feature image photo by jacoblund via Getty Images
Last year, I found myself in New York for a week for work and realized that famed lesbian bar Ginger’s was hosting their bi-weekly karaoke night while I was there. Kismet! I went knowing no one and sang “You & I” by Lady Gaga (I do not have the chops for this). It was truly one of the most fun karaoke events I’ve ever been to, largely because it gave me so much inspiration for future karaokes.
I am always on the hunt for the perfect karaoke song: one that gets the crowd singing along, one that is more about showing emotion than showing off vocal range (or happens to sit really comfortably in what my voice can do, I am not a high-pitched gal!), and (preferably) one that I can make gay! Over the years, I’ve accrued a small list of songs that I think hold extra special power when a queer gal sings them, either because we bring a different swagger, different emotion, or frankly just a different vibe to the whole thing.
“Let Me Love You” – Mario
Okay so let me start by saying, I think that 90s/2000s R&B is a perfect genre for karaoke, and maybe that’s just because it’s what I’ve listened to most in my life. This song is great when Mario sings it, but also something about a man telling a woman how silly she is for letting another man ruin her life…pass! Unfortunately, though, it does encapsulate the feelings that a young queer might feel about their straight best friend whose straight boyfriend didn’t bother to acknowledge Valentine’s Day this year, or any number of similar experiences.
“Burn” – Usher
Another R&B classique, because look who else is holding on to relationships for too long in the way that we queers are? Who else “got somebody here but I want you” the way we do? I know it’s a stereotype but hey, those don’t get invented out of thin air.
“Teenage Dirtbag” – Wheatus
I mean, Mary Lambert has soundly proven that this song can be incredibly moving when sung by a woman. I just think…songs about a woman not noticing a man…fine! A lot of the pop music canon! But those same songs about a woman not noticing a queer woman? Transcendent! Art! And when the narrative of this story shifts so that Noel gets to ask out the narrator? Not gonna lie, I’ve choked myself up while singing this one.
“Jessie’s Girl” – Rick Springfield
Really really similar to “Teenage Dirtbag” just for theme reasons, but more fun and upbeat, plus the added twist of wanting to date a friend’s partner, echoing the tiny queer dating scene we all know and love.
“Pony” – Ginuwine
Come on. A lesbian singing “Pony”? This is a real commitment of a song, because the lyrics are DIRTY but if you have the confidence (and the optional dance moves, I’m imagining a lot of body rolls and crotch grabs) this is guaranteed to grab a crowd’s attention.
“I Could Go the Distance” – from Hercules
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62qtrR2eCu4
Okay okay, let’s shift the vibe. Maybe you’re at a musical theater themed karaoke, or more of a piano bar situation? Disney classics are a solid go-to, and this one, about a kid who feels different from everyone around him and is willing to leave the comfortable life he’s known to finally find where he really fits will really move the crowd, and maybe you!
“Love Story” – Taylor Swift
Let’s be real. One thing about lesbian karaoke songs is not wanting to change the pronouns! I don’t want to have to sing about men who have broken my heart when that’s literally never happened. Enter, Taylor Swift. I won’t digress into Gaylor theories here, but for our purposes of a karaoke song: so, so much of her music is genderless (addressed to “you”) or from a male perspective (see: “Betty”). “Love Story” is a great one because everyone knows it, and though it does have the one “he kneels to the ground” line at the end, in my head that line is spinning a queer fairytale to fit a narrative that we’re expected to follow. Think about it: if you’re singing this song heterosexually and it’s about a heterosexual man, why the need to explain exactly who will be the prince and who will be the princess?
If you have a favorite, especially gay karaoke song: drop it in the comments! Let’s help each other expand our repertoires.
