Karaoke Newbie? Try These 7 Songs

I'll admit it — I'm pretty much a karaoke virgin. I'm an obsessive music fan and I've always loved to sing (I even used to perform as a kid), but something about getting up in front of a room full of drunk strangers to belt out terrible pop music just never sounded inviting to me. Although, now that I'm typing that, I kinda wonder why not, because it sounds pretty fun in hindsight. In any case, if you're like me and feeling a little nervous about messing up your karaoke performance despite having all the lyrics right there on a screen in front of you, don't despair. There are plenty of simple songs that are nearly impossible to mess up, and that are guaranteed crowd pleasers even if you do manage to go off course.

If you're feeling a little adventurous and ready to give it a go, choose one of these songs and you're already ahead of the game. After all, it doesn't take much to satisfy a room full of drunk people who love karaoke already, so your job is an easy one: get up there and give it your best shot. You might even get addicted!

Lisa Loeb, "Stay"

Pretty much everyone has known and remembered every lyric to this song since it came out in 1995 — a whopping 20 years ago! You can't go wrong with "Stay", and no matter what genre of music the bar patrons are into, they'll still like this one.

The Cranberries, "Zombie"

"Zombie" is super easy to remember the words to, but it's also the most fun to sing because you can just yell "Zom-BAY, zom-BAY, zom-BAY-AY-AY-AY-OO" about 500 times until it's over. You're imagining singing it now, aren't you?

Jay-Z, "99 Problems"

Another classic for music lovers of any genre. This is one of Jay-Z's biggest hits, and one of his most recognizable. It's a feel good anthem, in many ways, even if it is a little profane (and that's one of the great things about it, too).

The Proclaimers, "500 Miles"

The '90s were a wonderful time in music, and "500 Miles" is one of the catchiest things to come out of the decade. I don't think I can remember anything besides the chorus and that "da-da-da-da" bit off the top of my head, but those are clearly the most important parts, anyway.

Chumbawumba, "Tubthumping"

Oh, the one hit wonders that were Chumbawumba. I don't know what they were smoking and how this song came to be, but I do know it was a gift from a higher power and it must be preserved in karaoke form for all time.

Third Eye Blind, "Jumper"

I'm only vaguely embarrassed to admit how much I loved Third Eye Blind and this song when it came out. This one seems a bit morose, but hopefully everyone in the bar is a bit too drunk to notice or they'll be too busy singing along to care.

Montell Jordan, "This Is How We Do It"

This needs no introduction. "This Is How We Do It" is guaranteed to get the party started and keep it going until the break of dawn. If you're ready to "turn up", as the kids say, this is the one for you.

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