Friday, April 25, 2025

Regrets, I've Had A Few

 Karaoke.

This is my solution to the woes of the world. Since the 1970's singing along with a pre-recorded music track has been keeping human beings safe and happy for more than half a century. My own experiences with this quasi-art form have been nothing but joyful. 

But - 

Have you ever heard of any trouble brewing as a result of folks getting together to warble along with pop hits of today and yesterday? 

Well, I have. 

In the Philippines, where many believe Karaoke found its roots, there are a great many stories about how one particular song has caused all sorts of chaos. Back in 1998, a string of incidents connected to the song "My Way" occurred in that corner of Southeast Asia, culminating in the shooting death of one very sad crooner who lost his way and the tune and was summarily killed by a bouncer at the establishment.  A few years later, an alleged drug kingpin was gunned down during his performance of the Frank Sinatra standard. This one might have had more to do with the drug thing than the choice of song, but we can't rule it out. 

In 2018, just as he was about to launch into his version, a man was stabbed to death by his neighbor. This lead to the ongoing belief that "My Way" should be excised from the song list of any and all Karaoke bars and portable machines. The furor was so great that Japanese rock band Kishidan released an up-tempo version of the ditty as a single, with the accompanying video featuring the lead singer being shot numerous times. 

Get it?

Maybe it's the mobster/Sinatra affiliation. Or maybe it's Sid Vicious' fault. Before his death in 1979, Sid recorded a "solo" version of the chestnut originally written by Paul Anka. At the end of his version, Sid pulls a gun out of his white dinner jacket and begins shooting into the crowd. This would pre-date the incidents in the Philippines by a couple decades. The lesson here might be that if you're somewhere and somebody breaks into song, "And now, the end is near..." Duck. Or shoot back. 

So maybe Karaoke isn't the best plan for world peace.  


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