If there is such a thing as an obscure Beatles song it would be "I'm Only Sleeping" This great song from Revolver is up there among my favorite Beatles songs. I always look for those Beatles songs that I've never seen in karaoke form. I was so happy to see this one. When it was my turn I was bummed by the fact it was the same company as the Rolling Stones song from last week. So, I'm not hearing the right sounds to clue in on when the vocals kick in, there was no background vocals and the words were highlighting at the wrong moments. So I considered my effort a flop, but some of the crowd liked it.
Since the song came out in 1966, I wasn't able to get footage of the Beatles performing the song. I don't like the homemade videos people make so I settled on a Beatles cartoon short from the 60's. The cartoon is typical low budget flash in the pan animation typical of 60's television animation. The cartoon is rudimentary until the song kicks in at the two minute mark. Then it's not so bad
Back in Seattle, many guys like to sing David Lee Roth's version of "Just a Gigolo". It was a crowd pleaser and I thought I'd give a Jersey roll. I've done it well many a time...
...back in Seattle.
I flubbed through the words once again but I didn't have a bad CD to blame it on. I got a case of stage fright. I was shy and had no confidence. I finished the song in disgust. I usually like to do a "safe" song after I flop. My voice was fine but still...
Anyway, the video for the song is a well worn classic from when MTV was the dog. It's a great over the top video. full of humor, blunt satire, and uproarious fun. It aged well because it was played as a joke to begin with. Enjoy the video, I'm sure it'll bring back memories.
So, I want to play it safe, right? For me that's Rolling Stones time. So I thought "Sympathy For The Devil". This was risky because I didn't know which version Karaoke Steve had. Also, no one had done the Karaoke Killer songs, the long tedious songs that someone usually thinks they do well but don't. These include, "American Pie", "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" and "Rapper's Delight".
So I chose "Shattered". It's a song from 1978 about how New York was falling apart in itself. It's got a great guitar riff but the vocals are tricky. It's not a typically structured song. Once again I flubbed the words, at this point I begin to wonder if I was drunk after only two beers or I was having a stroke. It's also too obscure for the early 20's crowd. They may know the obscure one hit wonder songs but a song from a well known group from an atypical time period will not get a good response.
The first time I heard the song was when I was watching an SNL repeat from 1978. I HATED it. Soon I would love it. Anyway, NBC are very strict about the YouTube universe so I had to settle for footage from their bloated 1982 American tour. What the hell is Mick Jagger wearing? Despite the fact it was the early 80's, it smacks of typical 80's.
Now if I had only one negative personality trait (yeah, right) it is my stubborness. Mules look at me and say "Dude, Let go already" I was going to give it one more try. I figured I'd do "Nights On Broadway" by the Bee Gees. It's one of only three Bee Gees songs I do. The others are "Jive Talking" and "How Deep Is Your Love?" It's a challenging song I do pretty well. It was late though, most people were leaving at this point so the fact I did okay didn't matter.
The footage I have is from 1979, right before the point of their collapse. It's like the moment before climax during sex. The song was from 1975 but I prefer this footage. The crowd is in it. I didn't know Robin sang the "Well, I had to follow you" part. I guess I would have known that if I hadn't turn the channel from SNL whenever Jimmy Fallon appeared in a skit. I like it it reminds me of the days I actually liked going to the mall.
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