Last Sunday I went Karaokeying for the first time ever. I am a bit shy at first, but once I feel comfortable in a situation, I can be quite extroverted (even without alcohol.) The first song I performed was "Last Dance" by Donna Summer.  I was so nervous that my mouth went totally dry. I don't think I could come up with an ounce of spit!  The first chords struck and I hit the beginning high notes -- you know, the "oooooooh ooooh" part. The music went on and I started to feel like a velvet goddess! Ok,  I'm no Whitney Houston (I don't share her love for crack or Bobby Brown), but I have to admit that I can carry a tune pretty well.  I went to the same music academy that Beyonce went to for elementary school, Parker Elementary.  But, I digress.

Like most attention hogs, I am addicted to applause.  When I the last note, I struck a pose that would make Ms. Diana Ross proud. For my next song, I decided to get more daring.  I performed "When You're Good to Mama" from the musical Chicago.  If you aren't familiar with the song, it is written in a burlesque style, filled with innuendos like "Let's all stroke together, like the Princeton Crew. When you're strokin' Mama, Mama's strokin' you." I loved performing that song! My friends and did "Love Shack" by the B-52s and that was also a blast. My last number was the melancholy, angst-filled ballad "Superstar", by the Carpenters.  It's about a woman who had a brief fling with a famous rockstar.  He goes back on the road and she never hears from him again. Meanwhile, the poor gulliable woman still pines away for him. 

I think for me, karaoke is theraputic. It takes care of my need to perform and be in the limelight and it gives me a chance to get a lot of emotions off my chest.  You can pick a song that expresses how you feel at the moment and just belt it out.  One woman told me she had recently broken up with her boyfriend and she was heartbroken.  The first couple of songs she did were forgettable, but then she did "Toy Soldiers" by Martika and everyone could tell she was really feeling that song!  I can't wait to go again. I think Karaoke will be my new Salsa. (I was an avid salsa dancer between 1999 and 2001...then I kinda stopped after the marriage and baby gig came along.) I think I'll do "Naughty Girl" by Beyonce.