KaraokeCraze Members Share

And the Survey Says….

There seems to be lot of “The Worst Karaoke Songs Ever” Lists out there floating around. I did a little research and tallied as many of the lists as I could find. Neither agreeing or disagreeing with the following songs, the results arrrrrrrrrrre….

We have…starting at number

10. Who Let the Dogs Out – Baha Men

9. Macarena – Los Del Rio

8. I will Survive – Gloria Gaynor

7. Ebony and Ivory – Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder

6. New York, New York – Frank Sinatra

5. Achy Breaky Heart – Billy Ray Cyrus

4. My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion

3. American Pie – Don MacLean

2. Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice

And the all time favorite song to Hate in Karaoke isssssssssssssssssssss………

Drumroll please……

1. Paradise By The Dashboard Light - Meatloaf

So now here is your chance to put your two cents worth in.

Do you agree with the list? Would you change it by adding or taking away a couple songs? Maybe you would have an entirely different list with a complete set of new songs to consider.

Why not leave a comment about the above list or perhaps create a list of your own.

I’ve created mine below and now I’m waiting for yours.

**There are many songs that we could chose from to be on our “Love to Hate” list.   Depending on where we go to sing (if you’re environment is country for example, you may not be crazy about rap) and your personal preference in specific songs or artists you may chose more of a particular type of song.  My list consists of a wide spectrum of personal choice “Love to Hate”  Karaoke songs.

These are the songs that when someone gets up to sing them, for whatever reason , I tend to cringe inside.  I am never verbal with my objections as everyone has a right to sing what they choose and they obviously have chosen the song for a reason.  Whether they are singing it in all sincerity or whether they are singing it on a dare or as a lark they are having fun in their own way and to me …having fun is what karaoke is all about….not necessarily being the best singer or entertainer.  Destressing… taking a risk… being a little crazy….feeling good….being able to laugh at yourself…but most of all having a good time and allowing others to have a good time.  (If that is not your main purpose when you are at a karaoke night or bar, then you are in the wrong place for that time)

Creating my list does not mean that these songs are not ‘OK’ in their own rights….just not for me…at a karaoke night (or maybe even ever…lol…but…to each his own:)  The list was actually a lot harder to create than I thought it would be because there are lots of songs that we hear a thousand times or that are perhaps a little irritating (…come on. I know you can think of a few of those), however, a lot of those songs are sung in fun, in groups, as spoofs or whatever and have and air of humor about them.  Whether the following songs are as irritating to you as they are to me or whether they are your favorite choice to sing on your night out (oooops sorry about that)…for better or worse…. here they are

#10 New York, New York - Frank Sinatra

#9  Ebony and Ivory – Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder

#8 Respect - Aretha Franklin

#7  The Humpty Dance - Digital Underground

OK…from here I really had a hard time deciding which ones I ‘hated more than the others

#6  My Ding-a-Ling - Chuck Berry

#5  Because I Got High - Afroman

#4  The Name Game - originally by Shirley Ellis

#3  Lady Marmalade - Christina Aguilera, Lil Kim, Mya, Pink, and Missy

#2  Love Shack- the B52s

and my all time favorite karaoke song that I LOVE TO HATE isssssssssssssss…..

#1  I’m Shady - Eminem (thankfully it is only allowed to be played in some venues which then allows                                                   me to not have to listen to it often AND allows LOVE SHACK to be #1…lol)

OK, so now it’s your turn.  Step right up and tell us what tunes you “love to hate” in the comment space below.

Wow, Can you believe it…Only 322 more days until Christmas! OOOps sorry about that …I mean only 10 more days until Valentine’s Day.

   When I submitted my first blog I was so excited to have just learned how to create websites and
the fact that I had been working hard on mine. I was just getting ready (at the end of Nov) to place a
new page on Christmas gifts for the karaoke enthusiast onto my site.
    However with life in general, work, kids, and Christmas looming near at that time I did not nearly
realize the extent of the quantity of karaoke items that were available and on the market.  Before I
knew it, even working steady on the site, with all the research and everything else that goes into it,
it was after Christmas before I even got the gifts section down. (I haven't even got to the general
equipment yet)
    Another time to get your loved one something special indeed. But as any time of the year, there
always seems to be some occasion, just around the corner, that needs something just right. Whether
you are talking about kids karaoke or adults there are so many karaoke related products on the market
right now that it is hard to keep up with them all.
    You have everything from the regular equipment pieces, to players, disks and toys for kids
karaoke.  For that very special guy or gal in your life, a little bit of fun with everything from karaoke
thongs or boxers to shirts, caps and sweat suits. Household items, items for your dog or baby to wear
to let everyone know that their mom or dad is a karaoke star or that they have the set of pipes to be a
future sensation themselves. There are products for ipods and even game machines such as Wii,
Xbox and Nintendo.  Tell the world that you enjoy karaoke with bumper stickers, posters, magnets,
cups, clocks...whatever you can imagine there are products for it. It was such fun doing the research
for all of my pages under Products/Gifts at KaraokeCraze.com and being able to look through literally
thousands of items and different hilarious karaoke slogans that could be chosen from in order to create
my pages.
     I found that there were lots of sites and products that were rated and I placed that information
down along with links to possible sites where the items might be found.
    There is always another special occasion that you will want to say ”I care” (and really...do we need
a SPECIAL occasion?  Every occasion is special when you say , “I care... I love what you do... and you
 are special to me  

     So why not start looking now for that special little something to give your favorite karaoke star,
that tells them that they are 'your favorite song' and that they make 'your heart sing'?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to accept and be accepted for who we are? Inside and outside? Unconditionally? We start off that way…what happens?

As young children we are accepting of everyone, we expect that everyone will treat us kindly and take everything for granted. Everyone is equal no matter what the color of their skin or the size of their body. We don’t know any difference. There are no learned biases… yet.

As we grow older, that all changes. We take on our parents or peers values and lessons taught. Far too often we learn to hate because people are different or even because they are less fortunate. The color of skin, the size of body, where they live, physical and mental capacity all become the misguided focus of unwanted attention and criticism

. In elementary school we begin to see children (some to a much greater degree than others, and some not at all) begin to display signs of preferential bias toward skin color, size, behavior, looks, physical or mental prowess, lifestyles, etc.

By high school, if one is inclined to be critical of others, it is fully engrained in their personality by this point and they often become very vocal or obvious about these preferences. These are the people, who grow up to be the adults that behave in the same way and end up teaching their children in turn.

Fortunately, there are far more people who are at least willingly to try to see others for what and who they are …inside…and out, and make their preferential decisions based on that. Unfortunately, the ones that do display biases (even though fewer in number) are the ones that make the larger impact. Their words and actions are usually often heard or felt to a greater degree. Their words and actions often cause pain, emotional if not physical.

Now……..All of this brings me to another passion of mine which is music, and karaoke in particular in this blog. So right about now you are saying to yourself, how did she get from acceptance and bias to karaoke?

Ever been to a karaoke bar? If you haven’t, or perhaps visit infrequently, you can’t help but notice something very ’special’ about the karaoke community within it. There are people from all walks of life, all colors and ethnic backgrounds, all sizes and all lifestyles and they are all accepted. Sure you have different levels of ability, but everyone is very accepting of that as well. The regulars of a karaoke community understand that music bridges all those societal stigmas.

Every song, good, not so good or indifferent, gets applause. Smiles are on everyone’s faces. Music induces a ‘good feeling’. ( www.Karaokecraze.com - check out benefits of karaoke) This is not just a thought but actually has a medical reason.

People know they can go to karaoke because they will be accepted by the karaoke community even if they are not always accepted within society.

In my karaoke community, I can count on the fact that every Friday night a very ’special’ group of people will turn up to support the rest of us and ask the same in return. They may not always sing the right words or be able to keep up with the music all the time but their effort and enthusiasm is contagious. And guess who gets the biggest applause? You guessed it!

Occasionally, you will have someone in the audience who says something that is less than kind to someone who is trying their best. These are those people mentioned earlier that obviously have not figured out that whole ‘acceptance’ and ‘tolerance’ thing. ( I can also almost guarantee that their children are the ones that we have to deal with in class for being bullies or critical of others)

A friend of mine, new to karaoke, and very good already, was telling me last week that he had gone to his favorite karaoke venue and when it was announced what he was going to sing, some lady from the crowd hollered out, “Don’t wreck it!”

Even though that tended to put extra pressure on him, he nailed the song perfectly and as he walked back she looked at him with a, “hmmmpff.”

“Geeeesh,” he said to me, “She wasn’t even singing.”

How easy it is to criticize others from the other side of the fence, without knowing circumstances and situations. Or even worse, just because you want to get a laugh or make yourself feel better at someone else’s expense.

I think this is why karaoke has become such a growing success. People not only feel good when they sing, but they know that they will be accepted within their ‘community’. We all want to be accepted within society but know that we often aren’t for whatever reason. What better way to be accepted than by doing something you enjoy, that makes you feel good, with people that enjoy the same thing and will accept you as you are. Wow, now there is a novel idea!

I can honestly say that I am not always thrilled with what I see out there in the big world. How people sometimes treat others without the respect , consideration and/or just being at least tolerant.

On the other hand when I visit my karaoke community, I find that that all seems to disappear, at least in my little world while I am there.

So I have come to the conclusion that we as a society should think about making a couple new years resolutions for 2008. The first is that we should all try to be more accepting and tolerant of other’s differences and the second is that perhaps we should ALL join one of those karaoke communities in order to see how it should be done

Singing online…..hmmmmmmmm…I have been getting quite excited about getting to that point in my site. As I look out my window seeing nothing but white today, I am thinking it is a good day for figuring out just how to go about getting that ‘karaoke singing online’ part working.

Fire blazing in front of me as I watch the world being engulfed in snow just feet from me. The world outside has come almost to a stand still under the 50 centimeters of snow that have fallen during the last day and a half but I know that behind this screen there are people out there just waiting for the opportunity to be singing karaoke online. Some for the first time, behind a login name and a computerized profile picture where karaoke singing online is safe, (don’t you just love annonimity?) building up their courage and confidence. Others have been singing karaoke online for a while and are looking for a new place to meet new friends, share their talents, expertise and views about their passion for music and for singing online karaoke .

Even though my site is new, I am hoping that I will be able to offer a fun, informative,entertaining, karaoke singing online’ site and a place where singers can meet in a friendly,informal setting.

A place that friends will want to tell others about and bring them here to do some karaoke singing online as well. Being new to the online side of karaoke, I’m hoping that those that love karaoke singing online will be willing to give me a few suggestions of what they would like to see on the site.

Today I am marveling at how lucky we are to live in such an age. I am sitting here, for the moment, shut off from the rest of the physical world, schools are closed, programs are shut down,but I can, with the click of a few buttons meet with friends…see them…chat with them…even do some karaoke singing online.

Ah yeah…..tis the life.