Karaoke suggestions for a bass/baritone voice needed.

August 9, 2005 12:39 AM

I need karaoke song suggestions suitable for my voice. My range is somewhere between Bass and Baritone. I can go higher, but it's difficult for me to keep in the right octave, and I almost always end up dropping songs made for Tenors down an octave or two. Examples: Blink 182 songs, Inside Out, even Creed songs I tend to lower without realizing it.

Don't worry about genre or era, as I can point to at least one or two songs from any given genre that I enjoy, whether I can sing them or not. I'm also not looking for any specific emotional tone in the suggested songs. I generally try to sing more energetic songs at karaoke, but my choices vary so much based on my mood that the more options I have the better. Thanks for any and all suggestions!

posted by ElfWord to Media & Arts (16 answers total)

do you know frank zappa's "po-jama people"?
posted by Silky Slim at 2:53 AM on August 9, 2005

The more recent Elton John songs are relatively low. (Can You Feel the Love Tonight, Circle of Life, etc.)
posted by CrunchyFrog at 4:55 AM on August 9, 2005

The Lizard King had a pretty deep voice. Do you like the Doors? Also, wikipedia tells me that Nat King Cole, Elvis, and David Bowie are baritones... Barry White is bass, I think.
posted by ibeji at 5:18 AM on August 9, 2005

I seem to recall that the Crash Test Dummies' 'Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm,' or whatever that song is called, is sung in a pretty low voice. Or you could find three pals and sing, y'know, Temptations and Four Tops and Boyz II Men and whatnot.
posted by box at 5:56 AM on August 9, 2005

I sing at the same pitch, so I'm in the same boat. Through trial and error, I've found some good songs that aren't too high for me. You'll find that a large quantity of rock n rollers have high voices, lots of altos and even sopranos--Thom Yorke I think is a soprano.

Elvis is easy, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, David Bowie. Rolling Stones (Mick). The Doors. Johnny Cash, though he's bass, I think, he's not too tricky. I like doing "The Distance" by Cake, it's more like rapping than singing. Speaking of rap, once I reluctantly joined in on Eminem's "Lose Yourself" and found that one to be a good match.
posted by zardoz at 6:11 AM on August 9, 2005

Leonard Cohen.
posted by theinsectsarewaiting at 6:28 AM on August 9, 2005

Another baritone karaoke fan here, so I'll be paying close attention to this thread. Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife" sounds great and doesn't go too high. Same for "Stray Cat Strut." "One Week" and "Pinch Me" by Barenaked Ladies are also good. I definitely second the suggestion of "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm." And finally, if you don't mind something in a more comedy/novelty vein, "The Monster Mash," "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" and "Sweet Transvestite" also work very well.
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:32 AM on August 9, 2005

Nat King Cole, Johnny Cash, Pearl Jam (Eddie Vedder is a Baritone), Red Hot Chili Peppers.
posted by creeront at 7:38 AM on August 9, 2005

I'm in the same boat, and always get a great reception with the Big Bopper's Chantilly Lace.
posted by ewagoner at 7:40 AM on August 9, 2005

I don't know if they'll be on any karaoke list, but Mark Sandman of Morphine has a fairly low singing voice.
posted by LionIndex at 7:41 AM on August 9, 2005

I second the recommendation of Frank Sinatra, who was a baritone. Plus, he's classier than most of the usual bar karaoke crap.
posted by Asparagirl at 9:18 AM on August 9, 2005

Nick Cave if you like angy alternative
Stan Rogers can bring the house down, if it's a Pub.
posted by Crosius at 10:49 AM on August 9, 2005

Barry White
posted by winston at 11:44 AM on August 9, 2005

I'm a bari also. Morrison is too low for me, though.

David Byrne has a high voice, but it's so shaky that early Talking Heads sounds great sung low (Sugar on My Tongue, Psycho Killer).

I second Johnny Cash, one of the great pop music baritones.

Eddie Vedder, also seconded, just sort of bellows, but he's probably bellowing in your range.

The melodicism of Tom Waits' songs are often overlooked, but his growl translates quite well to the low range. Tom Traubert's Blues (Waltzing Matilda), Jockey Full of Bourbon, and Yesterday is Here are all great.
posted by lesingesavant at 12:17 PM on August 9, 2005

Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields is quite the bass, and writes beautiful pop songs to boot. Surely at least one of the 69 Love Songs will suit you.
posted by ludwig_van at 12:32 PM on August 9, 2005

Yes, but I've never seen any MF ever available as karaoke songs. Trust me, I would have jumped at the chance to do "Papa Was A Rodeo", and I'm an alto.
posted by Asparagirl at 10:27 PM on August 9, 2005