Compiled last night while I was out, mostly self-explanatory:
• “Stairway To Heaven”
• “L.A. Woman”
• “Goodnight Saigon” (nb this wasn’t performed last night but I think the point still stands, unless you were actually in the military and then you get a pass)
• Anything by A Perfect Circle that isn’t “Judith”
• Anything that clocks in at over five minutes, especially “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant,” because seriously people, an hour is a finite period of time and there are other people in the bar.
Feel free to add your own.
@relaxing: The best karaoke performance I’ve ever seen, by far, was a duet of I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That). It was clear they’d rehearsed, which is pretty heroic if you think about it.
No:
I Want It That Way
Losing My Religion
People trying to sing like John Fogerty
Yes:
Danger (High Voltage)
Psycho Killer
Take My Breath Away (Techno Version)
Holy Diver
Waterfalls
The Outfield - Your Love
No you can’t hit those notes, stop trying.
@Whigged: Two questions:
1) Was there a kid in the background throwing firecrackers at the floor?
2) Did the guy eventually start playing Russian Roulette?
my usual karaoke has been overrun with emos, including the kj. it is no fun for anyone.
my rules of can’t miss karaoke glory:
1. its gotta be danceable, you have to own the stage
2. recognizable but not necessarily well known
3. impressive lyrics, you should know it well enough to not rely on the video for words
4. simple vocals with room to move
5. must be an undeniable classic
that said, my picks are “burning down the house,” “walk on the wild side,” “young americans,” “its the end of the world,” and “little willy.” i’m being modest calling myself a legend
Ok, I’m just going to throw this out there, and I want to hear what you guys have to say:
Danzig.
Theme From Shaft :-o
@spankyjoe: Mother is always a solid choice to sing.
Off topic:
“Bizarre Love Triangle” would totally get the bar hoppin if someone belted it out.
Never “Hotel California”
General karaoke rule to consider: if you are going to do something obscure by a well-known artist, you have to absolutely NAIL it. If you screw up a song everyone knows, they’ll just sing over you.
I used to do karaoke competitions (not kidding), so when I go to a new place, I bring out one of my sure things: Ballroom Blitz, Mr. Roboto or Freedom ‘90.
I liked “Against All Odds” until every broken-up-with-and-sad karaoke goer started trying to do the Mariah Carey version. Ugh.
Also on the “no” list, “We Built This City”. It goes on forever and seems to only have choruses. It’s also the worst song in the world.
I did “sittin’ on the dock of the bay” once but changed all the sittin’ to shittin’. It was well received.
Theme from New York, New York
OH Lord. One night I went and some dude did “Unforgiven” by Metallica. And the CD skipped alot. And he somehow got it restarted. I was ready to stab myself in the ears.
Also…That frickin Evanescence song…Umm..Bring Me To Life. UGH. If I never hear that again I’d be ok.
I prefer to do “Stray Cat Strut” or “Tide is High”…Nice low alto/mid range tenor songs.
A couple odd choices but very bad ones nonetheless:
Garth Brooks - The Dance
Afroman - Because I Got High