A few years ago, I strolled into my favorite karaoke bar one Saturday night, thrilled to finally be there after a few weeks off. (Don't you hate it when life gets in the way of karaoke?) I pulled out a song slip and wrote down my favorite, "signature" song, the one everyone expected me to sing--Extreme's "More Than Words."
A few minutes later, one of my karaoke buddies came in. She sat by me, and we chatted while she filled out a slip. As the luck of the rotation would have it, my friend got called up to the stage first. I cheered and clapped for her, then shot Pepsi several feet out my nose when I realized she was singing "More Than Words."
When my friend came back to the table, I asked, "Um, sweetie, since when do you sing that song?"
"Oh, I've been singing it for a few weeks," she said.
"Well, I was going to sing that. I mean, I always sing that."
"Yeah, I know, but you haven't been here, so I've been singing it."
"I realize I haven't been here," I said, becoming a bit irritated, "but I'm here now. Why would you put in a song you knew I'd want to sing?"
"Hey, you don't own that song, you know. Anyone can sing it. Anyway, why are there little drops of soda all over the table?"
"Never mind that."
I've been singing karaoke for about seven years now. When I attended a show regularly, I often saw this older gentleman I'll call, "J.B." You've all seen this guy: pants pulled up to his armpits, shirt undone revealing several gold chains, and pushing at least 80. When J.B. wasn't falling asleep at his table, or dancing with all the young ladies, he was crooning Sinatra tunes at the mic. He was good.
None of the other regulars would have even thought of singing Sinatra while J.B. was around. Sinatra was his thing; the sound of another regular even attempting "New York, New York" would have sparked hurled beer mugs and a possible rush on the stage. J.B. might have even woken up.
The point is, we all knew the unspoken rule:
Thou shalt not pilfer another singer's "signature" songs, lest ye be pelted with ale and smell like a brewery for a fortnight.
Yes, this is the great unspoken rule. Except, I just spoke it. Regardless, it still applies.
Of course, accidental pilfering is different-if you're new to a venue, you can't possibly know all the regulars' signature songs. I'm talking about purposefully selecting someone else's signature songs just for the fun of it.
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