Tag Archives: karaoke

Karaoke Tuesday: “Make It Wit Chu”

Era Vulgaris
Era Vulgaris

“Make It Wit Chu”
by Queens of the Stone Age
from the album Era Vulgaris
2007
Buy the album on Amazon

“Who is your favorite band?”

It’s almost an impossible question to answer and completely unfair to ask, because the response can change based on genre, mood, the weather, what you’re eating, etc.  For years I would say  the Smashing Pumpkins were my favorite.  And while Gish is still in my top ten list of all time and Siamese Dream is up there too (we’ll get into my issues with Mellon Collie at some point), I wouldn’t consider them a favorite anymore.  The Pixies occupy a spot in the favorite list that’ll probably never fade, unless they keep releasing albums (tarnishing the memory of the original releases).  King’s X – the Texas, metal power-trio – will always have a soft spot in my heart.  Are these my favorite bands?  Yes and no.  Yes on some kind of honorary list, but is their current output what’s fueling my fire.  No.  I think the better question to ask is

“Who is the best band in the world, right now?”

The best band in the world right now is Queens of the Stone Age.  The albums are chock full of wonderful and bizarre songs.  Nothing quite sounds the same, but you can always tell it’s them.  And for a long time I’ve wanted to perform a QOTSA song at karaoke, but the Ginger Elvis‘ range is just so huge that most of my favorites are beyond reach,  not to mention unavailable in the book. But I think I might be able to pull off this gem.  Maybe.

Continue reading Karaoke Tuesday: “Make It Wit Chu”

Karaoke Tuesday: “True”

True
True

“True”
by Spandau Ballet
from the album True
1983
Buy the album on Amazon

A quintessential classic 80’s song. There are songs that fit that description in all the wrong ways. This is not one of them. Unless you just have never heard it before, as soon as those breathy sighs start, I don’t think there’s a person who doesn’t love this song. It’s pure class (just look at the singer in the video!) and romance.
Continue reading Karaoke Tuesday: “True”

Karaoke Tuesday: “Girlfriend”

Girlfriend
Girlfriend

“Girlfriend”
by Matthew Sweet
from the album Girlfriend
1991
Buy the album on Amazon

“Girlfriend” is unskippable.  If it comes up on shuffle, I’ll always stop whatever search I was on and listen.  The entire album is an amazing collection of songs.  It’s both timeless and very specifically early 90s.

I remember sitting at home on Sunday nights watching 120 Minutes and desperately hoping Dave Kendall would hint that this song was coming up after the break.  The video featured clips from the film Space Adventure Cobra and it was just the perfect choice for the song.  And who didn’t want that silver-haired, blue jumpsuited vixen as his girlfriend? Continue reading Karaoke Tuesday: “Girlfriend”

June Power Songs: “Violet”

Live Through This
Live Through This

“Violet”
by Hole
from the album Live Through This
1994
Buy the album on Amazon

I never got too into Hole, but I remember there used to be a commercial for a contest for some beer where you could win tickets to see Hole live, and they would show a clip of them playing this song in concert. I saw the commercial so many times that I got totally hooked on this song. It’s got that great loudquietloud thing going on.

Continue reading June Power Songs: “Violet”

Karaoke Tuesday: “Total Eclipse of the Heart”

Faster Than the Speed of the Night
Faster Than the Speed of the Night

“Total Eclipse of the Heart”
by Bonnie Tyler
from the album Faster Than the Speed of the Night
1983
Buy the on Amazon

I think i’ve resisted this long enough. Yes, it’s completely a karaoke cliché. Yes, it is totally overdone. Yes, it always has the potential to be completely epic.

Continue reading Karaoke Tuesday: “Total Eclipse of the Heart”

Karaoke Tuesday: “Under the Milky Way”

Starfish
Starfish

“Under the Milky Way”
The Church
from the album Starfish
1988
Buy the album on Amazon

I’ve never quite nailed  this song to my satisfaction but it’s had a firm position in my karaoke song list for a few years.  As to when it made its first appearance, it was almost assuredly a drunken addition one evening at a NYC basement karaoke bar.  But the song weaseled its way into my heart a long time before that.

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June Power Songs: “Killing in the Name”

Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine

“Killing in the Name”
by Rage Against the Machine
from the album Rage Against the Machine
1992
Buy the album on Amazon

Obviously pretty much every RATM song is a power song in every sense. It’s probably why I can’t claim to be a huge fan – I didn’t get into them until I was old enough to need to take them in smaller doses. I own 2 or 3 of their albums and could only name 2 or 3 of their songs. This one is pretty much the king of the hill.
Continue reading June Power Songs: “Killing in the Name”

Karaoke Tuesday: “Boys Don’t Cry”

Boys Don't Cry
Boys Don’t Cry

“Boys Don’t Cry”
by The Cure
from the album Boys Don’t Cry
1979
Buy the on Amazon

When I was a tween/teen and getting really into most of the music we talk about on this blog, I was firmly against the Cure. I would make fun of them, I would say they sucked, etc. The truth is, which I can freely admit now and probably at least subconsciously knew then, is that I was just so against them because my best friend at the time was so into them. We’re talking dressing as Robert Smith on Halloween, etc. Never mind that we shared most of our other bands in common, The Cure is where I placed my (ridiculous) stake in the ground. It wasn’t until he and I stopped being friends that I was finally able to listen to them properly.

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Karaoke Tuesday: “Banditos”

Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy
Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy

“Banditos”
by The Refreshments
from the album Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy
1996
Buy the album on Amazon

I’ve mentioned this song to a few people and no one I’ve come across remembers it, which is a shame because it’s such a fun tune.  I thought it would be relegated to my list of songs I really want to sing, but will never be able to find ever, until we stumbled across it (and “Jane Says“) at weird little sports bar in Austin.

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Karaoke Tuesday: “Glycerine”

Sixteen Stone
Sixteen Stone

“Glycerine”
by Bush
from the album Sixteen Stone
1994
Buy the album on Amazon

I feel like Bush has gotten a lot of flack, but this album hit at a time where I got really into them (plus I admit, I had a man crush on Gavin Rossdale). I think I stopped listening to them after their second album, but still love Sixteen Stone (actually, looking at the tracklist, I realize I’m way overdue in revisiting it), and I saw them once in Atlanta with either Pearl Jam or No Doubt.

Continue reading Karaoke Tuesday: “Glycerine”