40 Overdone Audition Songs to Avoid – by Vocal Type
Are you wondering what types of songs you should avoid when auditioning for a musical or college program? In my opinion, the following songs are overused and oversung and should in most cases be avoided.
All that said, there are always exceptions to every rule. I’m not going to tell you that the following songs should never be sung. But these overdone audition songs should definitely be chosen less often.
That said, you will stumble upon many of these songs in our audition posts for specific musicals. That’s because I do recommend them for very specific characters in very specific musicals. Also, if you know that you can rock one of these, sing it!
But if you’re looking for a general go-to song for a general audition, I would recommend giving the following overdone audition songs a pass!
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Altos
“I Dreamed a Dream” – Les Misérables
“Live Out Loud” – A Little Princess
“Popular” – Wicked
“Small World” – Gypsy
“Some People” – Gypsy
Baritones
“Mister Cellophane” – Chicago
“Nice Work If You Can Get It” – Nice Work If You Can Get It
“Santa Fe” – Newsies
“Stars” – Les Misérables
“This Is the Moment” – Jekyll & Hyde
Basses
“Luck Be a Lady” – Guys and Dolls
“More I Cannot Wish You” – Guys and Dolls
“Put on a Happy Face” – Bye Bye Birdie
“Some Enchanted Evening” – South Pacific
“The Impossible Dream” – Man of La Mancha
Contras
“A Change in Me” – Beauty and the Beast
“As Long As He Needs Me” – Oliver!
“Funny Honey” – Chicago
“God Help The Outcasts” – The Hunchback of Notre Dame
“Last Midnight” – Into the Woods
Psst… Here’s where you can find out your vocal type!
Mezzo-Sopranos
“Everything’s Coming Up Roses” – Gypsy
“Hopelessly Devoted to You” – Grease
“I Cain’t Say No” – Oklahoma!
“My Favorite Things” – The Sound of Music
“Watch What Happens” – Newsies
Sopranos
“Green Finch and Linnet Bird” – Sweeney Todd
“Many a New Day” – Oklahoma!
“Part of Your World” – The Little Mermaid
“Pulled” – The Addams Family
“Think of Me” – The Phantom of the Opera
Tenors
“All I Need Is the Girl” – Gypsy
“Bring Him Home” – Les Misérables
“Corner of the Sky” – Pippin
“Freeze Your Brain” – Heathers
“Words Fail” – Dear Evan Hansen
Trebles/Kids
“Castle on a Cloud” – Les Misérables
“Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” – Frozen
“Maybe” – Annie
“Tomorrow” – Annie
“Where Is Love?” – Oliver!
Need extra help? Just go through this free audition prep checklist!
Have you ever chosen one of these overused audition songs?
And how was your experience with it? We would love to hear all about it in the comments! And in the meantime, you can check out our database of best audition songs for specific musicals.
Author: Stacy Karyn
Stacy Karyn is the founder of Theatre Trip, author of The Thespian’s Bucket List, and creator of The Cast Album List. She holds a BA in theatre, a TESOL drama certificate, and has worked and interned with Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.