by James Goodwin

Created on: April 21, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

I live in a small town, so we normally only get to enjoy karaoke twice a week, on the weekends. It's a big deal here, drawing especially big crowds every Friday night, and fueling conversation all week among the locals. We heap praise upon those who earn it, and laughingly remember those who flop. We have our local crooners who take it seriously and are very good, and others who are persistent if nothing else, but it is always good fun. Everyone in the crowd has to sing at least one song to truly belong to the community, which we sometimes jokingly refer to as 'Karaoketown'.

I faithfully attend karaoke every Friday night, and sing one song at about 10:30 pm. I find that the place is usually packed by then, and the crowd has been warming up all night. I don't have an exceptional voice or anything, but I try to pick entertaining songs to entertain myself and my fellow karaoke lovers, and I'm usually well-received. Yes, even if I bomb! At least in my mind, the crowds adore me!

This all seemed perfectly normal to me, until I recently realized that I spend all week thinking about my selection and preparing myself! I usually have the song picked out early in the week, and listen to it a few times, at least! OK, I'll admit: I basically listen to it all week long. If I don't have a copy already, I buy it or download it on the computer. I have recently begun to print copies of the lyrics to make sure I don't have the wrong words stuck in my head. I am totally addicted!

My wife, bless her heart, is subjected to the song again and again during the week, as I sing or hum along, readying myself for the big performance on Friday night. She sings too, and sometimes we even sing together, but she is not nearly as obsessed with her song selections or performance. She would be content singing the same songs week after week, but I really like to surprise everyone each week, and need to practice. She puts up with it, I guess because she knows that it makes me happy.

This week I plan on performing 'Are the Good Times Really Over?' by the legendary Merle Haggard, one of my all-time favorites. I know, I know, this is a karaoke staple all across the nation, and it seems like you already hear it each weekend. But I've been listening to various versions all week, and old Merle changed up the lyrics quite often, his duets with Willie Nelson being an example. I've seized upon a few of the variances, and with a few of my own thrown in, I feel like I have a version that I've made my own, will delight and amuse the crowd, and melt my wife's heart.

If that's not a sign of karaoke addiction, I don't know what is.

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