For the incoherent drunkards, the friends who get yanked onstage, and all other would-be singers, Entertainment Weekly offers the best and worst karaoke songs:
The Best:
- "I Want It That Way," Backstreet Boys: The entire room will be singing with you; getting audience members to admit they like the song is another story.
- "Umbrella," Rihanna: The raucous beat will drown out a mediocre voice.
- "All Or Nothing," O-Town: With great melodic elements and an octave level that’s encouraging to people past puberty, this song is karaoke gold.
The Worst:
- "American Pie," Don McLean: The song is 8½ minutes long, which is about 8 minutes more than the audience wants.
- "Hurt," Nine Inch Nails: Instrumental stretches and repressed childhood issues need to be left at the bar door.
- "Sweet Caroline," Neil Diamond: You can only hear “Dah dah daaaah!” so many times before “you want to track Caroline down and kill her in her sleep.”
Click the link below for the entire list.
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