

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!
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**