Great Songs and Lyrics for a Successful Karaoke Party!

A karaoke party is a great way to spend time with friends. After all, nothing can beat the charm and appeal of singing some of the greatest tunes with friends over a few cans of beer and some chips. But nothing can make a karaoke party more successful than choosing appropriate songs. Of course, any song would make for a great karaoke party—but during this type of event, it is best to just let your hair down and enjoy the moment without taking it too seriously. Here are some songs that have appropriate music and enjoyable lyrics that can heighten the enjoyment of your karaoke party.

First, consider fun, upbeat songs. Try to stay away from sappy and common ballads. Instead, try singing songs like Hanson’s “Mmmbop.” “Mmmbop” is probably one of the biggest pop songs ever to debut—it reached the number one stop in more 20 countries, demonstrating its pop appeal and attracting pop hooks in its lyrics.

What makes this a fun karaoke song is the chorus of the lyrics, which is composed of a string of incomprehensible words. The lyrics go: “MMMBop, ba duba dop ba do bop, / Ba duba dop ba do bop, / Ba duba dop ba do. Oh yeah, / MMMBop ba duba dop ba do bop, Ba duba dop ba do bop.” When read closely, the lyrics suggest that people should hold on to friendship, since it can disappear “in an mmmbop.” Listen to you and your friend mumble this hard to sing lyrics and you’ll see why it is a must in every karaoke party.

Of course, it is hard to completely stay away from ballads and love songs. But if you really have to sing a love song, go for the ones that you can sing in a campy approach. A best song for this is “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler. The intention of the song’s lyrics is laudable—in fact, the lyrics were actually inspired by the classic novel Wuthering Heights. Yet there’s something about the song that makes it hard to take seriously. The utter seriousness of how this was performed actually makes this song more enjoyable.

There are fun romantic songs to sing too. A favorite is “Get Here” by Oleta Adams. The lyrics of this song have been ridiculed and criticized; a notable example of this is its inclusion in VH1’s Worst Romantic Songs list, which included songs by Lionel Ritchie and Meatloaf, among others. Yet this song is easy to sing, and its lyrics somewhat unrealistic but unbelievably romantic and relatable. The part of the lyrics that goes “I don’t care how you get, just get here if you can” is its most popular trademark, making it a favorite karaoke song.

Other fun karaoke song include songs by the early 2000s pop princess (such as Mandy Moore and Christina Aguilera), late 90s boy and girl bands (by Spice Girls and The Backstreet Boys, although you can opt for more obscure choices), and 80s rock songs and rock ballads.