The most played songs at Australian events
Counted across 3,737 set lists published by acts on bookentertainment.com.au. Not a chart and not an opinion - this is what Australian function bands, duos and singers say they actually play.
The top 25
Brown Eyed Girl leads, on the set list of 658 acts - roughly 18% of every published repertoire in the catalogue.
| # | Song | Acts | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brown Eyed Girl | 658 | 18% |
| 2 | Wonderwall | 554 | 15% |
| 3 | Summer Of 69 | 490 | 13% |
| 4 | Stand By Me | 471 | 13% |
| 5 | Sweet Home Alabama | 458 | 12% |
| 6 | Better Be Home Soon | 433 | 12% |
| 7 | Aint No Sunshine | 432 | 12% |
| 8 | April Sun In Cuba | 412 | 11% |
| 9 | I Will Survive | 395 | 11% |
| 10 | To Her Door | 378 | 10% |
| 11 | Crazy Little Thing Called Love | 371 | 10% |
| 12 | Sweet Caroline | 363 | 10% |
| 13 | Fly Me To The Moon | 363 | 10% |
| 14 | Never Tear Us Apart | 356 | 10% |
| 15 | Thinking Out Loud | 352 | 9% |
| 16 | Im A Believer | 352 | 9% |
| 17 | Mr Brightside | 349 | 9% |
| 18 | Blame It On The Boogie | 326 | 9% |
| 19 | Blister In The Sun | 321 | 9% |
| 20 | Hotel California | 320 | 9% |
| 21 | Play That Funky Music | 319 | 9% |
| 22 | Run To Paradise | 314 | 8% |
| 23 | Steal My Kisses | 312 | 8% |
| 24 | Get Lucky | 309 | 8% |
| 25 | Proud Mary | 309 | 8% |
What different kinds of act play
The national list flattens some real differences. Split by the kind of act, the picture changes - jazz bands and cover bands are working from almost entirely separate repertoires.
Cover Band
Summer Of 69 (169), April Sun In Cuba (163), Brown Eyed Girl (162), Play That Funky Music (159), I Will Survive (156), Sweet Home Alabama (154)
Musical Duo
Brown Eyed Girl (164), Wonderwall (139), Stand By Me (127), Better Be Home Soon (120), Aint No Sunshine (119), Summer Of 69 (114)
Musical Soloist
Brown Eyed Girl (138), Wonderwall (134), Better Be Home Soon (107), To Her Door (91), Stand By Me (89), Hotel California (88)
Singer
Brown Eyed Girl (73), Wonderwall (70), Better Be Home Soon (57), Sweet Caroline (57), To Her Door (55), Stand By Me (54)
Jazz Band
Fly Me To The Moon (72), All Of Me (57), Summertime (55), Autumn Leaves (54), Sway (44), Bye Bye Blackbird (43)
Musical Trio
Brown Eyed Girl (25), Sweet Home Alabama (19), Stand By Me (19), Better Be Home Soon (18), Summer Of 69 (18), Steal My Kisses (17)
Singer-Songwriter
Wonderwall (19), Stand By Me (17), Brown Eyed Girl (16), Better Be Home Soon (14), Dont Look Back In Anger (14), Cant Help Falling In Love (13)
Tribute Band
Sway (14), Proud Mary (13), Mack The Knife (13), Dancing Queen (11), Crazy Little Thing Called Love (10), For Once In My Life (10)
How to read this
A song's position here reflects how many acts list it, not how good it is or how often it gets requested. A song on 18% of set lists is one most bands can play without rehearsal - useful if you want it, and equally useful if you would rather not hear it at your event.
Almost every act takes requests and will learn a first dance song that is not on their standard list. If something here is a must-have or a never, say so when you enquire.
Questions
What is the most played song at Australian events?
Across 3737 published set lists on this site, Brown Eyed Girl appears most often - on the repertoire of 658 acts, roughly 18% of them.
Where do these numbers come from?
They are counted from set lists published by the acts listed on this site. A song is counted once per act however many times it appears on that act's list, so one band cannot skew the result.
Can we ask for songs that are not on this list?
Yes. Almost every act takes requests and will learn a first dance song that is not part of their standard set. Mention it when you enquire so it can be quoted properly.