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For those who want to sing karaoke but don’t have any music, they will likely browse online, perusing the expansive collection of CDs, CD Gs and DVDs. DKKaraoke’s collection is a great way to get started, featuring 25 discs of karaoke hits from Frank Sinatra’s “New York New York” and Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5″ to Bon Jovi’s “Bad Medicine” and U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” Chartbuster offers compilation karaoke music with themes like Broadway, Pop, Country, Gospel, Kids, Disney, Christmas, Patriotic Anthems and Hot Hits Monthly. The Sound Choice Star series has karaoke CDs with more modern musicians like Pearl Jam, White Zombie, Spineshank, Tool, Godsmack, Kelly Clarkson, Kid Rock and U2. Check www.amazon.com, www.karaoke.com and www.doowop.com for more karaoke discs.

Girls and guys have their favorite karaoke hits that have withstood the test of time, so be sure to add the following favorites to your karaoke song collection. Girls like empowering songs of survival, enduring sexuality and sass. To appease these spunky vixens include such tunes as “These Boots Were Made For Walkin’” (Nancy Sinatra), “I Will Survive” (Gloria Gaynor) “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” (Pat Benatar), “Venus” (Bananarama), “I Love Rock N Roll” (Joan Jett), “I’m Just A Girl” (No Doubt/Gwen Stefani), “Like A Virgin” (Madonna), “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” (Cyndi Lauper), “Feel Like A Woman” (Shania Twain), “You’re So Vain” (Carly Simon), “She Works Hard For The Money” (Donna Summer), “Respect” (Aretha Franklin), “Sweet Dreams” (Eurythmics), “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” (Whitney Houston), “Listen To Your Heart” (Roxette) and “Black Velvet” (Alannah Myles).

Guys sometimes like to expose their sentimental side with slow tracks like “When A Man Loves A Woman” (Percy Sledge), “A Groovy Kind of Love” (Phil Collins), “Just the Way You Are” (Billy Joel), “I Will Do Anything For Love” (Meatloaf), “Brown Eyed Girl” (Van Morrison), “Have I Told You Lately” (Rod Stewart), “All My Life” (KC & Jo Jo) or “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” (Aerosmith). Other times, guys like karaoke music that speaks to their inner bad boy of rock n’ roll. Try “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” (Poison), “Girls, Girls, Girls” (Motley Crue), “Paradise City” (Guns N’ Roses), “Livin On A Prayer” (Bon Jovi), “You Shook Me All Night Long” (AC/DC), “Here I Go Again” (Whitesnake), “It’s My Body” (Alice Cooper) or “You Give Love A Bad Name” (Bon Jovi).

When it comes to karaoke music, there are just some songs that are must-haves for your collection. Even though you may not belt out Neil Diamond’s cheesy “Sweet Caroline” as you’re getting ready in the morning, you’d be crazy not to have it at your next karaoke party. Everyone will be chorusing the “bah bah bah’s” to make the karaoke party even more fun. Another famous group sing-a-long is Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer,” with everyone from 15-50 shouting out “whoaaaaa-ohhhhh, livin on a prayer” like an eighties rocker. Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin” is so corny it’s perfect for your next karaoke get together and don’t think you’ll get through the night without someone choosing Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl,” where all participants sing “sha-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-lad-di-da.”

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Karaoke has its roots in 1970s Japan. The Kobe City port was an international mecca, often referred to as “the gateway of fashion and trend.” In fact, instant noodles, automated ticket gates and saunas all stemmed from this region. Whenever a strolling guitarist canceled a gig, bar owners would bust out accompaniment tapes for their patrons to sing along to, which would up becoming a popular pastime not just in Japan, but around the world. Perhaps it was the suppression of individualism, the pent-up frustrations of working such long hours or the exportation of karaoke around the world that ensured the karaoke party never stopped.

In the 1980s, Pioneer started churning out karaoke songs on laserdisc. Japanese companies like Victor and DKK followed suit to produce English karaoke hits. When CDG karaoke came out, playing accompaniment tracks and bouncing lyrics across TV screens, the karaoke craze had officially hit America. Hudson marketed one of the earliest mainstream karaoke machines, the “TurboGrafx-16,” which sold for $400 and enjoyed a very short shelf life before dying off. In the early nineties, DK Karaoke produced a collection of ninety-nine karaoke hits, containing everything from Bel Biv Devoe to Lenny Kravitz, which became the standard in every venue. Entertainers hired for parties, weddings and other events added karaoke to their rosters, thus solidifying the pastime as a fun party activity.

At the turn of the millennium, karaoke took on a more serious note in American culture. With the advent of shows like “American Idol,” aspiring talent saw the opportunity to sing karaoke as pop star or rock star practice. In the past, the best singers would occasionally receive a standing ovation, a free drink at the bar or a small pot of prize money. Today, however, singers can get recruited by agents hidden in the audience and awarded with lucrative multi-million-dollar contracts. Everyone enjoys a good sing-a-long these days and Numark was quick to revolutionize karaoke equipment with the KMX01, KMX02 and CDN25+G, which make performances even more professional-sounding.

While there are thousands of karaoke songs to choose from, some reign supreme. Guys should try belting out Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In the USA,” which is a good beginner song that can’t possibly sound any more discordant than the original. To rock out with their inner rockstar, guys should also consider ACDC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long,” Bon Jovi’s “Livin On A Prayer,” Steppenwolf’s “Born To Be Wild,” Motley Crue’s “Girls Girls Girls,” Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar On Me” or Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Popular karaoke tracks for girls include: Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” Gloria Gayner’s “I Will Survive,” No Doubt’s “Just A Girl,” Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” Madonna’s “Like A Virgin,” Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock N Roll,” Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” Shania Twain’s “I Feel Like A Woman,” Britney Spears’ “Womanizer,” Pat Benatar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” Carole King’s “It’s Too Late” or Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made For Walking.”

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The smell of roast duck emanates from the kitchen. The living room is bordered with cozy red and green lights, with the hulk of a pine tree twinkling in the corner. Your family members begin showing up, handing you their heavy coats and carrying shiny gifts with brilliant bows and curled ribbons. Yet sometimes when you haven’t seen your relatives in a while, it can be a little awkward. You need something to get the party more animated, something that will make precious memories for years to come. How about some Christmas karaoke? This is something that the whole family can enjoy.

To host a karaoke party at Christmas, you will need a karaoke system to play the songs, videos and scrolling words. Aim for an all-in-one that comes with all necessary cables and microphones. You may want to wrap it up and give it as a gift or you might want to have this item set up as guests arrive and keep it at your house to entertain guests year after year. Set it up after dinner to stave off the food comas and keep the party going. For $100, you could buy the SDAT Professional Karaoke Machine with MP4 Playback and it plays karaoke songs on CD, mp3, DVD and CD G. Or for $117, you can get the Emerson GM955, which includes a 7-inch monitor and speakers, but also connects to separate units as well.

This all-in-one karaoke system also includes a special tone-control microphone and comes with features like echo and auto voice control. The Singing Machine STVG-718 CD+G Karaoke System is a very similar system for $150 that includes a camera too. Lastly, The Song Station, recommended by People and Rolling Stone magazines, is one of the more impressive units to look at, boasting a tall stand which scrolls lyrics and equally tall detached speakers for superior sound quality. Ranging between $200 and $250, this machine comes with a number of special features, as well as 53,000 built-in songs, and is a must for anyone looking to host a karaoke party a few times a year.

Next, you will need music for your Christmas karaoke, merrymaking party. The general rule of thumb is to get a good selection, and the more the merrier! There are a number of bundled CDs to meet your needs. Chartbuster has been a classic creator of karaoke music CDs for decades so it stands to reason that their “Christmas Hits Volume 1″ is a must-have to kick off your collection. For $40 you’ll get three discs of traditional Christmas songs spanning oldies like Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” to country favorites like Alabama’s “Santa Claus I Still Believe In You” to traditional versions of “Nuttin’ For Christmas.” There are two other multi-disc volumes you can add as well. Chartbuster also offers an R&B Christmas album, seven volumes of Country Christmas, a Hip Christmas album, Redneck Christmas songs and two volumes of Easy Listening Christmas. You can buy these karaoke discs at www.karaokewh.com.

Since the show “American Idol” came out, the general public has been fascinated with exploring their vocal tones, ranges and inclinations. There are stars embedded within us, but how will we know if we never try? The microphone has a tremendous ability to skyrocket our sound from amateur shower-singer to big-stage superstar. A Christmas karaoke event can discover those stars within your family, help everyone de-stress from the hectic holiday season and keep everyone entertained for hours to make your gathering the best one yet!

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