Karaoke Forums

Hello everyone    I know that a lot of KJs and regulars are on here and i was wondering if someone might be able to recommend a good uptempo crowd pleasing song. Thing is i'm currently trying to qualify for a karaoke competition and this week i was unsuccessful.     I sang At this moment by Billy Vera and although all the judges commented my vocals were on point, great tone, emotion, etc... they seemed to like and go for the contestants that got the crowd going. So i'm thinking i should do something more uptempo and fun instead of a ballad. If you guys know of any songs can you please suggest some.  :whistle:    It would be for a male of course and NO i am not going to sing Like a Virgin, Don't Cha, Buttons, or any of that stuff.  LOL

Wanderer
Runaround Sue
Mustang Sally
Long Tall Sally
White Wedding
Rebel Yell
Kansas City
Crocodile Rock
Devil Went Down To Georgia
Folsum Prison
Ring of Fire
Sweet Home Alabama
Sweet Caroline (ughhhh)
Family Tradition
Shout
Twist & shout

Salsero, what is "Buttons"?  That doesn't sound familiar.

I am probably not the ideal person to comment on this thread, because as I've said here before, when there's a contest, I sing "Far Far Away"!  If other people want to enter the contests, more power to 'em, but they're just not my cup of tea.  

However, I did sit thru' a contest once which was determined by audience applause, and the winner was a guy who sang "Bohemian Rhapsody".  That's not an entirely upbeat song, though, and although he didn't do a _bad_ job, he screwed up a few times.  He actually impressed me more when he sang "Walking in Memphis" earlier in the evening.  I guess people voted for him in the contest 'cause he picked such a hard song to do (I've never sung "Bohemian Rhapsody", but I'm guessing it would be hard).  

The guy in 2nd place sang "Losing My Religion" and the guy in 3rd place sang something by Sinatra (I think it was "New York, New York").  The guy I wanted to win sang some upbeat country song I'd never heard before--I think it was either by Tim McGraw or Toby Keith--but he didn't place in the finals.  

That's the only singing contest I've ever observed in a karaoke club.  Usually if there's a contest, I'm outta there!   One place where I go had "Karaoke Survivor" once.  The guy who won sings a lot of R&B ballads and some upbeat R&B stuff, and he also does a great version of "Live and Let Die".  I have no idea what he sang (or even how many songs) to win the contest, but he's really super, and I'm not surprised he won.  

I heard once that the same place was also going to have an "American Idol"-type contest where some of their regulars were actually going to play the roles of Randy, Paula and Simon.  (I heard this from the guy who was playing Simon, and he said he was going to be even harder on the contestants than the real Simon.)  Again, I sang "Far Far Away"  LOL , so I don't know how the contest went or what anyone sang.

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I love being a mom!

Hey!
 You'll find that Karaoke contests are not very popular on this forum with many people because they are usually not run well and are very biased.  A popularity contest, if you will.  I have seen many deserving singers go away empty from a contest.

 That being said, if you insist, you should probably dig through your memory and give us some artists (with upbeat songs) that you like and think you can sing well.  You should also be warned that any particular song may succeed wildly in one venue and draw crickets in another.  A song's appeal can also vary night by night in the same venue.

 I've had success pleasing the crowd with AC/DC and George Thoroughgood lately.  I have to sing AC/DC (Bon Scott) down two half-steps in key and sing through my nose like crazy  :) .   Haven't figured out how to do Brian yet, maybe someday...

 So, more info please...

--Tad

A guy on another forum said he ran a contest to see how many different songs ppl could do in a span of about 4 months.  They won prizes at the 100 mark, the 75 mark, etc.  That sounds like fun, and he didn't say there were any judges, so I guess it was based on quantity--rather than quality or on how many friends you have cheering for you.  I think the idea was to get a bunch of different songs out there and not have people doing the same ol' stuff all the time.  As much as I love trying new songs, I could probably do well in a contest  like that if I went often enough, but my schedule doesn't really permit it (yes I did go out and sing a lot last week, but that was the first week in about 2 months that that's happened).

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I love being a mom!

Non rap, uptempo male crowd pleasers sung by others in my place that always go over well:

"The Middle" - Jimmy Eat World
"This Love" - Maroon 5
"Beautiful Girls' - Sean Kingston

"Sexyback" is kind of borderline because of it's marginal singing but wow it still packs the floor.

For a ballad: "Apologize" - Timbaland. Several of my singers do it and it's always well received.

The best uptempo song that I personally do is "Yeah!". For crowd response.

I like that Maroon 5 one.  "Apologize" is getting waaaay overplayed on the radio (or at least on the station we listen to at work), but I've never heard anyone sing it for karaoke.

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I love being a mom!

This is a good topic.
Some of this really depends on what they want to hear which is tough to figure out.
A lot depends on your voice and vocal style which will determine what you can sing too. I love lots of ballads and many slower songs, but in bars and places where people are out to have a good time the people want upbeat songs most of the time.

Chubby Checkers-Do The Twist
Wild Cherry-Play That Funky Music
Jerry Lee Lewis-Great Balls Of Fire
Grand Funk Railroad-Some Kind Of Wonderful
Commodores-Brick House
Temptations-My Girl(not fast but people love this song)
Righteous Brothers-Unchained Melody(not fast but if you can REALLY sing well,
                                                       this can be an impressive song)

Not necessarily fast but if you really want to stand out and be different:

Neil Diamond-Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show
Billy Idol-Rebel Yell or White Wedding
Three Dog Night-Never Been To Spain
Blood Sweat and Tears-And When I Die

the judges and the crowd may or may not like these songs, it's hard to say.

Good luck!

I'll tell you, a secret Laura alluded to, without realizing it, is the warm up.

The judges are almost always there early, and the warm up ong is their first opinion of you. It sets in their mind if they are going to pay attention to you when your turn comes up to sing. Is this fair? No. But it is true. If you are going to do At This Moment, do it as a warm up, and follow it up with something more upbeat. I have had some success with Drops of Jupiter, and think anything Maroon 5 would work...

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Let's Kick the Tires and Light the Fires!

There just might be something to that suggestion.

But i have seen many people win with slow songs i would have never though had a chance.  

It's still going to matter how fair the judges are.  Talent can be usually heard in the first few lines.    I think it matters in the very beginning of the song as to how good they listen to the rest of it.

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I haven't heard most of the songs mentioned but i do know Maroon 5 songs.

This karaoke contest in particular is for a chain of mexican restaurants called El Torito. Each location is weekly choosing one contestant to compete in the finals for $5,000. That's first place of course. I'm not normally AT ALL the type of guy that does uptempos because i'm very chill, mellow, shy... so i always feel more comfortable singing ballads. And people always give me props for my singing. Like i said at this competition all the judges said  i had the vocals but that i could have interracted and walked around the bar more. The guy who got chosen is actually someone i know pretty well. We always go to the same competitions and this time i was completely surprised by his song choice... he sang Crazy by Gnarls Barkley. I've heard him sing many times b4 and i must say that vocally it was the worst i've ever heard him. He was yelling a lot which surprised me. But i guess they liked it. The crowd was very much into. Being in a karaoke contest has been a different experience from other competitions and showcases i've been in because it seems that at bars and such people care more about how much the singer gets the crowd going or how well they are known instead of judging the singer's vocal ability.

Sometime last year i remember the same guy, me, and a female friend of mine who has an AMAZING voice competing at a karaoke bar and neither one of us got anything. I wasn't really surprised by me not being chosen but i was SHOCKED that my friend didn't even place in the top 4. :/

hello

well as i said i almost NeVEr do uptempos but i do love

For once in my life - Stevie Wonder
Lonely no more    -  Rob Thomas

that's about it. !!!! i really don't do uptempos. Sometimes i'll sing Salsa music.

Well then I would definately suggest a warm up of At This Moment, and either This Love or Sunday Morning from Maroon 5 as your contest song!

Good luck!

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Let's Kick the Tires and Light the Fires!

^ Thanks     we actually don't get a warm up song.  :(      They have the 10 competing singers start b4 the actual karaoke.  :D

Darn! No warm-up song! I agree with DBK1009

The one time I won a contest, I did an uptempo warm-up. When my name was called to sing my "real" song, I heard a few people mumbling "oh this guy... he's good"

...as if they had already made up their minds based on the warm-up song

can't remember what songs they were. sorry. now where did I put those car keys?!?

How about

Hurt So Good, John Cougar Mellencamp
Fame, David Bowie
Wildest Dreams, Moody Blues
Dance the Night Away, Van Halen
Freedom, Wham
Roll to Me, Del Amitri
All Night Long, Lionel Richie

Oops... back on topic  :)

Good dance tunes:
Jump Jive and Wail - Brian Setzer Orchestra
Walk of Life - Dire Straits

Other up-tempo tunes:
Zoot Suit Riot - Cherry Poppin Daddies
Does anybody really know what time it is - Chicago
Smooth - Santana
It's still rock and roll to me - Billy Joel (can be done as a 2-guy duet)
Talk dirty to me - Poison

Put on the fish-nets and garter belts and launch into "Sweet Transvestite From Transsexual, Transylvania" or "Time Warp"

The Breeze and most skynyrd songs

stevie ray Vaughan songs

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I'm Not Dead yet...... But every day Im getting Closer !

If you like Stevie Wonder, I'd suggest "Superstition" or "Higher Ground"...

For Rob Thomas try, "Smooth" (with Santana) or
"Disease" (Matchbox 20) or
"3 AM" (Matchbox 20) or
"Real World"(Matchbox 20)...

I think I'd try "Disease" or "Superstition" first...

I'd love to be able to sing "Superstition", but no luck (yet!).

--Tad