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| Song Title | Description | Categories | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| A — You're Adorable | It's fun to wander thru the alphabet with you | up-tune, easy, strongly rhythmic | |
| All Alone | One of Berlin's finest tear-jerkers | ballad, easy | |
| Am I Wasting My Time on You? | Great chances for emotional expression | ballad, contestable, easy | |
| You're Adorable | A romantic romp through the alphabet. | up-tune, contestable, easy | |
| Because of You | Remember Tony Bennet's recording of this from the 50's? Great love ballad. | ballad, contestable, easy | |
| Blue Jeans | Henry Burr recorded this way back in the teens. Recalling teenage love back "in the hills of the old Cumberland." | ballad, contestable, easy | View Sample (PDF) |
| By the Beautiful Sea | ...Oh, how happy we'll be! Great song for summer. | up-tune, contestable, easy | |
| Cheatin, On Me | Bluesy | ballad, easy | |
| Consider Yourself | Great opener from "Oliver." | up-tune, contestable, show opener, easy | |
| Down by the O-Hi-O | ... I've got the cutest little Oh! My! Oh! | up-tune, contestable, easy | |
| Gal That Was Stolen from Me, The | Very much like "Somebody Stole My Gal." | up-tune, contestable, easy | |
| Gee, But There's Class to a Girl Like You | Original verse. | ballad, contestable, easy | |
| Go With a Song in Your Heart | Great show closer,or end each rehearsal with it | ballad, easy, show opener or closer | |
| God Bless the Human Elbow | Barbershop in a Baroque harmonization. "If it bent too long we'd be dry, I fear; if it bent too short we'd be drinking through our ear" | ballad/up-tune, novelty/show tune, not contestable, easy | |
| Goofus | Unskilled musician makes it big. | up-tune, novelty/show tune, not contestable, easy | View Sample (PDF) |
| Green Bay Packer Polka | Any quartet or chorus from Wisconsin had better learn this one. I'm a Packer-backer, are you? | up-tune, contestable, easy | |
| Half-Way to Heaven | Fellow returns home to his girl: "Then she meets me half-way, half-way up the pathway, that's half-way to heaven and home." Very square. | ballad, contestable, easy | |
| Happy Anniversary | sing for anniversaries as well as birthdays | ballad, easy | |
| Harmonize | How great it is to harmonize. Interpolates standards. | up-tune, contestable, show opener, easy | |
| If I Could Only Make You Care | Simple love song. | ballad, contestable, easy | |
| I'll Be in My Dixie Home Again Tomorrow | This could bring back Dixie tunes! | up-tune, contestable, easy | |
| I'll Fly Away | Simpler than the published version. | up-tune, contestable, easy | |
| I Love You Just the Same Sweet Adeline | In the best of the barbershop tradition. | ballad, contestable, easy | |
| Ireland Must Be Heaven | For my Mother came from there. | ballad, contestable, easy | |
| I Will Love You When the Silver Threads Are Shining Among the Gold | Simple, straightforward ... from 1911. | ballad, contestable, easy | |
| Johnny's in Town | Back from WWI (1919) and he's been around! | up-tune, contestable, easy | |
| Just a Dream of You, Dear | Strictly a song for barbershoppers, with gorgeous harmonies. | ballad, easy | View Sample (PDF) |
| Just a Little Longer | Simple love ballad. Win a contest with it. | ballad, contestable, easy | |
| Just When the Lights Are Low | Old timey remembrance. | ballad, contestable, easy | |
| Last Night on the Back Porch | 1950's favorite updated | up-tune, easy, strongly rhythmic | |
| Let There Be Peace on Earth | ... And let it begin with me. Spiritually uplifting. | ballad, not contestable, show closer, easy | View Sample (PDF) |
| Let the Rest of the World Go By | One of the most harmonizable songs ever written. | ballad, contestable, easy | |
| Man on the Flying Trapeze, The | Very easy.... make something of it! | ballad/up-tune, novelty/show tune, not contestable, easy | |
| May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You | Sing it right from the heart. | ballad, not contestable, show closer, easy | |
| May You Always | Great show closer with spiritual message | ballad, easy, show opener or closer | |
| My Book of Broken Dreams | A lot like that old favorite: Bundle of Old Love Letters | ballad, contestable, easy | |
| My Mother's Rosary | Tribute to mother and her faith. | ballad, contestable, easy | |
| My Old Kentucky Home | Familiar and much-loved Foster | ballad, easy | |
| Nothing Seems the Same Anymore | Feeling bad over a lost love. | ballad, contestable, easy | |
| Old Familiar Faces | Nostalgic ode to times past. Square. | ballad, contestable, easy | |
| On the Bark of an Old Cherry Tree | We carved our names there, but it was never to be. | ballad, contestable, easy | |
| Pal That I Love Stole the Gal That I Love, The | ... And now we're not pals anymore ... Heartfelt ballad of lost love. | up-tune, contestable, easy | |
| Pick Me Up and Lay Me Down (in Dear Old Dixieland) | One of the best of this genre. | up-tune, contestable, easy | |
| Play Ball! | Great baseball song ... like "Take Me Out" | up-tune, easy | |
| Pretty Baby | Unlike Gentry's, this is straight. Catchy tune. | up-tune, contestable, easy | |
| Rose and a Prayer, A | Tender love ballad—old fashioned barbershop. | ballad, contestable, easy | |
| Rosemary | A tribute to a beautiful girl | up-tune, easy | |
| Smile Will Go a Long, Long Way, A | Gets 'em grinning! | up-tune, contestable, show opener, easy | |
| Strip Polka | Just slightly on the risque side. She doesn't take it all off. | up-tune, not contestable, easy | |
| Take Me Out to the Ball Game | Delays words on second chorus | up-tune, easy, novelty/show tune | |
| Tell Me Why | The great "campfire" song, perfect to harmonize. | ballad, contestable, easy | |
| That's What Friends Are For | Great way to say "thank you" | ballad, easy | |
| There's No Business Like Show Business | This one sparkles! Great to open your show. | up-tune, novelty/show tune, not contestable, show opener, easy | |
| Thinking of You at Christmas | Undiscovered jewel of a Christmas Song | ballad, easy | |
| This Little Light of Mine | Starts easy, ends driving. Great gospel. | up-tune, novelty/show tune, not contestable, easy | |
| Twelve Days after Christmas, The | Spoof on the more familiar Twelve Days of Christmas. Clever. | ballad, novelty/show tune, not contestable, easy | |
| When Your Old Wedding Ring Was New | Very effective if recitation used second time through. | ballad, not contestable, easy | |
| Where the River Shannon Flows | Pure Irish ballad. | ballad, contestable, easy | |
| Why Don't We Do This More Often? | End your show with this! | up-tune, easy, strongly rhythmic | |
| Wishing | It'll come true if you just ... | ballad, easy | |
| You Brought Ireland Right Over to Me | Title says it all. | ballad, contestable, easy |
Note: Questions about contestability of arrangements should be directed to a qualified Music category judge. Standards are constantly changing, so ask before you sing!
Updated 5/2008