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So this… this got me thinking…
What are the best sing along songs of the past 25 years?
I say 25 so that we can remove the American Pie’s and Don’t Stop Believing’s and Sweet Caroline’s and One Headlight’s (sooooo slept on) and all the classics. I don’t know, it’s just hard to make a list that doesn’t have those songs or any Billy Joel or Bruce or whatever at the top of the list. Those are the all-timers… I want the ones from my lifetime. The 90’s, the 2000’s. The songs we grew up listening to. Songs we might’ve considered guilty pleasures until we got to college. Songs we might not sing unless we’re really drunk. Or even songs that are just fucking great songs. The point is… when this song comes on at a pregame or a party or a bar… is everyone stopping what they’re doing? Is this song ever background noise, or is it an automatic singer? Guys, ladies, kids, adults, gay, straight, black, white – is everyone participating?
That’s the sign of a true sing-along. That’s what you’ve got in this video with white New Zeland-raised Steven Adams and black American-raised Andre Roberson, both equally invested in the song. That’s what I’m looking for.
It’s impossible to totally narrow down your top five – and I was defeinitely liberal with this list. So let’s throw out a few honorary mentions before we begin:
Honorary Mention #1: Danza Kuduro
Honestly if I knew a single word of this song it would be #1. I just kind of mumble along and make weird noises and occasionally scream DANZA KUDURO. Full disclosure, I didn’t even know the name of the song until like a month ago. It was just that song that was always on at every bar you’ve ever gone to ever. And it’s straight fire. DA-NA-DA-DE-BO-SE-BU-LA-DO-BA-AN-NE-SA-GRA-DO-DANZA-KADURO.
Honorary Mention #2: Every Bieber Song Ever
Brutal omission. Just brutal. Ten years from now Bieber might have this entire list. His biggest problem is that he’s just so great and so now that it’s tough to consider his songs sing-alongs. I mean I’m always still singing along, but you just hear them so much that it doesn’t have the same feel as hearing a throwback you know all the words to. Brutal, brutal omission though. Sorry and What Do You Mean are over a year old and were still the two best songs this summer. And the old ones? Baby, Beauty and A Beat, Somebody to Love, EENIE MEENIE? Fire, fire, fire, fire. Hate that I can’t put this on the list, but it wouldn’t feel right just yet. Soon enough, Biebs… soon enough.
Okay… On to the top five:
5. I Want It That Way
Gotta have it. The whole reason I made this list is because I was right here singing along with Steven Adams. Belted it out for the entire 45 seconds of that video, then went to watch the music video and sang that whole thing too. When you’re making this list you absolutely have to have a 90’s boy band song, and with respect to Bye Bye Bye, Tearing Up My Heart, It’s Gonna Be Me, Everybody, End Of The Road, and ESPECIALLY All Or Nothing, that song is I Want It That Way.
4. Baby One More Time / Oops I Did It Again
Impossible toss up here, especially since the songs themselves are so similar. They’re songs that you just can’t not sing along to. Songs that transcend any macho tough guy act. They’re not guilty pleasure songs – they’re just great fucking songs. Great songs that bring you back to the late 90’s as fondly as any sports highlight or cartoon/Disney movie ever could. All time classics.
It’s Britney Bitch.
3. Ja Rule Pandora
Look I get that I’m pushing the rules pretty liberally here, but it had to be done. Anyone who nodded their head when they read Pandora is undoubtedly smiling right now. Anyone who isn’t… you’re doing it all wrong. Put on Ja Rule Pandora (or Spotify, whatever) next time you’re at a party. Do it. And then watch the entire party slowly start to swing their hips and bop their shoulders and slowly start mouthing the words and then start screaming “OOOOHHHHH” each time a new jam comes on and then soon enough you’re grinding like an 8th grade dance to the verbal interplay of Ja and Ashanti, or Fat Joe and J-Lo, or R. Kelly and Nick Cannon (I’m a GIGALOOO).
There’s too many songs to choose from on here. Always On Time, Mesmerize, Ignition, What’s Luv, Let Me Love You, So Sick, All Falls Down, If I Ain’t Got You. I mean the list goes on and on. Early 2000’s R&B – Rap collaborations might honestly be the best period and genre in music history. If you can’t sing along to at least 8 of the first 10 songs to come on Ja Rule Pandora I don’t want to know you as a person. MURDER INC
2. Early Kanye. College Dropout was a classic yo I just hate what Kanye became.
Just kidding but big shoutout to every white person who’s ever said this. Nobody cares dude just shut up and listen to the song.
2. A Thousand Miles
I mean… come on. GOTTA be on this list. You can’t have this list without A Thousand Miles. Shoutout to Jimmy Butler and Kyrie for reaffirming my love for this song. Most universally loved song of all time.
1. Mr. Brightside
To be fair, this probably leans very heavily white. I don’t know if everyone is singing along to this the same way. But fuck it… this is my list. And Mr. Brightside is the GOAT of all GOAT’s. The Best Bar song ever. The second that guitar kicks in people are flying to the dance floor to jump and scream and pour beers on our heads and okay yeah this is definitely the whitest song ever. Whatever. I don’t care. If I want to hear one song… one song to scream my lungs out to and cover myself in beer and jump around like a lunatic… this is it. Best bar song of all time.
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