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Crowd pleaser karaoke songs

Crowd pleaser karaoke songs are the ones where the room does half the singing. The safest pick in the book, and the easiest to waste at the wrong moment.

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Before you sing it

Where it sits

How hard

Easy goingSome effortA big sing

Every song below shows where it sits and how hard it is. Open one for what to sing next and a little trivia.

Some songs turn a bar of strangers into a choir. The chorus belongs to everyone. Your job isn't to perform. It's to lead.

Timing beats choice. One early warms a cold room; three after midnight blur together. And the second Sweet Caroline never beats the first.

Want the whole table in, not just the room? Group songs hand everyone a part.

Warm-ups

Songs that warm up a cold room

Easy enough to open a quiet night. The room joins before the first chorus is over.

  • Sweet Caroline

    Neil Diamond

    The room supplies the horn part and the shouted replies without being asked, which is exactly what a quiet bar needs.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the low side

    Easy going
    Before you sing itLow side · Easy going

    Sits on the low side

    Easy going

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Friends in Low PlacesGarth Brooks
    2. Song 2All StarSmash Mouth

  • Friends in Low Places

    Garth Brooks

    The verses are low enough to talk, and the bar sings the chorus louder than you ever could.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the low side

    Easy going
    Before you sing itLow side · Easy going

    Sits on the low side

    Easy going

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1All StarSmash Mouth
    2. Song 2Sweet CarolineNeil Diamond

    Did you know

    1. It spent four weeks at the top of the country charts and won both CMA and ACM Single of the Year.

  • Wagon Wheel

    Darius Rucker

    The chorus belongs to the whole bar; the verses are wordy, so know them or mumble with confidence.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort
    Before you sing itMiddle · Some effort

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1WonderwallOasis
    2. Song 2I Want It That WayBackstreet Boys
    3. Song 3Mr. BrightsideThe Killers

    Did you know

    1. Lady A provides backing harmonies on Darius Rucker's Grammy-winning version of the track.
    2. The song was originally started by Bob Dylan in the 1970s before being finished by Old Crow Medicine Show.

  • I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)

    The Proclaimers

    The room does the wordless bit and the stomping; you only have to get through the verses.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the high side

    Some effort
    Before you sing itHigh side · Some effort

    Sits on the high side

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1AfricaToto
    2. Song 2Pour Some Sugar on MeDef Leppard
    3. Song 3Jessie's GirlRick Springfield

    Did you know

    1. The song found massive international success years after its initial release when featured in Benny & Joon.

  • Wonderwall

    Oasis

    Barely moves the whole way through, and the bar sings it back with more feeling than you will.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort
    Before you sing itMiddle · Some effort

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1I Want It That WayBackstreet Boys
    2. Song 2Mr. BrightsideThe Killers
    3. Song 3Tiny DancerElton John

    Did you know

    1. It became the first song from the '90s to reach one billion streams on Spotify.
    2. The title was inspired by George Harrison's soundtrack album Wonderwall Music.

  • All Star

    Smash Mouth

    Sits in a comfortable low middle, and half the room will sing along ironically, which still counts.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the low side

    Easy going
    Before you sing itLow side · Easy going

    Sits on the low side

    Easy going

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Sweet CarolineNeil Diamond
    2. Song 2Friends in Low PlacesGarth Brooks

Peak of the night

Every word, from everyone

Songs strangers know by heart. Save them for a full, loose room.

  • I Want It That Way

    Backstreet Boys

    Everyone in the bar knows every word, including the people who claim they don't.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort
    Before you sing itMiddle · Some effort

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Mr. BrightsideThe Killers
    2. Song 2Tiny DancerElton John
    3. Song 3I Will SurviveGloria Gaynor

    Did you know

    1. The famous music video features the group dressed in matching all-white outfits at an airport.
    2. The lyrics famously make little literal sense, a fact the group openly embraces.

  • Don't Stop Believin'

    Journey

    The chorus does not arrive until the song is nearly over, so keep the verses tight and let the room have the payoff.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits high

    A big sing
    Before you sing itHigh · A big sing

    Sits high

    A big sing

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1You Shook Me All Night LongAC/DC

    Did you know

    1. Steve Perry picked a Detroit neighborhood that doesn't exist because it sang better than the real ones.
    2. It famously soundtracked the sudden cut to black in the final scene of The Sopranos.

  • Mr. Brightside

    The Killers

    It never lets up and the room will not let you stop; the second verse is the first one again, so you only learn one.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort
    Before you sing itMiddle · Some effort

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Tiny DancerElton John
    2. Song 2I Will SurviveGloria Gaynor
    3. Song 3Hotel CaliforniaEagles

    Did you know

    1. It was the very first song the band wrote together after Brandon Flowers answered a local newspaper ad.
    2. The track set massive chart longevity records in the UK, staying in the top one hundred for years.

  • Africa

    Toto

    Nobody knows the verses, you included; the chorus is where the whole room arrives at once.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the high side

    A big sing
    Before you sing itHigh side · A big sing

    Sits on the high side

    A big sing

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Pour Some Sugar on MeDef Leppard
    2. Song 2Jessie's GirlRick Springfield
    3. Song 3Come On EileenDexys Midnight Runners

    Did you know

    1. David Paich wrote the song despite having never set foot on the continent of Africa at the time.
    2. A resurgence of internet meme popularity introduced the hit to an entirely new generation of fans.

  • Pour Some Sugar on Me

    Def Leppard

    Half-shouted from start to finish, and the room takes the title every time.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the high side

    Some effort
    Before you sing itHigh side · Some effort

    Sits on the high side

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Jessie's GirlRick Springfield
    2. Song 2Come On EileenDexys Midnight Runners
    3. Song 3Closing TimeSemisonic

    Did you know

    1. MTV placed its music video into heavy rotation, helping propel the album Hysteria to number one in the US.

  • Jessie's Girl

    Rick Springfield

    The verses tell a story at a jog, and the whole bar shouts the title in every chorus.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the high side

    Some effort
    Before you sing itHigh side · Some effort

    Sits on the high side

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Come On EileenDexys Midnight Runners
    2. Song 2Closing TimeSemisonic
    3. Song 3Last DanceDonna Summer

    Did you know

    1. It won the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance in the early 1980s.

Know the trap

Crowd pleasers with a catch

The room loves every one. Each has a moment that trips up first-timers.

  • Come On Eileen

    Dexys Midnight Runners

    It slows right down and speeds back up near the end; follow the screen and the room will follow you.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the high side

    A big sing
    Before you sing itHigh side · A big sing

    Sits on the high side

    A big sing

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Closing TimeSemisonic
    2. Song 2Last DanceDonna Summer
    3. Song 3Purple RainPrince

    Did you know

    1. The infectious fiddle hook was inspired by traditional Celtic folk melodies.
    2. The song famously topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic in the early 1980s.

  • Tiny Dancer

    Elton John

    The verses are long and slow and the room is only waiting for the chorus; get there and they carry it the rest of the way.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort
    Before you sing itMiddle · Some effort

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1I Will SurviveGloria Gaynor
    2. Song 2Hotel CaliforniaEagles
    3. Song 3Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)Green Day

    Did you know

    1. It features in one of the most famous bus sing-along scenes in cinematic history, in the movie Almost Famous.
    2. The lyric was inspired by Bernie Taupin's first trip to California in the early 1970s.

  • I Will Survive

    Gloria Gaynor

    Starts slow and almost spoken, then the room takes over the moment the beat drops — do not rush the opening.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Before you sing itMiddle

    Sits in the middle

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Hotel CaliforniaEagles
    2. Song 2Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)Green Day
    3. Song 3Wagon WheelDarius Rucker

    Did you know

    1. It won the only Grammy Award ever handed out for Best Disco Recording.

  • You Shook Me All Night Long

    AC/DC

    The room shouts the chorus, but the verses sit high and rough; commit to the rasp or pick something else.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits high

    A big sing
    Before you sing itHigh · A big sing

    Sits high

    A big sing

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Don't Stop Believin'Journey

    Did you know

    1. It was Brian Johnson's debut single with AC/DC following the death of former frontman Bon Scott.

  • Hotel California

    Eagles

    The room sings every chorus, then the guitars take the last couple of minutes and you are just standing there.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort
    Before you sing itMiddle · Some effort

    Sits in the middle

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)Green Day
    2. Song 2Wagon WheelDarius Rucker
    3. Song 3WonderwallOasis

    Did you know

    1. Don Henley sang lead vocals while playing the drums during recording and concerts.
    2. The iconic final guitar solo was traded between Don Felder and Joe Walsh.

Closers

Songs to close the night

Long, warm or wistful. For when the room is winding down.

  • Closing Time

    Semisonic

    It is about last call, so save it for last call; the verses are easy and the chorus is a shared sigh.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the high side

    Some effort
    Before you sing itHigh side · Some effort

    Sits on the high side

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Last DanceDonna Summer
    2. Song 2Purple RainPrince
    3. Song 3Bohemian RhapsodyQueen

  • Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

    Green Day

    Gentle, short and made for the end of something, and the room sways along whether it means to or not.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Easy going
    Before you sing itMiddle · Easy going

    Sits in the middle

    Easy going

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Wagon WheelDarius Rucker
    2. Song 2WonderwallOasis
    3. Song 3I Want It That WayBackstreet Boys

    Did you know

    1. Billie Joe Armstrong wrote it about a girlfriend who moved away to Ecuador.

  • Last Dance

    Donna Summer

    Starts slow and then breaks into disco; save it for the final round and nobody has to ask why.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the high side

    A big sing
    Before you sing itHigh side · A big sing

    Sits on the high side

    A big sing

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Purple RainPrince
    2. Song 2Bohemian RhapsodyQueen
    3. Song 3I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)The Proclaimers

    Did you know

    1. It won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe after appearing in the disco movie Thank God It's Friday.
    2. The song starts as a tender slow ballad before exploding into an uptempo disco track.

  • Purple Rain

    Prince

    Long and slow, and it ends in a wordless stretch the room will sing for minutes; it closes a night better than it opens one.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the high side

    A big sing
    Before you sing itHigh side · A big sing

    Sits on the high side

    A big sing

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Bohemian RhapsodyQueen
    2. Song 2I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)The Proclaimers
    3. Song 3AfricaToto

    Did you know

    1. The original live recording that became the album track was captured during a benefit concert in Minneapolis.
    2. Prince famously delivered an epic guitar solo on this song during the Super Bowl halftime show in the pouring rain.

  • Bohemian Rhapsody

    Queen

    Nearly six minutes, several songs in one, and a bar that knows every part; as the last song, nobody minds how long it runs.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the high side

    A big sing
    Before you sing itHigh side · A big sing

    Sits on the high side

    A big sing

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)The Proclaimers
    2. Song 2AfricaToto
    3. Song 3Pour Some Sugar on MeDef Leppard

    Did you know

    1. The famous operatic section required around one hundred and eighty vocal overdubs done on analog tape.
    2. A legendary headbanging scene in Wayne's World introduced the song to a whole new generation.

Knowing which ones are yours

Crowd pleasers show whether you can hold a room. In KaraokeList, tag them Fun if the room loved it, Skill if you truly sang it. The best earn both.

Log it on the night: stars, plus Too high, Just right or Too low. Midnight flatters every loud song. Your log won't.

Used them all up? Tap the Magic Mic, pick the Crowd pleasers sign, and get songs you don't have yet, each with its reason.

Questions

What is the best karaoke song to get the crowd going?

One that hands the room a part straight away. Sweet Caroline, Mr. Brightside and I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) all get a bar joining in without being asked.

What songs does everyone know at karaoke?

Don't Stop Believin', Bohemian Rhapsody, I Want It That Way, Friends in Low Places and Wonderwall come close to universal. Which one lands best depends on the bar and the hour.

What is a good last song for karaoke night?

Something warm enough to end on. Closing Time is the obvious one, Purple Rain the dramatic one, and Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) the short one.

Is it okay to sing a song someone already sang at karaoke?

Usually not on the same night. A second Sweet Caroline is never as good as the first, so check what has been sung and pick another crowd pleaser.

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