With a beer in your hand and with the sun setting – guitar dude suddenly becomes the coolest guy in the world.
Ever chuckled at the poor dude getting on and off boats and buses with a pack AND a guitar? Well they’re not as dumb as they look. Their time comes.
Because, if they can find a campfire, they’ll be in their element. And, if they can play just a handful of the following songs below, they won’t be going back to their Thai beach hut alone.
Some are oldies, some are new. Some are cheesy. Some are cool. Some weren’t cool but magically are again. With a beer in your hand and with the sun setting – guitar dude suddenly becomes the coolest guy in the world.
If you can’t play, then download them. No self-respecting, blissed-out beach bar will turn your Ipod away.
Here are The 50 Greatest Campfire Songs Of All Time (in their coolest versions to download).
1. House of the Rising Sun – The Animals
2. Let It Be – The Beatles
3. Ain’t No Sunshine – Bill Withers
4. Time of your Life – Green Day
5. Blowin’ in the Wind – Bob Dylan
6. Our House – Crosby, Still Nash & Young
7. Don’t Dream It’s Over – Crowded House
8. Something Inside so Strong – Labi Siffre
9. Love Song - The Cure
10. True Colours – Cyndi Lauper
11. Hotel California -The Eagles
12. In the Ghetto – Elvis Presley
13. Leaving On A Jet Plane – Frank Sinatra
14. Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) – Harry Belafonte
15. Fire and Rain – James Taylor
16. Hallelujah – John Cale
17. Working Class Hero – John Lennon
18. Take me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
19. Wandering Star – Lee Marvin
20. California Dreamin’ – The Mamas and the Papas
21.Redemption Song – Joe Strummer & Johnny Cash
22. Talkin’ About a Revolution – Tracy Chapman
23. Daydream Believer – The Monkees
24. Down in Albion – Baby Shambles
25. Forever In Blue Jeans – Neil Diamond
26. Only Love Can Break Your Heart – Neil Young
27. Come As You Are – Nirvana
28. (Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay – Otis Redding
29. Baby, I Love your Way – Peter Frampton
30. Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd
31. Dirty Old Town - The Pogues
32. King of the Road – The Proclaimers
33. Everybody Hurts – R.E.M.
34. Killing Me Softly With His Song – Roberta Flack
35. Vincent – Don McLean
36. Handbags and Gladrags – Rod Stewart
37. Wonderwall – Ryan Adams
38. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head – Sacha Distel
39. New Slang – The Shins
40. Mrs. Robinson – Simon & Garfunkel
41. There is a Light That Never Goes Out – The Smiths
42. Grazed Knees – Snow Patrol
43. Lost In Hollywood – System of a Down
44. Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) – The Temptations
45. Africa – Toto
46. Handle with Care – Traveling Wilburys
47. All I Want Is You – U2
48. Island in the Sun. – Weezer
49. She’s Not There – The Zombies
50. There She Goes – The Las
Now that you know the list, Learn How To Play The Greatest Campfire Songs!
Feel free to sound off in the comments.
Steve Jackson compiled this list. His Ipod was revered in his old Hanoi hang out at Le Pub at 25 Hang Be Street. Having moved to Nicaragua, he’s now trying to find it a new home. Read about his adventures at Our Man In Granada.About the Author
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52 Comments... join the discussion!
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hi jim — lyrics are pretty easy to find all over the web. Just do a search for “song title + lyrics” and your bound to find them quick.
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Great list! I alway feel like people are going to laugh if I make any song suggestions, but here are some I would add…
Sammy Johns- Chevy Van
Logo- I’d Love You to Want Me
Three Dog Night- Never Been to Spain
and these would be on my mp3, because I have no musical talent…↵ -
actually, there’s two more that never made the cut, which is tantamount to blasphemy…
1. To Be With You – Mr. Big
2. More Than Words – ExtremeWithout these, might as well put the campfire out. ;-D
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Ian – you soft rocker you.
You had a poodle perm once, right?
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“One Tin Soldier” must be on that list. It’s not a good song, but I think every time I’ve ever heard it was around a campfire.
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@ othemts – haha, i love that. “It’s not a good song, but…”
and yes, ourman, i had a poodle perm once. not pretty.
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I’ve found “Burn One Down” by Ben Harper to be a classic song popular with backpackers. Wonder why! And it’s easy to play on the guitar.
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mm no ‘Throw Your Arms Around Me’ by the hunters and collectors. Eddie Vedder proclaims it ‘the greatest campfire song ever’… nuff said.. plus its australian! so bonus!
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I never thought I could get so much out of headphones as I did with Emmylou Harris’ Wrecking Ball. I don’t even like country much, not that this was a country album…
Not sure how you’d play those songs at a campfire, though. But I saw Africa by Toto up there and have the same concern about that one.
Anything Beatles or James Taylor (Fire and Rain, anyone?) sets a “light rock/adult contemporary” mood. With a good beer buzz, getting cheesy becomes an art form.
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To being cheesy! Clink!
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Still, thank God nobody suggested My Sharona. For that, it’d have to be tequila…
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Ha. great list.
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The dude with the guitar might get some action…but the dude with the sitar is pretty much the coolest guy on the face of the planet.
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How about some marshall tucker, John Prine (That’s the Way the World Goes Round), anything from Jimmy Buffet, Pure Praire League (Amie), and I love that someone said Three Dog Night (Never been to Spain), Tim Hardin (If I Were a Carpenter), Bare Naked Ladies (If I had a Million Dollars), the very heavy on the swearing Rodeo Song (It’s Forty below and I don’t give a blank), Steve Earl (Guitar Town), Roger Miller (King of the Road), Neil Diamond (Sweet Caroline) and we can not forget to add John Denver. That’s my short list
Rock-On Dudes and Dudettes I’ll be pickin’ & a grinnin’, campin’ & a Jammin’ in Vermont. Oh yeah, one more, anything off of the Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack (Man of Constant Sarrow).↵ -
elderly lady – pearl jam
oasis↵ -
How about the girl with the guitar? Do we get no love?
I’d add Bob Dylan’s “Girl from the North Country.” Also, “Hallelujah” (#16) was written by Leonard Cohen; John Cale and Jeff Buckley both covered it.
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I throw the need for some bluegrass tunes…something I can flatfoot clog to with mandolins, fiddles, a banjo, and absolutely, a girl on guitar!
Classics include “Wlidwood Flower” and “Old Joe Clark”…pass the moonshine and jam till sunrise. The Strawberry Music Festival opens tomorrow outside of Yosemite. In deference I may need to tune up my dulcimer gathering dust on the coffee table…
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one that definately needs to be there is “over the hills and far away” by led zeppelin. also, “save tonight” (i guarantee you’ve heard it before” by eagle eye cherry is a good one.
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two coins – dispatch
your song – elton john
american pie – don mclean
3 musts↵ -
Do any of you know if there are any good CDs out there that have some of these great songs on them played only on the guitar so we can sing along? No one in our party plays the guitar and camping just isn't done right unless you have some singing around the campfire! I'm not really up to learning guitar yet, but if I can't find this CD, I may have to try and pick it up. Thanks!
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I am a little surpirsed that American Pie didn’t make the cut, I also like Landslide and Blackbird
I can’t believe there was no mention of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing … isn’t that the most infectious sing a long ever? Ever time I have been in a bar where that was played there were about 100 people singing it so badly that I had to get another 7 shots of tequilla to calm the noise down. Also it seems like Garth Brooks has made some pretty good sing alongs. Great list though.
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Where is CCR???
You cant have a campfire whithout a couple of Creedence Clearwater Revival songs now can you?
Great list if you don’t consider the lack of CCR though
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How in Eric Clapton’s name could u guys forget the greatest campfire song everwritten in the entire history of this world?
RED HOT CHILLI PEPPERS- ROAD TRIPPI’N
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I love American Pie by Don Mclean, too. Snow by Red Hot Chilli Peppers is also good.
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Redemption Song – Bob Marley
and although many people are unfamiliar with this, i think it certainly has the camp fire feel: Acoustic Medley , which is also Bob Marley
cheers!
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One song I play that always sounds impressive but is actually quite easy is Everlong by the Foo Fighters.
A well-known song, yet obscure at the same time (for the acoustic guitar) is Abba’s (yes, you heard right) Knowing Me, Knowing You…Evan Dando did a killer cover of it and I had to learn it.
And I always, ALWAYS, end the night with GnR’s Patience…it’s got it all…whistling, a slow build up, a break in the middle for dramatic effect, sing-along parts, and an Axl Rose sigh at the end just means it’s time to go to bed.
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good list, i would have to add one song though -
American Pie – Don McLean
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Gogol Bordello – Wonderlust King
Easily changed to Wanderlust King. The music would have to be changed a bit to make it sound good with just a guitar but I think it could work.
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“King of the Road” – Roger Miller
The proclaimers are fine and all, but you can’t deny Mr. Miller his credit for this classic tune.
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Jim had some good picks on his long list but so did a lot of the rest of you. American Pie for sure & I’ve got to agree about Roger Miller’s “King of the Road”. It was the 1st song I ever learned all the words to & that was before I was 5. Roger is classic!….Anyways Jim, here’s another I’d add to your list that I didn’t see & I always hear it at the campfire singalongs, it’s Dust in the Wind – Kansas.
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you cant have a campfire without “wagon wheel” by old crow medecine show, hands down the best campfire song there is. i also like cat stevens “moon shadow” or “father and son” ANY beatles song.
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Mr Jones – Counting Crows
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Ooh ooh ooh…just thought of one. Poison – Every Rose Has Its Thorn. Classic.
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Well, although this list contains many of my favorite songs of all time, it wasn’t what I expected to read when I read the title, “50 Greatest Campfire Songs of All Time.” I expected to see “Kumbaya” and “This Land is Your Land” on there. That’s what we sang around the campfire at Girl Scout Camp.
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For some reason the locals in South East Asia love, Hotel California by the Eagles and the Winds of Change by the Scorpions.
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“Lean on Me”.
The best.
Especially for groups.↵ -
Completely agree on “New Slang”
. I plan on playing it around the campfire this weekend in fact. 5 thumbs up for the comment on Cat Stevens. Another suggestion for us girly guitarists is Mazzy Star, “Fade Into You”. It’s got a nice slow, flowing type of sound that just means it’s time to stare into the fire and relax. Probably not a good song to start/ end the night on…maybe a good 3/4 of the way through the night type song!
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I would suggest the Rufus Wainwright version of Hallelujah, personally, though the original Leonard Cohen version would be more suitable for purists… A great list, though, truly! I might also add Light Up My Room by the Barenaked Ladies. It’s not as well known, I know, but it has a Wonderful mood and a perfect guitar part for campfires.
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Cool list. I would like to see Blind Melon in there (Change) and maybe Kings of Leon (sex is on fire). But everyone has there own taste. Bob Marley make good sings a longs and of course most Beatles songs.
Did you mean Wonderwall by Oasis…not Ryan Adams…Noel Gallagher wrote it.↵ -
I think he just means Ryan Adams’s version of it, since it’s acoustic. Change by Blind Melon is a great addition. Love that song (and play it too!)
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I am so happy to see that One Tin Soldier is not on this list. I once dreamed of getting rich, buying the rights to One Tin Soldier and using Disney to prevent it from ever being sung around a campfire.
Ah, a peaceful One Tin Soldier-free campfire.
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Hey! What about Ian and Sylvia Tyson’s Four Strong Winds?
For the younger set: I’m in the Queen’s Navy, Boom Boom Ain’t it Great to be Crazy, Black Socks, The Prune Song, Gunderback and to the tune of Louie Louie there was Pharoh Pharoh. Finally, there’s Bill Grogan’s Goat or Old Hiram’s Goat depending upon which camp you went to.
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Slayer…Raining Blood..
ok…maybe not…
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I’ve seen trying to come up with a definitive list of songs to play around campfires and at parties. I think the types of songs that should be played are ones that (non-musical) people should know well and know the words to, something that could only be said for about 50% of the songs above.
If anyone would like to help me define “What is a party song?” or help me pick out a few tracks, visit http://www.thelifeandsoul.com (cheesy name, I know!!)
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How about Brown eyed girl,shootlng star,the nite they drove ol dixie down just to name a few more.
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Tenacious D – Tribute, Fuck Her Gently… actually that whole album.
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Mad, mad props on the Country Roads inclusion. It’s a dear, dear part of who I am as a West Virginian (that mostly hates the WV, but loves it in measures, as well)… even though the song is technically about WestERN Virginia, our evil twin.
“Oh, you’re from West Virginia? I have relatives in Raleigh!”
“Oh, really? Do they not know that West Virginia is a separate state as well?”Mad, mad frowns on the exclusion of Tiny Dancer.
Mad, mad, mad frowns.↵ -
Brown Eyed Girl-Van Morrison, for sure, along with Can’t Stop-Red Hot Chili Peppers and Stand by Me-Ben E. King. How did these not make it on here?
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I really like that list. I do. I like it a lot but, the Green Day song at number 4 on the list that you are thinking of is called “Good Riddance” not ,as it is always and consistently mislabeled, “Time of Your Life”. Bonus points for that Bill Withers song and the Tracy Chapman song.
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I was with you right up to the point where you started naming songs. Having a guitar at the right time and place, and being able to put it to work, is certainly one of the greatest things ever. That said, your list could use some serious pruning. If these are your idea of the “50 Best…” you need to quit giving advice and start listening to more music!
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