You want to sing and are looking for songs that will start you on your singing journey and just feel great. Whether it is for karaoke, starting singing lessons or singing around the house, I have five no-pressure full-of-joy songs to get you started.
People often ask me where to start singing, and it can feel intimidating. However, there are lots of songs you can choose that feel great to sing and help you build your confidence. When people start singing, they often run into pieces that feel too low or too high. I’ve picked five songs covering different ranges and eras, so hopefully, there will be something for everyone. As people have various ranges, I’ve chosen songs that will be in a comfortable range for various people, so you might have to try them out to see which ones work for you.
Dream A Little Dream Of Me - Mama Cass
Range: (G3 - A4) Best for Mid Voices
"Dream a Little Dream of Me" was first recorded in 1931 by Ozzie Nelson,but this isn’t the most famous version. There have been over 60 cover versions of this song, including by Ella Fitzgerald and Doris Day. But, the version we are looking at was sung by Mama Cass Elliot of The Mamas and The Papas. This song has a gorgeous, flowing, easy to remember melody with repeating sections. With a range of G3 - A4, some higher voices may struggle with the lower notes. However, it is an adaptable song. If you have a higher voice, I suggest trying the Doris Day version or the Ella Fitzgerald for something jazzier. It has smooth phrases with plenty of space for breathing. This song can be a great song to start you with breathing technique by taking each phrase on one relaxed breath rather than chopping it up. But it also sounds good if you don’t want to overthink the breathing. Mama Cass does play around with the melody on the repeat at the end of a song. These changes can be really fun to try out. If you don’t feel ready yet, you can repeat what you learned in the first half, and it will still sound great.
1,2,3,4 - Feist
Range: (A3 - B4) Best for Mid/High Voices
“1234” is a song from Feist's third studio album, The Reminder. The song was written by Sally Seltmann aka New Buffalo, an Australian singer-songwriter. Sally loved Feist's work and had written a song she felt too like Feist's to perform herself. After she got the chance to support Feist on tour, she showed her the piece. Feist loved it and adapted some of the lyrics and “1234” was born. This is a fun song with lots of repeated notes, easy to remember lyrics and a simple melody. With a range of A3 - B4, it generally extends over the break, which can be tricky for some singers. However, it does not require power and the melody, rhythm and short, broken phrases allows a lot of space and time to manoeuvre over that tricker area of the voice. So, it is ideal as a first step to understanding the registers of the voice. Tonally this song suits lighter voices, and although it doesn’t matter if you can’t get much power behind your voice in this song, it still has cathartic ‘woah’s in it that you can enjoy with the pressure of it having to be big.
Da Do Ron Ron - The Crystals
Range: (D4 - G4) Best All Voice Types
"Da Doo Ron Ron" is a song made popular by the American girl group The Crystals in 1963. The title and lyrics "Da Doo Ron Ron" were initially just nonsensical syllables used as dummy line to separate each stanza and chorus until proper lyrics could be written. However, the producer liked it so much it was kept. With a range of D4 - G4 it has a small range that can fit anyone and be adapted easily if needed. This song has a really simple melody, with simple rhythms that repeat. It has a lot of space to breathe with short phrases. It does have longer notes in it, however, none of these needs to be held to make it sound good. Because of its simplicity, it is a great one to give a go if you struggle with pitching. The higher “yeahs” can be replaced by a spoken yeah if it is a little high for you or you aren’t comfortable pitching the higher notes yet. There are some fun simple ad-libs at the end if you feel ready to try them out. However, it will sound great without them as well.
You’re So Vain - Carly Simons
Range: (G3 - A4) Best for Mid Voices
"You're So Vain'' is a song written in 1971 by Carly Simon as part of her No Secrets album. It is probably Carly Simons most famous song. The song was originally titled "Bless You, Ben". The first words were: "Bless you, Ben. You came in when nobody else left off." Carly wasn’t satisfied with it and put the song away until she was inspired by an undisclosed famous party member at a yacht party. This is such a fun cathartic song to sing. With a range of G3 to A4 it is best for Mid voices but can work for many higher and lower voices. The verses melody is a little more complex than some of the previous songs with some unexpected melody lines and rhythms in pre-chorus that may need a little attention. But sing this with gusto and it will work a treat.
Night Like This - Caro Emerald
Range: (G#3 - G#4 with the option to go up to C5) Best for All Voices
"A Night Like This" is a song by Caro Emerald, taken from the album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor. It was first presented in an online Martini commercial in 2009 and was released officially later that year. The lyrics are inspired by the 1967 Bond movie Casino Royale. With a range for G#3 - G#4 it sits comfortably in most women’s voices. There is, however an optional higher head voice ‘oo’ in the bridge that starts on a C5 for the more adventurous. This is a fun song with short phrases and lots of space for breathing. It has a bouncy choppy feel so you don’t need to worry about smooth phrases and is great fun to really get into that Bond story and it is really fun to dance along to as well, the more fun you have with it the better!
