Queer Idol
Oct. 18th, 2009 09:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexmegamiSo, as some of you may know, I'm on the waiting list for Queer Idol. More than a few of you are music geeks or ex-music-geeks, and I am having a WHACKLOAD of trouble coming up with song ideas.
Now, since I'm still on the waiting list, I might not even get an audition. (I had to miss the first set due to fever, which leaves me equal parts annoyed and sad.) But, as a fun exercise in picking songs, I figured I'd set out the various stages and ask for help picking songs! After all, even if I can't participate in QI this year, it'll give me something to sing for karaoke. ;)
The ground rules:
1) It has to be singable by someone who sings alto (moi). No Christine in Phantom crap here. I am not Sarah Brightman. With luck, I might be Emily Haines. In my wildest fantasies. I will sing songs with male vocalists, though.
2) I have to be reasonably certain I can find a karaoke track for the song. Unfortunately, a cursory glance means this wipes out most of Metric's catalogue, the bastards.
3) It has to fit in one of the categories! What are those you ask?
-Audition song
(Open to anything! Right now I'm tossing between The Dakota by Christine Lavin, The World Is Not Enough by Garbage, or something by The Beatles.)
-Musical theatre, divas, and “torch songs”
(This is fucking impossible. Especially since almost all the musicals I know are mostly ensemble casts or the above-mentioned Phantom. Divas are right out. I was thinking Sometime After Midnight might count as a 'torch song', but that's low for me. ...there's always I Am The Very Model of a Modern Major-General... or What Can You Do With A B.A. In English.)
-Holiday season
(Probably the easiest of any of them. I LOVE Christmas music. I just don't want something too overdone. Which is all of them, I know.)
-Sex-positive music
(I am ashamed to say I don't have much for this. What I do, there is no fucking way I could get a karaoke track for it. I Touch Myself? *LOL*)
-Music that encourages social reform
(...I think this one is probably going to Green Day, although I don't know how 'social reform' they are so much as pointing out fucked-uppedness. Unfortunately, that fucks with my track selection for openly-queer singers.)
-Celebrating the ‘70s
(Bridge Over Troubled Water? My Sweet Lord? Kung Fu Fighting? ABBA? There's a reason we left the '70s behind. I guess there's always Queen.)
-Celebrating the ‘80s
(This, on the other hand, I probably have shamefully covered. However I'll still take suggestions.)
-Honoring Canadian singers/songwriters
(Remember how I said Metric was impossible to find karaoke for? Yeah, fuck you very much too. I'll probably do BNL. ...or Hallelujah because I am a sucker for that shit.)
-British Pop and World Beats
(Did you say The Beatles? Why yes! Now, which song to pick...)
-Songs by openly-queer singers/songwriters
(There are a lot of queer female vocalists that sing in my range! But I hate all of them! Whatever is a girl to do. Besides suck it up. Sing Green Day, perhaps. Of course, I would never in a million years make it this far, but let's pretend.)
So? Thoughts?
Now, since I'm still on the waiting list, I might not even get an audition. (I had to miss the first set due to fever, which leaves me equal parts annoyed and sad.) But, as a fun exercise in picking songs, I figured I'd set out the various stages and ask for help picking songs! After all, even if I can't participate in QI this year, it'll give me something to sing for karaoke. ;)
The ground rules:
1) It has to be singable by someone who sings alto (moi). No Christine in Phantom crap here. I am not Sarah Brightman. With luck, I might be Emily Haines. In my wildest fantasies. I will sing songs with male vocalists, though.
2) I have to be reasonably certain I can find a karaoke track for the song. Unfortunately, a cursory glance means this wipes out most of Metric's catalogue, the bastards.
3) It has to fit in one of the categories! What are those you ask?
-Audition song
(Open to anything! Right now I'm tossing between The Dakota by Christine Lavin, The World Is Not Enough by Garbage, or something by The Beatles.)
-Musical theatre, divas, and “torch songs”
(This is fucking impossible. Especially since almost all the musicals I know are mostly ensemble casts or the above-mentioned Phantom. Divas are right out. I was thinking Sometime After Midnight might count as a 'torch song', but that's low for me. ...there's always I Am The Very Model of a Modern Major-General... or What Can You Do With A B.A. In English.)
-Holiday season
(Probably the easiest of any of them. I LOVE Christmas music. I just don't want something too overdone. Which is all of them, I know.)
-Sex-positive music
(I am ashamed to say I don't have much for this. What I do, there is no fucking way I could get a karaoke track for it. I Touch Myself? *LOL*)
-Music that encourages social reform
(...I think this one is probably going to Green Day, although I don't know how 'social reform' they are so much as pointing out fucked-uppedness. Unfortunately, that fucks with my track selection for openly-queer singers.)
-Celebrating the ‘70s
(Bridge Over Troubled Water? My Sweet Lord? Kung Fu Fighting? ABBA? There's a reason we left the '70s behind. I guess there's always Queen.)
-Celebrating the ‘80s
(This, on the other hand, I probably have shamefully covered. However I'll still take suggestions.)
-Honoring Canadian singers/songwriters
(Remember how I said Metric was impossible to find karaoke for? Yeah, fuck you very much too. I'll probably do BNL. ...or Hallelujah because I am a sucker for that shit.)
-British Pop and World Beats
(Did you say The Beatles? Why yes! Now, which song to pick...)
-Songs by openly-queer singers/songwriters
(There are a lot of queer female vocalists that sing in my range! But I hate all of them! Whatever is a girl to do. Besides suck it up. Sing Green Day, perhaps. Of course, I would never in a million years make it this far, but let's pretend.)
So? Thoughts?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-10-19 01:51 am (UTC)Anthem from Chess
Close Every Door from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Bring Him Home from Les Miserables
The Impossible Dream from Man a la Mancha
Totally Fucked/Touch Me/Left Behind/My Junk all from Spring Awakening
and for the Holiday Season might I suggest Fairytale of New York?
no subject
Date: 2009-10-19 02:01 am (UTC)These are titles of songs in a musical? I think I need to see this musical. Is there a movie version?
ETA: *has now been brought up to speed, and is debating whether to watch Spring Awakening via online videos now or sometime other than 10:55 pm*
no subject
Date: 2009-10-19 03:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-19 10:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-19 11:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-21 08:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-19 01:57 am (UTC)Musicals: I know Les Miz is cliche, but I Dreamed A Dream and On My Own are both good alto songs, and you've sung them before. :P :D
ETA again: My friend
Mirror-Blue Night is one not mentioned by the first poster that might be wonderful. Depending on how low her voice is, if she's considering the beatles, she might just go for a Lennon solo number. Working-Class Hero, for example."
no subject
Date: 2009-10-19 10:16 pm (UTC)I Dreamed A Dream actually goes a *touch* low (sometimes I can get there, sometimes not) at the "but the tigers come at night" bit. On My Own I could theoretically maybe do.
w00t! Exciting!
Date: 2009-10-19 02:27 am (UTC)Re: w00t! Exciting!
Date: 2009-10-19 10:17 pm (UTC)Re: w00t! Exciting!
Date: 2009-10-19 10:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-19 03:34 am (UTC)Tenacious D's "Fuck her gently" ? :)
no subject
Date: 2009-10-19 11:04 am (UTC)I love "Feeling Good" which everyone covers, so everyone forgets it's from a musical.
-Holiday season
I'd probably do Gordon Lightfoot's "Song for a Winter's Night"
-Sex-positive music
-Music that encourages social reform
Bob Marley's "Emancipation Song" is always a favourite.
-Celebrating the ‘70s
Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" came out in 1975. Favourite song ever.
-Celebrating the ‘80s
Cyndi Lauper! She Bop! ^_^
-Honoring Canadian singers/songwriters
Mr.Cohen, Sarah McLaughlin, Alanis Morissette, k.d.lang, BTO, Neil Young, Tegan and Sara, and a bajillion other lovely indie artists could work.
-British Pop and World Beats
Here you go, Beatles! Turtles! David Bowie!
-Songs by openly-queer singers/songwriters
The Cliks, Rae Spoon, k.d. lang, David Bowie, Amanda Palmer, REM, Tegan and Sara, etc etc etc
no subject
Date: 2009-10-19 10:21 pm (UTC)I met a devil woman
She took my heart away
She said, I've had it comin' to me
But I wanted it that way
I say that any love is good lovin'
So I took what I could get mmh, mmh, mmh
She looked at me with them brown eyes
And said, You ain't seen nothin' yet
no subject
Date: 2009-10-19 07:32 pm (UTC)Do you know "maybe this time." from Cabaret? That's lower range. I could probably think of more if I sat down and looked through my musicals collection.
-Sex-positive music
Almost anything from Joan Jett will fit in this category. Do you wanna touch me comes to mind. Shouldn't be too hard to torrent a karaoke track for either, since I know I've sung it at Karaoke.
-Celebrating the ‘70s
You don't have to think funk and groove for this category. there are a lot of non disco bands from the 70s. Aerosmith, AC/DC, Badfinger (which I could totally see you singing "no matter what") Eagles, Guess Who, Heart started in the 70s, though I think they were more popular in the 80s, Kiss, Pink Floyd, the Who, Styx. I'm not sure if this is helping or just making it harder XD.
-Honoring Canadian singers/songwriters
I can never remember who is Canadian anymore, besides the ones that announce it all the time like BNL and Dion (which I know she sings too high).
-Songs by openly-queer singers/songwriters
you don't like Melissa? ;_; I'm so sad. Though I'm sure she'll be over done at this. Queen, David Bowie, Joan Jett, Judas Priest, George Michael, Elton John, Dusty Springfield, KD Lang and Sophie B Hawkins would all fit in this category as well. Though Sophie and KD probably sings too high for you.
I hope I'm helping.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-19 10:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-21 02:13 am (UTC)