KaraokeList › What to sing › Short karaoke songs
What to sing Short karaoke songs
A short song is a courtesy to the rotation and a kindness to your nerves. On a busy night the list moves faster, and if it goes badly, it is over before anyone notices.
A seven-minute song on a packed Saturday is somebody else's turn. Short songs keep the list moving, and the host, who decides when you go up next, notices who picks them.
Short does not mean slight. Early rock and roll, soul and a lot of country were made to fit on a single, and they are some of the easiest songs to sing loudly. The times in each reason are rough, because karaoke versions run a little longer or shorter than the records, but none of these outstays its welcome. For a very first time up, pair this page with easy songs.
Rock and roll
Early rock and roll
Written when a hit had to fit on one side of a record, and sung loud and fast because of it.
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Hound Dog
Elvis PresleyShouted and bouncy, and finished in a little over two minutes.
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Johnny B. Goode
Chuck BerryUnder three minutes, and the room shouts the name in every chorus.
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Great Balls of Fire
Jerry Lee LewisUnder two minutes of pure bluster, and nobody expects polish.
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Blue Suede Shoes
Carl PerkinsAbout two minutes, with stop-start lines the band punctuates for you.
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Rock Around the Clock
Bill Haley & His CometsCounts itself in, stays in one place, and wraps up in a little over two minutes.
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Peggy Sue
Buddy HollyAbout two and a half minutes, and the hiccups in the delivery are more fun to copy than to get right.
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La Bamba
Ritchie ValensAbout two minutes, all in Spanish, and the room joins on the title.
Country and roots
Country and roots, done quickly
Story songs and heartbreak that say what they came to say and leave.
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Mama Tried
Merle HaggardA little over two minutes at a steady trot, sitting in the lower middle.
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Crazy
Patsy ClineSlow and under three minutes; the challenge is keeping it quiet, not keeping it going.
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Your Cheatin' Heart
Hank WilliamsSlow, plain and under three minutes, with a tune simple enough to learn from the screen.
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Bad Moon Rising
Creedence Clearwater RevivalBouncy, under two and a half minutes, and it sits in the middle the whole way.
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Ho Hey
The LumineersUnder three minutes, and the shouted bits are the whole room's part.
Soul and Motown
Soul and Motown under three minutes
Big songs in small packages, most with a part the room already knows.
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(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
Otis ReddingSlow, easy and under three minutes, and it ends in whistling instead of a big finish.
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Respect
Aretha FranklinAbout two and a half minutes, and the spelled-out title is the room's part.
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My Girl
The TemptationsJust under three minutes, sweet and mid-paced, and the room takes the title.
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I Got You (I Feel Good)
James BrownUnder three minutes; the scream at the start is optional and always appreciated.
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Dancing in the Street
Martha and the VandellasA little over two and a half minutes, and it calls on everyone to join, which the room takes literally.
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Be My Baby
The RonettesUnder three minutes, with a drum beat the whole bar knows from the first second.
Loud and fast
Loud, fast and over quickly
Punk and its cousins: songs that end before your nerves have caught up.
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Blitzkrieg Bop
RamonesThe chant at the start belongs to the room, and the rest is about two minutes at one speed.
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Song 2
BlurAbout two minutes, and the shouted wordless bit is the only thing anyone needs to know.
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Blister in the Sun
Violent FemmesTalky, under two and a half minutes, and the room already knows the opening riff.
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I Love Rock 'n' Roll
Joan Jett & The BlackheartsJust under three minutes of stomping, with a chorus the room claps along to.
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All the Small Things
Blink-182Under three minutes, and the wordless chorus bit is the room's.
Keeping a short one in your pocket
A short song is easy to forget you have. KaraokeList keeps the ones that worked, so when the list is long and the night is busy, you have a two-minute answer ready. Add it, tag it Skill or Fun or both, and star the night.
After each song, answer how it sat — Too high, Just right or Too low — and flag the one that went badly as Not again. Two minutes is a long time with the wrong song.
When you want something new, consult the crystal ball: it suggests songs you don't have yet, each with a one-line reason. Guide the reading and you can type exactly what tonight calls for, like something short, and it reads with that in mind.
Questions
What is a good short karaoke song?
Anything done in about three minutes or less that you can sing loudly. Hound Dog, Respect and Blitzkrieg Bop are all over well before the three-minute mark.
What is the shortest karaoke song people actually know?
Great Balls of Fire runs under two minutes, and Song 2 by Blur barely passes two. Both are loud enough that nobody notices how quickly they end.
Should I pick a short song for karaoke?
On a busy night, yes: the list moves faster and the host notices. Short songs are kinder on nerves too, because if it goes badly it is over quickly.
What karaoke songs are too long for a busy bar?
Anything past six minutes, or with long instrumental stretches. American Pie, Hotel California and Purple Rain can wait for a quieter night.
Know what you’re singing before you’re called.
KaraokeList keeps every karaoke song you can actually pull off — and when the list runs dry, it finds you new ones, each with a reason.
