A great lyric put to the right music. Dylan? Springsteen?
With 
“Everyone thought we were lovers; I never even got her name”. being the refrain
“Let us be lovers, we’ll marry our fortunes together
I’ve got some real estate here in my bag” …
It was a Meatloaf duet, either I Would Do Anything For Love or Paradise by the Dashboard Light. I’ve done both songs at karaoke over the years.
If you wanna go disco, Gloria Gaynor is your muse. If R&B is more your thing, be an Isley Brother and do This Old Heart Of Mine .
If you want to visit the absolute best karaoke bar in the world, check out Topper’s Restaurant & Bar in St Martin.
This guy, the singing bartender, will sing if nobody else wants the microphone, and he is amazing. He sings better than anyone I’ve ever heard doing karaoke, all the while mixing drinks, collecting money, and making change.
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Along with the bar/restaurant, Topper also owns a distillery on the island, making rhum.
You could sing something by Kris Kristofferson. This is a good idea because no matter how bad you are, you’ll still be better than Kris Kristofferson.
Wait, what?
No. This is a Kris-Kris-diss free zone. The guy was a f-in Rhodes Scholar for God’s sake and was one helluva songwriter.
I think Billy Joel is fairly benign from a karaoke perspective, particularly for a guy without a ton of range. You could probably sing Piano Man with 3 notes and get away with it.
Yep, been there and done that…
Well I woke up Sunday morning with no way to hold my head that didn’t hurt
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn’t bad so I had one more for desert
Then I fumbled through my closet for my clothes and found my cleanest dirty shirt
And I shaved my face and combed my hair
And stumbled down the stair to meet the day
Rhodes Scholar, Vietnam helicopter pilot, great songwriter. Got the attention of Johnny Cash by landing a helicopter in his front yard. I have tons of respect for Mr. Kristofferson.
But as a singer, he can’t hold a tune in a sack.
Now, wait a dadgummed minute, here! I grew up listening to “Silver Tongued Devil” and “Casey’s Last Ride” and “The Pilgrim, Chapter 33”, and I won’t stand for any trash-talking of one of America’s finest songwriters. In fact, Imma put on some Kris right now, and…
…dammit, you’re right.
Another thought for a singer with a narrow range is Tom Petty. Not much of a voice, very narrow range, but he has a bunch of popular songs that I’m sure are largely available as Karaoke. I sometimes attempt to sing and play guitar, I have a very narrow range, and I never have much trouble with a Tom Petty song.
I would like to remind everyone that this is a karaoke thread started by a newb to all this, so songs which can be sung by a singer who “can’t carry a tune in a sack” is exactly what we are looking for. 
That’s why I recommended him!
If you are a John Prine fan, he’s very easy to sing. I think his range was measured in notes, not octaves.
If you have a low voice, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash are your friends. Not a lot of baritones in Rock. David Bowie and Jim Morrison maybe. And ‘Roadhouse Blues’ is always a crowd favorite. I would not recommend Rush.
What kinds of songs do you like? What do you sing along to in private when no one is watching or listening? (Do you sing along when no one is watching or listening?)
Advice from a former-novice: I wore sunglasses my first song, which happened to be Roy Orbison’s Pretty Woman, so I could close my eyes and not see the audience, nor have super bright lights in my eyeballs.
Do you have any favorite songs you like to sing along to alone in the car, or in the shower? Start with those as your “classics,” and belt 'em out into that bar-of-soap-faux-microphone like you’re performing at the Grammys.
Tripler
Note: You may need to wear clothes in a public karaoke bar. Shower cap is optional.
This seems like a good time to remind the entire community to never, ever sing My Way at any karaoke place in the Philippines. You might get shot.
I’d recommend choosing a song which is suited to sounding sloppy and inebriated, such as anything by The Doors. Five to One or Roadhouse Blues for example. This way, you can drown your anxiety beforehand, or just ham it up with some affected slurring.
Does Dire Straits count? Mark Knopfler is more of a mumbler than a singer.
Sultans of Swing doesn’t go much outside a fifth of an octave, even the speaking parts.
Choose a Beatles song, but make sure it’s one of these:
• Yellow Submarine
• With a Little Help from My Friends
• Act Naturally
• Octopus’s Garden
• Don’t Pass Me By
mmm
On a more useful note than my last post, learn not to really care what the audience thinks. I have no rythm and no pitch. When I tried to sing well, I got a bad response. When I gave up trying to be any good and just have fun, I had a much more pleasant experience and got heartfelt laughter and applause. For example, try singing in Shatner style. You won’t sound good. But, everybody will have a good time listening.