What to sing in a competition

[DrFaroohk]

I'm entering a karaoke competition soon and I'm not sure what to sing. I typically do rock/metal songs, and they're just not very competition friendly. I was leaning towards mama I'm coming home, since it seems like it'd be good for a competition, but its not my best tune. I totally rock out manson's Sweet Dreams, but again that's not exactly something that you'd see in a competition. on the other hand, the grading system is not totally on your vocal abilities. 0-20 points for singing abilitiy, and another 0-30 for your stage presence and entertainment value etc....so I could probably score high on those but I might get a zero on the singing part lol....

Any suggestions?

[fireheart17]

Prisoner of Society by The Living End. Still rock, but is also quite fast and might be worth doing if you want a challenge.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prjVGQWNyE4

[HYHYBT]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3OEqUpGHSQ

(I *have* the song in the clear from a CD, but of course can't link to that)

[DrFaroohk]

Some songs I sing really well are: Sweet Dreams, Enter Sandman, Anarchy in the UK, Breaking the Law, Ace of Spades, Iron Man, and a few others like that. I some ballad-y ones like mama i'm coming home or simple man pretty decently, but not great. Any suggestions based off that info?

[telecom_goddess]

Some songs I sing really well are: Sweet Dreams, Enter Sandman, Anarchy in the UK, Breaking the Law, Ace of Spades, Iron Man, and a few others like that. I some ballad-y ones like mama i'm coming home or simple man pretty decently, but not great. Any suggestions based off that info?

Simple Man would be good...and practice

[DrFaroohk]

So I didn't wind up making it through the qualifiers. Still had fun though, but kinda sucked was I had like 5 possible songs picked out that I could sing and this dj had NONE OF THEM!!!!!! So I had to reach into my C list and do a mediocre one. Plus, no one told me it was mostly a country music competition. The three of us that went in our group were the only ones who didn't do country songs. All in all though there was only one person I felt like got through on a pity vote, the other four were top notch singers.

[Greenday]

If it was country music, I would have bailed in a heart beat.

Though I've found the best karaoke songs to be songs that the crowd is pretty much definitely going to join in with you. Stuff like Sweet Caroline, Don't Stop Believing, etc. Also, I try to pick stuff with an easy vocal range.

We have karaoke at the coffee place Friday nights and it's not usually too packed but there's one woman who goes who has one of the most amazing voices I've ever heard.

[DrFaroohk]

Well, down home my wife and I are like the local karaoke heroes. The club owners love to see us come in because we're good singers and he's tired of listening to shitty drunk people all night.

It was quite a humbling experience I have to say. To be one of the ones not considered the best. but just lets me know I have to A) practice more and B) branch out of my comfort zone.

[Ginger Tea]

The local Karaokie night is a Sunday, although he does do other nights in other venue's, but I've found his selection lacking compared to what I am willing to sing. Just before my local (can I call it that if I haven't been much all year?) changed landlords they had 3 or 4 Karaokie nights and I missed one due to being at a badly organised Rock Festival, they however had songs I liked and could sing.

I started the first ever one with "Sweet Transvestite" as the barmaid who can sing wasn't going to sing the first song, TBH we all agreed that should have been done later in the night, local guy only has Timewarp and I'm rarely in the mood for that song, but Sweet I'm always in the mood. As they do alot of biker venue's the next county down, I had a larger selection of Rock to choose from.

But in a competition, just cos you can rock out "Sweet Dreams" as well as Manson can, don't mean the judges will award points for it, then as you say Country bias listings kills my comfort zone too.

Although when I do a song I normally adlib crap in it and generally have fun.
Psychadelic Furs "Pretty in Pink" the ending is mumbled and hard to hear so I had never known there to be extra lines at the end till they came on screen.
"Ebenezzer Goode" by the Shamen, I was ok for most of it till I had to utter
"It's all gone pink" as the word swipe was going faster than I could read.

[Skunkle]

As long as it isn't "Baby Got Back". I have no idea why, but Every. Single. Time. I go to ANYWHERE local that has karaoke happening (mind you, karaoke for fun, not competition) someone, guy or girl - sometimes more than one - ask for "Baby Got Back". And I have yet to see one person, drunk or sober, so much as keep up with the pace, much less get the lyrics, despite having them *right there*. Not that I enjoy the song - I don't, it's just bizarre - but why is it so danged popular at karaoke, so much that at any given show that I see only PART of, at least one if not two people ask to sing it?

[DrFaroohk]

But in a competition, just cos you can rock out "Sweet Dreams" as well as Manson can, don't mean the judges will award points for it, then as you say Country bias listings kills my comfort zone too.

Well what sucks is if I had done sweet dreams I still probably wouldn't have made it anywhere, but only because the judges probably just don't like that song. But fairly they are supposed to judge you based on singing ability - and songs like enter sandman and sweet dreams have pitch and key just like any other song. Plus its based on performance too, which even if its a song the judge doesn't like they should still take your performance into account and grade it fairly.

Ah well.

[fireheart17]

Country music karaoke competitions need a good dose of this

[AdminAssistant]

Sorry, but I think old country music (think Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, etc.) is perfectly suited for karaoke. A friend of mine usually does Patsy Cline or Reba McIntire and is awesome! But then, I think of karaoke as more of a "fun thing to do while drinking" activity than something that should be competitive.

[DrFaroohk]

yeah I've heard that before, and that's fine if people want to have fun, but it feels like when people say that they're saying "you sing good? NO! BAD! NO KARAOKE FOR YOU!"

I think it depends on the group. I've seen places where the karoake is all about singing badly and being funny. But most places I go it's actually a chance for the singers to sing. There's a handful of us that are pretty good at what we do but for whatever reason won't or can't do it for a living. Gives us an outlet for our musical shit.

[AdminAssistant]

And that's fine, Dr.F. But don't hate on the folks just wanting to have a good time or those who just happen to have different musical preferences.