# What's your go to karaoke song(s) for people who don't have great voices? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [November 20, 2022, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243 "2022-11-20T04:10:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2022, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243/1 "2022-11-20T04:10:36Z")
(a) karaoke song(s) for people who don’t have great voices? (b) what about some suggestions for people who DO have great singing voices? I’ll start off with (a) Jackson Brown - Somebody’s Baby [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XnH1pMCdqAo/hqdefault.jpg "JACKSON BROWNE - Somebody's Baby (Live 1982)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnH1pMCdqAo) It starts off fairly easy and is more about cadence in the verses. The Chorus and Bridge hit a little bit high but you can start in a different key to account for that. (b) Boz Scaggs - What can I say? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MLFAhSRy8Zk/hqdefault.jpg "BOZ SCAGGS - What Can I Say (1976)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLFAhSRy8Zk) Tough song to sing but the song just lends itself to improvisation which is fun if you can pull it off. Good points about these two tracks is that they don’t drag on at the end which can be karaoke poison, just standing up there for 40 seconds of not singing while people are looking at you. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2022, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243/2 "2022-11-20T04:21:07Z")
A song with little or no actual singing: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Cv05TdgIcQg/maxresdefault.jpg "A Boy Named Sue") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv05TdgIcQg) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/uErKI0zWgjg/maxresdefault.jpg "Johnny Cash - One Piece at a Time (Official Audio)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uErKI0zWgjg) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/87r0CPQbFds/maxresdefault.jpg "Convoy") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87r0CPQbFds) ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2022, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243/3 "2022-11-20T04:23:31Z")
Oh yeah, great choices - Love Convoy! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2022, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243/4 "2022-11-20T04:33:06Z")
Got any songs for someone who has no business opening their mouths in public? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2022, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243/5 "2022-11-20T07:20:07Z")
Well, there’s always Cher’s “Believe” which seems to consist of only three notes. Maybe slightly more but there’s really no range to it nor reason to raise the roof. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2022, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243/6 "2022-11-20T14:13:12Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > A song with little or no actual singing: How about Takin’ Care of Business? [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NCIUf8eYPqA/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGHIgRChTMA8=&rs=AOn4CLDcVnJUDlmp02pxoAZCaWXV019RgA "Bachman Turner Overdrive-Taking care of business") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCIUf8eYPqA) ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2022, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243/7 "2022-11-20T14:14:05Z")
The Devil Went Down To Georgia ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2022, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243/8 "2022-11-20T14:45:00Z")
I sing and play guitar at ‘campfire sing-along’ talent level, and my voice has a pretty limited range. So I find that I can always pull off Tom Petty songs reasonably well. Petty has a lot of great, catchy songs that are all pretty easy to sing, because his voice was on par with Dylan’s. Come to think of it, Dylan songs for the same reason. ---
**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:** [November 20, 2022, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243/9 "2022-11-20T16:28:10Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Got any songs for someone who has no business opening their mouths in public? Telstar. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2022, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243/10 "2022-11-20T16:34:08Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Telstar. I was going to go with “any instrumental guitar piece” for my reply; at least then, the person can play air guitar. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aiRn3Zlw3Rw/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AHOBYAC4AOKAgwIABABGGcgRihyMA8=&rs=AOn4CLDs0HRkHjJPWnzSOYqGpAw8ymyLXg "Eric Johnson - Cliffs Of Dover [HQ Studio Version]") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiRn3Zlw3Rw) ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2022, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243/11 "2022-11-20T17:53:44Z")
“Cliffs of Dover” is one of my all-time-favorite instrumentals! Makes me smile (and wish I could play the guitar) every time. 😃 > [@Isamu](#): > > (b) what about some suggestions for people who DO have great singing voices? I’m a good singer; some would say very good. I’m a female with an alto/soprano-ish range, but my top two karaoke go-tos are male vocals: Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” (always a crowd favorite!), and Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind.” Some people assume that a woman will do Barbra Streisand’s version, but I love Billy and his key is perfect for me (plus I’m not a Barbra fan). ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2022, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243/12 "2022-11-20T18:40:23Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Well, there’s always Cher’s “Believe” which seems to consist of only three notes. Maybe slightly more but there’s really no range to it nor reason to raise the roof. Ah yes, the radio hit to introduce us to the dreaded, god-awful Auto-Tune. Sometimes I wish there was autotune on my whistling. Anyway: “Misty Mountain Hop” “De dododo De dadada” `"I Will Always Love You"` anything by Bob Dylan Joni Mitchell Niel Young Steven Wright ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2022, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243/13 "2022-11-20T18:49:37Z")
_16 Tons_ by Tennessee Ernie Ford ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2022, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243/14 "2022-11-20T20:18:15Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/oC-9aEf0Q-A/maxresdefault.jpg "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp (Remaster)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC-9aEf0Q-A) A lot of Led Zeppelin works, as a female I am good with the higher range that gets hit, but if you catch one of his post 2010 concert videos his voice doesn’t have the clear highs, but is still very doable for most people. Ah, [found it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7nZYDLA-Jo). ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2022, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243/15 "2022-11-21T04:56:55Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I sing and play guitar at ‘campfire sing-along’ talent level, and my voice has a pretty limited range. So I find that I can always pull off Tom Petty songs reasonably well. Petty has a lot of great, catchy songs that are all pretty easy to sing, because his voice was on par with Dylan’s. > > Come to think of it, Dylan songs for the same reason. That’s a really good call. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2022, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243/16 "2022-11-21T17:30:13Z")
There are songs just made for singing karaoke with a few friends, with the crowd eventually joining in. One of those is **You Never Even Call Me By My Name.** [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vAOVRkSCWmg/hqdefault.jpg "David Allen Coe You Never Even Called Me by My Name") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAOVRkSCWmg) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2022, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243/17 "2022-11-22T01:38:02Z")
Whatnis the nature of the singer’s problem? Is it range? Or pitch? Or poor dynamics/inflection or something? There are quite a few songs that are easy to sing, but have high parts that require some range. I find most people who fail at Karaoke pick a song they like, and can sing the chorus okay, but eitherbthey don’t actually know the music in the verses as well as they thought, or the song has high or low parts they can’t hit - but try anyway. If it’s just pitch, pick a talkin’ song like most of 'Devil Went Down To Georgia". If it’s range, just find a singer who has the same range and do their stuff. Kris Kristofferson, for example, is a poor singer with very limited range. Good songwriter, though. But his songs should be easy enough. And even if you aren’t great, you’re probably singing it better than Kristofferson did… ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2022, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243/18 "2022-11-22T03:13:36Z")
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, but Shatner style. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AB3uVARNhmM/hqdefault.jpg "William Shatner - Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB3uVARNhmM) ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2022, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243/19 "2022-11-22T03:29:12Z")
No matter what your shortcomings, I think you could make this work… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/BPPtrqvHGEg/hqdefault.jpg "The Piano Has Been Drinking - Tom Waits") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPPtrqvHGEg) ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2022, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243/20 "2022-11-22T04:27:35Z")
“Tequila” by the Champs. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-go-to-karaoke-song-s-for-people-who-dont-have-great-voices/975243.md?page=2)