The songs Australian acts play most
We counted the 3,828 set lists that bands, duos and singers publish on this site. What comes out is a plain tally of what they are ready to play on the night, not a chart and not anyone's taste.
The top 25 across Australia
Number one is Brown Eyed Girl. It is on 683 set lists, about 18% of all of them.
| Rank | Song | Set lists | Of all lists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brown Eyed Girl | 683 | 18% |
| 2 | Wonderwall | 579 | 15% |
| 3 | Summer Of 69 | 516 | 13% |
| 4 | Stand By Me | 490 | 13% |
| 5 | Sweet Home Alabama | 472 | 12% |
| 6 | Better Be Home Soon | 449 | 12% |
| 7 | Aint No Sunshine | 447 | 12% |
| 8 | April Sun In Cuba | 433 | 11% |
| 9 | I Will Survive | 415 | 11% |
| 10 | To Her Door | 391 | 10% |
| 11 | Crazy Little Thing Called Love | 390 | 10% |
| 12 | Sweet Caroline | 383 | 10% |
| 13 | Im A Believer | 370 | 10% |
| 14 | Never Tear Us Apart | 370 | 10% |
| 15 | Fly Me To The Moon | 370 | 10% |
| 16 | Thinking Out Loud | 369 | 10% |
| 17 | Mr Brightside | 364 | 10% |
| 18 | Blame It On The Boogie | 345 | 9% |
| 19 | Play That Funky Music | 337 | 9% |
| 20 | Blister In The Sun | 335 | 9% |
| 21 | Hotel California | 331 | 9% |
| 22 | Get Lucky | 329 | 9% |
| 23 | Run To Paradise | 329 | 9% |
| 24 | Proud Mary | 322 | 8% |
| 25 | Steal My Kisses | 321 | 8% |
City by city
The national top spot does not hold everywhere. These are the five songs on the most set lists from acts based in each city.
Sydney
1. Brown Eyed Girl (80) 2. I Will Survive (79) 3. Blame It On The Boogie (72) 4. Moves Like Jagger (72) 5. Wonderwall (71)
Melbourne
1. Brown Eyed Girl (83) 2. Summer Of 69 (82) 3. Wonderwall (74) 4. Stand By Me (66) 5. April Sun In Cuba (63)
Brisbane
1. Brown Eyed Girl (155) 2. Wonderwall (110) 3. Summer Of 69 (108) 4. Sweet Home Alabama (100) 5. Steal My Kisses (89)
Perth
1. Wonderwall (116) 2. Brown Eyed Girl (109) 3. Aint No Sunshine (90) 4. Stand By Me (88) 5. Sweet Home Alabama (85)
Adelaide
1. Brown Eyed Girl (20) 2. Summer Of 69 (18) 3. Thinking Out Loud (17) 4. Sweet Home Alabama (17) 5. All The Small Things (16)
By kind of act
Split this way the lists barely overlap. A jazz band and a cover band are drawing on two different songbooks, which is worth knowing before you choose between them.
Cover Band
Summer Of 69 (182) · April Sun In Cuba (173) · Brown Eyed Girl (172) · I Will Survive (169) · Play That Funky Music (167) · Sweet Home Alabama (160)
Musical Duo
Brown Eyed Girl (169) · Wonderwall (144) · Stand By Me (130) · Better Be Home Soon (123) · Aint No Sunshine (121) · Summer Of 69 (120)
Musical Soloist
Brown Eyed Girl (143) · Wonderwall (137) · Better Be Home Soon (109) · To Her Door (94) · Stand By Me (92) · Hotel California (89)
Singer
Brown Eyed Girl (75) · Wonderwall (74) · Better Be Home Soon (61) · To Her Door (58) · Sweet Caroline (58) · Stand By Me (56)
Jazz Band
Fly Me To The Moon (73) · All Of Me (58) · Summertime (55) · Autumn Leaves (54) · Sway (45) · Bye Bye Blackbird (44)
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 (18) · 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 (12) · Crazy Little Thing Called Love (10) · For Once In My Life (10)
Using the list for your event
A song near the top is one most acts can play without a rehearsal. That makes the list handy twice over: for picking the songs you want, and for naming the ones you are tired of hearing.
Acts take requests, and many will learn a special song for a first dance or an entrance. Put your must-plays and your please-don'ts in the enquiry.
About the count
Which song do Australian acts list most?
Brown Eyed Girl. It is on 683 of the 3,828 set lists published here, about 18% of them.
How is this counted?
From the set lists acts publish on their own pages. Each act counts once per song, however often the song appears on its list, so no single band can tip the result.
Does a high count mean I should book it?
No, only that most acts can play it without rehearsal. Use the list to pick your must-plays, and just as much to spot the songs you would rather skip.