My Way Killings Plague Filipino Karaoke Bars

If you sing My Way at a karaoke bar in the Philippines, the end may be nearer than you realize: A spate of killings of people singing the Frank Sinatra song has prompted many bars to remove it from their playbooks and many Filipinos to avoid singing it. In a country wild about both karaoke and Sinatra, the "My Way killings" have left Filipinos struggling for answers, the New York Times reports.

Some blame the killings on the drinking, machismo, and violence that converge in the country's karaoke bars; others see something sinister in the song itself. "The lyrics evoke feelings of pride and arrogance in the singer," one Filipino said. "That's why it leads to fights." Whatever the cause, singing the song badly appears to be especially dangerous: Most of the “My Way killings" occurred after the singer was laughed at for singing out of tune. (More Philippines stories.)