Barbershop Music - Typical Barbershop Songs

Typical Barbershop Songs

Barbershop Harmony Society's Barberpole Cat Songs "Polecats"—12 songs which all Barbershop Harmony Society members are encouraged to learn as a shared canonic repertoire—all famous, traditional examples of the barbershop genre:

  • "Down by the Old Mill Stream" (Tell Taylor)
  • "Down Our Way"
  • "Honey/Li'l Lize Medley"
  • "Let Me Call You Sweetheart"
  • "My Wild Irish Rose" (‘Chauncey’ Alcott)
  • "Shine on Me"
  • "The Story of the Rose" ("Heart of My Heart")
  • "Sweet Adeline (You're The Flower Of My Heart)"
  • "Sweet and Lovely" (composer: Norm Starks)
  • "Sweet, Sweet Roses of Morn" (Oscar F. Jones and Martin S. Peake 1915)
  • "Wait 'Til the Sun Shines, Nellie"
  • "You Tell Me Your Dream (I'll Tell You Mine)"

Examples of other songs popular in the barbershop genre are:

  • "Alexander's Ragtime Band"
  • "Baby on Board"
  • "Bright Was the Night"
  • "Come Fly with Me"
  • "Darkness on the Delta (When It's)" (Levinson, Neiburg, Symes)
  • "From the First Hello (to the Last Goodbye)" (words & music: Johnny Burke)
  • "Goodbye, My Coney Island Baby"
  • "Hello Ma Baby"
  • "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen"
  • "In the Good Old Summer Time"
  • "Mister Jefferson Lord, Play That Barbershop Chord"
  • "Shine On Harvest Moon"
  • "Sweet Georgia Brown"
  • "Wedding Bells Are Breaking up That Old Gang of Mine"
  • "When My Baby Smiles at Me"
  • "Yes Sir, That's My Baby"

While these traditional songs still play a part in barbershop today, barbershop music also includes more current titles. Most music can be arranged in the barbershop style, and there are many arrangers within the aforementioned societies with the skills to include the barbershop chord structure in their arrangements. Today's barbershop quartets and choruses sing a variety of music from all eras—show tunes, pop, and even rock music has been arranged for choruses and quartets, making them more attractive to younger singers.

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