What's the name of the songs Sims play.

[grimsoul]

I was wondering if there is a list that shows the real names of the songs the sims play on instruments.
Like on the piano the song Peanut Butter and Jelly Blues is The Entertainer.
I  know there are some others I recognize but can't put a name to them.

[Pam]

I haven't found such a list.  I suspect that there may be copyright issues that are preventing EA from using the real names of the songs.

[grimsoul]

That could be, I just figured they had the rights to use the songs or like The Entertainer they had been released to public domain and they just changed the names of the songs to fit The Sims theme.

[Hosfac]

There are some songs that I recognize, but I just can't put my finger on the title.  They're not "note for note" but they're highly similar.

[jeanamariex3]

There are some songs that I recognize, but I just can't put my finger on the title.  They're not "note for note" but they're highly similar.

If your Sim is on level 5 of the guitar skill, they will play a melody, that features the beginning of the Eric Clapton, unplugged version of the song "Layla" slowed down, then it will go into the song, "Losing My Religion" by REM, but in a slightly off key version.

EDIT: "Yes Ma'am I Do" (a composition available on level 6 or 7 of the guitar Skill) sounds like an off key version of the classic "I've Been Everywhere" by Johnny Cash.

[Hosfac]

I thought I recognized some Eric Clapton in there somewhere, but couldn't remember the song.  And I think I do recognize the song "Losing My Religion," now that you mention it.

But in the interest of giving credit where it's due, "I've Been Everywhere" was a classic well before the "Man in Black" performed it in the mid 1990's.  It was originally done by Australian singer Lucky Starr in the early 1960's (featuring the names of Australian towns), and was adapted for a North American audience and performed by Hank Snow a couple of years after that.  A couple of other country music stars have performed it as well, and it has pretty much resulted in an instant hit for anyone who has.

[grimsoul]

I think you might be right about Yes Ma'am I Do.

I hadn't really gave much thought to the songs until my sim started playing the piano. That's when I started recognizing the songs.
I was in one of the bars and the piano player was playing what sounded like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. But not sure which song it was. I haven't found it in the songs my sim knows. But he hasn't maxed out piano and got all the songs yet.

[jeanamariex3]

I hear bits and pieces of Heart's "Crazy Over You" combined with the show-tune "What I Did For Love." from a Chorus Line in a couple of the compositions.

@Hosfac: You remember the 90's song "I Wanna Be There?" Sims also play that song on their guitar, sometimes with the "Layla"/"Losing My Religion" Medley. I think the theme song to the hit TV show "Friends" "I'll Be There For You" is included along that bit sometimes as well.

@Pam: I think EA designed the Sims to play bits and pieces of these famous songs off key, to avoid copyright issues, and to get people like us guessing. I think EA wants us to guess the bits and pieces of the songs our Sims are playing on their instruments, in an off key, scattered fashion. If the Sim were to learn to play Layla on the piano, for one, Eric Clapton would be suing EA, and another thing, it would take the fun out of guessing, what bits and pieces of the songs Sims are playing on their instruments.

@Grimsoul: "The Entertainer" I believe, is a traditional piece, along with "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". It's the most frequently played tune on the ice cream truck, you know. So therefore, they wouldn't really have copyright issues. Also, you remember the song "Faithfully" by Journey? I heard the piano part mimicked, slightly off key. I have heard them also mimic the really long instrumental of the original version of "Layla."

Edit: Sometimes, when you set the speed to "Ultra Speed," you will hear a real life song played on the guitar. Skip over to 0:16 and again at 1:55 and you will hear the chorus of the song Layla. Pretty cool huh?

[Hosfac]

"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" is one of the tunes that is played when you're just playing.  Also, at level 10 your sim will play some piano concertos written by very famous composers.  Classical music isn't entirely my thing, so I don't know which ones they are or who wrote them, but the songs are famous enough that even I recognize them.  All of these songs are public domain (as they were written long before 1923), so they weren't altered very much.

I did recognize "The Entertainer" somewhat, but I don't remember if it was completely intact of if it was changed.  I think it's possible that it was changed, although I'm not sure why they would have done this, as the copyright on that song is long expired as well.

The newer songs that we appear to recognize are somewhat of an enigma, though.  I doubt that even playing it off key and mashing it into a melody would be enough to skirt copyright laws.  So if I had to guess, if these songs are related to those works (and this isn't some form of mass-hysteria lol), it was likely done with the artist's blessing or they were compensated somehow.  There are several songs that play on the radios that have real world versions in English, and from what I can tell, the artists actually performed the Simlish version (a couple are even in English I believe).  The band "Me Talk Pretty" and their song "Wake Up" is a perfect example of this.  I knew that song before the Sims came out so I recognized it right away.  However, if you find that song on YouTube, you'll see that a lot of people discovered that somewhat obscure song because of the Sims.

Musical artists like exposure...especially when that exposure could introduce them to an entirely new audience.  Video games are far more mainstream than they used to be, and have been proven to be an excellent method to get this exposure.

[jeanamariex3]

When I saw the video to the song "Wake Up" by "Me Talk Pretty" on YouTube all the comments were "Like if Sims 3 brought you here." As well as, "ohhh level 10." The song "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum is another one recorded by the artist/band themselves in Simlish. Another song prominent on The Sims 3 would be "Animal" by Neon Trees.

[grimsoul]

You can get a list of the songs that play on the radio in the game. Go to Options and click on the music note tab and the button that looks like a set of head phones. Which should be where it defaults to when it's first opened.
From there you can select the music type and get a list of the songs and the artist that recorded them.

Had my sim out bar hoppin again and the piano player was playing one of the classical songs when in the middle of it she broke out a few notes of Three Blind Mice then started playing another classical song again.

[simdancer]

Sometimes the LN Pianists play a surprisingly accurate version of "Maple Leaf Rag" by Scott Joplin. Not sure if you can purchase and/or learn the song, I haven't maxed piano yet.

[flootiebeauty]

There are several songs that play on the radios that have real world versions in English, and from what I can tell, the artists actually performed the Simlish version (a couple are even in English I believe).  The band "Me Talk Pretty" and their song "Wake Up" is a perfect example of this.  I knew that song before the Sims came out so I recognized it right away.  However, if you find that song on YouTube, you'll see that a lot of people discovered that somewhat obscure song because of the Sims.

Musical artists like exposure...especially when that exposure could introduce them to an entirely new audience.  Video games are far more mainstream than they used to be, and have been proven to be an excellent method to get this exposure.

I have an entire playlist of music from The Sims 3 on my iTunes and it's one of my favorite playlists! I spent an afternoon once writing down the song titles and artists on each of the different radio stations and then tried to find as many as I could in the iTunes store. If anyone's interested, these are the songs I was able to find (and liked enough to buy!):

Blame It On Me -Floor Thirteen
Brave - Kelis
Can't Take That Away - The Friday Night Boys
Cascade - Deluka
Daylight - Matt & Kim
Double Vision - 3OH!3
Fade to Black - MNDR
Ghosts (Radio Edit) - Ladytron
Heartbeats - Grum
I've Got Friends - Manchester Orchestra
I Love LA - Young Dre The Truth
It Starts - Alex Metric
Juice and Gin - The Young Punx
Let's Get Outta Here - Madina Lake
M.A.D - Hadouken!
Magic Show - Electric Owls
Manos al Aire - Nelly Furtado
Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na) - My Chemical Romance
The Other Side - Dexter Freebish
Punches, Kicks, Trenches And Swords - Pint Shot Riot
Revolution - Bang Camaro
Savior - Rise Against
Say (Half Past Nine) - Hot Chelle Rae
True Stories - Datarock
Turn Me Off - Audrye Sessions
Very Busy People - The Limousines