Apart from the odd tipsy Tannie who keeps shouting out a request for Boesmanland, most folks will be keen to sing along and join in the jolliness if the songs are relatively upbeat and have a big-ass easy to remember chorus. Scotty already mentioned a lot of good candidates, but here are some with easy to strum and sing together chords:
Kenny Rogers - Lucile, The Gambler, Ruby
Lobo - I want you to love me
Grateful Dead (I think) - Me and Bobby McGee
Glen Campbell - Rhinestone Cowboy
Supertramp - Give a little Bit
Billy Joel - Piano Man
Frank Sinatra - My Way
The proclaimers - 500 miles
Those songs sound like good options, I'm talking about the person that's not musical at all.
I've noticed it alot before, you can play a Jimi Hendrix song and they're not bothered, but strum a song they know very well with only 4 chords in it and they will be praising your guitar skills forever, i don't get it, but it's important to keep the crowd happy.
This is a good list so far guys, thanx alot. I'm sure il have a choir going at the next braai with these, families make a tough crowd ?
Had the same issue a week ago. At a braai, much wine, and then the request to perform some songs. I like practicing songs that improve my playing, and have not yet bothered to learn many of the "strum" along type. I played "wish you were here" and one person recognised that it was "a Pink Floyd song". Then started "nobody knows you when you are down and out" complete with solo, and realised I was in trouble. OK I have only been playing for 1.5 years, but that wasn't the problem (at least I hope not ?)They weren't interested in the quality of the guitar playing, they just wanted something familiar to mumble, and I didn't have much to contribute.
So this week I worked on:
This is the life- Amy Macdonald
De la Rey -Bok van Blerk (I live in a very Afrikaans town)
Closing time - Semisonic
Sugarman - Rodriguez
I am interested in what else the learned forum items suggest for the Braai scenario? Nice thread.
all goood input so far - I usually throw in some of this as well
Donovan
America
Tom Petty
and the tannies always like things like
David Kramer..................... :-[
This one is real easy to strum and sing (even though the original has quite a few guitars and voices)
and the aunties at the braai will love you more for it ?
Peaceful Easy Feeling - Eagles
E A E A
I like the way your sparkling earrings lay
E A B7
against your skin so brown
E A E A
And I want to sleep with you in the desert tonight
E A B7
with a billion stars all around
A E
'Cause I got a peaceful easy feeling
A F#m? B7
and I know you won't let me down
E F#m A B7 E
'cause I'm already standin' on the ground
This tannie would regard these as reasonable sing along songs:
Something in the Way - Nirvana - I saw an entire bar sing along to this once - and there's a couple more ..
Simple Kind of Man - Lynyrd Skynard (sp?)
In my Life - The Beatles
Just ran out of (and deleted)requests cause I realise they are not mainstream enough...
There's all those great songs that start out so well and kind of peter out cause no one can remember the lyrics. Or the song gets so heavy that it's unsingable ...and the great choruses that people want to get to like Smoke on the Water!
Maybe its a good idea to go to guitar teachers' online sites - they would probably publish what songs they teach. When I was teaching I had find songs that people knew in general - so that I could teach them. A lot of pupils had no idea what they wanted to learn - just wanted to play guitar.
I'm sure The Stones have a couple of numbers too - As Tears go By, Play with Fire?
its beautifull 
