Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” is especially problematic
In the Philippines, karaoke-goers are killing each other over the song “My Way” by Frank Sinatra, the New York Times reports. While authorities don’t know exactly how many fatal fights have occurred as a result of karaoke, media reports have recorded at least six victims in a decade, spawning a subcategory of crime called “My Way Killings.” Karaoke bars are removing the song from playbooks, and singers are avoiding it as a matter of self-preservation. In karaoke, get-togethers often involve karaoke, and karaoke machines can be found outdoors in rural settings. Filipinos pride themselves on singing, suggesting they may have a lower tolerance for bad singers. Most killings have reportedly occurred when the singer sang out of tune. “The Philippines is a very violent society, so karaoke only triggers what already exists here when certain social rules are broken,” Roland B. Tolentino, a pop culture expert at the University of the Philippines, told the daily, noting that the song’s “triumphalist” nature might contribute to violence.