The ‘My Way’ Karaoke Killings | The Philippines
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Frank Sinatra's "My Way" was linked to at least a dozen murders in the Philippines between 1998 and 2018 — a phenomenon so deadly that bars across the country eventually banned the song entirely.
Frank Sinatra's "My Way" became one of the deadliest songs in history — not on a battlefield, but in the karaoke bars of the Philippines. Between 1998 and 2018, at least a dozen people were killed in disputes linked to the song, in incidents dubbed the "My Way Killings." Victims were shot for singing off-key, stabbed over microphone disputes, and killed for daring to claim the song as theirs. The killings prompted bar owners to ban the song outright, drew international media attention, and sparked debate about karaoke culture, Filipino identity, and the role of pride and alcohol in public violence.
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Resources
Web
Wikipedia – My Way Killings
Wikipedia – My Way
Articles
Karaoke fan killed for singing out of tune
Man kills friend after fighting over karaoke
Man killed by drinking buddy inside Lucena bar
Sinatra song often strikes a deadly chord
Not again: Filipino man killed in fight over song ‘My Way’ during karaoke session
12 shot dead in random killings while all singing the same karaoke song
Music
Comme D'Habitude – Claude Francois
Kishidan – My Way
Created & Produced by Sonya Lowe
Narrated by Noel Vinson
Music: "Nordic Medieval" by Marcus Bressler
Background track: Doblado Studios: https://www.youtube.com/c/DobladoStudios
This True Crime Podcast was researched using open-source or archival materials.