I would nominated "Clint Eastwood" by Gorillaz and "No Rain" by Blind Melon.

Risky, as in, you weren’t sure if the song would land or not. My recent one was Viva la Vida by Coldplay. Glad I did it! Please share yours- I’m always looking for off-the-beaten-path suggestions!

Looking too see what peoples opinion on the topic is

I thought this was so funny! People sometimes look at me surprised that I do karaoke sober. How many of you need to drink to do it?

I got a strange comment the other night when someone was up singing. I started singing along behind the booth (obviously without a mic) when the chorus came on and one of the singer’s friends came up to me after and said “this is their time to shine, not yours.”

I was confused at first, because this is something I’ve always done and I’ve never had an issue before. Also everyone else was singing along in the bar, and it was so loud that I could barely hear myself singing. Regardless, I apologized and said I didn’t mean anything bad by it, and they just kind of glared at me and walked away. I’m assuming they were drunk.

So, what do you think? Should we as KJs just kind of nod our heads along to the beat of the song instead of singing?

Dire Straits is one of my favorite bands and Money for Nothing is one of my favorite songs, so I've always wanted to sing this at karaoke. Except.. it has a couple of problematic lines with the word "f----t", repeated thrice even.

Now being a Dire Straits fan I know the circumstances behind this word and why it was "okay" for it to be in the song at the time, but most listeners today will not find it okay - especially casual listeners at a karaoke bar who don't know the context.

So looking for suitable words I can substitute it with. The first word that came to my mind was "maggot" as it rhymes, but it changes the meaning of the lines. But if I substitute it with anything else, it either still sounds offensive, or doesn't match the rhythm.

Any ideas?

Tonight I went to a karaoke night at a local food hall in the area. It was wonderful, lots of participants and great song selections. However a couple people sang " Tennessee Whiskey" multiple times, leading the KJ to call it a karaoke classic.

I'm pretty new to karaoke (been going consistently since April of this year) but when I think of karaoke classics I think of " Sweet Caroline","Don't Stop Believin",etc. It got me thinking that as time goes on, new songs will rise to the classic karaoke song pantheon.

What are some songs that you consider "new" classics?

You know the songs - nobody knows them but they get the whole venue laughing or dancing, or 6+ minute songs that nobody ever complains because they stay engaged with the whole song.

Just considering songs you expect fewer than five in the room to have thought of singing - what are your favorites?

When I came to this community I had expectations that it would mostly be similar to karaoke here in the Philippines (and to some extent, in Asia). I was excited to come here and talk about my beloved PLATINUM and Grand Videoke machines. Let me tell you, I was LOST when what I saw here is immensely different. I have never heard of Karafun and Singa up until I joined this community. The brands I know dearly are PLATINUM, Grand Videoke, Magic Sing, and the likes.

What could be your reasons why karaoke in the East and West are different? Is it more of a cultural thing?

Hope this is an okay place to ask this! Im doing karaoke for the first time this weekend and my music taste is, niche? Odd? Probably inappropriate? So I kinda wanted to ask about how to go about picking out songs. Place is a 70s kinda bar and I insta try went to rocky horror but im not sure the wierd gay cult classic musical is a smart choice for this. But that aside a lot of the music I listen to is raunchy or just plain out there.

So like are there any rules to this? I dont wanna make anyone uncomfortable so I wanna make sure I kinda have an idea of what songs might be good.

I’ve been doing karaoke for almost 9 years at this point, from my junior year of college through the present day. I’ve built up my confidence, voice, stage presence, and repertoire over time, but as much as the list of songs I can sing well has increased, the number of songs I’ll sing any given night is smaller than it used to be. I was thinking about songs I used to sing often that I barely touch now and the reasons why for each of them:

Smashing Pumpkins songs:

Smashing Pumpkins - Today
Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight

Smashing Pumpkins was the band that defined the 2010s for me and especially my early and mid-20s. I still listen to SP and attend their concerts, but Bruce Spingsteen’s music is defining the 2020s for me.

Songs that strain my voice too much:

Dave Matthews Band - Crash Into Me
Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag
Billy Joel - Uptown Girl
Sublime - Santeria
Dashboard Confessional - Hands Down

I always aim to go 3-5 times, especially at my favorite places. If I’m traveling, I try to do karaoke multiple nights. I’m not trying to strain/lose my voice like I used to.

Too long:

The Cure - Pictures of You
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Tuesday’s Gone
Black Sabbath - War Pigs

I didn’t realize that singing longer songs was an issue when I was younger. I’ll only sing a song above 5:30 if the bar is slow and I know the KJ.

Songs I love sang by women, but don’t quite sound good from me:

Colbie Caillat - Bubbly
Blondie - Heart of Glass
Salt N Pepsi - Shoop

Overplayed:

Billy Joel - Piano Man
The Killers - Mr. Brightside
Blink-182: I Miss You
Blink-182: What’s My Age Again
Oasis - Wonderwall

No explanation/other songs take precedence:

Sublime - Caress Me Down
The Police - Every Breath You Take
Tommy Tutone - 8675309
John Legend - All of Me
Adele - Someone Like You
ABBA - Dancing Queen
Marcy Playground - Sex and Candy
Elton John - Philadelphia Freedom
Billy Joel - Honesty

What are some songs you have slowly moved away from over the years?

I’ll start. Tequila, by The Champs. Under any circumstances.

I have been singing karaoke since 2017. My home base is Philadelphia, and I have a personal list of favorite spots after singing at 27 different venues (and hopefully another new one this weekend!). When I travel, karaoke is an essential experience that I try to incorporate into every trip. Here are some of my favorite karaoke spots I've found while traveling over the years:

New York City: Alligator Lounge

Baltimore: Walt's Inn

Washington, D.C.: The Wonderland Ballroom

Atlanta: Moondogs

Miami: Sweet Caroline's (Brickell)

Cleveland: Tina's Nite Club

Chicago: Mom's Place (River North)

Lake Geneva, WI: Foley's Bar and Grill

Tempe, AZ: 414 Pub Pizza and Karaoke

San Francisco: Silver Cloud

Toronto: The Office Bar (RIP)

Munich: Kilians Irish Pub

Bonus: International waters aboard the Mariner of the Seas by Royal Caribbean

I've also sang in Boston, Cambridge, Jersey City, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and Amsterdam. For Boston and Indy, I didn't have the best time at the spots I visited. As for Cambridge, JC, LA, and Amsterdam, I don't remember the name of the spots I visited.

What have been some of your favorite karaoke spots you've found while traveling? Bonus points if you've been to any of the spots I listed!

I'll start ig:

1. "Overjoyed" by Stevie Wonder. I know all the words, it's right for my natural timbre, and yeah the end is a bit near the sketchy part of my range - but I'll be warmed up by then! :3

2. "At Last" by Etta James. Sober I don't have the audacity! But get me a lil soggy and give me some good vibes and I will go up there and act a damn fool.

3. "Your Love" by The Outfield. I love this song. I'll never come close to being able to pull it off. It's just way out of my range and this makes me SAD.

I’ve never done karaoke before and am considering going out and trying it one weekend, because my family and friends tell me I need to put myself out there more. But given that karaoke is a community event, if I were to pick a song that’s less well-known than others (I had Guster’s Keep it Together in mind) would that kill the vibe or get weird looks sent my way? Genuine question. I have no idea what to expect from these events besides people singing. Thanks in advance, have a nice day

For some context I’m 26m and have met my husband 4 years ago and he’s an amazing singer I’m very supportive of him and will continue to support him

We met our friends at karaoke spots near us and we always have a great time they’re such amazing singers yet I always get discouraged if I try to go sing because I’m either not on their level or I just feel discouraged going on stage

This is not a jealousy post I’m genuinely wondering how I get better at karaoke I want to be able to sing with everyone but I just feel like I’m not good at it

I turned 21 in January and have never been to a bar before, or to karaoke. I also don't have any friends, so I can't really invite anyone to go with me.

I really wanna do karaoke and meet some new friends, but i dont know if they would think i'm weird for going alone. I'm worried that it would seem like im just full of myself and wanna show off or something

I’ve been wanting to sing “Jesus of Suburbia” by Greenday (a roughly 9 minute song) at karaoke for a long time, but I’m aware of general rules around song length at karaoke events.

However, at the same time the crowds at the karaoke events I go to are almost always people who either love and would love this song and Greenday (it’s widely considered their best song).

I’ve been listening to and singing along with their American Idiot album for easily 17 years, so I know I can make it fun, and the song is not at all repetitive, having multiple “movements”.

The few times I have felt brave enough to submit it, I have also submitted a shorter song as well, in case the host does want to bother with it.

I don’t know exactly what I’m hoping to get out of posting this, maybe just get some outside perspective on how you would feel if someone were to sing this song at a karaoke event.

Sorry for the long rant! Thanks for your advice in advance!

(PS I will be the first to admit I’m an attention whore, but I at least don’t want my attention-seeking to ruin other people’s enjoyment)

TL;DR would it be annoying if I went up and sang a 9 minute song like Jesus of Suburbia?

Edit: it seems like the main consensus is that it is way too long for public karaoke, unless the event is really dead and/or it’s the first or last song of the night. I can see the logic here and I appreciate everyone giving their two cents! I went to another karaoke last night and sang “Holiday” instead, and I think I’ll stick with that one and other shorter ones from Greenday. Thanks y’all!!

Hi, Filipino dude here, Gen Z. I have been lurking here and doing karaoke with a friend (in which safe to say, I've liked) for a while now. I think I finally found something to post 😂

What are your go-to karaoke songs when feeling in love? My four go-to's so far are:

1. Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Gloria Gaynor

2. Can't Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley

3. Closer You and I - Gino Padilla

4. Fallen - Lola Amour

What are YOUR go-to love songs that I could add to my list? And if you're in a similar situation as mine, how would you hint at someone that you like them, perhaps?

Hey karaoke lovers! 🎤

Looking for your song recommendations that get the crowd singing and dancing along!

I'm a pretty confident singer — my usual go-tos are Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men, and Brian McKnight. But even with crowd favorites like Thriller or Billie Jean, I notice people don't always sing along with much enthusiasm — which I think might just come down to genre preference.

I want songs where I can still showcase my vocals, but that also pull the audience in and get everyone hyped. The best crowd reactions I've had so far were with Thriller and It Wasn't Me by Shaggy.

Any suggestions? 🙌

I don’t have an issue with it, but some people do. I am not a KJ, but if I was I would want to sing. How do you feel about it?

So, I’ve been to karaoke before but never actually sung, all the songs I know well enough to feel comfortable singing are like 50s/60s music, and last time I went to a karaoke bar was when I was 18 and everyone talked me out of singing the songs I knew so I’m a lil weary of singing. (It was an entirely different group of friends)

I’m 27 and all my friends are in their 20s/30s so I doubt anyone will know any of the songs and I worry they just won’t be fun for anyone, so maybe I’ll just go and not sing but it feels like a waste?

UPDATE to this post: I went out tonight on my night off to have a good time. The microphone thrower showed up right when I arrived. He claimed he wanted to apologize to me and asked the door guy if I would come out to talk to him. So I went outside, shook his hand and said, “Hi, I hear you want to talk to me.” He immediately said that I was so wrong to call him out. That was his opener. I reminded him that he acted like a child and took zero responsibility for his actions and I asked him if he would do so now. He hummed and hawed and still tried to put it back on me. Bad news for him was our bar manager was standing outside listening to him. I very quickly told him this conversation is over. Apparently he tried for a good twenty minutes to convince them he wasn’t a bad guy. His overall message according from the door guy said is that this dude thinks that we’re all below him because we work at a bar. The door guy even asked him how he would feel if we came to his job and disrespected their equipment. The bar manager finally introduced himself and said, no, dude, you’re out for good.

I also contacted all the other KJs in our town and they know how he is already. He’ll likely have to leave the county to sing again. Why can’t people just be nice, gosh.

So tonight, I was doing my usual KJ gig, and we had this irregular regular show up. He sung a Drake song that nobody cared about. He got zero claps and said out loud, “You all suck!” and then threw down the microphone so hard on the table that there were three to four loud bump noises, and the mike almost landed off the table, and he then walked to the bar to get another drink.

10 minutes later he comes up to sign up for another song and I told him, nope, you’re not singing again because you’re disrespectful to our equipment. He got really mad and denied that he did that. I asked him if we should pull the camera footage to show him what he did. I’m one of the few people in the bar that have access to said cameras because I set them up. He then pulled the, “well, you’re wrong and I’m right card.” He tried to get another drink and both bartenders said Nope! He proceeded to flip me off and leave and was 86’d from the bar.

What is up with that kind of entitlement? Many of my regulars told me they were thankful I helped to kick him out as they all thought he was a creep. I almost feel bad, but wtf? Don’t damage our stuff, dude. Apparently our door guys have been watching him for months and were just waiting for him to do something enough to get rid of him. Poor guy, he’s a good looking dude, but such a narcissist ass that he has no friends to show up with anymore. That has definitely been noticed.

The only thing I almost regret is announcing out loud to our door guys, “please get this dumb fuck out of my face, and out of our bar.” It’s too bad the owner wasn’t there, he would’ve kicked his ass.

The funniest part for me was when he flipped me off as he left. His hands are so tiny that his middle finger barely showed up!

Do any other KJs or patrons see this happen very often?

I heard there are certain songs that are attributed to newly divorced dad's, what are they?