There is a whole category of karaoke song that does not require singing, and knowing it exists is the single most useful thing on this site if you are convinced you cannot sing.
These songs run on rhythm and delivery. The melody is either spoken, confined to two or three notes, or so buried in attitude that pitch stops mattering. What they ask for instead is timing and commitment, and commitment is a decision rather than a talent. The person who half mumbles a great song apologetically has a worse night than the person who fully commits to a ridiculous one.
Two practical notes. Fast wordy songs look easy and are not, because running out of breath is the most common way this goes wrong, so read the tempo before you commit. And pick something the room likes, because a crowd that is enjoying itself is generous and a crowd that is bored is not.
- 1 Sweet CarolineGroupTalk-sing The melody barely moves and the key sits low. The only part anyone is waiting for is the bit where they shout, not the bit where you sing. 3:24
- 2 WonderwallGroupTalk-sing Five notes, a shouted chorus, and a room that will sing it whether you do or not. The nearest thing to a guaranteed result. 4:19
- 3 Lean on MeTalk-sing A song built to be sung by a room rather than a person. It sits low, moves slowly and repeats until everyone has caught up. 4:19
- 4 Ring of FireTalk-sing Ten semitones, sung low and flat by design. If you can talk, you can do this one. 2:36
- 5 Folsom Prison BluesTalk-sing Spoken more than sung, in a range that suits people who insist they cannot sing at all. 2:51
- 6 VogueTalk-sing Almost entirely spoken. The famous section is a list of names, delivered deadpan. 4:51
- 7 Free Fallin'GroupTalk-sing Three chords, ten semitones and a chorus the room sings. Petty barely sang it himself. 4:16
- 8 I'm Too SexyTalk-sing Seven semitones, mostly spoken, and utterly ridiculous. It only fails if you look embarrassed. 2:44
- 9 Mr. BrightsideGroupTalk-sing Barely a melody, entirely a shout, and the whole room does it with you. The words come fast but they never go high. 3:43
- 10 Piano ManGroupTalk-sing Six minutes of storytelling with a chorus that is essentially a group hum. Long, but almost none of it is difficult. 5:39
- 11 Sweet Home AlabamaGroupTalk-sing Three chords, a drawl and a chorus everyone shouts. The verses are close to spoken. 4:44
- 12 Friends in Low PlacesGroupTalk-sing The best group song in country music. The verses are conversational and the chorus is designed for a bar to shout back at you. 4:20
- 13 Wagon WheelGroupTalk-sing Relentlessly cheerful and impossible to get wrong. The chorus repeats often enough that people who have never heard it join in by the second one. 4:58
- 14 Chicken FriedTalk-sing Warm, mid-tempo and built entirely around a list, which makes the words easy to hold on to. 3:40
- 15 Shake It OffGroupTalk-sing Half of it is spoken and the rest is a chant. Almost impossible to sing badly enough to matter. 3:39
- 16 Summer of '69GroupTalk-sing Rasped rather than sung, at a pitch that suits ordinary voices, with a chorus the whole room shouts. 3:36
- 17 FaithTalk-sing Rhythmic, light and mostly delivered on the beat rather than on the note. 3:16
- 18 Hey JudeGroupTalk-sing Four minutes of song and three minutes of the room singing na-na-na without you. The best value in the book. 3:59
- 19 Wish You Were HereTalk-sing Half-spoken, low and unhurried, and everyone in the room knows the guitar part well enough to fill the gaps. 5:35
- 20 Take It EasyGroupTalk-sing Loose, warm and mid-tempo, with harmonies on the record that cover the chorus for you. 3:32
- 21 American GirlTalk-sing Rough, bright and simple, and the band does most of the driving. 3:35
- 22 Y.M.C.A.GroupTalk-sing Nobody is listening to your voice. They are watching four letters being spelled with arms. 4:48
- 23 I Love Rock 'N RollGroupTalk-sing Growled rather than sung, low and slow, with a chorus built for a room to shout. 2:55
- 24 Baby Got BackGroupTalk-sing Entirely spoken, and the room delivers the opening dialogue for you. Requires no singing whatsoever. 4:23
- 25 Ice Ice BabyGroupTalk-sing Spoken start to finish over a bassline everyone recognises in two notes. 4:31
- 26 Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of...)GroupTalk-sing A list of names over a horn riff. Barely sung, extremely fast, and the room shouts the names with you. 3:40
- 27 All StarGroupTalk-sing Every single person knows the first line, which means the room is with you before you have really begun. 3:20
- 28 CreepTalk-sing The verses are almost spoken and the chorus is a shout rather than a sing. Attitude does most of the work, which is why it survives voices that should not attempt it. 3:59
- 29 Twist and ShoutGroupTalk-sing Shouted from beginning to end. Lennon recorded it with a ruined voice, which tells you everything about how polished yours needs to be. 2:35
- 30 Semi-Charmed LifeTalk-sing Very fast talking over a bright riff. The words are the difficulty, not the notes. 4:28
- 31 Under the BridgeTalk-sing Half-spoken verses and a chorus with a choir behind it. The gentle opening is the exposed part. 4:24
- 32 Hey Ya!Talk-sing Rapped, sung and shouted in roughly equal parts, at a tempo that never lets up. 3:55
- 33 RehabTalk-sing Low, brassy and conversational, with a chorus that is more of a retort than a melody. 3:35
- 34 Smells Like Teen SpiritGroupTalk-sing Mumbled verses that nobody knows the words to anyway, and a chorus that is pure shouting. 5:02
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Karaoke songs for bad singers: your questions answered
What can I sing at karaoke if I'm tone deaf?
Talk sung material where the melody barely moves. Everything on this page qualifies. Commit to the rhythm and the pitch takes care of itself.
Is a fast karaoke song easier than a slow one?
No. Slow songs expose pitch, fast songs expose breath and memory. Neither is free, but slow songs are less forgiving of a wobbly voice.
Keep looking
plays a 30 second preview from Apple, and the video button opens a karaoke version with the words on screen. Range shows where the melody sits across roughly two octaves and how far it travels. It's an estimate, and the quickest way to tell whether a karaoke song suits your voice. Difficulty is our own 1 to 5 rating.
Key, tempo and release data come from MusicBrainz and TheAudioDB. Difficulty, vocal range and the note against each song are ours. We don't reproduce lyrics.
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