Karaoke Forums

Wanted to know what y'all thought about irony performed at karaoke.

I am somewhat of a serious karaoke person (perhaps not as professional as most seasoned posters here) and am totally against IRONY at karaoke, picking especially cheesy songs and singing them for comedic value.

However, my friend Aram did an amazing rendition of Richard Marx's "Hazard" and Billy Ocean's "Get Outta My Dreams (And into my car)" the other day, in a quasi-ironic way, and his performance was stellar, even though I know in real life, he thinks those songs are cheesy. Another friend often sings "Sometimes When We Touch" because it gets a lot of laughs from our friends. Sometimes I think ironic singing wastes everyone's time, but I admit that sometimes I get a laugh out of it. Perhaps everyone of Generation X is too much into irony and maybe it's not a good thing?

What does everyone think of ironic singing? I have a feeling most will be against...

(attached is my friend Aram crooning Richard Marx!)

Singing a karaoke song can have many different entertainment values.

A great rendition of a karaoke song
A great performance of a karaoke song
A great LAUGH of a karaoke song ( as long as the laugh is WITH the singer and not AT the singer)

Cheesy songs are always welcome ! - like life itself ---"variety is the spice"
too much of anything can be TOOOO MUCH

The Ironic part of this is, I just did a search and I can not find a song called Irony.

Karaoke is what you make it.    I have edited my songbook to eliminate the offensive songs that include heavy swearing, angry rock and gansta topics.   So anything else is far game.   People entertain themselves with the songs they want to sing.     I sing to entertain the non singers when I sing.

We don't get much of that kind of singer where I hang out Raina.


Another irony, Jay Leno hates karaoke. His production company is called Big Dog Productions.

Gotta love Jay..  :worship:  :O


He probably hates when the singers are screaming drunks, that hacks system sucks and you have to wait for the dance set to end before you sing again.   Just a thought.

You're very lucky! I think amongst urban NY hipsters, irony is quite in vogue, so karaoke becomes more of a spectacle than a heartfelt performance. I've been trying very hard to get people I know to take it more seriously; people where I'm from still think its quirky or funny that I love karaoke!

Of course, what really matters is that everyone just has a good time, ironic or not.

There's "Ironic" by Alanis Morrisette! Which is a fun one.

"It's like rain, on your wedding day, it's a free ride, when you already paid, it's the good advice, you just didn't take..."

Raina.....I don't mean to rain on this thread's parade, but I don't think IRONY means what you think it means....

Just FYI, I have a master's degree in English Literature and work as a professional writer.

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C Mc
KJ, FL

We don't get sarcastic singers either. Maybe they do when I'm not there though since I only go about two or three times a month.

Yeh, I know that the Alanis Morrisette song gets irony complete wrong. It was the topic of a few late dorm room discussions freshman year-- my dormies came to the conclusion that Alanis was demonstrating something closer to paradox, not irony.

I still think it's a fun song!

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find me at /karaokedomination on myspace

'IRONY at the mic'

Haven't seen this suspense thriller yet.  Who stars in it ?


A LARGE chunk of our Western "absurd" humor is based upon irony.  I LOVE IT !  When done well in a venue, it makes a point, and IS in fact funny. It's the basis of MUCH of my facetious humor in here.  What does that tell you ?  (I mean besides the fact that it's understandable why many think it sucks)

Humor is derisive.  What irony does is takes the superioritive theory of humor (looking down upon behaviour) to poke fun of it.  MANY have a tough time with this type humor thinking it's "crass"  "sexist", "cruel"...  Take David LEtterman, Howard Stern, etc.  Some call it "dry" humor...  BUT.. I LOVE IT... It keeps me healthy, and is about all I do for emotional release (well with others that is)

Chris,

   She's talking about sarcastic humor, or dry humor.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

We have a friend who does a spot-on version of John Belushi-doing-Joe-Cocker doing With A Little Help From my Friends. Not really ironic, or paradoxical or sarcastic, but kinda dry, I guess.

I think some people got it and some people don't. I am like you; more serious. I would feel like a fool (and, consequently, look like one) if I went too over the top on a song. I leave it to those who have the talent to carry it off.

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[glow=darkorchid]Musica delenit bestiam feram[/glow]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nIADvq4xXk


NBC made Youtube pull Belushi's "little help" parady due to copyright infringement.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

You bring this up often Big Dog. Perhaps you should start a poll for karaoke singers about whether or not they like dance music during a karaoke performance.

Truthfully and honestly I think you are mostly right. I mostly go to sing and get annoyed when KJ's play a bunch dance music. Sometimes I leave if that goes on much. I can see it briefly played as filler while the next singer is starting though I think I hear you say you start one singer after another without the filler, but that is probably because you don't use a stage right? If a stage is used you have to generally allow some filler music while singers swap out.

There is a place in town that used to do the dance music with the show. It was a very popular regular karaoke bar with lots of regulars. People would sing, they would do contests, ironic singing, etc. They would also mix in some dance music sequences and later in the evenings people would get up and dance. Seems it kind of worked as an opportunity to take your date, or the girl / guy you have your eye on out and move a little and kind of keep the show moving. Still it was mostly annoying to me - .

Anyway, like I say I think a poll here would be interesting.

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The Truth Is Out There

I would hate to hear anyone sing Richard Marx's "Hazard" any way but the way it sould be sung.  I know someone who sang that song and you couldn't tell him from Richard Marx.  Absolutely aced that song.   I still listen to it on CD very often.  Think it is one of my very favorites.
I really hate it when people throw in their own words to a song, that just do not fit the song only to get a laugh.  There are many songs that can bring a laugh, but I don't like to hear a great song butchered.  Of course a bad singer could do that too.
Guess some could get away with it if it were done tastefully.