The best karaoke songs ever

This sacreligious banger by the queen of pop herself pulls in captivated listeners from the word go. ‘Life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone’, you croon, your voice a stream of light piercing through the darkest night. Heads turn, crowds gather, then BOOM: off pops that unignorable beat as the ‘80s anthem’s swinging melody swells into action. The best part is when you close in on that absolutely slamming breakdown – the crescendo where your choristers rise up like an army of heavenly warriors behind you. Nothing can stop you now, you have risen.

No matter where you fall on boy bands (or, ahem, Justin Timberlake), NSYNC will always be a karaoke winner. And their most popular banger, ‘Bye Bye Bye,’ is a sure crowd pleaser. Everyone knows it, you can perform it as a group, and best of all? There’s iconic dance moves to sell the performance. If, like me, you’ve been an NSYNC stan all along, it’s nice to get validation that this song has stood the test of time – it is and always will be a banger. 

From the sassy laugh at the beginning to the very last echoey note, the Spice Girls’s ‘Wannabe’ makes for the perfect karaoke anthem. It’s exactly the message to send to your next crush: want to be mine? You’d better make nice with the girlies. Its giving female empowerment, friendship goals and another round of shots please, all at once. This pop song has endured the decades for a reason, and when it comes to a sing-along, it hits every time. 

Jon Bon Jovi’s noughties hit ‘It’s My Life’ is all about refusing to blend into the background and letting your voice be heard – aka it’s a perfect song for trying to sing above all the chatter in a crowded karaoke bar. They will listen to your rendition, no. matter how many vodka tonics you’ve downed that evening. Blending rock undertones with a catchy pop-like vibe, this screamer of a tune reminds us that life is fleeting so you might as well seize the moment. After all, in the words of the man himself, ‘We ain’t gonna live forever.’ Ain’t that right?

No, I can’t hit the notes... but who can? Big Frank’s ‘My Way’ is a tectonic but tender reflection on his life, loves and career. And it’s perfect for belting out in horrifically sweaty, spittle-spurting fashion. If you don’t want to embarrass yourself too much, the trick is to start out singing the opening notes and verses as low as possible. Then, by the time you get around to throwing out those final, glorious choruses, you’re not left squeaking. Regrets... I’ve had a few.

Looking to get the whole crowd singing? This tune has got you covered. A-ha’s ‘80s classic is a song that starts fast and builds all the way up to its climactic chorus. The best part? The verses are short, so you get the ‘Take On Me’ refrain again and again (that’s the only bit worth singing anyway). Just be warned: there’s a rather long instrumental section about half way through, so you’re going to have to confidently break into dance if you don’t want to risk losing your audience. 

Sure, you’ve got the silly ones, but if you want to take karaoke seriously, you must choose a song with a clear and strong narrative. And it’s always a crowd pleaser to tell the story of poor Brandy, a bartender in an unspecified harbour town who falls in love with a flaky sailor. Sadly, said sailor only has eyes for his one true ‘life, love and lady’ – you guessed it – the sea. Grab a do-gooder to get up there with you to perform the song’s catchy backup ‘do do dos’ and you’ll have everyone sharing Brandy’s emotional journey with you in no time. Ol’ Brandy, this one’s for you. 

Whitney’s 1987 smash remains an invigorating blast of lovelorn pop glory, her powerful, agile voice soaring effortlessly over spritely synths and funk-syncopated guitar. The whole thing makes the achingly lonely search for a dance floor soulmate sound like the best Friday night ever. Of course, nobody’s alone at karaoke. Especially if you nail that third-act key change.

Easy on the vocal cords but heavy on the self-love, Lizzo’s ‘Juice’ is a proper girl’s night anthem. With its funk-pop feel and infectiously self-assured lyrics like ‘baby, I’m the whole damn meal’ and ‘I’m like Chardonnay, get better over time’ if you start off a little shy on the mic, this song will soon get the confidence oozing out of you. As the queen of self-empowerment, you’d be committing a personal offence against Lizzo if you don’t belt ‘Juice’ out with 11/10 effort. 

Sometimes you need to get in front of a group of strangers and make it clear that, no matter what challenges or misfortune the world throws in your path, you’re going to persevere. In those situations, you can’t go wrong with disco diva Gloria Gaynor’s iconic breakup anthem, which brought empowerment to the dance floor when the track debuted in 1978. Settle for ’90s alt-rockers Cake’s cover of this tune if you must, but Gaynor’s original version is infinitely more groovy.

Lurking behind the shimmery Nordic production of this megahit is a great soul ballad. The lyrics are famously nonsensical, owing to Swedish producer and songwriter Max Martin's tenuous grasp of English, but poetry's beside the point when you've got one of pop music's catchiest choruses. Kevin Richardson—BSB's ‘The Old One’ —perceptively nailed the song's appeal with his assessment: "There are a lot of songs out there that don't make sense, but make you feel good when you sing along to them, and that's one of them." Couldn't think of a better karaoke endorsement than that.

At this point, saying that this fist-pumping, heart-swelling arena rock anthem is a good karaoke jam is like pointing out that ‘Happy Birthday’ is an ideal song to sing on someone’s birthday. It’s so obvious - and overdone - it’s probably not even worth including on a list like this, lest it inspire yet another full-bar singalong for the 9,425,567th time. But that’s the whole point: karaoke is a communal experience, and no matter how hard your eyes may roll whenever you hear that melodramatic keyboard intro, by the time your faux Steve Perry reaches the part about ‘strangers waitin' up and down the boulevard’, you’ll have fully given in, along with everyone else in the pub. Really, it’s the song karaoke was made for. Believe that.

Let’s face it: There’s no way you can hit those high notes on the chorus, and no one—and we mean no one—has any idea what vocalist David Paich is carrying on about. But man, is that fake-tribal verse smooth, and man, is that chorus melody sweet. This is one of those karaoke songs that gets the whole room singing along or at the very least trying its best.

Still pining for your ex when friends drag you to karaoke night? There’s only one song for you. Save it for when you’re four drinks in and ready to make the crowd deeply uncomfortable. Don’t worry if you don’t have Adele’s vocal chops—the tears streaming down your face will distract everyone from the high notes you’re mangling.

As soon as this song’s iconic, Bo Diddley-inspired riff kicks in, you’ll have the karaoke crowd in the palm of your hands. Channelling the soulful vocal style of the late, great George Michael isn’t going to be easy, so make sure you throw everything into the climactic ‘baby!’. And if you want to shake your ass like GM in the video, hey, who is anyone to judge? 

Now that our patron saint of frilly-bloused, pan-erotic, disco-rock-sex-funk has sadly shuffled off this mortal coil, his signature slow jam can serve as much as tribute as a “let's-slow-things-down” showpiece in your karaoke rep. If it's not too lofty to put that pressure on what is—let's face it—a mostly frivolous activity, a karaoke run at ‘Purple Rain’  might even lift some spirits. Sung in a gracious middle key (Eb, as the preview screen helpfully reminds you) rather than Prince's frequent falsetto squeal, it should allow you to bare your soul without any embarrassing high-register mishaps.

A hip-hop-inflected cover of Roberta Flack’s interpretation of a ballad by ’70s singer-songwriter Lori Lieberman (inspired by her experience at concert headlined by ‘American Pike’ troubadour Don McLean), this hit by the Fugees works best as a karaoke song if you’ve got a whole lot of confidence or a killer set of pipes. Backed only by a sparse drum beat, you’ll be able to put your own spin on Lauryn Hill’s silky vocal melodies— and don’t be afraid to designate a hype man to take care of the ‘one time, two time’ asides or to help belt out the chorus.

Who are we to disagree with the power of one of Annie Lennox’s most prominent new wave anthems, written with musical partner Dave Stewart in the wake of the demise of their former band, The Tourists. There’s a decent chance that you already know the repetitive lyrics to this ’80s bop built around a pair of intersecting synthesizer riffs, so hold your head up and sing this karaoke song loud.

You can yawn all you like about how ‘they don’t make songs like this and that anymore’, but no one (and I mean no one) can deny that this 2020 release by Chappell Roan was an instant classic – up there with the greats. This tune has the campness of Elton John’s classics, the yearning of Whitney Houston, and even includes the literal intro from Gloria Gayner’s ‘I Will Survive’. Inevitably, it’s an absolute belter of a karaoke song too. Get yourself on stage, grab a pink cowgirl hat and give this tune all you’ve got – don’t trust anyone who doesn’t sing along.

There’s something about an Americana ode to blue-collar youth that makes for a surefire karaoke classic, and no one knows this better than the Boss. Released in 1975, this song was his first charting single, the one that laid the foundation for decades of battered blue jeans and working-class anthems. And all these years later, a well delivered ‘Tramps like us / Baby we were born to run’  will still slay a crowd. 

No karaoke outing is complete without a teary moment, and here's yours, courtesy of the 1961 classic ‘Stand by Me’ which has been covered more than 400 times (no, we're not including your karaoke version in that count). Written by Ben E. King with song gods Leiber and Stoller, the song has its roots in a gospel standard called ‘Lord Stand by Me’ and certainly its reach goes beyond regular pop romance—as evidenced by its inclusion in the 1986 right of passage movie Stand by Me. Watch, listen, sing, cry—oh, and enjoy.

The high pomp of opera and the gutter circumstance of rock & roll tangle memorably in Queen’s classic 1975 art-rock epic. No one can sing like Freddie Mercury, of course, but the motley nature of the song—which segues from plaintive ballad and quasiclassical choral harmonies to guitar-driven rebel yell—means that pretty much anything goes, from melodramatic group sing-along (‘Bismillah! No, we will not let you go!’ ‘Let him go!’) to Wayne’s World–style head-thrashing.

Sassy ladies (and hey, gents too), your moment has arrived! This sultry, defiant ’60s pop staple is among the crowning jewels of Sinatra's glittering collaborations with songwriter Lee Hazlewood and works best in performance when its singer is backed up by a troupe of go-go dancers. Bribe your friends.

Right off the bat, you get the chorus: ‘They tried to make me go to rehab!’ It’s fantastic when pop songs do that, no dillydallying, no buildup. The audience will know immediately what you are singing, and they will respond, ‘No, no, no!’ Of course, you must sing this karaoke song completely blitzed out of your mind. Sobriety is to this tune what satanists are to gospel. If you don't fall off the stage by that final ‘I won’t go,’ spilling into a cocktail table, ending the night in stains, you did it wrong.

The B-52s’ 1989 signature hit – sorry, ‘Rock Lobster’ – works fabulously at karaoke because it’s kind of an audience participation number. After you deliver Cindy Wilson’s classic ‘your what?’ line, the entire room can yell back: ‘Tin roof... rusted!’ But really, ‘Love Shack’ is so much fun to sing and listen to that the whole shack will be shimmying long before then. 

Every human should be able to recite at least one couplet from this 1990 global smash, do so without shame. Yes, the song is so stupid in so many ways, but it's also a stone-cold specimen of pristine pop. Theres that perfect bassline, swiped from ‘Under Pressure’ by Queen and David Bowie, Ice’s ludicrous braggadocio (‘Quick to the point to the point no fakin’ / Cookin’ MCs like a pound of bacon’) and, of course, that dance routine with those pants. Word to your mother.

Blending pop and country influences in the style of music greats like Dolly Parton, Shania Twain and even ABBA, this sugary sweet bop from Sabrina Carpenter will have you line-dancing and clapping your hands as you all sing along. Lines like, "Heartbreak is one thing, my ego's another / I beg you, don't embarrass me, motherfucker," will have an extra sting when you’re remembering all the exes that have slighted you. We're reassured that it can happen to someone like our gal Sabrina too.

Nearly every list of the best songs ever recorded has ‘Be My Baby’ somewhere near the top, and deservedly so. Ronnie Spector was rock & roll’s first bad girl, so pay your respects by putting this gem in the karaoke song queue. Phil Spector’s studio magic made the song a pop touchstone, but Ronnie’s spunky charm makes it a karaoke classic.

There are few requirements involved in performing the Beastie Boys’ brazen ode to youthful rebellion. You must be awake. You must be able to read. The barrier to entry is low for this karaoke song, making it one of your easiest and best options for some sophomoric fun. It’s also highly recommended to have a gaggle of friends on stage all yelling with you into one microphone. But really, in the spirit of the song, there are no rules. If someone tries to tell you otherwise, throw a pie in their face.

Just the sound of those opening piano chords is enough to send anyone with ears into a swoon, such is the singular beauty of this 1967 Goffin and King classic. The question is, do you have the pipes—or the chutzpah—to take it on? Aretha’s spine-tinglingly sung point here is that her man makes her feel like a red-blooded, musky, perfect-as-she-is woman, and she wants to bust open her heart to tell you this glorious truth. Sing it like a queen, or not at all.

Written by the Bee Gees, this chart-topping 1983 duet has become a karaoke staple. Even if your singing voice lacks even a trace of country grit, it’s a song you can’t really go wrong with, not least because everyone in the room will be singing along by the time you reach the chorus. Best performed in a cowboy hat with a hint of a line-dancing shuffle. 

If you’re looking for a bit of spice to heat up your karaoke game, look no further than ‘Livin’ la Vida Loca’. Arguably Ricky Martin’s most iconic hit, this smash rounded off the last millennium with a salsa-swirling bang. Lyrics of debauchery in “a funky cheap hotel” over an irresistible production of effervescent horns will even see your gran risk an injury to wiggle her hips on the dancefloor. An instant crowd-pleaser with an “upside, inside out” refrain that invites everyone to get involved, it wouldn’t surprise us if this will still be a firm karaoke fave until the next millennium turns up.

Sure, it’s a duet, but really you know who's wearing the pants (or at least, tiny underpants) here: This is Yoncé's joint, from its trap beats and shuddering subterranean bassline to the singer's febrile, sometimes cartoonish vocals (‘grainin’ on that wood’ ). Select this song for karaoke, and be prepared to go the distance with its delivery: not recommended for work parties. 

This Motown-inspired pop banger has more energy than a labrador puppy. That makes it a guaranteed karaoke crowd-pleaser even if music snobs might try to tell you it’s ‘a bit cheesy’. They’re wrong, obviously, and do not let his put you off. If you’re not much of a singer, just play Andrew to your singing partner’s George and deliver a Grammy-winning performance on air tambourine. 

The simple chord progression and the restrained vocals in the beginning of Clarkson’s 2004 hit make for one of the greatest buildups to a powerhouse chorus is pop music. Sing this in front of a room full of strangers and the whole lot will be scream-belting, ‘But since you’ve been gone, I can breathe for the first time!’ Don’t worry though—you’ll likely get your chance to shine solo again come the verses. 

‘Gunter glieben glauten globen!’ Huh? That’s Rock of Ages, you say? Look, all Def Leppard smashes are the same, sex-craved kaiju with kick drums like empty cargo ships and blue balls falsetto, glossed up in producer Mutt Lange’s Wall of Hairspray sound. You can gunter glieben glauten globen over any damn one you please. As you stand there onstage, looking around the bar for packets of sugar to dump on your head for dramatic effect, the heretofore unrealized inanity of the lyrics really sinks in. The song rhymes ‘tramp’ with ‘video vamp’. Who’s pouring sugar on whom, and what exactly is a ‘radar phone’? Shut off your brain and air guitar.

There are about 80 unique words in the lyrics to Pharrell’s feel-good smash, but it feels like about 10. Let’s be honest, when you pick this ditty, you’re looking for minimal effort and maximum crowd-pleasing. It’s the macarena for your mouth. It’s a fart joke as elevator disco. Have you whiffed Pharrell’s Comme des Garçons fragrance? It probably smells like pizza and naps. Wrap a heavy coat around your head, jump up there, clap and sing, ‘Because I’m happy!’ about 56 times. Walk off stage a lazy champion.

This synth-pop classic is nothing short of transcendent: an LGBTQ+ anthem, absolutely, but also a banger covered by ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ band Wheatus and memorably used in ‘Scrubs’. Few of us can hit Andy Bell’s skyscraping notes; few of us can resist trying to do so anyway. And yes, you do deserve ‘A Little Respect’ just for stepping up to the mike. 

‘Sweet Child o’ Mine,’ this iconic band’s only U.S. No. 1 single, is a 10-point routine for Axl Rose imitators. It starts with your nuts in a bunch, full-on banshee Axl, before letting you really chew into his Brit imitation and serious busker mode on ‘Where do we go now?’ bridge, which of course climaxes into a glass-shattering falsetto shriek. Place that order for lemon and honey tea beforehand.

If you’re pretty confident in your upper register, this shimmering disco classic is an excellent choice at karaoke. If you’re, well, a little less steady on those high notes, you can still make ‘Heart of Glass’ work for you. Just channel Debbie Harry’s quintessential NYC cool as best as you can before really letting rip on a bridge that no one can mess up: ‘Da-da-da, da-dum-da-dum-da, da-dum-da-da-da...’ 

This super slinky 1998 number was guaranteed to be a hit for its singers—pitched as an ‘answer song’ to MJ and Paul McCartney’s 1982 duet ‘The Girl Is Mine’, it played off the supposed rivalry between the two female R&B stars. But that’s beside the point when you hear the song, which still sounds crisper and cooler than an icicle at a club in an igloo—and guarantees any karaoke singer the opportunity to channel his or her belligerent feelings into the musical expression of eyebrows raised and arms folded: ‘I'm sorry that you seem to be confused.’ Snap.

The concept of giving your number to someone and having them actually call you was already extremely quaint when Canadian singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen released this infectious single in 2011, but that didn’t stop her rise to pop stardom. Assuming you can request this tune early enough in the evening (it’s a pretty popular karaoke song choice), you can remind folks that this song has a couple verses before they start screaming along to the refrain.

Can you twerk? Are you willing to try? If you answered no, please pass the mike to someone bolder or more inebriated. Covering Snoop’s ode to glutes is as much an embarrassing dance routine as a karaoke number: ‘Get low.’ ‘Scrub the ground.’ Pharrell’s beat, which sounds like bacon fat on a skillet and pulling lollipops out of a mouth, is equally lascivious. Best not to try this one out at the wedding party in front of the grand-in-laws. But among your friends? You're going home lucky. Or with wet pants.

If singing isn’t your strongest suit—but you’re fantastic at jumping around and getting everybody pumped—then fire up this early aughts favorite. Better plan ahead though if you want to match the tune in your best André ‘Ice Cold’ 3000 green get-up.

If you’ve got the pipes to pull this song off, you’re a karaoke legend. If not? Then you’re giving everyone a good laugh for the night. Either way, Miley Cyrus’ classic 'Wrecking Ball' will get you and your mates all up in your feels, potentially swinging from the ceiling (maybe even naked, who knows) as you wail along at the top of your lungs. And while it may be a song all about the devastating effect of a relationship falling apart, it’s in this setting – you being drunk in some light-up booth – that the song is best enjoyed.

There’s a cheap gimmick for scoring a pop hit: cursing in the chorus. The radio stations may have to bleep out the words, but we love belting out those f-bombs in cars and bars. It worked wonders for Cee Lo’s ‘Fuck You’ and Gwen Stefani’s ‘Hollaback Girl.’ Likewise, would Radiohead ever have been able to become Radiohead without that angsty refrain of ‘you’re so fucking special’ in 1994? Probably not. However, Jonny Greenwood’s radical guitar interjection—chunk-unk!—turned the power chord into expletive and proved these guys were smarter than the text.

My friendship group loves a bit of karaoke, and one of my favourite parts of our concerningly regular sessions in the booths at Rowan's is my inevitable duet with my equally mic-hogging bestie. From John Travolta and Olivia Newton John to Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, we’ve tackled plenty of iconic duets over the years. But our new go-to was cemented during the Brat summer of 2024, when Charli xcx and Lorde broke the internet with this strut-worthy ode to female friendship. Whether you’re secret frenemies or BFFs for life, there’s nothing better than working it out on the remix.

For an R&B song boasting amazing female vocalists (including, you know, Beyoncé), ‘Say My Name’ doesn’t require all that big a singing range. What it does need, however, is some pretty fast talking. To impress the rest of the bar, make sure you got the lyrics on lock—or maybe the support of your personal Kelly Rowland, Letoya Luckett and LaTavia Robertson.

That riff, a cross between a sitar and a revving dirt bike, is the most recognizable thing about the song. For such a ubiquitous hit, the lyrics continually surprise beyond the titular chorus. So much so that when Cat Power covered the tune in 2000, slicing off the refrain, it was a strange new poem about the anxiety of commercials and subliminal advertising. This from the first rock band to develop a brand logo, a pair of juicy red lips.

A viral TikTok hit that turned into an inescapable pop juggernaut, there aren’t many people who haven’t heard Lil Nas X’s infectious amalgamation of country tropes and hip-hop swagger. That makes 'Old Town Road' the ideal karaoke song for capturing the attention of the crowd, especially if you take the stage in a cowboy hat and Wranglers. Plus, there are so many different remixes of this track—featuring folks like Billy Ray Cyrus, Young Thug and members of South Korean boy band BTS—that you could probably sing multiple versions in a single night.