Karaoke Night!
June 19, 2010 7:31 AM Subscribe
I am taking my friends to karaoke but I need song recommendation! (age group: 25~32)
I am taking my friends to karaoke and the place has from old (70s, 80s) to semi-new songs(up to 2005 or 2006 I would say). I know from experience that some old songs are very good "karaoke songs" in the sense that a lot of people have heard it can sing along with lyrics.
And I need those songs! (I did not grow up in the states and even if I know the popular songs I do not know the name - just the tune)
So:
1) What's your favorite sing-along song when you go to Karaoke?
2) If it's something that this group will easily recognize, good; if not, I'll still take it.
3) There will be alcohol but no heavy drinking (I hope) - Is there any songs that are fun to sing when slightly buzzed? (Bohemian Rhapsody...?)
Thanks! (Karaoke happens tonight!!)
I am taking my friends to karaoke and the place has from old (70s, 80s) to semi-new songs(up to 2005 or 2006 I would say). I know from experience that some old songs are very good "karaoke songs" in the sense that a lot of people have heard it can sing along with lyrics.
And I need those songs! (I did not grow up in the states and even if I know the popular songs I do not know the name - just the tune)
So:
1) What's your favorite sing-along song when you go to Karaoke?
2) If it's something that this group will easily recognize, good; if not, I'll still take it.
3) There will be alcohol but no heavy drinking (I hope) - Is there any songs that are fun to sing when slightly buzzed? (Bohemian Rhapsody...?)
Thanks! (Karaoke happens tonight!!)
Biz Markie: Just a Friend
posted by unreasonable at 7:44 AM on June 19, 2010
posted by unreasonable at 7:44 AM on June 19, 2010
Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit
EMF's Unbelievable (hm. Not sure whether this applies to Americans)
Elton John - Benny and the Jets
Oh I second Biz Markie
Wow. I have Karaoke World on my speed dial and I'm totally coming up blank on what should be the longest list of karaoke songs ever.
posted by mooza at 7:49 AM on June 19, 2010
EMF's Unbelievable (hm. Not sure whether this applies to Americans)
Elton John - Benny and the Jets
Oh I second Biz Markie
Wow. I have Karaoke World on my speed dial and I'm totally coming up blank on what should be the longest list of karaoke songs ever.
posted by mooza at 7:49 AM on June 19, 2010
What's the gender composition?
"Living on a Prayer" - Bon Jovi (This invariably gets everyone in the room to sing along.)
"Hey Jude" - The Beatles
"Imagine" - John Lennon
"Brown-Eyed Girl" - Van Morrison
posted by Jaltcoh at 8:18 AM on June 19, 2010
"Living on a Prayer" - Bon Jovi (This invariably gets everyone in the room to sing along.)
"Hey Jude" - The Beatles
"Imagine" - John Lennon
"Brown-Eyed Girl" - Van Morrison
posted by Jaltcoh at 8:18 AM on June 19, 2010
Response by poster: All female excluding me. (And I am the one that should not be concerned with).
posted by jstarlee at 8:25 AM on June 19, 2010
posted by jstarlee at 8:25 AM on June 19, 2010
Blondie! She's my fall back for karaoke. I like Call Me, but the French part is kind of hard (it can be forgiven if you're a little drunk and you look cute while singing the rest of the song, though).
posted by too bad you're not me at 8:32 AM on June 19, 2010
posted by too bad you're not me at 8:32 AM on June 19, 2010
Madonna's "Material Girl" is always a good karaoke song. And "Waterloo" by Abba.
posted by essexjan at 8:34 AM on June 19, 2010
posted by essexjan at 8:34 AM on June 19, 2010
For the group...Love Shack, Two Pina Coladas, Summer Nights (Grease), Margaritaville
posted by MsKim at 8:48 AM on June 19, 2010
posted by MsKim at 8:48 AM on June 19, 2010
Aretha Franklin - Respect
posted by rachaelfaith at 9:22 AM on June 19, 2010
posted by rachaelfaith at 9:22 AM on June 19, 2010
Electric Six - Gay Bar (easy, short, + fun!)
Bryan Adams - Summer of '69 (very easy, guaranteed sing-along)
Billy Idol - Rebel Yell (ham this one up w/ lots of gestures)
posted by Herschel at 9:34 AM on June 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Bryan Adams - Summer of '69 (very easy, guaranteed sing-along)
Billy Idol - Rebel Yell (ham this one up w/ lots of gestures)
posted by Herschel at 9:34 AM on June 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Midnight Train to Georgia - always fun when you have one good singer (Gladys) and some fun-loving backup singers (Pips). Runaround Sue is one everybody knows. All Night Long by Lionel Ritchie is a great one, especially if you have friends who will get up and dance. Now I want to go to karaoke tonight!
posted by slmorri at 9:38 AM on June 19, 2010
posted by slmorri at 9:38 AM on June 19, 2010
Singalong? Notably these are often annoying pop songs but they are fun for singing together:
Girlfriend (Avril Lavigne)
Wannabe (TLC)
Act like an ass and ham it up?
Chantilly Lace (The Big Bopper)
posted by whatzit at 9:44 AM on June 19, 2010
Girlfriend (Avril Lavigne)
Wannabe (TLC)
Act like an ass and ham it up?
Chantilly Lace (The Big Bopper)
posted by whatzit at 9:44 AM on June 19, 2010
Response by poster: I am not marking any best answers because I am busy writing the song titles down and watching/listening them on youtube.
I love all of them! (even the country songs that I don't usually get into)
Please keep them coming!! (and thank you all)
posted by jstarlee at 9:46 AM on June 19, 2010
I love all of them! (even the country songs that I don't usually get into)
Please keep them coming!! (and thank you all)
posted by jstarlee at 9:46 AM on June 19, 2010
My friends' and my big hits are:
Birdhouse in Your Soul - TMBG
Buddy Holly - Weezer
Mr Brightside - the Killers
and we always end with Closing Time - Semisonic
posted by xo at 9:54 AM on June 19, 2010
Birdhouse in Your Soul - TMBG
Buddy Holly - Weezer
Mr Brightside - the Killers
and we always end with Closing Time - Semisonic
posted by xo at 9:54 AM on June 19, 2010
I'm a member of a competitive karaoke league. I don't have specific songs to recommend (although I've won a round with Gay Bar, so I give that one the thumbs up) because my team is full of theater and music nerds and we pick stuff on that basis. We also have the list so we can pick songs in advance; if your karaoke place has a PDF, that should give you some ideas too. What I've learned from singing and winning and losing is that there are better and worse songs. As you listen to songs, consider these questions:
- Does it fit our vocal range? (big plus, it's no fun to crack on the high notes or lose your voice on the low notes)
- Does everybody know it? (more people are likely to sing along)
- Does it have a long obligatory guitar solo in the middle? (short solos are OK, long ones are boring and a downcheck)
- Is it a really long song? (downcheck)
- Is it a fun song? (some songs are just not fun)
These are not definite reasons to strike or pick a song, just factors. Everybody loves ABBA because the songs are short and fun and everyone knows the words. Everyone knows Bohemian Rhapsody and it gets the whole bar going even though a lot of people miss the notes. But Hotel California is long and annoys people. My Sharona is fun but it's got a HUGE long solo in the middle, so you have to vamp forever.
And I can think of one fun song: Lady Gaga, Poker Face (easy vocal range, simple lyrics, everyone knows it, and lots of fun to sing). Have a blast!
posted by immlass at 11:22 AM on June 19, 2010
- Does it fit our vocal range? (big plus, it's no fun to crack on the high notes or lose your voice on the low notes)
- Does everybody know it? (more people are likely to sing along)
- Does it have a long obligatory guitar solo in the middle? (short solos are OK, long ones are boring and a downcheck)
- Is it a really long song? (downcheck)
- Is it a fun song? (some songs are just not fun)
These are not definite reasons to strike or pick a song, just factors. Everybody loves ABBA because the songs are short and fun and everyone knows the words. Everyone knows Bohemian Rhapsody and it gets the whole bar going even though a lot of people miss the notes. But Hotel California is long and annoys people. My Sharona is fun but it's got a HUGE long solo in the middle, so you have to vamp forever.
And I can think of one fun song: Lady Gaga, Poker Face (easy vocal range, simple lyrics, everyone knows it, and lots of fun to sing). Have a blast!
posted by immlass at 11:22 AM on June 19, 2010
A favorite, possibly overdone, is She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy by Kenny Chesney. (For some reason, I didn't think you were going for country songs. There's a whole lot of fun available to you there!)
posted by knile at 11:32 AM on June 19, 2010
posted by knile at 11:32 AM on June 19, 2010
Oh, I almost forgot my favorite karaoke song (although many places don't have it) is "Common People" by Pulp.
and some more, now that I'm thinking about it:
Sweet, "Ballroom Blitz"
Billy Idol, "Dancing With Myself"
Joan Jett, "I Love Rock n Roll"
Cheap Trick, "I Want You to Want Me"
The Cardigans, "Lovefool"
(my friends and I do karaoke all the time, I can't believe I'm not thinking of more songs!)
posted by a.steele at 11:50 AM on June 19, 2010
and some more, now that I'm thinking about it:
Sweet, "Ballroom Blitz"
Billy Idol, "Dancing With Myself"
Joan Jett, "I Love Rock n Roll"
Cheap Trick, "I Want You to Want Me"
The Cardigans, "Lovefool"
(my friends and I do karaoke all the time, I can't believe I'm not thinking of more songs!)
posted by a.steele at 11:50 AM on June 19, 2010
All female excluding me. (And I am the one that should not be concerned with).
Oh, that's pretty important to know. In that case, scrap some of my above answers (keep "Living on a Prayer," as it's actually much easier to sing for women) and replace them with:
"Natural Woman" - Aretha Franklin
"Like a Prayer" - Madonna
"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" - Cyndi Lauper
"You Oughta Know" - Alanis Morrisette
"Son of a Preacher Man" - Dusty Springfield
"Fever"
posted by Jaltcoh at 12:06 PM on June 19, 2010
Oh, that's pretty important to know. In that case, scrap some of my above answers (keep "Living on a Prayer," as it's actually much easier to sing for women) and replace them with:
"Natural Woman" - Aretha Franklin
"Like a Prayer" - Madonna
"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" - Cyndi Lauper
"You Oughta Know" - Alanis Morrisette
"Son of a Preacher Man" - Dusty Springfield
"Fever"
posted by Jaltcoh at 12:06 PM on June 19, 2010
I do not endorse this recommendation on a listening basis, only for karaoke: Backstreet Boys. Either "Everybody" or "I Want It That Way." I went to karaoke recently with a bunch of friends across the spectrum in music tastes, all 26/27 years old, and these were a big hit. Most people know the lyrics/tune, and the cheesiness really works in the karaoke setting.
posted by wuzandfuzz at 12:19 PM on June 19, 2010
posted by wuzandfuzz at 12:19 PM on June 19, 2010
My buddy and I once did the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Loving Feeling". If you don't know why this is culturally significant, view Top Gun, which contains this scene, inspiring millions of young men coming of age in the 1980s to sing badly at attractive women in bars.
(Upon viewing, I realize that I surely had NO IDEA what "carnal knowledge" was the first few dozen times I saw the movie.)
posted by knile at 1:18 PM on June 19, 2010
(Upon viewing, I realize that I surely had NO IDEA what "carnal knowledge" was the first few dozen times I saw the movie.)
posted by knile at 1:18 PM on June 19, 2010
Response by poster: Thank you everybody! I think this is going to be a fun and wild night!!
(If you have more feel free to post them - I plan to check this thread later as well)
posted by jstarlee at 4:00 PM on June 19, 2010
(If you have more feel free to post them - I plan to check this thread later as well)
posted by jstarlee at 4:00 PM on June 19, 2010
May I recommend Neil Diamond? Sweet Caroline, Cracklin' Rosie, America and Cherry Cherry are all super fun and most people will join in on the chorus (especially the "bah-bah-BAH" in Sweet Caroline). He also wrote I'm a Believer, which is awesomely fun.
If you have people with awesome vocal range, do Under Pressure or Paradise by the Dashboard light as a duet.
Also, a huge fan of Elvis Costello songs, in particular (What's so Funny 'bout) Peace, Love and Understanding? and Pump It Up.
posted by piratebowling at 4:17 PM on June 19, 2010
If you have people with awesome vocal range, do Under Pressure or Paradise by the Dashboard light as a duet.
Also, a huge fan of Elvis Costello songs, in particular (What's so Funny 'bout) Peace, Love and Understanding? and Pump It Up.
posted by piratebowling at 4:17 PM on June 19, 2010
I can't believe no one has recommended "Total Eclipse of the Heart" yet. Bonus points if you manage to get everyone to sing the lyrics from the literal video version. :)
posted by doctorpiorno at 6:55 PM on June 19, 2010
posted by doctorpiorno at 6:55 PM on June 19, 2010
Um...do any of them watch Glee? Because any song that they've done on Glee (particularly the songs on the soundtrack) that are not super-hard to sing would be fun!
My recommendations:
That's the way I like it
Don't Stop Believin (actually I don't know anyone between the ages of 25 and 40 who doesn't like that song)
Gold Digger
You're the One that I Want (even though it's a boy-girl song, the girls would probably love splitting off into a "girl" and "boy" group)
Bootylicious
Sweet Caroline (mentioned above)
What a Girl Wants (or any Xtina song)
Bust a Move (again, very popular among Millenials and Gen X'ers)
Vogue (really...any Madonna song from early 80's to mid-90's)
Total Eclipse of the Heart
The Boy is Mine (fun, bitchy duet!)
posted by radioamy at 9:30 PM on June 19, 2010
My recommendations:
That's the way I like it
Don't Stop Believin (actually I don't know anyone between the ages of 25 and 40 who doesn't like that song)
Gold Digger
You're the One that I Want (even though it's a boy-girl song, the girls would probably love splitting off into a "girl" and "boy" group)
Bootylicious
Sweet Caroline (mentioned above)
What a Girl Wants (or any Xtina song)
Bust a Move (again, very popular among Millenials and Gen X'ers)
Vogue (really...any Madonna song from early 80's to mid-90's)
Total Eclipse of the Heart
The Boy is Mine (fun, bitchy duet!)
posted by radioamy at 9:30 PM on June 19, 2010
Response by poster: It was a very fun night. Here are the songs that got everybody singing:
Benny and the Jets
Bohemian Rhapsody
Brown-Eyed Girl
Living on a Prayer
Call Me
Material Girl
Purple Rain
Rebel Yell
Love Fool
I Love Rock n Roll
I Want You to Want Me
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Sweet Caroline
Total Eclipse of the Heart
(and ended the night with) Closing Time
Thank you all very much again! I knew I can count on Ask Mefi =)
posted by jstarlee at 7:52 AM on June 20, 2010 [1 favorite]
Benny and the Jets
Bohemian Rhapsody
Brown-Eyed Girl
Living on a Prayer
Call Me
Material Girl
Purple Rain
Rebel Yell
Love Fool
I Love Rock n Roll
I Want You to Want Me
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Sweet Caroline
Total Eclipse of the Heart
(and ended the night with) Closing Time
Thank you all very much again! I knew I can count on Ask Mefi =)
posted by jstarlee at 7:52 AM on June 20, 2010 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by a.steele at 7:36 AM on June 19, 2010