Some of the best piano bar songs are requested at dueling piano bars. Haven’t heard of dueling piano songs yet? Keep reading! The “dueling pianos” style of entertainment (which traces back as far as the 1890s) has experienced a recent resurgence in popularity in many big cities. These establishments are typically characterized by having two grand (or baby grand) pianos placed opposite each other with two talented musicians performing and accepting audience requests for favorite songs. Between the dancing, energy, and sheer fun, these piano bars have it all.
What Are the All-Time Best Piano Bar Songs?
The all-time best songs to request at the piano bar are tunes that the whole crowd will love and be able to sing along to. They can be categorized as fan favorites, tunes that push the envelope, modern tunes, songs from musicals, funky, and classic tunes. Let’s look at the top 36 sorted by category.
Fan-Favorites at the Piano Bar
These are some of the best songs to request at a piano bar. Any of these crowd-pleasing tunes is sure to be a good time!
- “Joy to the World” – Three Dog Night
- “Rocket Man” – Elton John
- “Barracuda” – Heart
- “Carry On, Wayward Son” – Kansas
- “Rock and Roll All Nite” – KISS
- “Piano Man” – Billy Joel
Piano Bar Songs that Push the Envelope
Next time you find yourself at a dueling piano bar, challenge the performers with some of these well-loved, complex tunes.
- “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” – Charlie Daniels Band
- “Bohemian Rhapsody” – Queen
- “Layla” – Eric Clapton
- “Sultans of Swing” – Dire Straits
- “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)” – AC/DC
- “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” – George Thorogood
Modern Dueling Piano Songs
Pick any of these contemporary pop tunes – the whole bar secretly wants to hear them one more time!
- “Someone Like You” – Adele
- “Firework” – Katy Perry
- “That’s What You Get” – Paramore
- “Crazy in Love” – Beyonce feat. Jay-Z
- “Every Morning” – Sugar Ray
- “The Way” – Fastball
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Best Piano Bar Songs from Musicals
Musicals are chock-full of outstanding songs that are perfect for dueling piano bars. Everyone loves these hits from your favorite movies and musicals.
- “Footloose” – Kenny Loggins (Footloose)
- “Singin’ in the Rain” – Gene Kelly (Singin’ in the Rain)
- “Stayin’ Alive” – The Bee Gees (Saturday Night Fever)
- “Hakuna Matata” – Nathan Lane and Co. (The Lion King)
- “Summer Nights” – John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John (Grease)
- “All That Jazz” – Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger (Chicago)
Funky Dueling Piano Songs
You can’t go wrong with these reggae, funk, and jazz hits.
- “Uptown Funk” – Mark Ronson
- “Play That Funky Music, White Boy” – Wild Cherry
- “Superfreak” – Rick James
- “Sophisticated Lady” – Duke Ellington
- “Stand by Me” – Ben E. King
- “No Woman, No Cry” – Bob Marley
Classic Piano Bar Songs
From ZZ Top to the wildly unpredictable Jerry Lee Lewis, these artists and songs seem to have the right stuff behind them.
- “Born to Be Wild” – Steppenwolf
- “Old Time Rock & Roll” – Bob Seger
- “Take it Easy” – The Eagles
- “Sharp Dressed Man” – ZZ Top
- “Eye of the Tiger” – Survivor
- “Great Balls of Fire” – Jerry Lee Lewis
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Now You’re Ready for Your Next Trip to the Dueling Piano Bar
Spending an evening at a dueling piano bar is a great way to get some sing-along therapy, make new friends, and discover new music. And, of course, to polish your dancing skills.
We hope you have a great time listening to the best dueling piano songs next time you go out! And don’t be afraid to explore piano lessons for yourself. Find great teachers right here! After all, you never know when you’ll be called up to the stage to duel.
Photo by Jill Shih
Megan L.