Karaoke Nights

I love karaoke.

Going up on stage in public and singing is one of those things I could never do throughout all my years of being in chorus in school. Normally, I'm a decent singer. No doubt, I sound better in my shower and in my car, by myself, than I ever would in front of another human being, but I still have a pretty good voice. The problem is, whenever I would get up to audition for solos in middle and high school some other person's voice would just come out of my body. I know that you are supposed to use the adrenaline to help you focus, but I would just freeze. When auditioning for duets or group solos, I shone. I have an ability to mimic the tone and quality of others' voices when they sing with me, which means I can blend really well.

Alcohol numbs my adrenaline nerves and gives me the courage to bring out that awesome singer. Thus, karaoke.
1.) I am not in a room full of professionals, so I sound good by comparison
2.) I can showcase the good qualities of my voice by picking songs that are right for me.


And yet, I suck at karaoke. Drinking does not a singer make. And all that courage combined with memory loss and pacing problems means that last night I decided that singing "There are worse things I could do" at 12:00 a.m. was a good idea. Oh yes, I rocked out to Grease. By far the worst song choice ever....here are some rules that I should have followed for drunk karaoke:

1.) Pick a song you know like the back of your damn hand.
2.) Do not choose a song that normally challenges your range. Drunk in a smoky bar means your range is about 2 octaves lower than normal
3.) Do NOT partner up with someone else who sucks. I know you have to be brave to go it alone, but the other person WILL throw you off.
4.) Of course, this is all if you care about sounding decent. Since I care far too much about what others think, blowing the haters off is not an option for me.
5.) Pick something peppy for Christsakes!

I used to sing "Criminal" by Fiona Apple, which I love and know very very well, but it's depressing! People can't sing along to it and they stare at you like you are bitter and they can't wait for the damn song to be over. So mu new standby is "Build me up Buttercup." Easy song, fun, and you have the added bonus of backup singers who love you just because you're singing their song.

Also, I met a guy last night at karaoke. The Crooner was not the cutest guy ever (still attractive, but he was no Beautiful Boy) , but gainfully employed at a professional job, homeowner, and could sing out some Sinatra. I love men who can sing. Too old for me (34) but I am trying to be open about that. He has my number, so we'll see if he calls...........