from the 50s and 60s.
"My Way" – Frank Sinatra
"Stand by Me" – Ben E. King
"Great Balls of Fire" – Jerry Lee Lewis
"Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay" – Otis Redding
"Pretty Woman" – Roy Orbison
"Can't Help Falling in Love" – The Beatles
"Happy Together" – The Turtles
"Run Around Sue" – Dion
"Hey Jude" – The Beatles
"California Dreamin'" – The Mamas & the Papas
"House of the Rising Sun" – The Animals
"My Girl" – The Temptations
"Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" – Jime Croce
"Jailhouse Rock" – Elvis Presley
"Folsom Prison Blues" – Johnny Cash
"Ring of Fire" – Johnny Cash
"Blueberry Hill" – Fats Domino
"Mack the Knife" – Bobby Darin
"Runaway" – Del Shannon
"I'm a Believer" – The Monkees
"Bad Moon Rising" – CCR
"Can't Help Falling in Love" – Elvis Presley
"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" – The Righteous Brothers
The Beatles - Basically anything by them.
A Hard Day's Night, Yesterday, Let It Be, Hey Jude, In My Life, Can't Buy Me Love, I Saw Her Standing There, Yellow Submarine, I Want to Hold Your Hand, Come Together, Ticket to Ride, Here Comes the Sun, Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,...
4. Fun and Interactive Songs
Interactive songs that encourage people to dance, clap, or sing along are always a hit. These are perfect for creating a lively, party atmosphere. Some of them have hand motions or dances that we teach to the audience, and some have a call-and-response.
"Sweet Home Alabama" – Lynyrd Skynyrd
"Alice" – Smokey (If you know, you know)
"The Joker" – Steve Miller Band
"Wagon Wheel" – Old Crow Medicine Show
"La Bamba" – Ritchie Valens
"Twist and Shout" – The Beatles
"Baby Got Back" – Sir Mix-a-Lot
"Dixieland Delight" – Alabama
"Lucille" – Kenny Rogers
"Rattlin' Bog" – Bobby "Boris" Pickett
"Monster Mash" – Irish Folk Song
"I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)" – The Proclaimers
"The Hokey Pokey" – Traditional
"Proud Mary" – Tina Turner
"Dancing Queen" – ABBA
"I Will Survive" – Gloria Gaynor
"The Chicken Dance" – Traditional (fun for a silly, crowd participation moment)
Call-and-Response
The hidden lyrics you gotta know.
"Alice" - Smokey "Alice, Alice (Who the F*ck is Alice?)"
"Dixieland Delight" - Alamaba "Spend my dollar (On beer!),
Parked in a holler 'neath the mountain moonlight (Roll tide!),
Hold her uptight (Against the wall!),
Make a little lovin' (All night!),
A little turtle dovin' on a Mason Dixon night ("F*ck" Auburn!),
Fits my life (And LSU!),
oh so right (And Tennessee, too!),
My Dixieland Delight."
"Lucille" – Kenny Rogers "You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille." (You B*tch, You Slut, You Whore!)" "Family Tradition" – Hank Williams Jr. "Why do you drink? (To get drunk!),
"Why do you roll smoke? (To get high!),
"Why must you live out the songs that you wrote? (To get laid!)
6. Country Hits
Country music can be a big hit, especially for audiences that appreciate the genre. These songs have sing-along potential and can bring a fun, down-home vibe to the performance.
Older Country Songs
"You Never Even Called Me by My Name" – David Allen Coe
"Friends in Low Places" – Garth Brooks
"Jolene" – Dolly Parton
"Take Me Home, Country Roads" – John Denver
"Chattahoochee" – Alan Jackson
"Ring of Fire" – Johnny Cash
"The Gambler" – Kenny Rogers
"Redneck Woman" – Gretchen Wilson
"Wagon Wheel" – Old Crow Medicine Show
"Dust on the Bottle" – David Lee Murphy
"Something Like That" – Tim McGraw
"I Love This Bar" – Toby Keith
"Family Tradition" – Hank Williams Jr.
"Rocky Top" – Osborne Brothers "Man I Feel Like a Woman" – Shania Twain
"Neon Moon" – Brooks and Dunne
"Goodbye Earl" – The Dixie Chicks
"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" – The Charlie Daniels Band
From the past 20 years
"Tennessee Whiskey" – Chris Stapleton
"Before He Cheats" – Carrie Underwood
"Something in the Orange" – Zach Bryan
"Beer Never Broke My Heart" – Luke Combs
"Little Feathered Indians" – Tyler Childers
"Cruise" – Florida Georgia Line
"Old Town Road" – Lil Nas X
"Springsteen" – Eric Church
"Chicken Fried" – Zac Brown Band
"Body Like a Back Road" – Sam Hunt
"Fancy Like" – Walker Hayes
7. Hip-hop
Country music can be a big hit, especially for audiences that appreciate the genre. These songs have sing-along potential and can bring a fun, down-home vibe to the performance.
"Rapper's Delight" – The Sugarhill Gang
"Juicy" – The Notorious B.I.G.
"Nuthin’ But a 'G' Thang" – Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg
"California Love" – Dr. Dre feat. 2Pac
"Lose Yourself" – Eminem
"Changes" – Tupac Shakur
"99 Problems" – Jay-Z
"Hypnotize" – The Notorious B.I.G.
"Gold Digger" – Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx
"Runaway" – Kanye West feat. Pusha T
"Ms. Jackson" – OutKast
"Gold Digger" – Kanye West
"Hey Ya!" – OutKast
"The Real Slim Shady" – Eminem
"It Was a Good Day" – Ice Cub
"Gangsta's Paradise" – Coolio
"Ice Ice Baby" – Vanilla Ice
"Gin and Juice" – Snoop Dogg
"Pony" – Ginuwine
"Get Low" – Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz feat. Ying Yang Twins
"Fight For Your Right" – Beastie Boys
"Forgot About Dre" – Dr. Dre feat. Eminem
"N***as in Paris" – Jay-Z & Kanye West
"WAP" – Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion
"Push It" – Salt-N-Pepa
"Shoop" – Salt-N-Pepa
"The Next Episode" – Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg
"Thrift Shop" – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz
"Super Bass" – Nicke Minaj
8. Popular Ballads
"Let It Be" – The Beatles
"Landslide" – Fleetwod Mac
"I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing" – Aerosmith
"Perfect" – Ed Sheeran
"If I Ain't Got You" – Alicia Keys
These songs are slower and more emotional, great for romantic moments or when the energy needs to dial back a bit.
9. Elton John and Billy Joel
Essentially the Godfathers of the gig, Elton John and Billy Joel are the two biggest names for piano rock stars. While I love Sara Bareilles, Ben Folds, Bruce Hornsby, Jack's Mannaquin, and Something Corporate, Elton and Billy are unmatched. The only other artist that comes close is Stevie Wonder, who is a genius and incredible musician in his own right. There's just something about these two that have put them in a class of their own.
Elton John - I'm Still Standing, Cold Heart, Rocket Man, Your Song, Tiny Dancer, Bennie and the Jets, Crocodile Rock, Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
Honorable Mention - The Bitch is Back, Candle in the Wind, Daniel, Levon, Don't Go Breaking My Heart, Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Honky Cat, I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blue, Philadelphia Freedom, Take Me to the Pilot
Billy Joel - Piano Man, Movin' Out, You May Be Right, Only the Good Die Young, It's Still Rock and Roll to Me, My Life, Vienna, Uptown Girl, We Didn't Start the Fire
Honorable Mention - Allentown, Downeaster "Alexa", Just the Way You Are, The Longest Time, Miami 2017, Prelude/Angry Young Man, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, She's Always a Woman, She's Got a Way
I'm not going to list Stevie Wonder as Honoroable Mention because he deserves his own praise and is in a different class as a musician and song writer; so I still have to list some of his best.
Stevie Wonder
Isn't She Lovely, Superstition, You Are the Sunshine of My Life, Boogie on Reggae Woman, Higher Ground, Signed, Sealed, Deliver, Happy Birthday, and my personal favorite - Overyjoyed
Honorable mention just means that these songs don't tend to get requested as much or are a little slow when trying to build up the energy. There's a chance that they won't be known quite as well by the players since they're not frequently requested.
You simply can't go wrong the Elton and Billy.
Tips for Dueling Piano Requests:
Audience Favorites: If the crowd has a particular demographic (e.g., younger or older), try to gauge what will work best based on their tastes.
Sing-Along Songs: Songs with catchy hooks or lyrics that people can easily sing along to are always popular.
Timeless Hits: Choose songs that almost everyone is likely to recognize and enjoy, regardless of age.
Personal Requests: Encourage guests to request songs related to their personal experiences or event (e.g., a couple's song at a wedding or a specific favorite of a birthday guest).
In general, the best requests for dueling pianos are those that get people excited, engaged, and having fun. The interactive nature of dueling pianos thrives on the energy of the audience, so picking songs that get people singing and dancing will always be a win!
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