After seeing Joe Brown play “I’ll See You In My Dreams” on the George Harrison memorial concert I’ve fallen in love with the ukulele.
What are some good non-traditional songs for the uke? I like familiar but quirky stuff that makes people laugh with the realization that it acutally sounds good on the uke. Some examples from my repertoire:
“Bear Necessities” from The Jungle Book movie
“Daydream Believer” by the Monkees
“Don’t Fence Me In” by Cole Porter
Any other ideas?
Moving thread from IMHO to Cafe Society.
The Beach Boys’ “Sloop John B” works pretty well on a uke. Plus it’s fun to sing, because it’s a miserable, depressing song song with upbeat, cheeerful music. On the downside, it’s not great for one person by himself; the song needs harmoies and such to avoid getting too repetitive.
Are you familiar with Clifff Edwards, aka “Ukulele Ike”? Not the SDMB mod; this is the guy who was the voice of Jiminy Cricket in “Pinocchio.” He made bunches of ukulele recordings, including lots of old standards like “Paper Moon,” “I Can’t Get the One I Want,” and a bazillion others. Good stuff; you should check him out, if you haven’t already. He was also far and away the most astonishing ukulelist(?) I’ve ever heard; his technique is amazing.
I’m not sure what you mean by “non-traditional”, but my all-time favorite is “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”; by Israel Kamakawiwo`ole.
I meant other than songs about Hawaii or tipping through tulips. Nobody expects to hear “Bear Necessities” when I play it on the uke, and I want more songs like that.
“Over the Rainbow” is great, but I don’t think I can do that one justice.
Sheesh. Wouldn’t it have been manners to let ME suggest listening to Cliff Edwards?
This is a pretty good recording…some sides he cut in the 1940s for radio, with a stand-up bass accompanying. Most of Edwards’ other stuff, including his 1920s hits, are out of print. If you can find a recording of “Paddlin’ Madeline Home,” I’d call that a classic example of Ike’s jazz-age output.
Check out some of the early-1960’s “old timey” folk groups – Jim Kweskin’s Jug Band, The Holy Modal Rounders, The New Lost City Ramblers – for good ukulele matieral. Or go right on back to the real thing: 1930s recodings by the Memphis Jug Band, the Beale Street Sheiks, Cannon’s Jug Stompers.
Are you named after THAT Ukulele Ike? And here I thought it was just a coincidence.
Have you ever heard Magnetic Fields’ “All My Little Words?” It’s not as well-known as the others you mentioned, but it features a ukelele, and it’s a simple, fun song to sing.
Stephin Merritt, of the indie pop band The Magnetic Fields, switched from guitar to ukelele around the time of the band’s 69 Love Songs (sound samples available) album, and the vast majority of the songs on that triple-album are based around the uke. Merritt is the one of the finest living songwriters, drawing comparisons to Cole Porter and Irving Berlin for his timeless-minded, insta-classic pop songs. Some of the more prominent uke tracks on the album are “Absolutely Cukoo,” “The luckiest guy on the lower east side,” “I think I need a new heart,” “A pretty girl is like…”, “Nothing matters when we’re dancing,” “bitter tears,” “wi’ nae wee bairn we’ll me beget,” “meaningless,” “queen of the savages,” “the night you can’t remember,” “time enough for rocking when we’re old,” - really most of the songs on the record, but those are the ones that are individually superb uke songs.
While it’s literally one of the best songs I’ve ever heard, “all my little words” is one of the few songs on 69 Love Songs that’s not a ukelele song. It’s acoustic guitar and banjo.
"Ain’t She Sweet?"
Do I have to be the first to recommend the “flapper” classics:
Five Foot Two
and
Lulu’s Back In Town
Both of which, incidentally, are in Cliff Edwards’ songbooks.
And yes, I’ve been playing uke for over 40 years.
Having just gotten my first ukulele, this thread is inspiring. Someday I want to be able to do a passable cover of London Calling, Talking Shit About a Pretty Sunset, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, some Mountain Goat’s tracks, the Canadian national anthem, Amazing Grace, Holland 1945, Alice’s Restaurant, Take the Skinheads Bowling, James K. Polk, etc. I’d also like to learn the Green Acres theme, just for the hell of it.