Friday, December 16, 2011

Have You a Go To Sing Along Song?

The season of Christmas shindigs and family get togethers with inevitable sing alongs is upon us. Here’s my question, do you have a go to Karaoke number? Or a sing along party piece that you wheel out every year?

Lámha súas here, I’m the very person, while sober, would balk at the thought of a roll call when the sing alongs are happening. In the same vein, I push the Karaoke book away as if the pages themselves are poisonous. When a few festive 7Ups have been imbibed, however, I’ve been known to bodily wrestle the mic from the Hawaiian shirt clad compère. I’m not proud.

Song choice can be crucial when it comes to these matters and can say a lot about you too, take for example my earlier go to choices:







In time though, bitterness abated and my song choices changed. These days I’ve been known to croon a medley of Mamas & Papas:




or Tina Turner (Backing dancers essential, preferably male)



For the more nervous singers amongst us i.e. sober here’s a little hint, the trick to an epic Karaoke outing is to pick a song that people will take over and sing for you. Prime example: 




or 



People can’t help themselves. You then get to mouth the words á lá Sunday mass choir, circa 1988, without ever singing a note & you still get all the glory.

Theory in practice? On a night out in Tenerife last year a good pal was nervous when her name was called; I gave her the Journey tip off. She'd only managed to sing the first words and when I say the place erupted I’m not exaggerating – granted it could have been my air guitar, air keyboard and air pan pipe renditions behind her but she went down a storm! I have abiding memories of German men dragging their wives from their seats to Hooley, English families belting out the tune into the top of their beer bottles and the barmaid giving it socks on the bar. Nailed it.

I’m not saying you’ll get the same reaction in your living room on Christmas day, actually on second thoughts; Nan attempting the electric eel on the lino is probably a bad idea, stick to 


yeah?



5 comments:

Kat (dollyrouge.ie) said...

Lol, brilliant post! Unfortch in my family it's more likely to be Rock Band than karaoke, complete with scoring for every (missed) note and the game kicking you out of the song when you're really s**t. The mortification!

Sue Jordan said...

Ha, Thanks Kat, my Broseph is a Hound for Sing Star, they have to hide it on themselves as once it comes down they're up for the night. Must give Rock Band a go :D

cornflakegirl said...

Brilliant post Sue.

Anything by The Eagles and the full version of American Pie are always big hits at our family get togethers. Thankfully my Dad and have his siblings have all been blessed with decent voices.

Me on the otherhand, well that's a different ball game altogether, tuneless doesn't cover it.

cornflakegirl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Dawniepants said...

I LOVE karaoke. Everyone else hates me because I'm the person going 'lets do singstar, lets do singstar' and no one else wants to do it. So when I get a chance I sing Me and Bobby Magee the Janis Joplin version, and also a bit of 'Another little piece of my heart' I'll sing anything, really I don't mind...

everyone hates me at karaoke...