Karaoke Forums

Was this your normal haunt?  New place?  Maybe the obscure songs aren't as obscure there?

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Hey Lon. Actually its a place that I go to freequently (or as frequently as can be expected for someone who may go to karaoke maybe once or twice a month). The bizarre thing about this is some actually request that I do an opera piece or two.

In my experience, if you're lucky enough to choose a song the crowd wants to hear, you're in good shape even if you butcher it.  If you do a song the crowd doesn't know, anything can happen.

When I've done songs that are suggestive or risque, the crowds seem to like that.  I can think of a couple off the top of my head, "Big Ten Inch Record" and "Stacy's Mom," that I didn't think I did very well but the crowd loved anyway.  Frustrating in a way, as there were others that I thought I sang better that didn't go over as well.

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Reward: nine yen in drawer.

I think the songs that go over best are songs that are at once fairly popular yet not often done at karaoke. Of course, different songs seem to go over better or worse for me depending on the mood of the crowd. I think crowd composition matters too.

A few of my best songs for a reaction are:

  * Heard It In A Love Song
  * Three Wooden Crosses
  * Write This Down
  * Chain of Love

All are popular long-term hits (at least in my neck of the woods), yet you rarely hear them done anywhere near well.

Here is a non-novelty novelty song that always goes over well for me:

  * Seashores of Old Mexico

It just sounds different, and even people who don't like country seem to like it.

There are a few that seem to depend on the mood of the crowd, like:

  * Cherry Bomb
  * Forever And Ever Amen
  * Ramblin' Man

Ballads and tearjerkers are the most fickle. Sometimes I get a big reaction for something like "Tell Me Something Bad About Tulsa", but not usually.

What I enjoy hearing and what my crowd responds to are 2 different things. I enjoy a good voice no matter what they sing . The crowd wants to party. If the obscure song you are talking about is up beat and danceable it would probably go over fine, otherwise you would hear crickets.  LMAO

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One of my favorite things to do at a show is say "Ok, I'm gonna sing a song that probly none of you have heard of but the good thing about that is nobody'll know how bad I fk it up"  LMAO

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Well again, maybe the obscure aren't AS obscure as you might have thought in that particular place.

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When I go to a karaoke bar I dont mind listening to anything as long as the crowd is having a good time. Most places I go to there is some sort of dance floor and as long as people can dance to it they have a good time. Personally I would like to hear good vocals all night but thats not going to happen. Fun songs seem to go over even if they are butchered. What bothers me more than the quality of singers is the KJ's inability to mix song selections. I know there is the rotation and all that but variety of  songs and tempos makes the night more interesting even if the KJ has to sing or play a song to mix things up. So to answer the question "What would you rather listen to." Hell if I know.

See there is a dilemma there among kj's that have steady clientelle that are there to sing, they want to be in a rotation that don't get shifted around, which is what they get at my show.  I know some here will disagree & that they try to dj their karaoke singers - grouping like songs & what not, but this is no longer a fair rotation for the singers.  Ours is a 7 nights a week karaoke club, not a dj club, people go there to sing & will dance to the singers if they want to kick up their feet.

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I know what I *don't* want to hear. Picture, Sweet Caroline, Friends In Low Places, You Never Even Call Me By My Name, American Pie, Can't Help Falling In Love, or any of the other songs that are done over and over and over and over again to the point of making me cringe every time I hear the first notes once again.

I have a pretty good sized theatre group who likes to come to my shows. they sing a bunch of show tunes that nobodys heard, some TV tunes ect. BUT they do em all awesome. most crowds seem to have a great time with it.
  obscure can be alot of things. some songs that are popular or have been popular on the radio. are obscure for karaoke. I sing a by the kinks sometimes. its funny when people who have heard the song for years on the radio realise what its about...yeah ive got a twisted sence of humor..
   
    I think sometimes an obscure song done well can be good , sometimes not. I also think a popular song sung poorly can be good, but I do get sick of the same songs all the time the same way.

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the voices arent real, but they have some good ideas

.......'zactly:)

And... No wondering if someone is gonna put up the same song as me and beat me to it, making me have to go choose another. *They don't know them*  :D  Except, one I've done over the last few years promted the KJ lady to go buy the bluegrass set I have, she now sings "Drivin' Nails In My Coffin" by Rhonda Vincent, she loves that song. Kinda cool to pass one of 'em off when she's there though, I so rarely hear anyone else do them.

And actually, the places I haunt, I guess some of my songs aren't probably quite as obscure to them as they used to be... they've heard me sing them a round or two. (but yeah Cathi, ONLY me sing them... so I'm sure they don't know/care if I'm doing them a bit differently)  :whistle:

I think part of it depends on the night too. Some nights I can handle listening to different stuff... not just "party songs". There are even some nights I am SO bored with repeats that I make myself open the KJ's book (i rarely do this) and sing only songs I don't normally do. Even throw in a slow one now and then. It's all about being pals, they'd forgive me if I butchered one or two. Heck, saturday night I was being laughed at by the KJ for singing with one eye squinted. (dang that Tequila, Lol)

.

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♥ Laugh your heart out, dance in the rain. Cherish the memories, ignore the pain. Love and learn, forget and forgive. Because you only have one life to live. ♥

I know exactly what you mean, I did UFO's " Doctor, Doctor " one night and this guy about forty went nuts, said he loved that song and couldn't believe I was doing it, on the other hand 99% of the crowd were indifferent.

I do have to agree that a great song sung bad usually does better, unless you just really butcher it, like skipping verses and mumbling the song.

When I first read this thread I was thinking along the lines also of obscure meaning never heard before, but maybe that's not quite right. In my own personal collection of CDG's I have alot of songs that most people know but aren't usually heard in a karaoke show, at least not in our little town. Point in case, last week I did " Sober " by TOOL and one of the local bands bass player was there. This week they were playing at a bar a block away from our venue and he came over during their break and asked if he could do it, because he was amazed that we had a decent version of that song. SORRY DOG DID IT BETTER THAN ME!  :( !

Anything but the same 'ole, same 'ole no matter how it's done. It is nice to hear that most singers are actually trying.
It is fun to watch someone blitzed outta their mind try to sing a song though....puts the comedy into karaoke.
Everyone has different tastes in music that's for sure, cause almost every song that mckyj57 mentioned, I'd be walkin' out the door.

Same happens to me when I do something nobody wants to hear.

Gotta go to work now.