Disclaimer: this post was written in December 2023, and scheduled for future posting. Its contents may no longer be accurate or appropriate.
Do you have a karaoke stand-by? Something you can manage a passable rendition of, should a microphone be forcefully pressed into your reluctant hand? I once, drunkenly, attempted Roxanne by The Police but that was a mistake - Sting's voice is very high in the chorus. REM, Bowie and Morrissey have provided me with safer ground, at various times. One thing's for sure, I have never been drunk enough to attempt Daltrey vocal gymnastics like this:
Ah. There's nothing I don't love about that clip. Anyway, here's how Baba O'Riley should be performed live - a track which remains a career highpoint for The Who, in my humble.
Mine used to be 'Saturday Night At The Movies' until I got to the age where I couldn't reach the high notes any more
ReplyDeleteThat is a fine choice though.
DeleteI've never done karaoke, not out of some weird aversion, just never had the chance. Wichita Lineman would be my obvious choice though.
ReplyDeleteAs for Baba O'Reilly, this is my favourite clip...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I79YNDYrUno&t=6s
Oh, that's excellent.
DeleteI once did 'I Will Survive' karaoke style in a packed theatre. If I may be so bold......
ReplyDeletehttps://thenewvinylvillain.com/2016/07/29/snatching-a-victory-from-the-jaws-of-defeat/
Otherwise, I try and do some sort of half-singing, half-shouting ramnt these days for comedy effect. 'Wild Thing' by The Troggs or 'Take Me Out' by Franz Ferdinand tends to work.
Take Me Out feels like a good karaoke call.
DeleteThe foot tapping is cartoon comedy gold.
ReplyDeleteJM
Isn't it just?
DeleteWhen I was at Uni (alright, it was a Poly when I was there, but now it's a Uni, so I went to Uni, ok?) I used to enter a fortnightly quiz. They'd just bought a karoake machine (this was in the...ouch...late 80s) and were trying to justify it's purchase, so it got introduced as either a forfeit if you'd done badly in a round, or a knock-'em-down-a-peg-or-too if you'd done well, depending on the host's mood. I had to go up twice: first time to sing The Police's 'Walking on the Moon', second time: Madonna's 'Holiday'. I did them both in a Ted Chippington style, and was booed off both times. I've never gone near one again, but if I did my weapon of choice would be...Hue & Cry's 'Labour of Love', which I think I can totally nail (unconfirmed by friends to date), provided sufficient quantities of booze have lubricated the ol' larynx
ReplyDeleteWell, it has quite an energetic chorus... especially if enhanced with a little booze...
DeleteIn my previous life I got roped into doing some Karaoke on one of those corporate team-building residential courses (alongside Paintball... never again...) where you suddenly find yourself on an equal footing to your more senior staff members 'cause we're all as drunk and as shit as each other. Thankfully didn't have to do a solo effort, that would have been just too mortifying! But I did rather enjoy being a member of Abba - 'Dancing Queen' would still be my song of choice!
ReplyDeleteWell, I like that you got to channel your inner Agnetha.
DeleteI got bottled of the stage doing My Way my only Karaoke attempt.
ReplyDeleteI did slightly better with Three Little Birds with a house kit.
My Way was bold.
DeleteHaving been rapidly kicked out of the school choir I well know that I can't hold a tune of any kind. Therefore I'd have to "ironically" sing in the Vic Reeves Club Singer Style-or go for anything by The Blue Aeroplanes as that's generally more talking than singing!
ReplyDeleteI can think of few better Reevesian club singers, mate.
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