The Phenomenology of My Way - so, no more curse? why, has lyrics changed? The My Way killings are a social phenomenon in the Philippines, referring to a number of fatal disputes which arose due to the singing of Frank Sinatras 1969 song My Way in Karaoke bars. A New York Times article estimates the number of killings to be about six. Opinions differ over whether the possible connection is due to the coincidence that the song was simply frequently sung amid the nations karaoke bars where violence is common or to the aggressive lyrics of the song itself. In the decade up to 2010, about a half dozen incidents occurred in the Philippines in connection with strenuous complaints over the singing of the song, prompting Filipino newspapers to name the phenomenon the My Way killings. On May 29, 2007, a 29-year-old karaoke singer of My Way at a bar in San Mateo, Rizal, was shot dead as he sang the tune, allegedly by the bars security guard, who was arrested after the incident. According to reports, the guard complained that the young mans rendition was off-key, and when the victim refused to stop singing, the guard pulled out a .38-caliber pistol and shot the man dead. Vocalizing the tune can be dangerous not only for the singer but for critics in the vicinity. According to one newspaper report, when the friend of an off-duty police officer belted out the song at a bar, the officer reacted to the negative comments of nearby patrons by pulling out his gun. The officers family later decided never to play the song at family gatherings. Karaoke singing is a widespread pastime in the Philippines, including among the poorwho could purchase time on a karaoke machine (called videoke machines in the Philippines) for 5 pesos. Measures to prevent violence Some Filipinos, even those who love the song, will not sing it in public in order to avoid trouble. As of 2007, the song reportedly had been taken off of the playlists of karaoke machines in many bars in Manila after complaints about out-of-tune renditions of the song resulted in fights and deaths. According to a 2007 Reuters news report, the My Way killing phenomenon had started a few years before. Explanations The phenomenon left one New York Times writer groping for answers: Are the killings the natural byproduct of the country’s culture of violence, drinking and machismo? Or is there something inherently sinister in the song? Karaoke bars in the Philippines can often be very violent, with fights often sparked over poor singing or the singing of boring songs, and the noticed number of killings connected to singing of the song may simply reflect its popularity in a violent environment, according to Roland B. Tolentino, a pop culture expert at the University of the Philippines. But he added that the songs triumphalist theme might also be a factor. Yet other tunes, just as popular in the Philippines, have not resulted in murder. Butch Albarracin, the owner of Center for Pop, a Manila-based singing school, believes the lyrics of My Way increase the violence. The lyrics evoke feelings of pride and arrogance in the singer, as if youre somebody when youre really nobody, Albarracin said in a 2010 interview. It covers up your failures. Thats why it leads to fights. Karaoke rage in other countries Videoke rage is not just limited to My Way in the Philippines. There have been several reported cases of singers being assaulted, shot or stabbed mid-performance, usually over how songs are sung, according to a 2008 report in Britains Guardian newspaper. In Malaysia in 2008, a man at a coffee shop hogged the karaoke microphone so long he was stabbed to death by other patrons. In Thailand, a man was arrested on charges that he shot to death eight neighbors, one of whom was his brother-in-law, in a dispute stemming from several karaoke offerings, including repeated renditions of John Denvers Take Me Home, Country Roads. In China, a fight occurred over the microphone in a karaoke parlor, and a man hacked two others to death with a meat cleaver.
Posted on: Wed, 15 Jan 2014 15:45:15 +0000
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