She has been asked to play at a cookout. It’s going to be all ages (kids to 70s) and music tastes. She knows mainly pop and pop-country (I know, I know…) and she wants ideas to learn things a wider audience would enjoy.
Not trying to impress the crowd with hipster deep cuts, just looking for songs people would enjoy that are not terribly difficult and are appropriate for a 13 yr old girl to sing in public.
Thanks!
What instrument does she play? Assuming it’s guitar, how about:
Ode to Billie Joe–Bobbie Gentry
Pretty much anything from Peter, Paul, & Mary; Jim Croce; or Simon & Garfunkle (OK, maybe not Cecelia.)
Me and Bobby McGee-Kris Kristofferson, but as covered by Janis Joplin
Sweet Home Alabama-Lynyrd Skynyrd
Stairway to Heaven–Led Zeppelin
“Hey There, Delilah” by The Plain White T’s isn’t the greatest song in the world but I believe is a fairly easy and fun tune for someone to learn.
“Different Drum” Michael Nesmith/Linda Ronstadt
“Brand New Key” Melanie
“Baby I Love You” Ronettes
“Vacation” The Go Gos (I do this one solo acoustic, it sounds good)
“I Think We’re Alone Now” Tommy James
“Up On the Roof” Carole King/Drifters
“Pure” The Lightning Seeds
“Tom’s Diner” Suzanne Vega
“Stand By Me” solo acoustic she might want to emulate the John Lennon version
“Into Something Good” Herman’s Hermits (she can change the gender indicators if she’s not into chicks)
“D’yer Mak’er” Led Zeppelin
“Lets Talk Dirty To The Animals” Gilda Radner
O.K., maybe not that last one.
Guitar…she plays guitar.
Ripple by The Grateful Dead is sweet and easy.
So’s your mom.
Gawd I’m so sorry that was uncalled for 
“Here Comes the Sun”, Beatles (a few challenging fingering moments, but not too hard)
“Wild Horses,” Rolling Stones
“Willin’”, Little Feat/Linda Ronstadt
“Fall on Me,” R.E.M. (rapid chord changes in the refrain, but not hard really)
“Wonder,” Nathalie Merchant, or maybe “Don’t Talk,” 10,000 Maniacs (neither is originally acoustic, but they both work well that way)
“Get Lucky,” the current hit by Daft Punk and Pharell Williams, would be a great choice for the younger ones…four easy and catchy chords to strum (I think it’s B-minor–D--F-sharp-minor–G, something like that)…but the lyrics are too suggestive. So, for something new, better to go with maybe some Band of Horses – e.g., “Evening Kitchen.”
Then, there’s Gillian Welch. Anything would be great (though most of her songs are pretty sad).
How about some Carolina Chocolate Drops?
Black Eyed Peas, “Where is the Love” would be perfect!
- I think I basically use D, A, G, A…Stuff like that?
I might be crazy but I think a lot more people like “Daydream Believer” than will admit it. I’m no musician but if the Monkees could play it, it should be fine for her. 
there’s also a country version recorded by Anne Murray, if she wants to throw that spin on it.
Oh, and Heard it through the Grapevine is the same chords as Wonderful World…
All Motown rocks, by the way - You Really Got a Hold of Me, Tears of a Clown, Tracks of My Tears - you’re set…
Old Crow Medicine Show’s Wagon Wheel has become an acoustic guitar staple among certain crowds (I’ve heard it called “hippie Freebird”) and I notice that there’s a pop country version of it currently in heavy rotation, so your daughter may be familiar with it.
She loves Wagonwheel!
Hey JKM Lots of good ones there…especially “Here comes the Sun”…but dont you think *Willin’
just sayin.
Good point. She could change the lyrics … “Beans, rice, and limes…”
Clearly you’ve never met my mother.
Have a listen to Neil Finn’s acoustic cover of “Billie Jean” and the Doug Anthony All-Stars’ version of either “Heard It Through the Grapevine” or “Throw Your Arms Around Me” for simplified but impressive versions of songs.
Similarly:
Ben Lee’s take on “Kids”
Brad Roberts’ version of “Bette Davis Eyes”
Colin Hay’s acoustic version of “Overkill”
“Everybody’s Talkin’” - the chords are in the link.
Darren Hanlon’s version of “Electric Dreams”
The Editors’ acoustic cover of “Feel Good Inc.”
Jamie T’s version of “If I Were a Boy”
Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros’ “Redemption Song”
Any of a number of versions of “Crazy”
Mat Weddle’s take on “Hey Ya”
Missy Higgins’ version of “Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear” (Piano based, but guitar tabs aren’t hard to come by)
Shawn Colvin’s “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)”
Wilco’s cover of “I’m Only Sleeping”
Oh, one more - she may not be familiar with the band, but much of Powderfinger’s early catalogue is both easy to play and works well acoustically, such as:
“My Generation” by The Who could work. “I’m One” and “Behind Blue Eyes” could work too but might be a bit too angsty.
Loudon Wainwright’s “Dead Skunk” is simple to play and would be a good singalong. His “Swimming Song” might work too.
“There’s a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea” might work.
And I’d recommend you warn her that if she plays “Stairway To Heaven”, “Sweet Home Alabama” or “Hotel California” someone is very likely going to take her guitar away and toss it in the campfire. It’s not just a matter of good musical taste. It’s just that there’s no way to purify a guitar after any of those songs so it’s the kindest thing you can to.