Here at Rock the Audition we often talk about the idea of "Low-Hanging Fruit", which are songs that don't tell us anything about you or your understanding of Pop Music! These are the songs that everyone sings, even if they aren't the best reflection of your personality, Because you know them, you heard someone singing them at an audition, without doing any further research into other songs in the canon that are JUST as good and far less overdone! AND that you actually LOVE to sing!

 

To help performers find better options, I've created Spotify Stations in every genre of popular music currently represented on Broadway. Or you can use the genre filter to search through my cuts on Musicnotes!

 

If you have a truly unique interpretation that is a competing-on-The- Voice Level of re-interpretation of one of these songs -- when I say that, I don’t mean a riff-a -rama, I mean a deep understanding of pop styling and pop music’s influence on you -- DO YOUR SONG on this list. 

 

Here’s the deal: you WILL see some of these songs on my Musicnotes page and Spotify stations. Don’t let that confuse you. I arranged those songs because they are SO overdone that there is a high demand for them and they are included on the playlists because they define the era!

 

Now, without further ado, here is the UPDATED list directly from pianists who spend their time IN THE ROOM of Low-Hanging Fruit to avoid when picking a song for your auditions!

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The UPDATED No-No List: Fall 2020

 

 

​A Team**

Ain't It Fun by Paramore *

Alone by Heart 

Animal by Neon Trees

Anything But Ordinary by Avril Lavigne

At Last by Etta James

Because Of You by Kelly Clarkson

Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood

Black Velvet by Alannah Myles

Bluebird by Sarah Bareilles *

Call Me by Blondie

Come to My Window by Melissa Etheridge

Don’t Stop Me Now Queen

Don’t Speak by No Doubt

Everybody Talks by Neon Trees

Eye Of The Tiger **

Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac**

Grace Kelly by Mika

Gravity by Sara Bareilles

Heartbreaker by Pat Benatar

Highway to Hell by AC/DC

Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar

House of the Rising Sun by The Animals *

How Will I Know by Whitney Houston **

I Can't Make You Love Me by Bonnie Raitt

I Don’t Wanna Be Gavin DeGraw

I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing by Aerosmith

I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston *

I Wanna Hold Your Hand by The Beatles (SPECIFICALLY the version from Across the Universe)

I Want To Break Free by Queen

If I Ain't Got You by Alicia Keys *

I'm Still Standing by Elton John

I'm the Only One by Melissa Etheridge

I'm With You by Avril Lavigne

King Of Anything by Sara Bareilles

Landslide by Fleetwod Mac**

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