Life, Love, and the (Karaoke) Blues: Deceptive Lyrics, Murder Ballads, and Women in Music and Karaoke with Courtney E. Smith

What’s creepier than being misunderstood? Adam and Ed kick off with a “women of the blues” Karaoke Trivia Bullpen challenge before diving into the karaoke songs that are often sung without really contemplating the meaning behind those lyrics. Which boy band from the ‘90s is like “if bubble gum pop and Jean-Paul Sartre had a baby?” Which dance pop hit would chart on a “nice guys” forum in addition to the Billboard charts? Why is the song that was #1 on the charts the week Ed was born creepy as hell?

The guys deviate from the main topic of the interview because let’s face it–no one wants to hear two middle-aged white males talk about the experiences of women in music (and karaoke), so who better to bring on than Courtney E. Smith (author: Record Collecting for Girls, and the creator of the murder ballad podcast “Songs in the Key of Death”). She talks about why being a bad singer at karaoke is better for everyone involved, the worst karaoke-related date she has ever been on, and, surprisingly, a great experience singing “Picture” with a total stranger. Yep, that “Picture,” the bane of this show and the runner up to last season’s “Song to Ban From Karaoke” question. She cruises through the “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” quickfire challenge, and then puts Adam and Ed through the ringer with a rapid-fire take on the “Fire Away” response of her own.

As always, you can find more info on the website (https://www.sungpoorly.com), and on social media--the show is @sungpoorly on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and now even Tiktok. You can reach Adam and Ed via email by sending a message to [e-mail]. And if you want to support the podcast and snag yourself some great karaoke and podcast swag doing it, our store has all of that and more–www.sungpoorly.com/store. The guys are still taking calls for the annual karaoke advice episode, so make sure to leave them a voice message on their Podinbox page (or, y'know, DM them or email them--but the new voice option is so much more fun).

Theme song: "Gasoline" by Ben Dumm and the Deviants. Make sure to check out Ben's newest music at The Ben Dumm 3. Midroll promo for Cycle Chats.

Courtney E. Smith is the author of Record Collecting for Girls, a former music programmer at MTV and worked as a music writer at CBS Radio and Refinery29. Twitter: https://twitter.com/courtneyesmith Instagram: https://instagram.com/thecourtneyesmith