Family Karaoke Night: Songs Every Generation Can Sing

A family karaoke night is one of the best ways to get three generations laughing in the same room. It is also one of the trickiest to pick songs for. A seven-year-old, a fifteen-year-old, their parents and their grandparents do not share a playlist, and they do not share a vocal range either. A few choices up front make the difference between everyone joining in and half the room watching.

Start with songs everyone knows

The best family songs are the ones that crossed generations: songs parents grew up with that kids have heard a hundred times, or recent songs so big that grandparents know them too.

• Sweet Caroline: the room shouts the response in the chorus, so even the non-singers are part of it.
• Don't Stop Believin' and Livin' on a Prayer: known by nearly every age group.
• Dancing Queen and Mamma Mia: ABBA has become common ground for grandparents and grandkids alike.
• Stand by Me: slow, familiar, and easy to join in on.
• I Want It That Way, Shake It Off, Happy and Uptown Funk: upbeat picks that span a couple of decades.

Kids: higher voices, shorter songs

Children's voices sit higher and cover a narrower range than adult voices. That means a lot of songs recorded by adult men will feel low and muddy for a child, while songs recorded by women often fit a child's voice better. Movie songs are a natural fit. Let It Go is a favorite, and We Don't Talk About Bruno is built for a whole cast of characters, which makes it perfect for splitting between several family members. Keep songs short for younger kids, and let the whole room sing along so nobody is ever stuck alone.

Teenagers: a voice in the middle of changing

Teenage voices, especially boys', can change quickly. A song that fit last year might not fit now, and notes that used to be easy can suddenly crack. That is completely normal, and it can make a teenager very reluctant to sing in front of family. Keep it low-stakes: pick songs in the comfortable middle, suggest a duet or group song rather than a solo, and never make a big deal of a crack. Voices change over time, and teenage voices change fastest of all.

Grandparents: their songs, their key

Older family members often light up with songs from their own era, so make sure the playlist has some of those, not just what the kids know. Voices also change with age, and a song a grandparent sang easily decades ago may now sit higher or lower than it used to. A small key change fixes that without anyone noticing; here is how key changes work.

Mix solos, duets and group songs

A family night works best when nobody is forced into a solo. Alternate group songs, cross-generation duets and solos for whoever wants one. A parent and child duet, or a grandparent and grandchild, often becomes the highlight of the night. If you are pairing two very different voices, our guide to duets for mismatched voices helps.

Check the lyrics

Karaoke tracks usually play songs uncensored. With kids in the room, preview anything you are unsure about. It takes a minute and saves an awkward moment.

The takeaway

Pick songs that crossed generations, give kids higher songs and teenagers low-pressure ones, let grandparents sing their own era in a comfortable key, and mix in plenty of group songs so nobody is ever on the spot. Get the voices right and the whole family ends up singing.