Have you been invited to a karaoke party and you haven’t a clue what to sing?
You’re in the right place.
Here’s a list of the best karaoke songs for men. Each of these songs is battle-tested and guaranteed to go down a storm.
Note, many of these songs are completely over-the-top soft rock and hair metal songs. Remember, good taste goes out the window you minute you step inside a karaoke joint!
Now go forth and rock!
Contents
- ‘Jump’ – Van Halen
- ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ – Lynyrd Skynyrd
- ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ – Bon Jovi
- ‘I Wanna Know What Love Is’ – Foreigner
- ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ – Queen
- ‘Winds of Change’ – Scorpions
- ‘Country Roads’ – John Denver
- ‘Sweet Caroline’ – Neil Diamond
- ‘Wonderwall’ – Oasis
- ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ – Guns N’ Roses
- ‘Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty
- ‘My Way’ – Frank Sinatra
- ‘A Boy Named Sue’ – Johnny Cash
- ‘Poison’ – Alice Cooper
- ‘Try A Little Tenderness’ – The Commitments
- ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ – The Rolling Stones
- ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’ – Def Leppard
- ‘Dancin’ in the Dark’ – Bruce Springsteen
- ‘Money for Nothing’ – Dire Straits
- ‘Twist and Shout’ – The Beatles
- ‘Summer Of 69’ – Bryan Adams
- ‘Enter Sandman’ – Metallica
- ‘Dead Ringer for Love’ – Meat Loaf and Cher
- ‘Final Countdown’ – Europe
‘Jump’ – Van Halen
The moment that ’80s synthesizer starts you know you’re in the presence of pure karaoke gold. The lyrics are nice and simple too, “I get up, and nothing gets me down.”
‘Sweet Home Alabama’ – Lynyrd Skynyrd
The classic ‘I’m coming home song‘ by Lynyrd Skynyrd is another sure bet. You won’t win any originality awards with it, but if you want to stay in ‘safe territory’ with a tune that’s easy to sing, try this.
Related: for more country tunes to sing, see our list of best country karaoke songs.
‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ – Bon Jovi
This song is built for the karaoke bar. The bit between the verse and the chorus (the ‘middle eight’ for you musos) builds tension, so when you get to the chorus, it sounds immense!
Related: see our playlist of songs about being broke.
‘I Wanna Know What Love Is’ – Foreigner
For a decent karaoke session, you need to mix up the faster and slower songs. This song about new love from Foreigner is an absolute cracker – the verses build up beautifully to a euphoric chorus that will get everyone holding their lighters in the air (err, mobile phones with torches on, then.)
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ – Queen
This song isn’t for the faint-hearted. I don’t recommend it if a) this is your first time singing karaoke, b) you don’t the song inside out, and c) you suck at singing :-)).
If you’re good with all those three points, then go for it and make Freddy proud!
‘Winds of Change’ – Scorpions
A great karaoke song is one with a great chorus, and this one has it in spades. It’s the perfect ‘changes song‘, and boy have we had a lot of change recently!
The intro also includes some whistling, so if you’re any good at that then definitely try it.
‘Country Roads’ – John Denver
Here’s one of a handful of easy songs to sing that even the person with the most lackluster of vocal skills should be ok with. Everyone knows it, everyone loves it, so you’re in safe hands.
‘Sweet Caroline’ – Neil Diamond
If there’s one song that is guaranteed to bring the audience to their knees, it’s this Neil Diamond classic – one of the most popular karaoke songs ever. If it’s that time of the night when a group song is required – which is usually in the later stages in the evening – then you can’t go wrong with this one.
‘Wonderwall’ – Oasis
Wonderwall was recently voted the best karaoke song for British dads (yes, there are awards for such things). So it has to go on any karaoke playlist for men.
The good news is, It’s easy to sing too, so you won’t need any vocal gymnastics to pull it off.
‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ – Guns N’ Roses
Now for one of the best rock karaoke songs in history. But beware. Before you step up to the mic, make sure you have the vocal range to manage it. Axle Rose’s high vocals might be a bit of a stretch.
‘Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty
I think it’s clinically impossible to dislike this freedom song. Put that down to ELO’s Jeff Lynne’s deft touch on the mixing desk, or Petty’s boyish charm, who knows. You’ll have to hold the note in the chorus (“I’m freeeeeee”,) so make sure your vocal skills are up to the task.
‘My Way’ – Frank Sinatra
This iconic song about being yourself and dealing with the consequences is one of the most famous songs of all time.
‘A Boy Named Sue’ – Johnny Cash
If you want to add some humor to proceedings, try this one from Johnny Cash. It’s the account of a guy called ‘Sue’ who wants to get his own back on his dad who gave him a girl’s name. Only try it if you’re familiar with the song. If you know it, I salute you. You have good taste :-))
Buried beneath this novelty song is a lesson about life: hardship makes us tougher.
‘Poison’ – Alice Cooper
If you check out our list of karaoke songs for women, you’ll see there are tons of scornful songs about men. To balance things out, here’s a song from Alice Cooper that compares a woman he’s been seeing as “poison”!
‘Try A Little Tenderness’ – The Commitments
Some soul always goes down a treat. This version from the movie The Commitments is a very fine cover (almost as good as the Otis Redding one). The song starts slowly and builds up to an incredible finale.
If you have the vocal chops to pull it off – and can get anywhere close to Andrew Strong’s voice – you’ll bring the house down. Guaranteed.
‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ – The Rolling Stones
Here’s one of the top karaoke songs of all time. If you’re feeling frustrated and fancy having a good old moan, this one is for you. Extra points if you bust some Jagger-like moves while you sing it.
‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’ – Def Leppard
What would a karaoke night be without a touch of glam rock from hair metal band Def Leppard? In this food song, the lead singer wants us to pour some sugar on him like he’s a sort of pastry or currant bun.
‘Dancin’ in the Dark’ – Bruce Springsteen
From the opening couple of bars, this nocturnal song from The Boss will get people tapping their feet. Pair it with ‘Born in the USA’ for a Bruce Springsteen blue-collar love-fest.
‘Money for Nothing’ – Dire Straits
You know when you work your guts off, and you see someone getting an easy ride. That’s how singer Mark Knopfler feels when he sees these young pretenders on MTV who’ve never done a hard day’s work in their lives.
‘Twist and Shout’ – The Beatles
This classic Beatles’ song sounds as fresh today as it did when it was released in 1963. If you’re a fan of the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (in which it makes an appearance), you’ll love it even more. Whack this on your karaoke machine and get singing!
‘Summer Of 69’ – Bryan Adams
We’ve included loads of rock karaoke songs on the list so far, and ‘Summer of 69’ needs a mention too. In this nostalgic song, Adams remembers the time he got his first real six-string.
‘Enter Sandman’ – Metallica
There aren’t too many metal karaoke songs you can wheel out at a karaoke session (depending on your friends, of course.) Metallica is one of the safe options though, and this song is a fine choice.
‘Dead Ringer for Love’ – Meat Loaf and Cher
Meat Loaf and pop diva joined forces for one of the best duet karaoke songs ever made. It’s a great duet that’s almost clinically impossible not to tap your foot to. See if you can resist. Bet you can’t, and neither will your homies.
‘Final Countdown’ – Europe
Would any self-respecting list of men’s karaoke songs be complete without The Final Countdown? I don’t think so, so here it is – silly hairstyles and all.
