So there is a girl at karaoke every Saturday night. She likes that song from Frozen. She likes to sing that song almost every weekend. Every time she steps up to the mic we all groan a little. I had actually never heard that song, or at least I thought. It took me until one Tuesday night when a fellow Second Wind member's daughter, she may be 3 years old mind you, started belting it out that I was like ooohhh ok, I have heard it. What was so funny is I had heard it many times from obsessed karaoke girl but it took a 3 year old singing it for me to recognize it. That bad! Or that 3 year old should be heading to Nashville, who knows. But man you have to give it to that obsessed girl because she may sound bad and make everyone roll their eyes when she walks up, but she does it and she doesn't look back!
Then there is me. My family was not blessed with any musical talent what-so-ever. I have tried to play the trumpet, the guitar, the piano. I did learn them all but with the exception of the trumpet, I was not any good. The only reason I ever achieved semi good status on the trumpet was when I was in 8th grade there was this boy trumpet player that I had a crush on and I wanted to play the damn solo for once that he always got...I am not competitive at all... My lack of talent has not in anyway got in the way for my love of music. I love music! I love to sing. I use to obtain borderline groupie status chasing boys that played guitar because seriously, is there anything more sexy than a boy that has a nice voice and can play the guitar (with skinny jeans, right Laura Armstrong!!)?! However, once I was belting out some STP in the car with an ex-boyfriend and he kindly mentioned that I sucked at singing. Notice I said ex.... :)
The crazies have become obsessed with karaoke. It is a freaking blast! Especially after a few beers! I was surprised to find out some of my friends are really good! Jeff Kelly can rock the house, Michele Marcus is the next Janis Joplin, Tom G is, well Tom is good at everything, Amber Anderson can rap and then turn around and bust out some country like no other, and Paul Byron can sing about any song we throw at him! Valeria can head bang with the best of them!! Then there is me. I usually get up there and try to sing some range I can hit. I have tried The Lumineers, Train, STP (heehee screw that ex boyfriend) , and my latest attempt was at Candlebox. I was headed home from karaoke one night, still in the singing and dancing mood, and Candlebox's Far Behind started. Not only do I love that song, I thought I was singing along pretty well. In the next two weeks I practiced that song several times, and when the next karaoke night came along, I WAS READY!! Or not!
So let me get to the point of this before I go into my not so great cover of one of my favorite songs. Just because we aren't good at something does that mean we should not do it? The obsessed karaoke girl might not be that great but she is having a blast while she does it! Isn't that all the matters? I mean, if every time I walked into the pool at the Y the lifeguards got together and said, "Great, her again!" , do you think that would stop me from swimming? Hell no! As a matter of fact they probably warn the new lifeguards that I am indeed swimming out there even though it may appear to them as drowning! I guess if everyone only did the things they were good at we would not be very productive! Well Tom would be, as Letitia's previous blog stated, he just can't seem to do anything not well!
So when I get into the pool I know I am bad but I do it anyway! Same as the bike or the rowing machine! I am a pretty good runner, there are a lot of people better than me, a lot of people worse. I see people out there running that are not as good but they have a smile and are enjoying themselves. Last year I was in the best running shape of my life and I didn't enjoy it half as much as the people out there I saw coming in last or near last. They weren't great at it but they were doing it and loving it.
So back to the song, I wanted to rock that song! I get up there and know I am not great, but I practiced and I was ready. The guy off to the table next to me hears the song start and compliments me on my awesome choice. I was thinking HELL YA AWESOME CHOICE! Then I look over to the table of crazies and freeze. It starts and I always miss the first few words and I freak. A few lines into it I look over to awesome choice guy and it is clear that he thinks it is no longer awesome! I look back to crazies and Paul has about the same unsure look as I do as I struggle through the song I know I can sing. The dreadfulness finally ends and I drag myself back to the table and I tell them it sucked and they assure me it wasn't too bad! They tell me it wasn't a good karaoke song (which really means it sucked in a nice way)! Michele looks at me and says I did great with a toothy smile! She has nice teeth and she is clearly lying! I can tell, I know her better than anyone else there! haha! But 5 minutes later I turn to her and tell her to pick out my next song! Even though I suck, I will get back up there again!
So maybe next time the obsessed singer gets up to sing Let It Go we should support her more. She may not sing it well, or any other song for that matter, but she gets up there and enjoys herself and doesn't freeze and look uncomfortable like me! Maybe next time I will get up there and not care! It will probably be my best song yet!
