Songs for the non singer?
April 22, 2017 11:43 AM   Subscribe

I love music from the 30s and 40s. I'm not musical and I absolutely cannot sing (such talent would be among my wishes of the leprechaun), but I'm slowly learning how to play ukulele and, as it becomes possible, want to develop a small repertoire of sweet and simple songs that a) aren't too hard to memorize, and b) won't hurt the ears of the people around me or cause dogs to howl.

The lyrics should be easy to memorize, so rhyming may help in that; the music should be not too complex for ukulele (there are a ton of resources out there for uke music, so not too worried about locating your suggestions; I imagine most will be out there).

There are plenty of lists out there of songs for people who can't sing, but I specifically want songs from the 30s and 40s that don't require much range. FWIW, I cannot read music and I guess I'd probably be a contralto, though really I wouldn't know. Open to whatever, jazz, pop, cowboy songs, talking songs (if that's a thing), but slow is probably best since it will be a very long time before I can play anything fast.

Listening to the Spotify playlist called "30's and 40's music" prompted my post. A couple of songs jump out as real contenders:
Doris Day's A Bushel and a Peck
Jimmy Durante's (If You're) Young at Heart

Whatcha got? This is for diddling around on the couch or around the campfire. Extra points for cute, silly, playful, sexy, sweet.
posted by AnOrigamiLife to Media & Arts (11 answers total) 14 users marked this as a favorite
 
Ain't S/he Sweet
posted by rhizome at 12:09 PM on April 22, 2017


Dream A Little Dream is from 1931, very sweet, and very forgiving.
posted by mochapickle at 12:15 PM on April 22, 2017 [2 favorites]


Anything Goes. It is very forgiving and done in spoken word style does not push the vocal range hard.
posted by jadepearl at 12:20 PM on April 22, 2017


Why Don't You Do Right (as made famous by Jessica Rabbit, of course).
posted by juliplease at 12:22 PM on April 22, 2017


Blue Skies - easy lyrics, and a small enough range that I can almost sing it.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 1:22 PM on April 22, 2017


Happy Days Are Here Again was FDR''s campaign song.
posted by brujita at 3:13 PM on April 22, 2017


I love Linda Ronstadt's album What's New? She brings a lot of soul and passion to songs from the 30s and 40s in that album. You may find it gives you some inspiration.
posted by rw at 5:42 PM on April 22, 2017 [1 favorite]


The Doctor Uke site has lists of songs from the 30s and 40s. "Goodnight, Irene," from the 30s, looks like a good pick. "Shine on, Harvest Moon" is from earlier in the 1900s but was popular in the 30s and 40s and might interest you.

There's also a beginners page with techniques and easier songs. All of the songs on the site have voice+uke recordings which I find helpful for unfamiliar songs.

If you see a song you really like but he has a bunch of crazy chords in it, try googling for other versions. What he has arranged in 7 chords, someone else may have done in 3.

Good luck and happy ukeing!
posted by bunderful at 6:15 PM on April 22, 2017 [1 favorite]


I really like the songs in The Daily Ukulele for this kind of campfire/singable stuff. If you get it and like it, there's a second volume with less well-known songs.

Flipping through my copy, some things that might work (some are from the 20s)

Are You Lonesome Tonight?
Ain't She Sweet
Blue Skies
Good Night, Irene
It's Only A Paper Moon
My Blue Heaven
Waltzing Matilda
What'll I Do?
You Are My Sunshine
posted by charmedimsure at 10:41 PM on April 22, 2017


Tonight You Belong to Me was a hit in the late 20s/early 30s; both the vocals and the ukelele part are pretty easy. You may remember this adorable uke + trumpet rendition from The Jerk.
posted by ourobouros at 8:19 AM on April 23, 2017 [2 favorites]


gotta mention IZ's version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World, right?
posted by at at 6:45 PM on April 23, 2017


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