5 Guilty Pleasure Songs to Belt, Pop Edition

What do unicorns have to do with singing? In my world, everything.

Okay, not really, I just wanted an excuse to post an avatar picture of myself dressed as a unicorn. Plus, when searching in Bitmoji for singing, songs, music, karaoke, etc the only thing that came up was this:

Which, admittedly, is pretty great but would fit in better with a post entitled “5 Guilty Pleasure Songs to Dance To,” which I have now just added to my blog post idea list.

Oh? You now have Beyonce’s Single Ladies song stuck in your head and want to see the video? If you are anything like me you are about to be hypnotically entranced by Beyonce’s dancing and will sit with your mouth agape wondering, “How…does she move like that?”

Here you go:

You are very welcome.

Now on to my post content ::ahem:: Sorry, I realize it’s about freaking time. I’m not known for my ability to quickly get to the point.

The following are songs I sing on a regular basis. They are songs that if anyone discovered I enjoy singing them I think I might die of embarrassment.

Oh.

Well, at least no one will hear me actually sing any of them. Nope. Not in a million years.

#1. Tik Tok, Ke$ha

Favorite Lines to Sing:

Ain’t got a care in world, but got plenty of beer
Ain’t got no money in my pocket, but I’m already here
Now, the dudes are lining up cause they hear we got swagger
But we kick em to the curb unless they look like Mick Jagger

Why I love belting the song:

Okay, so this isn’t quite the belting song, but it’s fun to sing none-the-less. Why? Because I love the way I sound when pretending to be a drunk Californian. It makes me giggle. Plus, her character is nothing like how I am in real life and trying on a new persona is fun.

Why the guilt?

Ke$ha really bugs me. She’s promoting alcoholism and behaviors that can lead to short and long-term health, legal, and social problems. I’m not okay with that.

Also, I can only respect musicians who write their own lyrics or music, or both. Music, I think, should be an expression of one’s heart and not exploited for the sake of money and fame.

The fact that I really enjoy this song despite it conflicting with my values makes this a guilty pleasure song.

 

#2. Wrecking Ball, Miley Cyrus

Favorite lines to sing:

I put you high up in the sky
And now, you’re not coming down
It slowly turned, you let me burn
And now, we’re ashes on the ground

Why I love belting the song:

The song just feels so raw and sincere. I can relate to the heartache. But also, just like Ke$ha, it allows me to try on a different persona. I’d never in real life “come in like a wrecking ball.” I’m typically quite mild and non-assertive. My attempt at assertiveness usually ends with me failing miserably and turning into a sniveling apologetic mess.

Why the guilt?

My prudish self really disapproves of Miley Cyrus. I find her fetishes disturbing. I also think of her as an attention whore with a personality disorder. Plus, what’s up with her fellating a hammer??? Just…NO. Gawd, it bugs me that she exploits herself for fame.

However, I also really admire to ability to not give a fuck and maybe I’d like to have a little bit more “I don’t give a fuck” in me. Oh. She actually gives a fuck in this video. Bad example. Well, a little balance is a good thing.

#3. Love Me Like You Do, Ellie Goulding

Favorite line to sing:

Fading in, fading out
On the edge of paradise
Every inch of your skin is a holy grail I’ve got to find
Only you can set my heart on fire, on fire
Yeah, I’ll let you set the pace
Cause I’m not thinking straight
My head spinning around I can’t see clear no more
What are you waiting for?

Why I love belting the song:

It’s so passionate! Hot. Plus, I can sing it well. At least I like to think so.

Why the guilt?

Wasn’t this part of the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack? I never saw the movie. Mostly because the previews showed me all I needed to know: it killed my the image of Jamie Dornan as a sexy serial killer in the BBC series, The Fall . I see that for FSOG they got rid of his beard and North Irish accent. Big mistake.

Wait…did I just use the words “sexy” and “serial killer” together? Yeah…um, that’s disturbing. So is the show. You have to see it. It’s got Gillian Anderson in it too and she’s awesome.

Anyway, about the song..I think it so perfectly expresses female sexuality/passion. I think that because of my former evangelical Christian beliefs I am very ashamed and repressed at expressing or admitting to any passions or desires, but when I sing this song I can just let it loose.

#4.Chandelier, Sia

Favorite lines to sing:

And I’m holding on for dear life, won’t look down won’t open my eyes
Keep my glass full until morning light, ’cause I’m just holding on for tonight

Why I love belting the song:

Now this is definitely a belty song which makes it so fun to sing! Plus, it gives me chills to hear it. I always have to warm up my voice before I sing it so I don’t completely destroy my vocal cords trying to hit the high notes. Which I, of course, can’t hit. But I try. I even watched videos on YouTube on how to hit the notes.

Why the guilt?

The first few times I saw this video/song I cried and shook. It’s because I so strongly identified with the song and thought, “there is something wrong with me.” It is what made me consider I might have bipolar disorder and a year later I was diagnosed with the disorder. I still have shame over a dark period of my life between the ages of 22 – 24 where I had repeated depressive/ manic-depressive cycles. I can’t remember most of it but I know I was not myself.

#5. Stitches, Shawn Mendez

Favorite lines to sing:

Needle and the thread,
Gotta get you out of my head
Needle and the thread,
Gonna wind up dead

Why I love belting the song:

With this song I get to sing the lower parts of my vocal range, which I find very pleasing as it’s not something I can often do with pop songs. Plus, the rhythm is so fun!

Why the guilt?

I feel kind weird so strongly identifying with a teenage boy’s heartache. He’s so gleefully hyperbolic and metaphoric about the physical manifestations of heartache. It’s so…teenager-ish… and makes me wonder if perhaps I’m not a bit emotionally immature myself. This song makes me giddy and that weirds me out.

So, there you have it. Now it’s your turn. Tell me,

What songs do you love belting but would be embarrassed if anyone knew? C’mon be brave and share.