(Disclaimer -- this list only applies to this ship at this time -- will not work too well on -- for instance -- a Carnival ship, where audiences are younger)
“Leaving on a Jet Plane” -- just be patient, wait out the long verse, then watch them all jump in at “So kiss me and smile for me….”
“Hey Goodlooking” -- jump into to it fast after some other uptempo tune -- you sing the opening two words, everybody comes in with “Watcha got cookin’ “
“Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” -- feed them the 2nd verse words - “Pardon the way that I stare etc” -- then watch the payoff later on
“Good Night Irene” -- dopey waltz #1
“Personality” -- almost didn’t make the list because it takes a little too long to get to the catchy chorus. But any drunkard can shout out the word “Personality” on cue here, which is a beautiful thing
“Blueberry Hill” -- the piano intro produces instant recognition, and everybody is there for “I found my thrill”
“Runaway” -- the “wah wah wah wah wahn-der” part is out-of-tune, spirited, pretty damn funny, and priceless
“That’s Amore” -- dopey waltz #2
“I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” -- yes folks, life is beautiful, love is beautiful, 3-part harmony is beautiful, and a little alcohol is kinda nice too.
“King of the Road” -- they ain’t got no cigarettes, and they’re proud of it
“Happy Wanderer” -- newest addition to the list -- I should have jumped on that “Valderee ha ha ha” thing a long time ago
“High Hopes” -- some confusion about the ant and the ram and the dam and the plant, but it all works out in the chorus
“You Make Me Feel So Young” -- nice first set tune, grabs their interest, and they just love saying that word “individual” at the end of the first verse. Kudos to Sammy Cahn.
“Jamaica Farewell” -- nautical lyrics work great out here, and this one is the best -- the “sad to say etc” chorus is irresistible
“Que Sera Sera” -- dopey waltz #3, second only to”Delilah”
“Delilah” -- not dopey at all actually, just a wonderfully singable tune with instrumental trumpet parts that are also singable, somehow. Save this tune for the peak of a crazy night
“I Saw Her Standing There” -- has the same kind of high-note wacky moment as “Runaway”
“Bye Bye Love” -- people need some help with the lyric, for instance “happiness” then “loneliness” then “sweet caress” then “emptiness”, and they’ll listen closely, as I do my imitation of a teleprompter. Someone suggested I get an actual digital read-out teleprompter “follow the bouncing ball etc” etc, might be a good idea.
“All I Have to Do is Dream” -- like the other Everly Brothers tune above, people need a little help with the verse lyrics. The “I can make you mine……Gee Whiz” part is the catchiest
“You’ll Never Walk Alone” -- late night alcohol-fueled optimism
“Catch a Falling Star” -- very easily sung ditty, falls softly on the ears, nice first set tune
“Putting on the Ritz” -- hopefully some of them have seen “Young Frankenstein” (thank you Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle)
“All My Loving” -- I gave up trying to do two verses in a row, like on the record. I bet McCartney himself gave up too. People just want to jump in with “All My Loving….”
“My Way” -- a philosophic tune which justifies many dumb decisions in one’s life
“Those Were the Days” -- to be done at the end of a crazy night, a climactic type of thing. Absolutely great if done at the right time, pretty lame if done at the wrong time.
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