Funny Karaoke Songs: 36 Picks for People Who Can't Sing

Every pick below works at a real bar karaoke night: the crowd knows it, the joke lands on its own, and most of them don't ask much of your voice. Some are talk-sung or shouted, some are over-the-top ballads that are funny because they're hard, and a few are built for two. Start with the table, then scroll down for why each one works and where it can trip you up.

These get a reaction before you've sung a note. The crowd recognizes the intro, knows exactly what's coming, and is already on your side.

• "Total Eclipse of the Heart" — Bonnie Tyler — The joke is playing it completely straight, full power-ballad face, dramatic hand on the chest. The chorus is a big raspy belt, but the crowd will happily shout the little call-backs in the verses for you. The album cut runs seven minutes; most karaoke tracks follow the 4:30 single edit.
• "My Heart Will Go On" — Celine Dion — Genuinely hard to sing well, which is exactly why it's funny to try. The key change near the end is the moment everyone's waiting for, so save everything you've got for it and lean into the arms-wide ship-bow pose. Works best from someone the room knows isn't a diva.
• "What's Up?" — 4 Non Blondes — The verses sit low and easy, then the chorus asks for one enormous held shout that the entire bar will join in on. It's funny because nobody can actually hit it cleanly, so nobody minds when you don't either.
• "Never Gonna Give You Up" — Rick Astley — Put it in under a fake song name if your KJ will play along and let the room realize they've been rickrolled. Astley's voice is deep and smooth, so it sits nicely for baritones, and the chorus is pure muscle memory for anyone online in the last 15 years.
• "Stacy's Mom" — Fountains of Wayne — A short, bouncy power-pop song with a tiny range and a premise that does all the comedy for you. The crowd sings the title every time it comes around, and it's over before you get nervous. One of the best funny picks for guys who don't think they can sing.
• "Achy Breaky Heart" — Billy Ray Cyrus — Barely moves melodically and the chorus is basically a chant. Bonus points for a mullet wig or a flannel tied around your waist. In a country bar you'll get an actual line dance going in front of the stage.
• "Ice Ice Baby" — Vanilla Ice — Everybody knows the bassline and the first few lines, and after that most people are bluffing, which is half the fun. The rap is steady and not too fast, so practice the second verse once at home and you'll look like a pro. Sunglasses indoors are mandatory.
• "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" — R.E.M. — The verses are a breathless wall of words that almost nobody gets through cleanly, and watching someone try is its own spectator sport. The chorus is easy and the whole bar comes in on it, so you get a rescue every minute or so.
• "Rock Lobster" — The B-52's — A surf-rock dance party where the lead is half-shouted and the back half is a list of sea creatures, each with its own ridiculous shriek. The screams are the hard part and the funny part at the same time, so split them among your friends. The album version is nearly seven minutes, so check whether your KJ has the shorter single edit.

No range needed. These are talk-sung, chanted or shouted, and the crowd carries the chorus. If you've ever said "I can't sing," start here.

• "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" — The Proclaimers — It's closer to shouting in rhythm than singing, and the wordless bits are just syllables the whole room bellows along to. Try a Scottish accent if you dare. Bring a friend and split the lines.
• "Tubthumping" — Chumbawamba — One chant, repeated, with the whole room joining on the comeback line every time. The spoken drinking-list bits in the verses are there to be hammed up. Perfect for a table of friends who want to go up together.
• "Mickey" — Toni Basil — It's a cheerleading chant set to music, so clapping and pom-pom energy matter more than pitch. The spelled-out opening gets a roar every time. A great bachelorette or birthday pick.
• "Loser" — Beck — The verses are a deadpan, mumbled rap and the chorus is two short phrases, so there's nothing to hit. The trick is the slacker delivery; the more bored you sound, the funnier it lands. Good pick for low voices.
• "We Didn't Start the Fire" — Billy Joel — Almost all of it is a rapid, near-monotone list of names and events, so pitch barely matters. Keeping up is the hard part, and people cheer when you nail a tricky stretch. Everyone joins the chorus.
• "Y.M.C.A." — Village People — You don't really have to sing the chorus, you just have to start the arm letters and the room takes over. The verses are simple and repetitive. Hard to find a safer bet at a wedding, office party or birthday.
• "Wild Thing" — Tone Lōc — A slow, laid-back rap in a gravelly low register, so you can basically talk it in your deepest voice. The story verses are funny on their own. Great for guys who want a rap that doesn't need speed.
• "Who Let the Dogs Out" — Baha Men — The hook is five words and a bark, and you won't be doing the barking alone. The verses are quick but nobody expects you to know them. Great for sports bars and anyone who's never held a mic before.
• "Yakety Yak" — The Coasters — Under two minutes of a parent nagging a teenager about chores, with a deep-voiced comeback line that's the whole joke. The melody is tiny and it's more acted than sung. Give the comeback to the lowest voice in your group and let everyone else chime in.

Want more picks that are easy on the voice but aren't played for laughs? My list of easy karaoke songs covers the safest songs for first-timers and nervous singers.

Two people means half the pressure and twice the bit. Parts are noted in each write-up so you can decide who's who before you're up.

• "Barbie Girl" — Aqua — Male–female, and a playful one. One of you takes the squeaky, high doll voice and the other takes the low, goofy spoken lines. The high part is the only tricky thing, and swapping who plays which is a great way to get a laugh.
• "Love Shack" — The B-52's — Male–female, or a whole group. It's a party song where one voice mostly talk-sings and the women's harmonies trade lines. Volume and enthusiasm count for more than pitch, and the famous shouted line near the end is a guaranteed cheer.
• "Summer Nights" — John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John — Male–female, each telling a very different version of the same summer fling, with your friends playing the backup chorus. The comedy is in the gap between the two stories. The final high note at the end is optional and very funny to attempt.
• "Shallow" — Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper — Male–female. His verse is low and simple, then her part climbs to the famous wordless wail that everyone knows and nobody can do. Play it as sincere as possible and the room will lose it at the big moment either way.
• "Endless Love" — Diana Ross & Lionel Richie — Male–female, and perfect for two friends performing a ridiculously sincere love song at each other. Slow tempo, lots of breathing room, and the melodramatic staring contest does the comedy. Works well for a bachelor or bachelorette party.
• "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" — Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes — Male–female. He starts very low, she takes the brighter lines, and the chorus builds to the Dirty Dancing climax. Everyone waits for the lift, so decide in advance whether you're attempting it (please be careful near the speakers).
• "Tribute" — Tenacious D — Two guys, a spoken story and a rock epic paying tribute to a legendary song they can't remember. The talky intro is easy, but the rock sections climb high and get loud, so the stronger singer should take the big lines. Play the whole thing like it's a sacred mission and the bar will be on its feet.
• "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" — Elton John & Kiki Dee — Male–female, and relentlessly cheerful. The lines bounce back and forth so fast that the comedy is in the sugary 70s TV-special mugging at each other. Nothing in it is hard to sing, which leaves you free to ham it up.
• "Somethin' Stupid" — Frank Sinatra & Nancy Sinatra — A slow, murmured love song sung almost entirely in harmony, and famously recorded by a father and daughter, which is the joke. Grab a friend, keep it very sincere and very awkward, and the room gets it. It's short, low and gentle on both voices.

If you'd rather sing a duet that's fun without being a gag, there's a whole list of duet karaoke songs, split by pairing.

Songs that were jokes, or were written with a wink, from the start. The comedy is built in, so all you have to do is deliver it.

• "I'm Too Sexy" — Right Said Fred — A novelty hit that's spoken more than sung, in a deadpan low voice, and it's under three minutes. The runway walk is the whole act. Walk it up and down in front of the stage and you'll get the biggest laugh of the night.
• "Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of...)" — Lou Bega — The verses rattle through a list of names fast enough to trip you up, but the swinging chorus and horn breaks give you time to recover. Swap in the names of people at your table and they'll scream every time.
• "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" — The Offspring — A punk song that makes fun of wannabe tough guys, so an exaggerated swagger fits perfectly. Everyone does the gibberish count-in and the chanted hooks, and the verses are mostly shouted. Short and fast, so it's over before the energy dips.
• "Baby Got Back" — Sir Mix-a-Lot — A tongue-in-cheek rap where the spoken, snooty intro alone gets a cheer, which makes it a fun one to give to a friend. The rap is steady rather than fast, and it's funnier coming from someone who looks like they'd never listen to it.
• "White & Nerdy" — "Weird Al" Yankovic — A fast, dense rap packed with nerd references, and every tongue-twister line you land gets a cheer. The chorus is easy, but the verses are the real test, so practice at home. Best for someone who can actually rap and doesn't mind looking like a dork doing it.
• "Eat It" — "Weird Al" Yankovic — The Beat It parody, so the crowd recognizes the riff and then realizes it's about finishing your dinner. The verses are quick and a little high, but the chorus is short and easy to shout. The more serious your Michael Jackson moves, the harder it lands.
• "Monster Mash" — Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers — It's basically a spooky story told in a horror-movie voice, so pitch barely matters. Your best Boris Karloff impression carries the whole thing. An automatic pick for any Halloween karaoke night.
• "The Purple People Eater" — Sheb Wooley — A goofy, two-minute monster song with a sped-up creature voice and a chorus everyone remembers. The melody is simple and repeats, so it's hard to get lost. Do the creature voice yourself and you've got the room.
• "The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)" — Ylvis — The verses are a sweet, breathy pop song, then the chorus is pure nonsense animal noises that everyone yells along to. The soft, high verses are the tricky bit, and the gibberish is the fun bit. Bring a crew so nobody has to do the fox sounds alone.

Funny karaoke songs for guys

A lot of guys go funny because they don't trust their voice, and that's a smart move. The picks that work best for most men sit low and lean on attitude: "I'm Too Sexy" is spoken in a deadpan low voice, "Wild Thing" is a slow gravelly rap, "Loser" is mumbled on purpose, and "Stacy's Mom" barely moves. "Ice Ice Baby" and "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" are the ones to pick if you want to show off a little, and "Tribute" is the move if you and a buddy want to go full rock opera. For songs that suit a lower voice without the joke, see the best karaoke songs for men.

A funny song only works if you mean it. The same song can kill or die depending on how you deliver it, so here's what I've seen work over and over:

1. Never apologize. Don't say "sorry, I can't sing" into the mic before you start. The crowd takes its cue from you, and if you act like it's going to be bad, they'll believe you. Act like it's going to be legendary.
2. Play it straight. The funniest version of a power ballad is the completely sincere one. Close your eyes on the big notes, point at someone in the crowd, do the slow key-change fist. Winking at the audience kills the joke.
3. Use the whole stage. Walk, pose, kneel, serenade the bartender. Movement covers a lot of shaky notes, and people remember the runway walk long after they've forgotten the pitch.
4. Know the first verse cold. Most people only know the chorus. If you can nail the opening lines without looking at the screen, you look like you've got this, and that confidence carries you through the parts you're bluffing.
5. Let the crowd help. Point the mic at the room on the chorus. Songs like "500 Miles," "Y.M.C.A." and "Tubthumping" are basically shared property, so hand them over.
6. Pick a partner who's in on it. For a funny duet, agree on who plays what before you go up. The best duets are the ones where both people are fully committed to the characters.
7. Keep it short when you can. Jokes wear thin. If a song runs long, ask your KJ whether the track is a shorter edit, or pick one of the under-four-minute songs from the table.
8. Read the room. A bit that crushes at a birthday might not land at a quiet Tuesday night with regulars waiting to sing. Save the rickroll and the big novelty numbers for when the bar is loud, and brush up on karaoke etiquette before you try to prank the KJ.

Singing in December? Holiday nights have their own set of silly classics. Check out my Christmas karaoke songs for the funny and novelty picks.

Looking for more than laughs? Head to my big list of the Best Karaoke Songs for picks in every style, or go straight to easy karaoke songs if you just want something safe.

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