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The most-emailed story on the New York Times website right now is, with good reason, a piece from the Philippines on the number of bar fights and killings attributed to karaoke renditions of the Frank Sinatra classic "My Way." The theories are, well, complicated.
The killings have produced urban legends about the song and left Filipinos 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?Whatever the reason, many karaoke bars have removed the song from their playbooks. And the country’s many Sinatra lovers, like Mr. Gregorio here in this city in the southernmost Philippines, are practicing self-censorship out of perceived self-preservation...
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Filipinos, who pride themselves on their singing, may have a lower tolerance for bad singers....Indeed, most of the “My Way” killings have reportedly occurred after the singer sang out of tune, causing other patrons to laugh or jeer....
Butch Albarracin, the owner of Center for Pop, a Manila-based singing school that has propelled the careers of many famous singers, was partial to what he called the “existential explanation.”
“ ‘I did it my way’ — it’s so arrogant,” Mr. Albarracin said. “The lyrics evoke feelings of pride and arrogance in the singer, as if you’re somebody when you’re really nobody. It covers up your failures. That’s why it leads to fights.”
Hmm, let's see if any TV crews head to the South Bay tonight for a live stand-up.
Jes Aznar for The New York Times