By, Maggie Peknic
You’ve entered the sacred land of Mugz, greeted by Suits and a pitcher of beer. After one (or one two many) pitchers, you stumble your way over to the glowing screen in the corner. You touch the screen and enter the world of TouchTunes. It’s a magical world where you have the power to set the vibe of the night by choosing what songs should play. But what songs do you choose? If you’re having trouble picking, fear not! You’ve come to the perfect article. I’ll tell you what, in my opinion and experience, is the best Mugz queue.
To start your queue up strong, I suggest “American Pie” by Don McLean. For a number of reasons, this is the song you want first in your lineup. Let me explain. The song is 8 minutes and 37 seconds long. Lots of times, the queue can get messed up at Mugz. Someone will fast past a song, and all of a sudden, the song that you’ve been waiting for, the song that was supposed to play next, is not playing. This isn’t a one time occurrence. People will fast pass their songs throughout the night, so lots of times, the songs you queued up may not play for an hour or so after you queued it up. So, when your song does finally play, you have to make the most of your time. That’s why “American Pie,” coming in hot at 8 minutes and 37 seconds, is perfect for maximum song time. Yeah, it might be a horrible time for the people who don’t enjoy the song. But hey, you had to suffer through their fast passes, so I say it evens out. On the flip side, if you do know the song and know the song well, it’s a hell of a time to sing along! Because the song is so long, it can become a fun little competition on who knows the most lyrics. But probably the reason why this song works so well is the story it tells. The song’s a journey, and you can sing along and act out that story with your friends. For these reasons, “American Pie” is worth the three credits on TouchTunes.
Now, maybe “American Pie” isn’t your vibe. A good alternative is “Copacabana” by Barry Manilow. The main reason is this song, just like “American Pie,” is a short story set to song. Technically, that can be said about a lot of songs, but these songs have distinct characters and narratives that make them stand out from other songs. And just like “American Pie,” “Copacabana” is on the longer end, clocking in at around four minutes. You’d be utilizing your song time again and for a cheaper price at only two credits.
But please, for the love of God, do not play “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” by Taylor Swift. While it may seem this song has the similar characteristics of the other two songs – a story and it’s very long – it has been so overplayed that my love for it has gone down the drain. We need to leave this song alone for a little bit before we can revisit it.
Continuing on, as with every queue, we need some fun, upbeat songs to get the crowd going. May I suggest “Shout, Pts 1 & 2” by The Isley Brothers? The plus for this song, however, is also its con. The song gets you dancing…but when it says, “A little bit softer now,” and you inch closer and closer to the floor…you may realize, you don’t want to be that close to whatever mysterious, toxic liquids are forever stuck to the Mugz floor. But hopefully (after some more pitchers), you won’t care and can just vibe to The Isley Brothers.
To even out the upbeat songs, we need some emo action going on. Especially when it hits those peak early morning hours, the alternative rock is where it’s at (even better if it’s a weekday night). Here, the best option is “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls. Everyone knows it (or should know it). Belting out “When everything’s meant to be broken, I just want you to know how I am” with everyone in the bar is just euphoric.
If you don’t like alternative rock, I suggest the country version of this emo hour time – Morgan Wallen’s “Whiskey Glasses.” This song will hit if you’re going through a breakup. Tears may be shed, but they’re healing tears. And what better place to start your healing process than in Mugz?
Playing these songs may leave us short on credits. With just one credit left, which song shall we choose? Most songs are two or three credits, and who wants to pay more money to get those songs? If you have just one credit left, play “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen. It’s a classic (anddd I did have to put it on the playlist, or my New Jersey friends would be furious).
I know this is a lot of older, more rock songs, but I think Mugz is the perfect place to listen to some of these rock throwbacks. Mugz acts as a time machine amidst the other Fordham bars that play more current songs. That’s all, everyone. Maybe you agree with me, maybe you don’t. Either way, I hope you all use your credits wisely at Mugz’s TouchTunes to craft an epic vibe for the rest of this semester’s nights.
