The Decline Of Dancing Queen

[Norfolk DJ 0]

 

Overplayed track and linked to mobile discos rather like Black Lace.

 

Noticed recently that it's not so popular, i have this year only played it by request only.

[Corabar Steve 0]

People are finally getting fed up with it :Thumbup:

[Mattaious 0]

Used to play it often, And still hear it being played at gigs i go to as a guest :shrug:

[Supradave 0]

I really do hope that people have got fed up with it.

 

I never liked the song in the first place but DJing for 15 years as made me come to hate this song. The same applies to YMCA.

 

Never understood how this could be classed as a classic dance track, it's too damn slow.

[dj.silver 0]

I really do hope that people have got fed up with it.

 

I never liked the song in the first place but DJing for 15 years as made me come to hate this song. The same applies to YMCA.

 

Never understood how this could be classed as a classic dance track, it's too damn slow.

 

Personally I would class it as a singalong track, never has been classed as a 'dance track', a girly tune, hen nights etc. I play in pubs, don't do too many weddings, birthdays etc.

 

I get asked for it every other week at the least. One girl that comes to my regular Saturday gig ALWAYS asks for it and doesn't like it, if I don't play it!

 

In my neck of the woods seems as popular as ever.

Edited July 13, 2007 by dj.silver

[andyw 0]

play it occasionally when requested used to play it all the time,if someone says can you play some abba will put another track on.they have done a lot of good tunes

[C.S 0]

Lucky me , played it about twice in the last ten years !

[PEDJ 0]

very lucky!

[dj.silver 0]

very lucky!

 

 

Very lucky why? Because it's a pants tune in your opinion. Surely we all have to play tunes we feel are dire, rubbish, garbage, junk, drivel etc.... It's our job and in my opinion probably one of the hardest aspects of our job, playing stuff we don't like.

 

As I said earlier I play pubs and major on old skool. I get people requesting up to date chart stuff, Kaiser Chiefs, indie et al. I really do not like that stuff BUT I play it.

 

If I had my my way I'd play Rod Stewart, Michael Jackson, Candi Staton and Motown all night, every night............. mmmm don't think I'd get much work though. http://planetsmilies.net/skipping-smiley-1892.gif

[C.S 0]

I think its lucky ,not because its a pants tune but because its not been ruined by playing every gig. I am happy that i have been in the situation that instead of playing the same 50 tracks over and over again in the same order at every mobile gig, that i have infact been able to experiment and use a lot of quality music and made it work. I think its a myth that most wedding guests want dancing queen,ymca etc , i fear that its a lot of djs choose a safe option. but thats my opinion. would hasten to add that i rarely play music for me!

[dj.silver 0]

I think its lucky ,not because its a pants tune but because its not been ruined by playing every gig. I am happy that i have been in the situation that instead of playing the same 50 tracks over and over again in the same order at every mobile gig, that i have infact been able to experiment and use a lot of quality music and made it work. I think its a myth that most wedding guests want dancing queen,ymca etc , i fear that its a lot of djs choose a safe option. but thats my opinion. would hasten to add that i rarely play music for me!

 

I agree quality tunes can suffer from overkill, one that springs to mind recently is 'I don't feel like dancing'. How many requests for that I had, well I just couldn't put a number on it and it started to get boring.

 

However, there are tunes that we each probably play at every gig, because we feel safe - might not fill the floor but also won't clear it - the safe option! http://planetsmilies.net/happy-smiley-541.gif

 

The problem is though, IF you play cheese and it works and then you put on something a tad risque and it empties the floor, what do you play next?

 

 

[C.S 0]

you always have tracks that get people back but that leads to the question are we afraid to have an empty dancefloor ? does an empty dancefloor mean that the guests are not having a good time ?

[andyw 0]

you always have tracks that get people back but that leads to the question are we afraid to have an empty dancefloor ? does an empty dancefloor mean that the guests are not having a good time ?

 

i know we have had this discussion before,but tonight was a classic for us up untill 11 oclock we never had 1 person dance.they were doing the actions in their chairs to the songs but no one would get up.a few got up in the end but not for long.at the end a few people came up and thanked us for a great night,the manager came over while we packing up and said she had a lot of people thanking them fpr a great night but from where we were it looked bad.played gimme gimme gimme tonight but you preoblbly guessed no one danced to it tongue out icon

Edited July 14, 2007 by andyw

[jamesmurphy 0]

I try not to play too much cheese unless I'm asked for it and haven't played Dancing Queen for months

 

In fact, I've only had it requested twice this year and 3 times last year.

 

I put out around 50 request sheets at every gig and usualy get 20-30 requests each gig. I tend to play between 80 - 90 tracks per gig, and I keep playlists for all the gigs with the tracks that are requested marked (it's easy to do with OTS). When potential clients ask what I play, I can show them the playlists, I explain about the request sheets and they can see I play varied music and that I'm willing to play what guests want.

 

An example would be a garden party I did last week, for a 65th birthday. Had requests such as 'Supernature' by Cerrone, 'Sultana' by Titanic, 'Get Back' by The Beatles, 'All About You' by McFly, and 'Quando, Quando, Quando' by Englebuert Humperdink.

 

Did people dance to them all - no, of course not. But this week I had a call from the client, saying guests had been ringing him and saying that they loved the varied music that was played. And I had people on the days making comments such as 'Wow, I've not heard that for ages. Have you got...?'

 

I suppose what I'm saying is that at the discos I do, no one particular record needs to be played. I just go with the flow for what the guests want and it seems to work well for me. However, I try to steer away from football related songs and songs with swearing in them.

 

One final point, got a call from a club asking if I'd do a Soul/Funk night for them on a regular basis. The owner been told about me by someone who'd been to a disco I did and on that night I'd played a fair bit of soul/funk/disco. Not as much money as I usually get, but it's on a Thursday night, and I have the freedom of playing whatever I want. Have I took the gig......you can bet your bottom dollar I have! tongue out icon

 

[Norfolk DJ 0]

 

Totally agree with that.

 

I particularly pride myself in playing songs which are a little different but remain popular.

 

 

Just interesting to see trends changing slightly as people become fed-up with some older tracks.

 

Dancing queen, is still requested as clients. If it's requested I will paly it. If not requested I won't.

 

 

[C.S 0]

anybody ever thought of putting out a larger request sheet out with a selection of songs written on it so that perhaps the guests can get some help instead of thinking " what song do i want to hear? err i dont know i can never remember song titles. err oh yeah how about dancing queen ,they always play that at weddings "!!!!!!!!!!

[andyw 0]

some people enjoy the request slips,it can get people talking,what song should we ask for,whats the name of tthe song that goes dadadada.and of course some poeple try to catch us out.if we put a list of songs up it could take them most of the night to read and the amazon rain forest to print it.thats my first thought.now my secound.we got an old laptop which as got cattrax on so we could put that on a table near us so they can look through our tracks.will try that at our next gig

[Andy Westcott 0]

Quote CS:

"what song do i want to hear?"

 

Here's a problem though.

There's a difference between what people may want to hear and what they will actually dance to. Requests can be tricky things.

 

Just thought I'd make that point. smile icon

 

Anyhow, as for Dancing Queen, it's not on my 'regular list' and never has been, but I will play it if asked.

[NiM 0]

I think its a myth that most wedding guests want dancing queen,ymca etc

 

 

 

Maybe not most, but when i used to mobile I dont thinki ever had a wedding gig where it wasnt requested..

 

 

 

Alot of people seem to be scared to dance to stuff they dont know.

 

 

 

Glad im out of the game tbh

 

 

[prezzy#1 0]

Tis the law of the sod. I've not played it for months, then low & behold I read this & it gets requested tonight.

I had quite a few requests mind & the only one I didn't have (I'm very proud of it too) was Skootch (sp). :Thumbup:

[Norfolk DJ 0]

Quote CS:

 

There's a difference between what people may want to hear and what they will actually dance to. Requests can be tricky things.

 

Just thought I'd make that point. smile icon

 

 

Yes a good point which is frequently overlooked on here. The distinction between what i call 'lounge music' and dance music.

[High Fidelity 0]

I don't play it very often, but funnily enough it was requested on Friday night. I say requested, but it was one of those "play dancing queen mate, that'll get them all up dancing".

 

As it happens, I didn't play it anyway, just never seemed to find the right spot within the music I was playing to drop it in.

 

Floor killer of the night was Queen - Don't Stop Me Now, but pulled them back again with Scissor Sisters - I Don't Feel Like Dancing.

[bedfordft 0]

have we all as dj's missed out on two points here:-

 

1) mr stringfellow once said "well if you an't dancing to dancing queen you must be dead" a point that may be we could all learn from, it is still a classic track and will never die i always try and play it, i find it will fill any dance floor mind so will mj's billie jean.

 

2) we are there to entertain the guests this might not be them dancing but watch your group and learn what records get the feet and fingers tapping. and also remember we all move a a far faster pace now than we did back in the seventies and we dont see family and freinds like we used to so this might be the only time in years that "granny has seen nephew" and they just want to chat all night, also if the same group of people paid to go into a night club they would be dancing because they had paid too, where as at a family party they are there to chat and catch up on times gone by.

 

happy dj ing

[C.S 0]

Did an 80s gig tonight and billie jean cleared the floor completely! strange world !

[Secret Disco 0]

have we all as dj's missed out on two points here:-

 

1) mr stringfellow once said "well if you an't dancing to dancing queen you must be dead" a point that may be we could all learn from, it is still a classic track and will never die i always try and play it, i find it will fill any dance floor mind so will mj's billie jean.

 

2) we are there to entertain the guests this might not be them dancing but watch your group and learn what records get the feet and fingers tapping. and also remember we all move a a far faster pace now than we did back in the seventies and we dont see family and freinds like we used to so this might be the only time in years that "granny has seen nephew" and they just want to chat all night, also if the same group of people paid to go into a night club they would be dancing because they had paid too, where as at a family party they are there to chat and catch up on times gone by.

 

happy dj ing

 

 

Couldn't have put it better myself.

Go to the top of the class!!!!!! tongue out icon