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Most Offensive (?) Song You've Played (or Want to Play)

Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2015 12:59 pm
by lipi
Inspired by this thread: http://www.swingdjs.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3235

There are lots of things I'll never play at a public dance, but that I'll listen to at home and enjoy (even if sometimes I cringe).

I really want to play "Strange Fruit" (Billie Holiday) and "Mississippi Goddam'" (Nina Simone) at a dance.

I have played "Take Your Drunken Ass Home" a bunch of times as the last song.

Re: Most Offensive (?) Song You've Played (or Want to Play)

Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2015 4:58 pm
by CountBasi
"I really want to play "Strange Fruit" (Billie Holiday)"

err....why?

Re: Most Offensive (?) Song You've Played (or Want to Play)

Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2015 5:56 pm
by trev
I find "We're Gonna Have To Slap The Dirty Little Jap" by Lucky Millinder quite catchy.

Re: Most Offensive (?) Song You've Played (or Want to Play)

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2015 2:10 am
by lipi
CountBasi wrote:"I really want to play "Strange Fruit" (Billie Holiday)"
err....why?
Because it's brilliant.

I'm not going to play it at a random dance, but one day, I'll be at just the right small party, and it'll be the perfect track to make people think hard about some pretty gruesome history.

Re: Most Offensive (?) Song You've Played (or Want to Play)

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2015 2:18 am
by lipi
trev wrote:I find "We're Gonna Have To Slap The Dirty Little Jap" by Lucky Millinder quite catchy.
I hadn't heard that before! The wartime propaganda stuff is just hideous (not musically, though sometimes that, too).

Along those same lines, I'm always annoyed that FOUR versions of Ella singing "Sing Song Swing" survived: the studio recording, and three radio wires. I mean, C'MON! There's so much fantastic stuff we're missing, but this completely unplayable thing we get four of?! History is cruel.

Re: Most Offensive (?) Song You've Played (or Want to Play)

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2015 2:14 pm
by JesseMiner
I think there's a fine line between raunchy and offensive. "Take Your Drunken Ass Home" by Big Al Carson is a fun, playful and raunchy song which is totally appropriate to play as a long song of the night in the right setting (I've played it on occasion myself), but I truly believe that Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" would be absolutely inappropriate and offensive to play in any intimate dance setting.

I always made it a rule to avoid any/all offensive material to the best of my ability when DJing, but I was fine with raunchy swinging r'n'b by the likes of Wynonie Harris. On the extremely raunchy side, the Asylum Street Spankers' "Shave 'Em Dry" would be a blast to play for a dance audience that is okay with the explicit language.

Jesse

Re: Most Offensive (?) Song You've Played (or Want to Play)

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2015 7:09 pm
by trev
"Strange Fruit" should never be for social dancing in any context, in my opinion. As a thoughtful and respectful performance piece, then maybe, but context matters.

Agreed Jessie. Fun and raunchy is the right approach.

Re: Most Offensive (?) Song You've Played (or Want to Play)

Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2015 12:55 pm
by lipi
You're all so considerate. (I still want to play it.)

I thought of another one I have actually played (including this very week): "Walking Slow Behind You", Count Basie, 1949, Jimmy Rushing vocal (his last vocal recorded with Basie, I believe).

Re: Most Offensive (?) Song You've Played (or Want to Play)

Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 8:53 pm
by kitkat
There's some Rushing with Basle from later on a Mosaic (Roulette?) set of live stuff.

Re: Most Offensive (?) Song You've Played (or Want to Play)

Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 9:37 pm
by trev
Basie recorded with Jimmy Rushing on and off until the late sixties. Mostly as a 'special reunion' type thing.

Re: Most Offensive (?) Song You've Played (or Want to Play)

Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2015 12:13 pm
by lipi
D'oh. You're right, of course. There is lots of later stuff.
(I don't have most of the late Basie stuff. Maybe that'd be another good thread...)

Re: Most Offensive (?) Song You've Played (or Want to Play)

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 4:26 am
by SiMonster
lipi wrote: I hadn't heard that before! The wartime propaganda stuff is just hideous (not musically, though sometimes that, too).
Absolutely! Like 'Blitzkrieg Baby' by Una Mae Carlisle

Re: Most Offensive (?) Song You've Played (or Want to Play)

Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 4:22 pm
by Thorin
I've played the song "Pick a Bale of Cotton" by Lonnie Donegan as a last song once but only when there were only like 6 or 7 close friends there. I cannot sit still to that song (that version in particular) but it's not one I get to play really.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ILbUduwBkg