4 Songs From 1983 That You Need To Know for Your Next Karaoke Night Out

We take karaoke night pretty seriously around here. Apparently, so does 80s music. Whether you’re looking for something fun, epic, or emotional for your night out, this list has it all.

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“Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson

When it comes to dominating the karaoke stage, pretty much any Michael Jackson song will do. “Billie Jean”, which Jackson famously wrote about his brothers and his experiences with overbearing fans, has a beat that overtakes you and a vibe that leads your feet straight to the dance floor. If you can sing this one with half as much swag as Jackson, you’ll have everybody hooked.

“Total Eclipse of The Heart” by Bonnie Tyler

If you’re looking for something a little more cinematic than “Billie Jean”, Bonnie Tyler’s got you covered.

Jim Steinman actually wrote this love ballad for a vampire musical originally, which is why there are so many “vampire lines” in the song.

“With ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’,” he explained to Playbill, “I was trying to come up with a love song and I remembered I actually wrote that to be a vampire love song. Its original title was ‘Vampires in Love’ because I was working on a musical of Nosferatu, the other great vampire story. If anyone listens to the lyrics, they’re really like vampire lines.”

“Sharp Dressed Man” by ZZ Top

This one’s for the guys. “Sharp Dressed Man” is a great pick if you’re looking for something a little unserious and badass at the same time. Apparently, you don’t have to be all done up to sing it, either.

“Sharp-dressed depends on who you are,” Dusty Hill of ZZ Top explained. “If you’re on a motorcycle, really sharp leather is great. If you’re a punk rocker, you can get sharp that way. You can be sharp or not sharp in any mode. It’s all in your head. If you feel sharp, you be sharp.”

“Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper

Although “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” might seem like the more obvious pick for this list, I wanted to go with something a little more sentimental. In “Time After Time”, it sounds like Lauper’s singing about unconditional love, as she attempts to convince a partner that she’ll always be there for them.

“If you’re lost, you can look and you will find me / Time after time / If you fall, I will catch you, I’ll be waiting / Time after time.”

This one could be a real tear jerker, if done right.

Photo by: Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images