100 Famous Ukulele Songs
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There are many famous songs in the music industry today that you can choose to play with your ukulele because of its versatile nature. Not all ukulele songs are originally played on the instrument, however, they are still famous and played by many. Here are a list of some of the most famous 100 ukulele songs.
Can’t Help Falling in Love by Twenty One Pilots
Riptide by Vance Joy
Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
La Vie en Rose by Cristin Milioti
Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran
Creep by Radiohead
Shape of You by Ed Sheeran
All of Me by John Legend
The Scientist by Coldplay
Take Me to Church by Hozier
Sweater Weather by The Neighborhood
Wonderwall by Oasis
Ride by Twenty One Pilots
The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars
Hello by Adele
Dream a Little Dream of Me by Ella Fitzergald
What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
Hotel California by Eagles
Sunday Morning by Maroon 5
The Only Exception by Paramore
Valerie by Amy Winehouse
All About that Bass by Meghan Trainor
Let it Go by Idina Menzel
Love Story by Taylor Swift
She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5
You And I by Ingrid Michaelson
Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift
Jolene by Dolly Parton
Dog Days Are Over by Florence and the Machine
Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day
Imagine by John Lennon
Price Tag by Jessie J
Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations
Aloha ‘Oe by Queen Lili’uokalani
A Thousand Years by Cristina Perri
Chandelier by Sia
City of Stars by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone
I Will Follow You into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie
I See Fire by Ed Sheeran
Pompeii by Bastille
Say You Won’t Let Go by James Arthur
Skinny Love by Bon Iver
Ukulele Lady by Bette Midler
Wake Me Up by Avicii
Blue Hawaii by Elvis Presley
Hi’ilawe by Gabby Pahinui
Hawaii ’78 by Mickey Ioane
Hey There Delilah by Plane White T’s
Rolling in the Deep by Adele
Do You Want to Build a Snowman by Kristen Bell
Reckless Love by Bethel Music/Cory Asbury
Cheek to Cheek by Fred Astair
You Belong to Me by Jason Wade
You’ve Got a Friend by James Taylor
I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith
Clocks by Coldplay
How Far I’ll Go by Auil’i Cravalho
When You Wish Upon a Star Cliff Edwards
At Last I See the Light by Mandy Moore
Hakuna Matata by Nathan Lane
Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride by Mark Keail’i Ho’omalu
A Whole New World by Brad Keane
Kiss The Girl by Ashley Tisdale
Under the Sea by by Samuel E. Wright
The Bare Necessities by Terry Glikyson
24K Magic by Bruno Mars
Rehab by Amy Winehouse
Don’t Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult
Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns n Roses
Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
Eye of the Tiger by Survivor
Korobeiniki (Tetris Theme)
Blackbird by The Beatles
Boys Don’t Cry by The Cure
Anything Goes by Cole Porter
Jones by Counting Crows
God is a Woman by Ariana Grande
Moon River by Audrey Hepburn
The One That Got Away by Katy Perry
Remember Me by Miguel Inzunza
Stitches by Shawn Mendes
The Breakup Song by Francesca Battistelli
Für Elise by Ludwig van Beethoven
The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel
I Won’t Say I’m in Love by Susan Egan
Halo by Beyoncé
Dancing Queen by ABBA
Viva la Vida by Coldplay
Sunday Morning by Maroon 5
Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin
The Show by Lenka
Message Man by Twenty One Pilots
You Belong with Me by Taylor Swift
Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond
Photograph by Ed Sheeran
In My Blood by Shawn Mendes
Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day
Enter Sandman by Metallica
Budapest by George Ezra
Close to You by The Carpenters
Key Considerations When Choosing a Popular Song
A lot of popular songs these days can be played on any instrument, even ukuleles in some cases. However, not all songs are appropriate for all occasions because they contain sensitive themes and some audiences may just not like them. In order for you to not get told to get off the stage for the song you choose, you have to consider some factors first. So, here are some things that you should think about when you are going to pick a popular song.
- Learnability – Some songs may indeed be great to sing, but not all can be learned to be played on an instrument. A good popular song that you should choose to play is something that you can learn. Some songs will be more difficult than others, but it will take practice and you will eventually learn how to do so. If not, then move on with the song, no matter how popular and catchy it is.
- Theme – A song should have an appropriate theme to the occasion and place you are going to play at if you are playing in public. Though ukuleles are known to play on upbeat, relaxed, and carefree themes, sometimes they can be different. Some popular songs are about love, and some can be about the loss of love. A song can be too much for depending on its lyrics and melody, so you should pick accordingly. This way, you will not have to think about getting in trouble when the public hears your song and you sing its lyrics out loud.
- Genre – Ukuleles are stereotyped to belong to only acoustic genres, but they can be applied to jazz as well. This is because the ukulele is evolving to become tailored to all sorts of tones and notes to allow diversity in music. Some genres will have harder chords and key changes because they are meant to be played that way. Depending on what you want, you will have to adapt to these things so you can play according to the genre. This might have to involve some improvisation if you think that the chords on the sheet do not sound right.
- Preference – You will have to choose a song to play that you like if you wish to enjoy the experience of playing the ukulele. This will help you in being able to familiarize yourself with the song, even if you cannot sing it. There may be times where you do not want to play a song that is not familiar to you. However, what is important is that you are okay with it, whether it be its melody or its chords.
- Skill Level – Even if you are able to sing, if you are bad at playing the ukulele, you should pick more basic songs to play. A popular song that is difficult to sing most likely is also difficult to play. You should pick ones that are according to your level of expertise in playing the ukulele unless you like a challenge. However, do not pick songs that are too difficult or else you will be put off from playing altogether. If you pick a difficult song to play and you decide to perform on stage, it will become embarrassing once you go off-tune.
- Length – Popular songs are more or less short in length, ranging from about 2 to 4 minutes on average. How long you are going to play a song is also a thing that is up to you. However, it is wise that you pick a song that is enough to increase your experience whenever you play it. This is because you might potentially damage your hands or the instrument if you pick a song that is too long for your own good.
- Audience – You must always consider your audience if you are going to perform on stage whenever you are going to play your ukulele. Thus, it is preferable that you pick a popular song that is known by most of the people in the audience. This will help you encourage them to sing along if you are allowed to do so. A song that the audience is not familiar with is kind of useless if you are trying to build rapport with them.
Final Thoughts
In the end, a lot of popular songs in this list are newer than the others, and as such are less familiar to others. However, most of them are able to captivate the audience because they still contain a good melody and lyrics. If you think that you do not know these songs and are still in need of new songs to pick, you may look elsewhere. This list is just a suggestion of what we feel are songs that you should know. It is not a complete compilation of all the updated songs that people should know and can lack some selections of popular songs.