I am a Billy Joel Elton John fanatic and my wife has finally said, ok, nore more new Elton/Billy. I like pianocentric type stuff with nice melodies and hooks. One that comes to mind that I do is someone saved my life tonight and Vienna. the frontrunner so far is 100 years, by 5 for fighting. Oh, I sing them too so... Anyway, was just curious what you guys favorite songs to sing/play piano are... my favorite are probably:

rocketman
someone saved my life
vienna
shameless
daniel
bennie and the jets
on and on, you can see why i want something a little different now. thinking something ben folds maybe too... thanks for suggestions!

Oh man; no more BJ/EJ stuff! I'd just die. JK

I have to take off but when I return I'll list some of my favorites.

But just for starters some of my favorite performers that I play tunes of are:

Love, love, love Diana Krall, Norah Jones, Carole King, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday,
EJ, BJ, Louis Armstrong, Peggy Lee, M. Buble, Harry Connick

Favorite composers/song writers: Hoagy Carmichal, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Ray Noble; Harold Arlen, Gershwin, Berlin, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Bernstein , L&L

Songs from the American Songbook are what I relish. Particularly 30-40s big band, jazz, blues stuff.

I was born too late... most of the new stuff I do like has things in it them that are reminescent of the 30-40s so (like Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Billy Joel, even Elton).

I don't stick to one genre; I feel it best for me to listen to all sorts of music.

Ok right now my favorite songs to sing/play piano are:

Mostly Jazzy/Bluesy stuff (more ballads)

God Bless The Child; written by Billie Holiday
Come Away With Me as sung by Norah Jones
"In A Sentimental Mood" written by Duke Ellington
The Frim Fram Sauce as sung/played by Diana Krall
Solitude; as sung by Ella Fitzgerald
"The Nearness of You" as recorded by Norah Jones
"Crazy He Calls Me" sung by Billie Holiday
"I'm Beginning to See the Light" as sung by Ella
"When October Goes" Barry Mannilow
Autumn Leaves
Autumn In New York (like the way Ella and Louis do it)
All The Things You Are
Moonlight In Vermont
Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?
It Might As Well Be Spring
Good Morning Heartache (sung by Billie Holiday)
Black Coffee
Java Jive
Accentuate The Positive
Always (as sung by Ella)
The Very Thought Of You
Georgia
What A Wonderful World
& so many more tunes of the American Songbook

Working on:
I Concentrate On You
Angel Eyes
Midnight Sun
Love You Madly
Them Thar Eyes

Down the road:
Waters Of March (Jane Monheight's recording)
I Wished On The Moon (sung by Ella)
Imagination (as recorded by Ella / Nelson Riddle Orchestra)
Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most
Call Me Darling (as recorded by Ella)
*I heard a recording of it today and I knew right away that I want to learn this one
The Summer Knows

Mad World- Gary Jules, orginally done by Tears for Fears

I don't play many rock songs, but "Mad World" is one of them, Mark737! It is so beautiful.

I play mostly new age, so I'm not going to be a helpful source of inspiration to you, Agathis. But some of the non-new age material I like to dabble in includes songs from the Phantom of the Opera. "Send in the Clowns" is another beautiful, slow sad song.

"Because the Night" has a great piano part, and I heard a high school boy play an incredible version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" last fall.

Has anyone found a good, full arrangement of Autumn Leaves? I really love that song.

Nancy

Nancy,
Where could I get a copy of "Bohemian Rhapsody"?
Is that the one written by Freddie Mercury?

Queen does Bohemian Rhapsody.
Mercury sings it; I think he may have written it also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzANxm3_2DQ

Live concert version of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. Freddy Mercury. Enjoy and rock it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JszN7h84TXs