Too funny . Check out this clever NH video. Gotta love this song.

http://newtown-pa.patch.com/groups/aroun...pharrells-happy

Awesome! Love that song - and Pharrell's amazing voice.

Actually, I use a style very similar to that for You Are My Sunshine and the NH residents love it.

You have to be creative and innovative to satisfy ALL audiences. Yesterday, I performed at a very upscale retirement/assisted living facility, Edenwald, in Towson, MD. http://www.edenwald.org/ I did a fair number of country songs, including You Were Always On My Mind, but the big hit was my performance of My Girl, which brought the staff up to the front of the room to put on a dance show. Got lots of attaboys from the AD, staff and residents - I love those kind of days.

Gary

That was too cute. "Happy" seems to be the feel good song of the year that all generations enjoy. Maybe Happy will become a standard?

Gary, I've had similar results my "My Girl" also. Great entertainers such as yourself know how to liven up the whole room.

Thanks Paul.

Gary

Hi - on a related note, I have been finding more and more that at the retirement homes (and similar kinds of places), they more and more seem to want and like some "good old-fashioned rock'n'roll". I find they really respond to some of the earlier rock - from 50s 60s and some 1970s even. Same for R&B, Boogie, Motown, Rock-a-billy, etc. I think it's the energy, the beat, etc.

And as you decribed, the staff likes it too, so they will get up, dance some, get a resident or two to dance, and they have a good time.

I do plenty of the older favorites, but I find I sprinkle in more and more upbeat 1950s-1970s era music and overall it goes over all. I'm sure some in the audience don't care for it as much (the older ones perhaps) ... but the "energy" that comes out, maybe is 'infectious' and overall the response to it has been very good.

Jim

Jim, I agree fully. They want to have fun, and for the most part, they're really not doing much more than existing one day at a time. At the place I performed yesterday, several people came up to me at the end of the performance and wanted to know how often I would be there. When I told them once a month, many of the said why not come back ever week? I told them they would have to talk with the AD about that.

In previous years I had a couple places where I performed every week, but I no longer go to those locations because they just too far away, at least in terms of driving time, to make it profitable. One is just 39 miles from home, but when you get hung up on the Baltimore Beltway and Baltimore Harbor Tunnel and I-95 during rush hour, it could take up to 2-1/2 hours to get home through the grid lock.

The song I refer to as my "Get Out Of Dodge Song" for the past several years is Show Me The Way To Go Home - they love it, and I always do a parody verse that brings out some laughter from the ladies. I use the S-950s Jive style, tempo of 142 and more often than not when I'm walking out the door with my gear on the cart, there's always a few people still singing the song and laughing out loud.

Cheers,

Gary

"My Girl" gets them every time ...

I'm playing "Happy" before an after the gig as I setup and take down. People love it; clap, sing and dance, including the staff.
"My Girl" is always on my playlist, as are a few other Motown hits. I have staff dancing with residents at most of my jobs. We've got to remember that people in their 70s and 80s were in their teens and twenties during 50s and 60s. Up to a few years ago many of these folks were listening to oldies or country radio. They are very aware and like the same music we like. I play very few songs from pre-1950. Even though I like that music, and they do too, they appreciate that I come in and play something more up to date than many of the other entertainers. I hope to keep them tapping their toes, clapping their hands and singing along.