“Easy”
by Faith No More (originally by The Commodores)
from the “I’m Easy/Be Aggressive” double A-side
1992 Slash Records
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Again, this one of those covers that I stumbled across before I had ever heard the original. Thus – in my mind – it’s the superior version. This track kind of fits into the karaoke theme as well… I’m constantly on the hunt for the Mike Patton-pitched version.
“I Don’t Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore”
by The Menzingers
from Rented World
2014
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There will be another post where I expound on just how goddamn good the last Menzingers album is, but their new album just came out this week, and this song has caught me, and I completely love the video for it.
Continue reading The Menzingers: “I Don’t Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore”
“Punk Rock Girl”
by The Dead Milkmen
from the album Beelzebubba
1988
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I’m not sure when or why I first sang this at karaoke, but it’s been one of my staples for quite a while. I never got into the Dead Milkmen, with the exception of this song, which I always loved. Fun fact – I always had a friend do “Stuart” from the same album as a monologue in acting class.
It’s a testament to why I love my core karaoke crew so much, because I can pick this song, and not only will they know it (which is incredibly rare in that kind of setting), but they love it and back me up on the chorus. And man, is this a fun song to sing and bounce around to.
“Never Let Me Down Again”
by The Smashing Pumpkins (originally by Depeche Mode)
from the album Siamese Dream [Deluxe Edition]
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All week long I had been planning on a Pumpkins selection for #CoverFriday and then Chris up and did the same thing. And while I absolutely adore “Landslide” — I’d even go so far as to call it superior to the original — I had a different track in mind. Continue reading Cover Friday: “Never Let Me Down Again”
“From a Million Miles”
by Single Gun Theory
from the album Millions, Like Stars In My Hands, Daggers In My Heart, Wage War
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I remember the very first time I heard “From A Million Miles.” I was sitting in my bedroom and a slight breeze was coming through window. It was after midnight on a Sunday so it was dead quiet in the neighborhood and the only light was the glow from the TV. As soon as the video began to play, I was instantly transported someplace completely different. There was something so exotic about the sounds and imagery.
“El President”
by Drugstore w/ Thom Yorke
from White Magic for Lovers
1998
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Sorry Lance – this is post 2 of 3 of Thom Yorke duets for the #AprilDuets assignment. This is a song that I came across randomly I think as far back as the Napster days. I used to sometimes do searches for things I wouldn’t otherwise know about, like “Thom Yorke duet”.
“Why Can’t I Be You?”
by The Cure
from the album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
1987
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Add this to the list entitled “Songs I Hope They’ll One Day Have at Karaoke But I’m Almost Certain They Never Will Until We Open the Chrance Karaoke Bar and Add It Ourselves”. There are certain songs that, if they haven’t been added yet, ain’t ever going to happen.
“Cult of Personality”
by Living Colour
from the album Vivid
1988
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When I started regularly hitting up karaoke, I was having a hard time figuring out what songs to sing. As previously mentioned, my tastes tend to run 80s/90s alternative and there just wasn’t much to choose from that seemed karaokey. So I ended up stuck with 80s ballads or pop songs.
One night after some failed attempts at winging new songs, I was dejectedly flipping through the Karaoke Champ book and I stumbled across the Ls. And then I saw it, right in the middle of the second page… Continue reading Karaoke Tuesday: “Cult of Personality”
“How I Could Just Kill a Man”
by Rage Against the Machine w/Cypress Hill
from the album Renegades
2000
Buy the album on Amazon.
I was never a Cypress Hill fan, and listening to the original of this doesn’t change that. But there are definitely times I love me some RATM. The regular cover of this (sans Cypress Hill) is just as good. I go back and forth between which version I like better, but ’tis the month for duets.
“Rush”
by Big Audio Dynamite II
from the album The Globe
1991
Buy the album on Amazon.
So very many choices. Where to start? I don’t remember why I first bought this album. I just remember it was in one of the first batches of BMG or Columbia House cds (of which I partook many many times, for better or worse) I received. I remember my high school friend Joel and I were so into this album, and he would have me play it whenever he was over. This song is incredibly catchy, and like many songs, takes on a special rockingness when played as loud as possible, vs. the more mellow feel it communicates on lower volumes.