A slightly depressing bit of research for you now. People behind the Get On literacy campaign reckon that millions of UK adults would struggle to take part in karaoke sessions because they wouldn't be able to read the lyrics on the karaoke machine autocue. The campaign body got literacy experts to rate the lyrics of the ten most popular karaoke songs and to work out what level of reading skills someone would need to be able to read the lyrics (assuming they didn't know them off by heart, obviously). The experts said that the lyrics to Robbie Williams 'Angels', a karaoke favourite, require 'level 2' reading skills (about the kind of reading skills required to pass five good GCSEs) but that 17.8 million adults do not have that level of reading abilities. Meaning a large percent of the population would struggle to sing along with Williams at a karaoke event. Similar skills would be required to sing along to Gloria Gaynor's 'I Will Survive', The Commitments' 'Mustang Sally' and Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now'. Singing along to 'Summer Lovin' from the Grease soundtrack, Elvis' 'Suspicious Minds' and Abba's 'Dancing Queen' would required just level 1 reading skills, though that would still leave some 5.2 million people struggling.
Commenting on the research, Skills Minister Phil Hope told reporters: "Whilst we might think we know these tunes inside out, it's only on reading the lyrics properly that we realise that some of our favourite numbers are complicated. There are many pitfalls involved in public singing, but once you've got the mic in your hand you don't want your reading skills to let you down. Anyone who is a wannabe Elvis or a secret Olivia Newton-John who sometimes struggle with the words should think about brushing up their skills in the New Year. After all, getting help with your reading and writing could help you get on in your job, as well as improve your turn in the spotlight".
See, that's where education bodies have been going wrong all these years. If only they'd promoted reading lessons by promising "learn this to avoid embarrassment at the karaoke" everyone would have been queuing up. Though that said, I know people with incredibly advanced reading skills, and it's still pretty embarrassing when they do karaoke.