Tag Archives: songs

Good Songs for Your Family Independence Day Party

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I once attended a fireworks show that put music to their fireworks display and it was my favorite works show ever!  It seems that most of the bigger show are doing that now and with a little bit of effort you can put together some great songs about “America” for your family reunion, party or family get-together too.  Because families are so eclectic I tried to include something for everyone. 

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Here’s a list to get you started:

“Living in America” by James Brown
Start your Independence Day party off right with some good dance music.  One of those “earworm” songs that gets stuck in your head.

“America the Beautiful” Ray Charles
No one does it better!

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“Only in America” Brooks and Dunn
“Where we dream as big as we want to
We all get a chance
Everybody gets to dance
Only in America”

“Back in the USA"  Chuck Berry
This song is a classic.

“Courtesy of the Red White and Blue” Toby Keith
Toby Keith got a lot of grief over writing this song. It was written after the 9-11 incident, and helps us remember that there are men dying so we can sleep at peace each night.  And don’t forget Toby’s other great song, “American Soldier”.

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“Arlington” Trace Adkins
This song songs tells of war from a soldier’s perspective after he has died in battle.  Listen to the words, it always gets to me.

“This Country Stands” Dyer Highway
Good song from a new group, brother and his two sisters, all under 18 years of age.

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“America Saturday Night” Brad Paisley
Sums up America’s diversity and how we embrace the traditions and cultures of America’s people.

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“Born in the USA” Bruce Springsteen
A 4th of July classic- perfect for your fireworks show.

“God Bless the USA” Lee Greenwood
I teach this song to my music students every year and you’d think I’d be sick iof it by now but even though it came out 25 years ago it still makes me proud to be an American every time I sing it. Some people refer to this song as the “unofficial” national anthem.

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“Sweet Home Alabama” Lynyrd Skynyrd Band
Well, it’s a song about one of the great states in Aerica and I just love the music!  And besides what’s a party without some Southern Rock!

Keep on Rocking in the Free World by Bon Jovi
This song has become a classic fireworks songs for Independence Day

“Fightn’ Side of Me” Merle Haggard
In this song Merle Haggard talks about how everyone has the right to stand up for what they believe, but don’t run down the country.

“Some Gave All” Billy Ray Cyrus
A heartfelt performance on this loving tribute to the men and women that fight for our freedom each day which has nothing to do with “boot scootin’”.

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“If You’re Reading This” Tim McGraw
The song tells the story of a soldier that has passed on, and his wishes on how he’d like to be remembered, and where he’d like to be buried. 

And finally, though not technically a song-
“America, Why I Love Her” John Wayne

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Even as I put this list together I realized that I was leaving out some great American music.  Share your favorites and I’ll add them to the list.

Happy Independence Day!

Aunt MO

Musical Round Songs for Your Family Reunion

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Family Reunion Helper

I love singing songs around the campfire and I’ve done it at family reunions, girls camps, scout camps and at workshops. There are so many fun and traditional songs that can be sung around a fire, but my favorite songs are rounds.

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This is how a round works. The first group begins singing the song. The second group waits and begins singing the first phrase of the song just as the pervious group starts to sing the second phrase of the song. Each group continues singing the song from start to finish. The song ends with the group who started last singing the last phrase of the song alone. It is very common to have three or four groups all singing the same round.

To be successful at singing rounds in a large group setting you have to start with a simple song to warm everyone up. A good example of a simple round song that everyone probably already knows how to sing is “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.

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If your group masters “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” challenge them with the “Sophisticated Row Row Row Your Boat” song. Be sure and make copies of the words or a large sign so that singers don’t get hung up on the lyrics.

Propel Propel Propel your craft
Placidly over the liquid solution
ecstatically ecstatically ecstatically ecstatically
existence is merely an illusion.

Other easy rounds are “Are You Sleeping” and “Kookaburra”

Kookaburra (new version)

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Eating all the gum drops he can see
Stop, Kookaburra! Stop, Kookaburra!
Leave some there for me

Silly Version

Kookaburra sits on the electric wire,
Jumping up and down, with his pants on fire.
Ouch, Kookaburra, ouch! Kookaburra,
Hot your tail must be!

The most fail proof way I’ve found to get family reunion groups singing rounds accurately is to be sure there is a strong singer in each group that can help lead their group. You may even want to give your leaders copies of the songs you would like to sing in a round before your reunion so they can become familiar with the music.

Once you have warmed everyone up you can move on to more challenging songs. I have found that adults and children love round singing because they can make a beautiful sound without being too talented musically. There are several songs, when sung in a round, which bring out the most beautiful harmonies.

Oh, How Lovely is the Evening

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There are a couple of songs that have actions that go along with the words to the song. “A Ram Sam Sam” is fun sing with actions and looks pretty impressive- especially if you’re the one standing in front of the group watching.

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What if your family is an advanced group of round singers? Try this wonderful song that is a bit more complicated and then check out the following round/cannon resources. http://roundz.tripod.com/ or “Rounds for Children” from http://sheetmusicplus.com

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Be sure and see the fun new family reunion games and family reunion planning helps at www.famillyreunionhelper.com/ 

Aunt MO

“The only thing better than singing, is more singing.”

My Top Ten Family Reunion Songs

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I have a favorite family reunion song- it’s upbeat and fun and you feel good when you listen to it and even better when you sing it. It’s a little known song, you haven’t heard it on the radio and it’s never been on the top of the charts but it’s my favorite and I think that when you hear it you’ll like it too.

clip_image002[5]I spent a lot of time looking for my favorite family reunion song, I’ve searched the net and I’ve visited hundreds of family web pages. I found that the most used song on these family web pages is “Family Reunion” by the O’Jays”. I like the lyrics that say, “It’s so nice to see, all the folks you love together”. Not a bad song, really, the song’s only problem is that it is over used and, for my liking,  the tempo is a little slow.

There are some great family reunion songs that are regional in nature such as “Sweet Home Alabama” which would be a great reunion song if you roots were in Alabama or if Texas were your home state, “God Blessed Texas”, or "Louisiana Saturday Night" by Alabama. But you really need to be from one of those places to choose it as your favorite family reunion song.

My list of family reunion songs is quite an eclectic list, songs from many different genres. I think that a reunion song should be upbeat and fun and should make you feel good and if it meets that criterion, I don’t care who sings it or if it is considered country, rock or spiritual in nature.

Let’s start my list with a song that probably couldn’t be classified as “family reunion” music but it has a great tempo and some fun lyrics and to be perfectly honest, is just a guilty pleasure of mine. “The Boys Are Back in Town” is my number 10 choice. My number 9 choice is another fun song- one that you can use to get your “party started” but most people probably don’t think of it as a family reunion song.

Songs numbers two through eight can be considered more traditional family reunion songs and although they didn’t come immediately to my mind, seem to naturally belong on the list.

Song number one is in a class of it’s own but I want you to discover it for yourself. So read on, and when you get to song number one, prepare to be surprised.

 

#10 Boys Are Back In Town- Bruce Springstein

#9 Get the Party Started- Pink I’m comin’ up
So you better
Get this party started

#8 “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” – Bon Jovi & Sugarland Who says you can’t go home
theres only one place they call you one of their own
Just a hometown boy born a rolling stone
who says you cant go home

#7 Lights of My Hometown- Aaron Lines Don’t know how long I’ve been gone, All I know is it’s been too long

#6 Something To Be Proud Of- Montgomery Gentry That’s something to be proud of
That’s a life you can hang your hat on
That’s a chin held high as the tears fall down
A gut sucked in, a chest stuck out
Like a small town flag a-flyin’
Or a newborn baby cryin’
In the arms of the woman that you love
That’s something to be proud of

#5 Family Reunion- O’Jays It’s so nice to see, All the folks you love together

#4 Home- Chris Daughtry So I’m going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.

#3 These Are My People- Rodney Adkins These are my people
This is where I come from
Were givin’ this life everything we got and then some
It ain’t always pretty
But its real
It’s the way we were made
clip_image004[5]Wouldn’t have it any other way
These are my people

#2 We Are Family- Sister Sledge

All of the people around us they say
Can they be that close
Just let me state for the record
We’re giving love in a family dose

The above songs be downloaded for 99 cents at http://family-reunion-planner.fimark.net/family-reunion-songs.html

And now for MY number one family reunion song-

#1 Family Reunion- Plank Road Publishing

From the hills of California from the shores of Maine

We all come together with the same last name.

It’s our family reunion!

So many aunts and uncles

I’ll have to count again

And all these crazy cousins

I can’t believe we’re kin!

The lyrics are great but don’t mean as much until you put the fun music behind them. You can listen to this song at http://www.familyreunionhelper.com and you can download it http://www.mootoobmoosic.com

Our family has had a lot of fun with the reunion song. One year we assigned a few people from each family group to learn the song and then sing it at our family reunion. Many of the performers dressed up in Hill Billy attire and sang it with a twang. It was the highlight of the reunion and soon everyone at the reunion was singing along. It’s easy to learn and easy to sing but if you’re looking for a serious family reunion song this is not it.

“Family Reunion” is upbeat and fun but no one is going to get tears in their eyes when they listen to it- unless they’re tears of laughter!

Aunt MO

The house fly hums in the middle octave key of F.

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