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What to sing

Karaoke songs if you can't sing

Karaoke was never a contest. The best karaoke songs if you can't sing let the talking, the room or the joke do the heavy lifting.

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Before you sing it

Where it sits

How hard

Easy goingSome effortA big sing

Most songs below show where they sit and how hard they are. Open one for what to sing next and a little trivia.

The worst karaoke isn't a wobbly voice. It's a timid ballad from someone hoping nobody notices. A bar forgives a missed line. It doesn't forgive holding back.

So pick a song you can commit to, and commit.

The groups below are escape routes: talky songs, songs the room drowns out, joke songs, and songs that never wanted polish. Stay on the beat, read the screen, and you're in.

Mostly talking

Songs that are mostly talking

Rhythm matters, tune barely does. Good news if tune is the worry.

  • We Didn't Start the Fire

    Billy Joel

    The verses are a list of names at speed, with no tune to miss; the chorus is your breather.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits in the middle

    Before you sing itMiddle

    Sits in the middle

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Once in a LifetimeTalking Heads
    2. Song 2Mr. BrightsideThe Killers
    3. Song 3Hey Ya!OutKast

    Did you know

    1. Billy Joel wrote the lyrics rapidly after talking with a friend about the turbulent history since his birth in the late '40s.
    2. The fast-paced list song became Joel's third career number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

  • Ice Ice Baby

    Vanilla Ice

    Rapped at a walking pace, and the room shouts the title every time it comes round.

    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 1Mambo No. 5Lou Bega
    2. Song 2Bust a MoveYoung MC
    3. Song 3Sweet CarolineNeil Diamond

    Did you know

    1. It was the first hip-hop single to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
    2. The song's iconic bassline was sampled from Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie.

  • Baby Got Back

    Sir Mix-a-Lot

    The spoken opening gets a laugh before you have done anything, and the rap never rushes you.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits low

    Some effort
    Before you sing itLow · Some effort

    Sits low

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1LoserBeck
    2. Song 2U Can't Touch ThisMC Hammer
    3. Song 3TequilaThe Champs

    Did you know

    1. The song's MTV music video was originally restricted to late-night airing because of its suggestive themes.
    2. Nicki Minaj famously sampled this track for her massive hit Anaconda decades later.

  • Mambo No. 5

    Lou Bega

    Half-spoken and fully silly; the list of names is the whole song, so get them in order and you have won.

    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 1Bust a MoveYoung MC
    2. Song 2Sweet CarolineNeil Diamond
    3. Song 3Blue (Da Ba Dee)Eiffel 65

    Did you know

    1. The song samples an instrumental mambo recording by Cuban bandleader Pérez Prado.

  • Loser

    Beck

    Mumbled on purpose over a slow groove, with a chorus that is a shrug in two languages.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits low

    Easy going
    Before you sing itLow · Easy going

    Sits low

    Easy going

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1U Can't Touch ThisMC Hammer
    2. Song 2TequilaThe Champs
    3. Song 3I'm Too SexyRight Said Fred

  • Once in a Lifetime

    Talking Heads

    The verses are a sermon, not a tune: say them with conviction and save your singing for the chorus.

    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 2Hey Ya!OutKast
    3. Song 3Who Let the Dogs OutBaha Men

    Did you know

    1. David Byrne got inspiration for his preach-like vocal delivery by studying radio evangelists.
    2. The iconic music video features Byrne's disjointed dancing against stylized background projections.

  • It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

    R.E.M.

    Nobody in the room knows the verses either, so the blur is expected; the chorus is the only part that counts.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the high side

    Before you sing itHigh side

    Sits on the high side

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Bohemian RhapsodyQueen
    2. Song 2Don't Look Back in AngerOasis
    3. Song 3Smells Like Teen SpiritNirvana

    Did you know

    1. The rapid-fire lyrics are famous for stream-of-consciousness references to people with the initials L.B.

  • U Can't Touch This

    MC Hammer

    Rapped at a strut, and the whole bar shouts the title; baggy trousers optional but encouraged.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits low

    Some effort
    Before you sing itLow · Some effort

    Sits low

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1TequilaThe Champs
    2. Song 2I'm Too SexyRight Said Fred
    3. Song 3Baby Got BackSir Mix-a-Lot

    Did you know

    1. The song's unforgettable signature riff is built directly on a sample of Rick James's Super Freak.
    2. It became the first rap song ever nominated for Record of the Year at the Grammy Awards.

  • Bust a Move

    Young MC

    A funny story rapped at an easy pace, and the chorus is the room's job.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the low side

    Some effort
    Before you sing itLow side · Some effort

    Sits on the low side

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Sweet CarolineNeil Diamond
    2. Song 2Blue (Da Ba Dee)Eiffel 65
    3. Song 3MacarenaLos del Río

    Did you know

    1. Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers played the memorable bassline and appeared in the music video.

  • Funky Cold Medina

    Tone Lōc

    Rapped low and slow, like you're telling a friend a ridiculous story at the bar.

    ListenLyrics

The room sings

Choruses the bar sings for you

So loud and so well known that whoever holds the mic is basically conducting.

  • Sweet Caroline

    Neil Diamond

    The room adds the horn part and the shouted replies, so you are leading a crowd more than singing a song.

    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 1Blue (Da Ba Dee)Eiffel 65
    2. Song 2MacarenaLos del Río
    3. Song 3RasputinBoney M.

  • Mr. Brightside

    The Killers

    Nobody will hear a word you sing, because every person in the bar is singing it louder.

    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 1Hey Ya!OutKast
    2. Song 2Who Let the Dogs OutBaha Men
    3. Song 3Never Gonna Give You UpRick Astley

    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.

  • Livin' on a Prayer

    Bon Jovi

    The last chorus climbs out of reach for nearly everyone, and the whole bar tries anyway, which covers you completely.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits high

    Before you sing itHigh

    Sits high

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Take On Mea-ha
    2. Song 2The Final CountdownEurope
    3. Song 3MMMBopHanson

    Did you know

    1. Jon Bon Jovi originally disliked the demo and almost left it off the album.
    2. It features Richie Sambora's famous talk-box guitar riff.

  • Bohemian Rhapsody

    Queen

    Nobody sings all of it well and nobody expects to; the bar takes the operatic middle and you just point at people.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the high side

    Before you sing itHigh side

    Sits on the high side

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Don't Look Back in AngerOasis
    2. Song 2Smells Like Teen SpiritNirvana
    3. Song 3Total Eclipse of the HeartBonnie Tyler

    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.

  • Take On Me

    a-ha

    No one can reach the high bit in the chorus, and everyone in the room will try at once.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits high

    Before you sing itHigh

    Sits high

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1The Final CountdownEurope
    2. Song 2MMMBopHanson
    3. Song 3Twist and ShoutThe Beatles

    Did you know

    1. The song is famous for its soaring, difficult falsetto high note at the end of the chorus.
    2. Its groundbreaking rotoscope animation video became one of the most celebrated clips on MTV.

  • Hey Ya!

    OutKast

    Quick in places, but the room knows every shouted bit and does them louder than you.

    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 1Who Let the Dogs OutBaha Men
    2. Song 2Never Gonna Give You UpRick Astley
    3. Song 3TubthumpingChumbawamba

  • Don't Look Back in Anger

    Oasis

    The chorus belongs to the whole bar, and everyone sings it like they wrote it.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the high side

    Before you sing itHigh side

    Sits on the high side

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Smells Like Teen SpiritNirvana
    2. Song 2Total Eclipse of the HeartBonnie Tyler
    3. Song 3Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)The Offspring

    Did you know

    1. It was the first Oasis single to feature Noel Gallagher on lead vocals instead of Liam.
    2. The song became an impromptu anthem of solidarity across the UK following the Manchester Arena bombing.

  • Smells Like Teen Spirit

    Nirvana

    The verses are mumbled on the record, so nobody can tell, and the room yells the chorus for you.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the high side

    Before you sing itHigh side

    Sits on the high side

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Total Eclipse of the HeartBonnie Tyler
    2. Song 2Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)The Offspring
    3. Song 3Born to Be WildSteppenwolf

    Did you know

    1. The song's title came from a deodorant brand that Kurt Cobain did not even know existed when writing it.

Commit to the bit

Songs where going all in is the act

The less polished, the better. The only way to get these wrong is to hold back.

  • Tequila

    The Champs

    The only word in it is the title, said a handful of times at the right moment. That is the whole job.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits low

    Easy going
    Before you sing itLow · Easy going

    Sits low

    Easy going

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1I'm Too SexyRight Said Fred
    2. Song 2Baby Got BackSir Mix-a-Lot
    3. Song 3LoserBeck

    Did you know

    1. The only spoken word in the entire instrumental song is the title shouted three times.
    2. It was famously featured during Pee-wee Herman's iconic dance scene in his mid-'80s movie.

  • Who Let the Dogs Out

    Baha Men

    The chorus is mostly barking, and there is no wrong way to bark.

    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 1Never Gonna Give You UpRick Astley
    2. Song 2TubthumpingChumbawamba
    3. Song 3What Is LoveHaddaway

    Did you know

    1. Originally written by Anslem Douglas, the track won a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording.
    2. It was popularized across North America largely after being played at major league baseball stadiums.

  • I'm Too Sexy

    Right Said Fred

    Delivered in a flat, bored voice on purpose; the less you sing it, the better it lands.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits low

    Easy going
    Before you sing itLow · Easy going

    Sits low

    Easy going

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Baby Got BackSir Mix-a-Lot
    2. Song 2LoserBeck
    3. Song 3U Can't Touch ThisMC Hammer

  • Never Gonna Give You Up

    Rick Astley

    The room gets the joke from the first beat and laughs before you open your mouth; after that it is steady and friendly.

    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 1TubthumpingChumbawamba
    2. Song 2What Is LoveHaddaway
    3. Song 3With a Little Help from My FriendsThe Beatles

    Did you know

    1. The song became a massive internet phenomenon in the late 2000s through the bait-and-switch rickrolling meme.
    2. Astley was only twenty-one when he recorded the vocals for this worldwide number-one hit.

  • Blue (Da Ba Dee)

    Eiffel 65

    Half the words are nonsense and the original voice is run through a machine, so nobody knows what it is meant to sound like.

    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 1MacarenaLos del Río
    2. Song 2RasputinBoney M.
    3. Song 3Wild ThingThe Troggs

    Did you know

    1. The Italian group scored an unexpected worldwide smash hit with its heavily pitch-shifted vocals in the late '90s.

  • Tubthumping

    Chumbawamba

    Shouted by a whole band at once, and the chorus is about getting knocked down and getting back up — the right message for this page.

    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 1What Is LoveHaddaway
    2. Song 2With a Little Help from My FriendsThe Beatles
    3. Song 3Lean on MeBill Withers

    Did you know

    1. The band was an anarchist punk collective before scoring this mainstream pop mega-hit.

  • Total Eclipse of the Heart

    Bonnie Tyler

    Pure melodrama: go as big and as rasping as the record and nobody will be checking accuracy.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the high side

    Before you sing itHigh side

    Sits on the high side

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)The Offspring
    2. Song 2Born to Be WildSteppenwolf
    3. Song 3It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)R.E.M.

    Did you know

    1. The song was written and produced by rock legend Jim Steinman, who originally conceived it for a musical about Nosferatu.
    2. Bonnie Tyler had undergone vocal cord surgery prior to recording, giving her voice its signature rasp.

  • The Final Countdown

    Europe

    The whole room hums the synth fanfare; all you need is a dramatic point at the ceiling.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits high

    Before you sing itHigh

    Sits high

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1MMMBopHanson
    2. Song 2Twist and ShoutThe Beatles
    3. Song 3Livin' on a PrayerBon Jovi

  • Macarena

    Los del Río

    Nobody is listening to the singing, because everybody is doing the dance.

    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 1RasputinBoney M.
    2. Song 2Wild ThingThe Troggs
    3. Song 3Ice Ice BabyVanilla Ice

    Did you know

    1. The song sparked an international dance craze that became a staple at parties and sporting events in the mid-'90s.
    2. It spent fourteen straight weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the Bayside Boys remix version.

  • MMMBop

    Hanson

    The chorus is pure nonsense syllables, so there's no wrong way to sing it.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits high

    Before you sing itHigh

    Sits high

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Twist and ShoutThe Beatles
    2. Song 2Livin' on a PrayerBon Jovi
    3. Song 3Take On Mea-ha

    Did you know

    1. Despite the extremely upbeat bubblegum sound, the lyrics actually reflect on the fragility of life and friendships.

  • Rasputin

    Boney M.

    Campy, chanty and ridiculous, and the room shouts the name like a battle cry.

    ListenLyrics

    Sits on the low side

    Some effort
    Before you sing itLow side · Some effort

    Sits on the low side

    Some effort

    Sing nextSame spot for your voice

    1. Song 1Wild ThingThe Troggs
    2. Song 2Ice Ice BabyVanilla Ice
    3. Song 3Mambo No. 5Lou Bega

    Did you know

    1. Producer Frank Farian provided the deep vocal parts on the studio recording rather than dancer Bobby Farrell.
    2. The song experienced a massive viral resurgence across social media decades after its release.

  • What Is Love

    Haddaway

    Bob your head like you're cruising in a convertible and the room will do the rest.

    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 1With a Little Help from My FriendsThe Beatles
    2. Song 2Lean on MeBill Withers
    3. Song 3Louie LouieThe Kingsmen

    Did you know

    1. The song became a massive pop culture staple thanks to the Roxbury Guys sketches on Saturday Night Live.

  • Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)

    The Offspring

    Half shouted, half chanted, and the goofier you play it, the better it lands.

    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 1Born to Be WildSteppenwolf
    2. Song 2It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)R.E.M.
    3. Song 3Bohemian RhapsodyQueen

Rough voices welcome

Songs that never asked for a polished voice

A rasp, a shout or a small voice is exactly the sound these were made with.

How to find the ones that work for you

“Can't sing” usually means “hasn't found the right songs yet.” KaraokeList keeps the ones that land. Tag them Fun if the room loved it, Skill if you pulled it off, or both.

Log a sing: stars, plus Too high, Just right or Too low. No scoring, no theory. Stamp the flop Not again and the Magic Mic never suggests it back.

Then tap the Magic Mic for songs you don't have yet, each with its reason.

Questions

What is a good karaoke song if you can't sing?

Pick one you can talk through or one the room will shout for you. We Didn't Start the Fire and Ice Ice Baby barely need a tune, and Sweet Caroline turns the whole bar into your backing singers.

What should a bad singer sing at karaoke?

Something loud, known and a little silly, sung with total commitment. Tequila, I'm Too Sexy and Who Let the Dogs Out work better the less polished you sound.

How do you do karaoke when you can't sing?

Stay on the beat, face the room, and pick a song the room already knows. Confidence covers more than a good voice does, and a bar forgives a wobble faster than a whisper.

Is karaoke fun if you can't sing?

Yes, and for most of the room that is the point. Karaoke rewards whoever commits, and Take On Me or Bohemian Rhapsody is more fun sung badly by a whole bar than well by one person.

Also try

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