Is it karaoke night again and you’re still wondering what are the best karaoke songs to get the crowds going? Wonder no more!
Pleasing a crowd is a tactical endeavor. You need to know what buttons to push or which triggers to pull, so I’ve got some suggestions that I’m pretty sure you’ll find useful. Still, I’m going to level with you, there’s a specific kind of people who are prone to cheer during karaoke: drunk people. Alcohol lowers the bar in everyone’s embarrass-ometer, and after a while you might find yourself arm in arm with your friends, singing at the top of your lungs, even if there’s no music playing. Once the crowd is nice and drunk, then it’s time to get cracking on those songs that will surely make you the people’s hero, and if by the end you’re still in need of ideas for your chorus of drunkards, try checking our 11 Best Karaoke Songs for Groups.
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Although you should never forget that a catchy melody and a steady rhythm go a long way, one very important thing you must consider is that drunk people are not very good with remembering lyrics (although on the bright side, they don’t really care). Therefore, it’s helpful to choose a song with easy choruses, or a lot of “ooohhh”s, “aaahhh”s, “eyooo eyoo”s, and of course: clapping. People love clapping.
Still, some lyrics are impossible to forget, emotiveness seems to have branded them on people’s brains, and our favorite trigger -booze- helps bring all those emotions to the surface. Also, some songs make specific crowds especially emotional given the age average of the audience, so keep that in mind when choosing the decade.
In order to compile this list of best karaoke songs to get the crowds going, we browsed the Internet and found many interesting suggestions on TimeOut, Billboard, Bustle, and MentalFloss, to name a few. Keep in mind that we haven’t actually ranked these songs according to some criteria since music tastes can differ strongly. So we tried to pick different genres, and songs from different music eras to satisfy different tastes. We are sure, that at least one one song from this list will be perfect for your gang! There is hip-hop, there is rock, there is pop! What more do you need?
Now c’mon and make some noise for the best crowd pleasing karaoke songs!
16. “The Real Slim Shady” – Eminem
This is a tricky one because you need to be an absolute expert to get the verses right. However, if you can manage that, by the time you get to the chorus people will be totally psyched! You just need to get to “Women wave your pantyhose! Sing the chorus and it goes…” and then just leave it to the people, they’ll chant the hell out of that chorus, which is steady, and easy to remember.
Here’s a video of Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe doing a pretty decent Slim Shady (although mine is better, I must say). There’s not a lot of people in the audience, but the few who are are totally excite. There’s even a shirtless guy jumping around, but maybe Daniel just cast a spell on him.
And the really cool original video:
15. “Common People” – Pulp
We are continuing our list of best karaoke songs to get the crowds going This one that is for many people a generational anthem. I honestly believe the phrase “And dance, and drink, and screw, because there’s nothing else to do” has touched the hearts of ’90s teenagers around the world, and way beyond. It’s a sexy song with a good sense of humor and a beat that keeps growing until everybody is sucked into a vortex of emotion. Just thinking about it makes me want to scream “I wanna live like common people!”
Remember when I said when it helps if everyone is drunk? Well, this guy seems to be attempting a death metal version of the song in a state of inebriation that makes me wonder how he’s still on his feet. Of course, he sucks, but the public is still enthusiastic.
And, of course, the original:
14. “Where is the Love?” – The Black Eyed Peas
This song’s got it all: rapping, singing, many voices (this song is actually sung by five people), and loads of emotion. I think of it as Michael Jackson’s “Heal the World’s” successor, it just hits the core, you know? And it never goes out of fashion because war and destruction don’t seem to be going away anytime soon.
The rap portion of the song that ended 14th on our list of best karaoke songs to get the crowds going is a little tough, and although this kid does it wonderfully, I think the crowd’s too old, too Norwegian, and certainly not drunk enough to sing along. Still when you get to “People killing, people dying” everyone should get pretty sentimental, because people just looove killing and dying.
Here’s the awesome kid:
And the original:
13. “Love Shack” – B-52’s
Love Shack Baby!
This song that’s next on our list of best karaoke songs to get the crowds going will probably be featured in any karaoke song list you can find regardless of the category because it has it all. It’s goofy and funny, the rhythm’s great, the lyrics are easy, the chorus is almost too catchy, and it’s absolutely ideal to sing drunk. It’s meant for many voices, and it’s always guaranteed to be a success.
These guys do a pretty decent Love Shack:
And the original video is awesome:
12. “Don’t You Want Me” – The Human League
This 80’s duet, next on our list of best karaoke songs to get the crowds going has become an all-time classic. Anyone between the age of 25 and 50 will know the chorus, and would proudly sing it out loud (especially after a couple of drinks). It’s not that hard, really: “don’t you want me, baby? Don’t you want me, ohhhhh” If you’re too drunk to remember that, just go home.
Here’s a video that, in my view, shows true showmanship. Even though the singing’s not good, everyone seems to be delighted by their enthusiasm, and the alcohol levels seem appropriate. These guys rock.
And here’s the actually boring (for such a great song) video:
11. “Mr. Brightside” – The Killers
Out of the many hits this band has fashioned, I believe this is the most likely to get the crowd going. Just before the chorus it goes: “But she’s touching his chest, now, he takes off her dress, now, let me go,” which kind of touches a general soft-spot, along with the change of melody, which becomes more melancholic, and crowds just thrive on that, or at least this one does:
The original video is not good per-se, but it’s pretty to look at:
10. “Never Gonna Give You Up” – Rick Astley
However annoying the original song video might be, it’s a great choice for karaoke! A close cousin to “Don’t you want me?” this ’80s hit is guaranteed to get the crowd singing, or at least clapping.
This guy clearly knows what he’s doing, demonstrating that a little dance can’t hurt.
And here is the annoying original video:
9. “Everybody” – Backstreet Boys
Backstreet’s back! Alright! (catchphrases are helpful)
Oh, dear late ’90s! How unforgettable you are! The boyband song “Everybody” is an all-time karaoke must. Not only is there a lot of “Yeeeeaaaahhh” going on, but also it addresses the public directly, by going (as it name fairly indicates): “Everybooooody, yeah!” so you are compelled to sing, or at least clap or, as featured here, annoyingly scream:
Here’s the original video:
8. “What’s Up” – 4 Non Blondes
Never ever has there been a bigger “one hit wonder” than this. Do you even know any other 4 Non Blondes song? I surely don’t! This one that ended up on our list of best karaoke songs to get the crowds going, however, is certainly ranked in our 16 best karaoke songs to get crowds going. It’s just so powerful and easy! The song says it itself, you just need to scream from the top of your lungs: “WHAT’S GOING ON?!” And then you just say “hey-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah, hey-yeah-yeah.” It’s REALLY easy. The only thing you’ll need in large quantities is attitude, like this girl here. She may not have the voice, but she does have the style.
Although if you want to see REAL style, check out weirdo Linda Perry in the original vid:
7. “Wonderwall” – Oasis
Even though I hate Oasis with passion, I still believe that karaoke night is not so without of at least one of this jerk’s power ballads, and “Wonderwall” is the perfect example. What can I say? It starts off softly, with good rhythm and a nice guitar, then it just keeps growing up to the heartfelt chorus. The thing is we’ve all at least one time thought “Maybeeee, you’re gonna be the one that saves meeee,” so singing this as a crowd makes feel less like the pathetic lonely losers we actually are. Same thing happens with Radiohead’s “Creep,” which is featured further down the line, because I actually like that band.
Here you have a bunch of Wonderwall enthusiasts raising their hands in celebration while singing along. I don’t think the girl’s microphone’s connected, though.
And if you feel like looking at the Gallagher brothers’ British mugs, here you go:
6. “Wannabe” – Spice Girls
The late ’90s strike again! A girl song by excellence, “Wannabe” is also on top of the request list on karaoke night, there’s no escaping it, especially if there are more women than men. Oh, wait! Scratch that, and check out this guy’s terrible singing get everyone going.
Still, the Spice Girls do it Better:
5. “Like a Prayer” – Madonna
Contrary to what the song title would indicate, this song, next on our list of best karaoke songs to get the crowds going is not about praying, it clearly talks about fellatio. A lot of people don’t know that and maybe if they did, the song wouldn’t be such a karaoke hit. Although honestly, if you’ve seen the opening scene in Reservoir Dogs, where Tarantino himself explains that “Like a Virgin” is “all about a girl who dates a guy with a big d*ick” (his words, not mine), you shouldn’t be surprised that “Like a Prayer” is about that. In any case, here we can appreciate a group of drag queens flipping out over the song, you go, girls!
And here’s The Queen herself:
4. “Angels” – Robbie Williams
I don’t particularly enjoy this song that ranked 4th on our list of best karaoke songs to get the crowds going, and I’ve always found Williams to be –contrary to popular opinion- a bit “icky.” Still, I understand what makes this song a crowd pleaser. It’s packed with feeling and long notes that one can sing without even knowing the lyrics properly. Instead of “And through it aaaaaaall,” you can just go “en fu ee ohhhhhhh” and no one will know the difference.
Here, the crowd is so loud you can’t almost hear the guy, who by the way, I cannot figure out: he’s wearing a hoodie over a turtle neck, he has a bad-ass could-be-governor-in-a-pirate-movie face and mini-ponytail, and he chose this song. Seriously, who is this dude?
Here’s icky Robbie for you:
3. “We Are the Champions” – Queen
Although “Bohemian Rhapsody”, the number three on our list of best karaoke songs to get the crowds going would seem to be the obvious choice, people just know the first 30 seconds of the lyrics; then the song goes on for six minutes and there’s no choir, so it’s way tougher than it seems. Try this song instead, it’s really touching, everyone gets excited and maybe even weepy.
It’s also a really good song to chant before, during, or after a big sports event, no music needed. Check out this 2013 World Series. I mean, how pumped are those guys?
And here’s sexy Freddie with his amazing voice. Gosh, what a loss that was!
2. “Creep” – Radiohead
If someone here’s not a Creep, let them cast the first stone. As Amanda Palmer (my absolute female idol) states in the introduction to her song “Dear Old House,” Creep is a song, next on our list of best karaoke songs to get the crowds going, that “seems to ironically make people really happy.” I guess it is because everyone feels identified since we’re all weirdos in the end. If you don’t believe me, check out this video of an ENTIRE BAR totally losing their sh*t over this tune!
It actually moves me to see this many people sing their hearts out to Radiohead. Also, the fact that it says “you’re so f*cking special!” makes a big difference compared to other songs. Cursing is a good way to accentuate feelings, and people love it. Sadly, as you can see here, the YouTube video version is censored, or as my pal Thom Yorke would say “it’s so f*cking censored!”:
1. “Livin’ on a Prayer” – Bon Jovi
Finally, the number on our list of best karaoke songs to get the crowds going! Rock is good, rock is solid, and if you find the proper rock song for karaoke you can get everyone on board, this is it. When “Livin’ on a Prayer” comes on, no one cares about flat keys or forgotten lyrics, all people need to do is go “WHOOOOOOOAAAAA, LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER!!!” at the right moment and that’s it, the spell is cast. Also, as you can see in this short but effective video, it’s great for all ages:
Here’s the original video, although when I watch it I couldn’t care less about the song. I mean, THE HAIR:
We have now arrived at the end of our ranking, so all the angels, creeps, and champions, give a clap for the best karaoke songs to get the crowds going!
