# 14 songs people always ask guitarists to play



## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

14 songs people always ask guitarists to play

I have heard most of these songs (But not all) and don't know how to play many of them.
The only one I ever got asked a lot was Stairway & then maybe Free Bird.
But I thought I'd share this to see what you think.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

There's not one song in that list I'd want to play with the band.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

I wouldn't mind doing Hotel California.
Only because I know the lead part.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

laristotle said:


> I wouldn't mind doing Hotel California.
> Only because I know the lead part.


Is it in Bm? I heard they started in Dm but had to keep dropping it to suit Henley's voice.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

1SweetRide said:


> Is it in Bm?


That's what I know it in.
I heard the same regarding Henley.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

1SweetRide said:


> Is it in Bm? I heard they started in Dm but had to keep dropping it to suit Henley's voice.


Started in Em originally. Felder sings in in Am during his solo shows. I believe Henley is still singing it in Bm


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

1SweetRide said:


> There's not one song in that list I'd want to play with the band.


I'm in agreement.
I'm surprised "Old Time RocknRoll" didn't make the list.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

House Of The Rising Sun is one I will play anytime, anywhere. I do my own thing with it and use the older and better lyrics as the abbreviated Animals lyrics suck. 

I like Mustang Sally the way my last cover band did it, but most bands aren't soulful enough and don't get the groove.

Knockin' On Heaven's Door is a great song, but for some warped reason bands want to turn it into some sort of rock anthem.

Everything else on that list is either dreck or I'm so sick and tired of it. Sweet Home Alabama is one I'm sick of being badgered for and I'm surprised it's not listed...in my last cover band the leader would announce "Sweet Home" and I'd kick off Sweet Home Chicago, a vastly superior song, just to piss him off.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Mooh said:


> House Of The Rising Sun is one I will play anytime, anywhere. I do my own thing with it and use the older and better lyrics as the abbreviated Animals lyrics suck.
> 
> I like Mustang Sally the way my last cover band did it, but most bands aren't soulful enough and don't get the groove.
> 
> ...


Heheh, I can play Sweet Home Chicago. Sweet Home Alabama, not so much.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

I don't get why people won't play some songs. When I'm playing live I'm an entertainer. If the audience is into it I'm into it. I don't know about half of the songs listed so I wouldn't play them. The ones I do know I enjoy playing them. They often get the crowd going so that I can then play an original or a song I really like.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Kerry Brown said:


> I don't get why people won't play some songs. When I'm playing live I'm an entertainer. If the audience is into it I'm into it. I don't know about half of the songs listed so I wouldn't play them. The ones I do know I enjoy playing them. They often get the crowd going so that I can then play an original or a song I really like.


As an entertainer, you want to play something you can get into too. If you're bored or don't like the tune, I think the audience would feel that. Better to play stuff you know and love I think.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

1SweetRide said:


> As an entertainer, you want to play something you can get into too. If you're bored or don't like the tune, I think the audience would feel that. Better to play stuff you know and love I think.


Maybe it's just me but if the audience is into it I'm into it. It's a two way thing that someone has to start. It may just be that I don't perform live often enough to get that bored.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Justin Bieber? Daft Punk? LOL

I've played all the others, though. And I can think of a lot more that get asked more often than many/most on that list.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

I'm also reminded of a recent post, by and borrowed from @laristotle (and used without permission or apology or humility).

_______________

HOW TO REQUEST A SONG FROM THE BAND

When requesting a song from the band, just say “Play my song.” We have chips implanted in our heads with an unlimited database of the favorite tunes of every patron who ever walked into a bar and all songs ever recorded so feel free to be vague, we love the challenge.

If we say we really don’t remember that tune you want, we’re only kidding. Bands do know every song ever recorded, so keep humming. Hum harder if need be… it helps jog the memory, or just repeat your request over and over again.

If a band tells you they do not know a song you want to hear, they either forgot they know the tune or they are just putting you on. Try singing a few words for the band, any words will do. It also helps to scream your request from across the room several times per set followed by the phrases, “AW, COME ON!” and “YOU SUCK!”

Exaggerated hand gestures expressing disapproval from the dance floor are a big help as well, such as the thumbs down or your middle finger up. Put-downs are the best way to jog a band’s memory. This instantly promotes you to the status of “Personal Friend of the Band.” You can bet your request will be the next song we play.

Entertainers are notorious fakers and jokesters and never really prepared for their shows. We simply walk on stage with no prior thought to what we will do once we arrive. We don’t actually make set lists or rehearse songs, we mostly just wait for you to yell something out, then fake it.

An entertainer’s job is easy, even a monkey could do it, so don’t let them off the hook easily. Your request is all that matters. Once you’ve figured out what genre of music the band plays, please make your requests from a totally different genre, the more exaggerated the better. If it’s a blues band playing, yell for some Metallica, Black Sabbath or Motley Crue. If it’s a death-speed metal band be sure to request Brown Eyed Girl or some Grateful Dead. We musicians constantly need to broaden our horizons and it’s your job to see that it happens… immediately.

TALKING WITH THE BAND

The best time to discuss anything with the band in any meaningful way is at the middle of a song when all band members are singing at the same time. Our hearing is so advanced that we can pick out your tiny voice from the megawatt wall of sound blasting all around us. And we can converse with you in sign language while singing the song, so don’t worry that we’re in the middle of the chorus.

Musicians are expert lip-readers too. If a musician does not reply to your question or comment during a tune, it’s because they didn’t get a good look at your mouth in order to read your lips. Simply continue to scream out your request and be sure to over emphasize the words with your lips. This helps immensely. Don’t be fooled. Singers have the innate ability to answer questions and sing at the same time. If the singer doesn’t answer your questions immediately, regardless of how stupid the question may seem, it’s because they are purposely ignoring you. If this happens, immediately cop an attitude. We love this.

IMPORTANT TIP

When an entertainer leans over to hear you better, grab his or her head in both hands and yell directly into their ear, while holding their head securely so they can’t pull away. This will be taken as an invitation to a friendly game of tug of war between their head and your hands. Don’t give up, hang on until the singer or guitar player submits. Drummers are often unavailable for this fun game since they usually sit at the back, protected by their drum kits. Keyboard players are protected by their instrument and only play the game when tricked into coming out from behind their instruments. Though difficult to get them to play, it’s not impossible, so keep trying. They’re especially vulnerable during the break between songs.

HELPING THE BAND

If you inform the band that you are a singer, the band will appreciate your help with the next few tunes, or however long you can remain standing on stage. If you’re too drunk to stand unassisted, simply lean on one of the band members or the most expensive piece of equipment you see. Just pretend you’re in a karaoke bar. Simply feel free to walk up on stage and join in the fun. By the way, the drunker you are, the better you sound, and the louder you should sing. If by chance you fall off the stage, be sure to crawl back up and attempt to sing harmony. Keep in mind that nothing assists the band more than outrageous dancing, fifth and sixth part harmonies or a tambourine played on one and three and out of tempo. Try the cowbell, they love the challenge. The band always needs the help and will take this as a compliment.

Finally, the microphone and PA system are merely props, they don’t really amplify your voice, so when you grab the mic out of the singer’s hand, be sure to scream into it at the top of your lungs, otherwise nobody will hear what a great singer you are. Hearing is over-rated anyhow. The crowd and the sound tech will love you for it.

BONUS TIP

As a last resort, wait until the band takes a break and then get on stage and start playing their instruments. They love this. Even if you are ejected from the club, you can rest assured in the knowledge you have successfully completed your audition. The band will call you the following day to offer you a position.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

High/Deaf said:


> used without permission or apology or humility


Send me royalties of one 'like' for every three that you receive for your post.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Free Bird is too fun not to play


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

The only one that my band plays in that list is Mustang Sally. It totally gets the crowd going whenever we play it. But we play it with a lot of energy. Actually that's one of the things I like with this band I have right now, lots of energy, lots of improvisation and very tight rhythm section. Saxophone player and I get into it when we play it. She'll solo, I'll solo, we'll solo together or trade licks. It has become a mainstay in our repertoire now. I had reservations at the beginning coz I know it's been over played in bars but as long as we put a lot energy into it, it never sounds 'old'.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Kerry Brown said:


> I don't get why people won't play some songs. When I'm playing live I'm an entertainer. If the audience is into it I'm into it. I don't know about half of the songs listed so I wouldn't play them. The ones I do know I enjoy playing them. They often get the crowd going so that I can then play an original or a song I really like.


Sometimes those songs aren't asked for but lame bands make them part of their regular set list. They're not so much lame unless their whole set list contains songs like these.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

guitarman2 said:


> Sometimes those songs aren't asked for but lame bands make them part of their regular set list. They're not so much lame unless their whole set list contains songs like these.


Take away 2, 4, 7, 12, 14 and maybe 13 throw in Born to Be Wild and a few other songs from Easy Rider, some David Allen Coe and some Bob Segar and Synyrd and you've got a set for almost any biker bar in north america. Throw in a wet T-shirt contest and your tip jar will overflow.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Electraglide said:


> Take away 2, 4, 7, 12, 14 and maybe 13 throw in Born to Be Wild and a few other songs from Easy Rider, some David Allen Coe and some Bob Segar and Synyrd and you've got a set for almost any biker bar in north america. *Throw in a wet T-shirt contest and your tip jar will overflow.*


*
*
I guarantee no one wants to see me in a wet t shirt


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

guitarman2 said:


> I guarantee no one wants to see me in a wet t shirt


Afterr some double jacks and some gold anything goes....you might even win.


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## leftysg (Mar 29, 2008)

1SweetRide said:


> Is it in Bm? I heard they started in Dm but had to keep dropping it to suit Henley's voice.


They probably changed keys because it sounded too much like Tull's "We Used to Know". They only toured with Tull and heard it in soundcheck a couple dozen times prior to the release of Hotel California.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Does it really matter? The bar patrons are paying you to play and whatever they want to hear should be played. 

Nothing ever gets old with me. Every opportunity to play to a crowd is fun and exciting and I am always over the top enthusiastic. I have no qualms about playing any of those songs. I can’t count how many times I have played Stairway but I truly connect with that song no matter how many times I go through the motions. I always give it my all.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Kerry Brown said:


> I don't get why people won't play some songs.


Right or wrong my view is that you have to wear a song and sing it like you believe it; lots of songs to me would be like putting on a clown suit - no way I can do that. There's too many songs that I want to learn that mean something to me but not enough time so I won't waste it learning something that doesn't interest me. 

Also, a lot of people will tell you that you have to follow your own path on these things because if you don't it will show. 

On the other hand, yeah, you can go the route of doing crowd pleasers and maybe it's a good time for you if that's what you like but when I started doing this the only excuse I could come up with for opening my mouth was that even if I'm fuckin lousy at least the words to this song are worth getting out there and maybe that'll work. So far it has.

So that's one reason why some people won't play some songs.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

leftysg said:


> Tull's "We Used to Know".


Now that's a god damn decent song...lol


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Wardo said:


> Now that's a god damn decent song...lol


Right, I do hear Hotel California in there.


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## SaucyJack (Mar 8, 2017)

Some of those made me cringe...


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

SaucyJack said:


> Some of those made me cringe...


We should all thank our lucky stars that Abba's not in there.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Hmm, play Mustang Sally, House of the rising sun and thats about it


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## oldjoat (Apr 4, 2019)

1SweetRide said:


> We should all thank our lucky stars that Abba's not in there.


or Zappa


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

What, no Zappa?


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

1SweetRide said:


> We should all thank our lucky stars that Abba's not in there.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Electraglide said:


> What, no Zappa?


I've seen this one covered a few years back.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

No Queen either.


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## SaucyJack (Mar 8, 2017)

1SweetRide said:


> We should all thank our lucky stars that Abba's not in there.


I almost quit a band few years back because they wanted to play Wagon Wheel.


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## oldjoat (Apr 4, 2019)

Electraglide said:


> What, no Zappa?


 LUV Zappa.
but few bands are up to his stuff ....
think "the partridge family goes heavy metal"

Magdalena ... the was an old man , a dirty ol' man that lived in Montreal


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

1SweetRide said:


> We should all thank our lucky stars that Abba's not in there.


If you find yourself in a situation where you just _have_ to, pick 'Waterloo' every time. Lends itself to a harder version and the chorus is pretty standard old school rock n roll progression.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Gets the chicks up on the dance floor too.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Electraglide said:


> What, no Zappa?


I remember hearing someone play I'm the Slime in a music store.
I think I was the only person who recognized it.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Well, you younguns jist get up an' dance. Me and grandma's gonna hit the jug and then go snugglin' in the hayloft.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Electraglide said:


> Well, you younguns jist get up an' dance. Me and grandma's gonna hit the jug and then go snugglin' in the hayloft.


Inquiring minds want to know who's grandma gets the honours?


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

1SweetRide said:


> Inquiring minds want to know who's grandma gets the honours?


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

SaucyJack said:


> I almost quit a band few years back because they wanted to play Wagon Wheel.


I used to play it, 10 years ago. It reached saturation though, and then Darius Rucker released it as a single.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Kerry Brown said:


> I don't get why people won't play some songs. When I'm playing live I'm an entertainer. If the audience is into it I'm into it. I don't know about half of the songs listed so I wouldn't play them. The ones I do know I enjoy playing them. They often get the crowd going so that I can then play an original or a song I really like.


I kind of agree, but IME musicians always seem to have a few songs they just don't want to play. So I've started to insist on only 3 vetoes / musician, lest we end up with nothing everyone will play. I usually have Takin' Care of Business and Roadhouse Blues on my veto list. LOL

It is worth noting that sometimes a song you never thought about playing can a) go over great and b) be fun to play. Case in point, I played in a band that insisted on closing every night with Sweet Caroline. I was initially resistant but learned it. And, low and behold, it may be the best closer I've ever used (crowd participation through the roof!!!). And it is fun to play, if you sweat the details like the harmony intro.


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## SaucyJack (Mar 8, 2017)

cboutilier said:


> I used to play it, 10 years ago. It reached saturation though, and then Darius Rucker released it as a single.


For years every type of band played it. Got to the point where musicians were refusing to put it into their sets. It's just beat to death.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

What, no Wipeout?? (definite age giveaway here)


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

We recently put a coupla' Elvis tunes on the roster that go over really well.
Little Sister and Burning Love.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

laristotle said:


> We recently put a coupla' Elvis tunes on the roster that go over really well.
> Little Sister and Burning Love.


We do Little Sister, Mystery Train, That's Alright Mama, and Suspicious Minds.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Robert1950 said:


> What, no Wipeout?? (definite age giveaway here)


It did not too badly for a "B" side song.




For a while it was the first song played at any teen town dance. (A real age giveaway). When it came out that spot went to Wild Thing.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

laristotle said:


> We recently put a coupla' Elvis tunes on the roster that go over really well.
> Little Sister and Burning Love.


Little Sister and A Little Less Conversation here. Probably neither that true to the way Elvis did them, either.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

I tried to talk the band into doing this. lol


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

laristotle said:


> I tried to talk the band into doing this. lol


I'd like to hear that with a reggae beat.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

zontar said:


> I'd like to hear that with a reggae beat.


Found this.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

laristotle said:


> Found this.


Welcome to the Ivory Coast. Nice bikes and not a bad version of the song.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Electraglide said:


> What, no Zappa?


Broken promises are sometimes okay.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

laristotle said:


> Found this.


Ok--reagge beat & keep the Elvis voice...
And the AC/DC song.

but that was cool.


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## Twelvestring (Apr 27, 2019)

Irish bands have the same kind of list. At the top: Danny Boy


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

laristotle said:


> I tried to talk the band into doing this. lol


That was good. LOL Actually I've been wanting to play that song for a long long time now. Maybe start up another classic rock band. LOL


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Robert1950 said:


> What, no Wipeout?? (definite age giveaway here)


No local drummers can play that anymore.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

1SweetRide said:


> No local drummers can play that anymore.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

She's not Ron Wilson but she's not bad.


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## Cardamonfrost (Dec 12, 2018)

oldjoat said:


> or Zappa


All I can think of is one chorus of Catholic Girls and you never get that gig again.

"How do they go, after the show?" AAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL THE WAY.

C


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

^^ Knew a guy in High School who could play that really good. He was snare in a marching band.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

A few of them, I never even heard of but I don't listen to punk or JB.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Punk's Ok.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Tried talking the band into playing this


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

The Ramones! Playing What A Wonderful World! Your band must think "Where did this old man come from?'. Step it up a bit.....especially if you have a keyboard player with slightly demented fingers.


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