WE CHEAT OURSELVES AT SOLITAIRE: A reader couldn't help but wonder, "At our recent staff party, which included karaoke, things got really serious. People were mostly going for ballads. And THEN, one employee chose Don McLean's classic, 'Vincent.' Which leads into the question, What are the songs that would be instant karaoke party killers?"
Here's a karaoke songlist. Go for it.
It would take a very talented performer to turn Janis Ian's "At Seventeen" into a wry, somewhat ironic performance.
ReplyDeleteGot one! The Smiths, "Girlfriend in a Coma."
ReplyDeleteI once sat through a painful rendition of The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The singing was fine, but the subject matter, downer melody, and length of the dirge were a real mood-killer.
ReplyDelete"Luka," Suzanne Vega.
ReplyDeleteWould also accept "Tom's Diner."
ReplyDeleteNo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci7NhvYeXEk
ReplyDeleteMe and a Gun by Tori Amos was my first thought, but it isn't on the list.
ReplyDeleteI believe any recording by The Smiths or Morrissey is probably a party killer.
ReplyDeleteThat is amazing.
ReplyDeleteSomehow, my mind skipped over "Vincent" as "Starry, Starry Night" and thought you were talking about "The Grave" from the same album. Which would have been awesome in its own right.
ReplyDeleteDear Mr. Jesus
ReplyDeleteIn what I would consider the same vein, MacArthur Park.
ReplyDeleteDelia's Gone.
ReplyDeleteI hung my head.
ReplyDeleteThe highway patrolman.
ReplyDeleteGhost of Tom Joad
ReplyDeleteWhen we were beautiful.
ReplyDeleteSlip Slidin' Away
ReplyDeleteSame Old Lang Syne.
ReplyDeleteTaxi.
ReplyDeleteHurt.
ReplyDeleteThe single most depressing experience I've ever had doing karaoke was when I was in college and had just broken up with someone who was, shall we say, not taking it well.
ReplyDeleteA girl got up to sing "Amazed," by Lonestar. About halfway through, her boyfriend came out from the side with a ring and got down on one knee.
I got to follow that up with "I Touch Myself."
I can't believe I missed this conversation - I attend a karaoke night weekly and host occasionally.
ReplyDeleteI sang "Book of Love" one night and stopped the party dead. Had similar experience with Pogue's "Dirty Old Town".
Also: "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" by Billy Joel. By the end of 7+ minutes, no one cares anymore.
ReplyDelete