“The Philippines is a very violent society, so karaoke only triggers what already exists here when certain social rules are broken,” said Roland B. The real reasons behind the violence are breaches of karaoke etiquette, like hogging the microphone, laughing at someone’s singing or choosing a song that has already been sung. Because it is sung more often than most songs, the thinking goes, karaoke-related violence is more likely to occur while people are singing it. That’s why it leads to fights.”ĭefenders of “My Way” say it is a victim of its own popularity. “The lyrics evoke feelings of pride and arrogance in the singer, as if you’re somebody when you’re really nobody. “ ‘I did it my way’ it’s so arrogant,” Mr. And Filipinos, who pride themselves on their singing, may have a lower tolerance for bad singers.Ī karaoke machine outside a house in Pasig city, east of the capital, Manila. Stand-alone karaoke machines can be found in the unlikeliest settings, including outdoors in rural areas where men can sometimes be seen singing early in the morning. Social get-togethers invariably involve karaoke. Still, the odds of getting killed during karaoke may be higher in the Philippines, if only because of the ubiquity of the pastime. In the past two years alone, a Malaysian man was fatally stabbed for hogging the microphone at a bar and a Thai man killed eight of his neighbors in a rage after they sang John Denver’s “ Take Me Home, Country Roads.” Karaoke-related assaults have also occurred in the United States, including at a Seattle bar where a woman punched a man for singing Coldplay’s “ Yellow” after criticizing his version. Karaoke-related killings are not limited to the Philippines. Gregorio here in this city in the southernmost Philippines, are practicing self-censorship out of perceived self-preservation. And the country’s many Sinatra lovers, like Mr. Whatever the reason, many karaoke bars have removed the song from their playbooks. Are the killings the natural byproduct of the country’s culture of violence, drinking and machismo? Or is there something inherently sinister in the song? The killings have produced urban legends about the song and left Filipinos groping for answers.