# Karaoke song with smallest vocal range **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 26, 2009, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006 "2009-06-26T00:12:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006/1 "2009-06-26T00:12:34Z")
I’ve got a vocal range of about a half an octave. If I ever get brave enough to do karaoke, what is a classic pop/rock/folk tune with a super small vocal range? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006/2 "2009-06-26T00:21:53Z")
_Cat’s in the Cradle_ is a fairly narrow range. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006/3 "2009-06-26T01:18:31Z")
The question is, where is your range? I can recommend some for a low female/high male… but I can think of others in other ranges. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006/4 "2009-06-26T01:37:48Z")
> [@Serenata67](#): > > The question is, where is your range? I can recommend some for a low female/high male… but I can think of others in other ranges. That would work. I kind of sound like Pavarotti if he got kicked in the nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006/5 "2009-06-26T01:48:00Z")
Can you get a couple of backup singers and do “Big Bad John” by Jimmy Dean? Jimmy’s vocal stylings lean more toward “talking” than “singing”, really. Still a good song. “At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man.” ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006/6 "2009-06-26T01:52:15Z")
_Tubthumping_ (a song that I deeply hate, but never mind) is sung all within about 6 notes, and the majority of the song is two notes within a semitone of each other. Hard to do better than that 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006/7 "2009-06-26T02:03:27Z")
Anything written for the leads in “My Fair Lady” or “Camelot.” Or anything by Tom Waits. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006/8 "2009-06-26T02:12:43Z")
I’m no music expert, so i don’t know what its actual note spread is, but one crowd-pleaser that my limited vocal range can cope with is Neil Diamond’s _Sweet Caroline_. ---
**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006/9 "2009-06-26T02:32:30Z")
How about “Take a Walk On the Wild Side” sung by Lou Reed? ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006/10 "2009-06-26T02:33:04Z")
The B-52’s is almost speaking, you need perfect timing though ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006/11 "2009-06-26T02:44:25Z")
The best example I found is in French, but still: [The One Note Samba](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZegHk4qDaQ&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006/12 "2009-06-26T02:48:47Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > Can you get a couple of backup singers and do “Big Bad John” by Jimmy Dean? Jimmy’s vocal stylings lean more toward “talking” than “singing”, really. Still a good song. > > “At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man.” It may be a small range, but not many can hit those notes at all without sounding like a complete tool. ---
**Author:** ![karomonstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@karomonstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/karomonstr)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006/13 "2009-06-26T02:57:11Z")
My tiny little range can always handle Patti Smith songs. I usually do _Because the Night_ or _Gloria_. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006/14 "2009-06-26T02:59:49Z")
Are Madness popular in America? Their songs are pretty easy to sing; sometimes you have to go really fast, but if your voice is neither particularly low or high and your range is small, then they’re a good shot. These Boots Are Made For Walking is a very easy song that’s available at most karaoke venues. ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006/15 "2009-06-26T03:07:00Z")
The Devil Went Down to Georgia is one of my staple Karaoke songs just because of the limited vocal range - I’m not much of a singer. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006/16 "2009-06-26T06:05:12Z")
Anything written for Shania Twain. ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006/17 "2009-06-26T13:23:54Z")
I’ll usually go with Radiohead - Creep, though it depends on how deep your half an octave is. Ghost Riders in the Sky (the Johnny Cash version) is kinda fair game too. Of course with karaoke it’s really best to either be a really solid singer _or_ just completely suck and have fun with it. It’s the people who are “kinda close to sorta good” that seem lame. But if you wanna belt out _I just don’t know what to do with myself_ a la Cameron Diaz in My Best Friend’s Wedding, go crazy 😉 ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006/18 "2009-06-26T14:54:29Z")
“Ring of Fire.” It’s the perfect karaoke song. ---
**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006/19 "2009-06-26T16:40:51Z")
“The roof…the roof…the roof is on fire” Bloodhound Gang 😃 ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006/20 "2009-06-26T16:44:34Z")
Anything written for Ringo Starr: “With a Little Help From My Friends”, “Octopus’s Garden”, “Yellow Submarine”, etc… John and Paul had to write songs specially for him because he didn’t have much range. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karaoke-song-with-smallest-vocal-range/501006.md?page=2)