Wednesday, July 23, 2014

WE CHEAT OURSELVES AT SOLITAIRE: A reader couldn't help but wonder, "At our recent staff party, which included karaoke, things got really serious. People were mostly going for ballads. And THEN, one employee chose Don McLean's classic, 'Vincent.' Which leads into the question, What are the songs that would be instant karaoke party killers?"

Here's a karaoke songlist. Go for it.

24 comments:

  1. It would take a very talented performer to turn Janis Ian's "At Seventeen" into a wry, somewhat ironic performance.

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  2. Joseph Finn11:25 AM

    Got one! The Smiths, "Girlfriend in a Coma."

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  3. Marsha11:29 AM

    I once sat through a painful rendition of The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The singing was fine, but the subject matter, downer melody, and length of the dirge were a real mood-killer.

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  4. Benner11:29 AM

    "Luka," Suzanne Vega.

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  5. Benner11:30 AM

    Would also accept "Tom's Diner."

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  6. Adam B.11:43 AM

    No. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci7NhvYeXEk

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  7. Me and a Gun by Tori Amos was my first thought, but it isn't on the list.

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  8. I believe any recording by The Smiths or Morrissey is probably a party killer.

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  9. Maret Orliss2:02 PM

    That is amazing.

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  10. The Pathetic Earthling3:57 PM

    Somehow, my mind skipped over "Vincent" as "Starry, Starry Night" and thought you were talking about "The Grave" from the same album. Which would have been awesome in its own right.

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  11. spacewoman11:31 PM

    Dear Mr. Jesus

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  12. mikeski9:27 AM

    In what I would consider the same vein, MacArthur Park.

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  13. Jim Bell3:15 PM

    Delia's Gone.

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  14. Jim Bell3:18 PM

    I hung my head.

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  15. Jim Bell3:18 PM

    The highway patrolman.

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  16. Jim Bell3:19 PM

    Ghost of Tom Joad

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  17. Jim Bell3:19 PM

    When we were beautiful.

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  18. Jim Bell3:20 PM

    Slip Slidin' Away

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  19. Jim Bell3:21 PM

    Same Old Lang Syne.

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  20. Jim Bell3:23 PM

    Taxi.

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  21. Jim Bell3:27 PM

    Hurt.

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  22. victoria12:18 AM

    The single most depressing experience I've ever had doing karaoke was when I was in college and had just broken up with someone who was, shall we say, not taking it well.



    A girl got up to sing "Amazed," by Lonestar. About halfway through, her boyfriend came out from the side with a ring and got down on one knee.


    I got to follow that up with "I Touch Myself."

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  23. Jason Carlin4:33 PM

    I can't believe I missed this conversation - I attend a karaoke night weekly and host occasionally.

    I sang "Book of Love" one night and stopped the party dead. Had similar experience with Pogue's "Dirty Old Town".

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  24. Jason Carlin4:36 PM

    Also: "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" by Billy Joel. By the end of 7+ minutes, no one cares anymore.

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