Board 8 > Tomorrow I Am Going to a Karaoke Bar for the First Time... Advice?

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Every week, I've been doing one new thing I've never done before, and my friends suggested that this week I sing a song at a karaoke bar. Does anyone around here have any suggestions as to what to sing or how to do it? I'm pretty nervous because I don't think I have a particularly great voice, and I'm not sure what kind of songs play well there. I made myself a list of a few that I would be marginally comfortable singing, but I'm worried they would tank.
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just sing don't stop believing
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Do something people won't expect that isn't serious but everyone loves like Smells Like Teen Spirit or I Believe In A Thing Called Love. Those have worked phenomenally well for me.
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Dantezoid posted...

just sing don't stop believing

Definitely don't do this.
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OliviaTremor posted...

Dantezoid posted...

just sing don't stop believing

Definitely don't do this.

Don't worry, I don't have that high of an upper register and it never even crossed my mind.
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These are based on personal experience so I can't say if they would apply to you, but:

Pick a song you don't love too much if you are not very confident. I sang one of my favorite songs some years ago, it felt awkward and thinking about it still makes me feel a bit uneasy when I listen to it. Goes without saying, still pick one you feel comfortable with and without too many technical obstacles.

Don't focus on the people around too much, most of them are not going to be much better than you anyway, probably. At the same time, don't focus too much on singing too well if you have no training, it might just make you feel more tense.

If you drink, have a reasonable drink without going drunk.
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That's some good advice, thanks.

I don't have any of my most favorite songs on my shortlist right now, so I'm partway there!
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My go-to is "Whip It" by DEVO because it requires no singing ability, lmao.
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Get drunk. You won't care what the song is or how you sound.
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Sing something that isn't ultra cliche.

I'm a frequent karaoke goer and even if someone isn't great, if they're singing something I haven't heard a billion times before I don't care.

Also just have fun like who cares what people like me think.
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My four go to songs are Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz, Short Skirt/Long Jacket by Cake, Riverboat Fantasy by David Willcox and Hotel California by The Eagles.

I know this isn't really advice, I just wanted to share.
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Crossfiyah posted...

Sing something that isn't ultra cliche.

Okay, so let me give you my short list of 4 so you can tell me if these are ultra cliche:

"Desperado", The Eagles
"Nine in the Afternoon", Panic at the Disco
"Californication", Red Hot Chili Peppers
"I Want It That Way", Backstreet Boys
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sing Aqua's "Im a Barbie Girl" its always a crowd pleaser... failing that at least sing "Call me maybe".
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Rthan posted...

sing Aqua's "Im a Barbie Girl" its always a crowd pleaser... failing that at least sing "Call me maybe".

Call Me Maybe crossed my mind but I don't want to down an octave random parts of the song.
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sing i'm too sexy.

also, most people who go up there can't sing so don't worry about that.
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Get drunk and sing hotel California

Always works

firefdr posted...

Get drunk and sing hotel California

Always works

Absolutely not going to sing any song that lasts more than 5 minutes. Especially one that is super-repetitive in its melody on the verses; I don't want to bore people to tears.
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Have fun and do what you genuinely like

Alternatively lose all dignity and rap Lose Yourself
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My go to's are

The Doors - Roadhouse Blues
Fall Out Boy - Dance, Dance
The Darkness - I Believe In A Thing Called Love
The Killers - Mr. Brightside
Panic! at the Disco - I Write Sins, Not Tragedies
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ExThaNemesis posted...

The Killers - Mr. Brightside

Thought about this one, but it's so monotone that I feel like it's a snoozer if you aren't an entertaining performer, and I doubt I will be.
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Sing Chop Suey by System of a Down
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Just have fun with it and sing what you're comfortable singing. Admittedly I don't drink so I'm 100% sober on karaoke nights, but my history has involved the following songs

Mr. Jones - Counting Crows
Jump Around - House of Pain
Snow (Hey Oh) - RHCP
Go With the Flow - Queens of the Stone Age
Talk Dirty to Me - Poison
Plush - Stone Temple Pilots
All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Richie
Caribbean Queen - Billy Ocean
Don't Stop Me Now - Queen
Gettin' Jiggy Wit It - Will Smith
Everlong - Foo Fighters
Hold on Loosely - 38 Special
Brian Wilson - Barenaked Ladies
Your Man - Josh Turner
Together Forever - Rick Astley
The River of Dreams - Billy Joel
Higher Love - Steve Winwood
You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine - Lou Rawls
Only Wanna Be With You - Hootie and the Blowfish
Where the Streets Have No Name - U2
Seven Days - Craig David
Times Like These - Foo Fighters

The only one that I felt I could've sounded better at was probably U2. Also my favorite karaoke moment was when half the bar was singing Wonderwall in unison, unifying Americans, Brits, and Germans all at once.
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Higher Love and River of Dreams would definitely be fun songs to try.
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scarletspeed7 posted...

Crossfiyah posted...

Sing something that isn't ultra cliche.

Okay, so let me give you my short list of 4 so you can tell me if these are ultra cliche:

"Desperado", The Eagles
"Nine in the Afternoon", Panic at the Disco
"Californication", Red Hot Chili Peppers
"I Want It That Way", Backstreet Boys

The last one is ultra cliche the others are probably fine.

Under the Bridge would be cliche though.
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Okay, they were in order of potentiality, so that's not a deal breaker. Thanks.

Also, Under the Bridge was no-deal because it's so boring for a solo singer.
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Last time I did karaoke I did Kiss from a Rose and Drops of Jupiter and both went over real well, garnering impromptu backup singers (as in people joining me onstage) for the former and dancers for the latter. My wife was laughing hysterically through the whole thing.
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just go all out and sing Bohemian Rhapsody
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That sounds like the ultimate recipe for disaster.
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SuorGenoveffa posted...

If you drink, have a reasonable drink without going drunk.

And don't take it too seriously, just have fun!
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Sing tequila
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Drinking helps. Also, I wouldn't worry about whether or not your voice can reach the highs and lows of a particular song. Generally whenever I've been in a karaoke setting there are a few people who take it seriously, but for the most part people are just having fun and fine with not sounding great.

Although I don't think I'd be able to go up in front of a bar full of people I don't know and sing. I've been to places like that, but the only time I've personally sang is in those karaoke bars where every group gets their own room.
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scarletspeed7 posted...

OliviaTremor posted...

Dantezoid posted...

just sing don't stop believing

Definitely don't do this.

Don't worry, I don't have that high of an upper register and it never even crossed my mind.

My cousin used to sing karaoke. He liked Every Rose Has Its Thorn by Poison, but he wasn't able to hit the upper octaves like he used to. Instead, he'd just sing a milder version and limit his range to something he could handle.

It's worth it to listen to some songs before you try to sing them. I tried to sing The Mayor of Simpleton by XTC, but I forgot entire segments of the song and lost the rhythm and timing at the end. I wound up walking off the stage. I don't think anyone there was sober enough to care, but it was something worth remembering if there's a next time.

Uglyface2 posted...

It's worth it to listen to some songs before you try to sing them. I tried to sing The Mayor of Simpleton by XTC, but I forgot entire segments of the song and lost the rhythm and timing at the end. I wound up walking off the stage. I don't think anyone there was sober enough to care, but it was something worth remembering if there's a next time.

yeah, this is good advice. also sing along with the song when you're listening to it. i once tried singing the frank sinatra version of i've got you under my skin at a karaoke bar (which i'd heard a million times before but i'd never tried to sing it before). it went... ok, but i got tongue twisted in some parts because i couldn't remember how some of the melodies went fast enough. again, it doesn't matter if you don't sing well, but it does kinda suck if you can't even get all the lyrics right.
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Heroic Bigpun posted...

Sing tequila

this is wifebolo's go-to

don't try to rap unless you know it will go well: the one time I tanked was trying to do Weird Al's White and Nerdy
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I did it! It was a lot of fun.
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what did you sing
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Desperado

People were really having fun!
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The best karaoke experience I ever had involved a guy in a suit who sang a perfect rendition of Snow's "Informer" to the point of me questioning if it actually could have been Snow from the other side of the bar as he vaguely looked like him and he is from Toronto.

The perfomance went to another level, though, when he seamlessly transitioned to Jim Carrey's parody of the song, which he recited perfectly despite not having the accompanying lyrics in front of him.
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What else have you done for the first time recently?
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Don't sing Afternoon Delight with a relative.
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ChichiriMuyo posted...

Sing Afternoon Delight with a relative.

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scarletspeed7 posted...

Okay, so let me give you my short list of 4 so you can tell me if these are ultra cliche:

"Desperado", The Eagles
"Nine in the Afternoon", Panic at the Disco
"Californication", Red Hot Chili Peppers
"I Want It That Way", Backstreet Boys

Yeah, last one's ultra super mega cliche, here at least (a bar right outside post in southeastern Germany). From my experiences on karaoke nights here, the songs I'd consider ultra cliche are...

I Want It That Way
Piano Man
Don't Stop Believin
I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing
Livin' on a Prayer
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scarletspeed7 posted...

I did it! It was a lot of fun.

Glad you enjoyed. I think karaoke is one of the best things we've come up with as humans, as far as shared experience goes.
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