Lounge music refers to music played in the lounges and bars of hotels and casinos, or at standalone piano bars. Generally, the performers include a singer and one or two other musicians. The performers play or cover songs composed by others, especially pop standards, many deriving from the days of Tin Pan Alley. Notionally, much lounge music consists of sentimental favorites enjoyed by a lone drinker over a martini, though in practice there is much more variety. A hotel is an establishment that provides lodging, usually on a short-term basis. ... The Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey A casino is a building that accommodates gambling. ... In pop music a cover version is a new rendition of a previously recorded song. ... The term pop standards refers to an American songwriting, arranging, and singing style that is widely considered as the high point of Western vocal popular music. ... Tin Pan Alley was the name given to the collection of New York City-centered music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States of America in the late 19th century and the early 20th century. ... The Sentiment for 18th century readers and writers is an equivalent for a strong romantic, usually exageratedly powerful feeling. ... See: Martini cocktail - a popular cocktail. ...

The term can also refer to laid-back electronic music, also named downtempo, because of the reputation of lounge music as low-key background music. Electronic music is a loose term for music created using electronic equipment. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Elevator music, also known as piped music or Muzak, refers to the gentle, bland arrangements of popular music designed for play in shopping malls, grocery stores, telephone systems (while the caller is on hold), and, of course, elevators. ...

Overview

While the performers are often minimally paid, many people attempting a musical career start as lounge musicians. For example, the Beatles performed first as a lounge act at a bar in Hamburg, Germany. Billy Joel worked as a lounge musician and penned the song "Piano Man" about his experience. The Beatles (L-R, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, John Lennon), in 1964, performing on The Ed Sullivan Show promoting their first U.S. hit song, I Want To Hold Your Hand, and ushering in the British Invasion of American popular music. ... Billy Joel was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. ...

Patrons of the lounge have been known to request the performers to play music which the performers are ill-equipped musically to play. For example, a duo of a singer and a piano player could be requested to perform "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin. The resultant performance could be considered as bad music, a parody or both (a travesty). Led Zeppelins first promotional photo, taken in 1968. ... Burlesque was originally a form of art that mocked by imitation, referring to everything from comic sketches to dance routines and usually lampooning the social attitudes of upper classes. ...

An example of stereotypical interaction a lounge musician and audience might be:

Audience member: Do you know "Rhapsody In Blue"?

Lounge musician: No, but if you hum a few bars I can fake it.

Reputedly, the most-requested lounge song is either "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", or "Misty". This article does not cite its references or sources. ... A fake book is a collection of simplified sheet music (sometimes called fake music or lead sheets), either transcribed manually or copied from some other source. ... Misty is a jazz standard written in 1954 by the pianist Errol Garner. ...

Lounge music has enjoyed brief resurgences in popularity in the 1980s and 1990s, led by deliberately ironic figures such as Buster Poindexter and Jaymz Bee. Richard Cheese's Lounge Against The Machine have added to this resurgence, by parodying metal music and other alternative rock hits in the style of lounge music. Other artists have taken lounge music to new heights by recombining rock with pop, such as Jon Brion and the surrounding regulars of Café Largo. // Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 60s and 70s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... // Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but otherwise retaining the same mindset. ... // Defining irony Irony is a form of speech in which the real meaning is concealed or contradicted by the words used. ... David Johansen (born January 9, 1950) is an American rock, blues and pop singer, songwriter and actor. ... Jaymz Bee is a Canadian musician, writer and radio personality. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine. ... Metal is a genre of music that derives from rock and electric blues, with distorted guitars,loud bass, and generally very powerful drums. ... The terms alternative rock and alternative music were coined in the early 1980s to describe punk rock-inspired music genres which didnt fit into the mainstream genres of the time. ... Jon Brion at The Sunset Tavern in Seattle (photo by Nadja Dee Tanaka) Jon Brion is an American rock and pop multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, composer and producer. ... Largo is a nightclub and cabaret in West Hollywood, CA, known informally as Café Largo or Club Largo. ...

Popular culture

Comedians have long lampooned lounge singers. The "Vegas Lounge Singer" was lampooned famously by Andy Kaufman as Tony Clifton. Bill Murray portrayed a particularly bad 1970s lounge singer on Saturday Night Live, best known for providing his own lyrics to the John Williams theme from Star Wars, and an over-the-top version of the Morris Albert hit "Feelings". Later, Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri portrayed a goofy married duo of lounge-style musicians, but in incongruous venues such as high school dances. Andy Kaufman Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman (January 17, 1949 – May 16, 1984) was a New York-born American self-described song and dance man. ... Tony Clifton is a fictional character created by comedian Andy Kaufman in the late 1970s. ... William James Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an Irish-American comedian, producer, film director, and actor. ... This article provides extensive lists of events and significant personalities of the 1970s. ... Saturday Night Live (SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute comedy-variety show from NBC which has been broadcast virtually every Saturday night since its debut on October 11, 1975. ... There have been a number of noteworthy men named John Williams: John Williams (actor) (1903-1983), actor John Williams (archer) American archer and Olympic gold medallist John Williams (author) (1922-), wrote historical novel Augustus John Williams (accordionist), Chicago-born accordion player John Williams (archbishop) (1582-1650), archbishop John Williams (composer... Star Wars is a series of science fantasy films created by writer/producer/director George Lucas. ... Morris Albert Kaisermann is a Brazilian singer. ... Will Ferrell, in his title role in the 2004 film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy John Will William Ferrell (born July 16, 1967) is a comedian, impressionist, and actor who first established himself as a cast member of Saturday Night Live (1995–2002). ... Cheri Oteri (born September 19th, 1965 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American actress and comedian best known for her work on NBCs Saturday Night Live. ... High school, or Secondary school, is the last segment of compulsory education in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan (Republic of China) (only junior high school), the United Kingdom and the United States. ...

The film The Fabulous Baker Boys portrayed a lounge act. The Fabulous Baker Boys is a 1989 film about two brothers who perform a duo piano show together in small clubs. ...

External Links

• Lounge Against the Machine