Classic Karaoke Songs: 41 Picks From 50s Oldies to Motown

Old songs are great at karaoke for a simple reason: they're short, the melodies are clear, and the crowd has heard them a thousand times. The table shows the difficulty and length of each pick, and below it I explain where the tricky part is and who each one suits.

The karaoke oldies songs that work on every crowd, from college kids to your aunt. They're short, the melodies are simple, and everybody knows them.

• "Johnny B. Goode" — Chuck Berry — The verses pack in a lot of words at a quick clip, so the hard part is keeping up, not hitting notes. The chorus is a simple shout the whole bar joins. Air guitar is encouraged.
• "Great Balls of Fire" — Jerry Lee Lewis — Under two minutes and more about attitude than pitch. You can half-talk most of it and the crowd loves the hiccupy delivery. Perfect if you want to be on and off the stage fast.
• "Hound Dog" — Elvis Presley — A growly, low blues that barely moves around. It's all swagger, so lean into the Elvis impression. Great for guys who don't think they can sing.
• "Stand by Me" — Ben E. King — A slow, steady melody in a comfortable spot for almost anyone. The whole room hums the bass line and joins the chorus. One of the safest picks in the book.
• "Crazy" — Patsy Cline — It looks simple, but the phrasing is slow and exposed, so every note counts. The big swell in the last verse is where people get goosebumps. Great for a rich lower female voice.
• "Twist and Shout" — The Beatles — Call-and-response the whole way, so the room basically sings backup for you. The rising build before the last chorus is the fun part. It's raspy on purpose, so don't worry about sounding pretty.
• "Brown Eyed Girl" — Van Morrison — Breezy and mid-range with a wordless hook that everybody joins. It never asks for a big note. A perfect warm-up song for a bar crowd.
• "Sweet Caroline" — Neil Diamond — The crowd shouts the horn stabs back at you, and that's the whole show. It sits low and relaxed for most voices. Save it for when the bar is full.
• "Respect" — Aretha Franklin — Short, but Aretha belts it with real power and runs, and people know exactly how it's supposed to sound. The spelled-out bridge gets a cheer every time. Go for it only if you've got the pipes.
• "Build Me Up Buttercup" — The Foundations — Bouncy, happy and in a friendly range. The chorus comes around a lot, so the room picks it up fast. Everybody smiles during this one.

Disco, piano pop and soft rock, the decade that basically invented karaoke fodder. These 70s karaoke songs are all over every karaoke book.

• "Dancing Queen" — ABBA — The chorus climbs higher than people remember, so start relaxed. Once it hits, the whole room sings and dances along. Great for groups of friends.
• "I Will Survive" — Gloria Gaynor — Starts slow and spoken, then kicks into disco. The range is manageable but the energy never lets up. Everyone knows the chorus, so you'll have a room full of backup singers.
• "Piano Man" — Billy Joel — Long, but mostly story-telling in a comfortable range. The chorus is a sway-along that turns the whole bar into a choir. The classic last song of the night.
• "Go Your Own Way" — Fleetwood Mac — The verses are simple, but the chorus pushes higher with a lot of attitude. Breakup energy makes it land. It works for any voice that can belt a little.
• "Crocodile Rock" — Elton John — Upbeat 50s throwback with a falsetto hook that the room loves to wail along to. The verses sit easy. Just have fun with the high part.
• "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" — Elton John & Kiki Dee — The call-and-response duet, with clear lines for each singer and nothing too high. It's all about the back-and-forth energy. More duets in our full duet list.
• "Take Me Home, Country Roads" — John Denver — Gentle, mid-range and famous for turning every bar into a choir. The chorus is easy to join even for people who never sing. Great first pick for nervous friends.
• "Y.M.C.A." — Village People — The dance is the whole point, and the room will do it with you. Vocals are shouty and simple. Guaranteed at every wedding, birthday and office party.
• "Summer Nights" — John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John — A back-and-forth duet with the crowd playing the chorus. The last note goes high for both singers, so decide ahead who's going for it. Grease fans will cheer.

Want a partner for Elton and Kiki or Danny and Sandy? Here are the best duet karaoke songs.

Karaoke classic rock songs are some of the loudest singalongs you'll ever see. Some are easy, some are real workouts, so check the difficulty first.

• "Bohemian Rhapsody" — Queen — Nearly six minutes of ballad, opera and rock, with big range jumps. It's better with friends, since the room will happily do the operatic middle part. A karaoke legend.
• "Sweet Home Alabama" — Lynyrd Skynyrd — Mostly talky verses in a comfortable range, and everyone yells the chorus. That guitar riff alone gets people on their feet. A good pick for lower voices.
• "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling Stones — Mick keeps it low and snarly, with barely any range. It's all attitude and a strut. Great for someone who can't really sing but can sell it.
• "Hotel California" — Eagles — Long with a big guitar outro, so it's a commitment. The melody is moderate, but the verses have a lot of story to get through. The crowd knows every word of the chorus.
• "Don't Stop Believin'" — Journey — Steve Perry sings high, so the verses are tougher than people think. But the chorus is the loudest singalong in any bar, so you'll have help. Technically 1981, but it's classic rock in every karaoke book.
• "You Shook Me All Night Long" — AC/DC — The gritty, high rasp is hard to copy, so don't try to. Just shout it with energy and the crowd will take the chorus. A bar favorite.
• "Barracuda" — Heart — Ann Wilson's vocals are fierce and high, with long held notes. It's a real test for strong female rock voices. Nail it and the room goes wild.
• "Born to Run" — Bruce Springsteen — A wall of sound that you have to sing over with a lot of stamina. The range is moderate, but you're pushing the whole time. Great for a Springsteen fan with a big voice.

Smooth, swinging standards for the smoother voice. These are the ones for when you want to take it down a notch and just sound cool.

• "Fly Me to the Moon" — Frank Sinatra — A short swing tune in a relaxed range. The trick is the laid-back phrasing, not the notes. Great if you want to sound classy without trying too hard.
• "My Way" — Frank Sinatra — Starts quiet and builds to a big, held ending. It's a slow burn, so pace yourself. The room tends to go silent and then cheer.
• "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" — Frankie Valli — The verses are gentle, then the horns kick in and the chorus becomes a group shout. The high bits are optional since the crowd takes over. A favorite at weddings.
• "That's Amore" — Dean Martin — Silly, warm and low, with a waltz sway. Put on your best Dean Martin voice and have fun. It's pretty much impossible to mess up.
• "Beyond the Sea" — Bobby Darin — A swinging tune with a lot of lyrics, so the challenge is the rhythm. Hit the swing and it sounds great. Good for someone who likes a bit of showmanship.
• "What a Wonderful World" — Louis Armstrong — Short, slow and low. Nobody expects you to sound like Satchmo, so a warm, gravelly voice is perfect. A sweet moment in a loud bar.
• "Can't Help Falling in Love" — Elvis Presley — A slow, simple melody in a comfortable range. It's romantic, so it works well for a dedication. The room usually sways along.

Lots of these sit low, so they're great for deeper voices. For more, see the best karaoke songs for men.

Detroit hits built for singing along. For more soul and R&B, see our R&B list linked below.

• "My Girl" — The Temptations — Sweet, mid-range and instantly recognizable from the first bass notes. The room will sing the backing parts for you. A safe, happy pick.
• "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" — Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell — A joyful duet with clear parts for two singers. The build to the chorus asks for some power, but it's short. Great for friends or couples.
• "Stop! In the Name of Love" — The Supremes — The hand gesture is mandatory. The melody is easy and sits in the middle, so a group of friends can do it together. Instant crowd fun.
• "I Want You Back" — The Jackson 5 — Young Michael sings it high and quick, so most adults find it a stretch. Still, the energy is so infectious that the crowd forgives anything. Best as a group.
• "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" — Stevie Wonder — Upbeat and joyful, with a chorus that's easy to join. Stevie's ad-libs are the hard part, so skip them if you need to. It lifts the mood in any room.
• "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" — Marvin Gaye — Moody and smooth, with Marvin pushing into a higher, strained sound. It's more about feeling than precision. A good pick for a soulful voice.
• "Dancing in the Street" — Martha and the Vandellas — A party song that needs a strong, punchy voice. The chorus is a simple call to the room, so you'll get help. Great to get people dancing.

Want more soul? Check out the best R&B karaoke songs. And if you'd rather skip ahead a few decades, try the best 90s karaoke songs or the newer pop karaoke songs.

Looking for more? Start with the Best Karaoke Songs guide, or grab some easy karaoke songs if it's your first time up.

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