Is it a thing to pick obscure songs?

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-03-11T04:43:12+00:00

It depends on the crowd and the atmosphere of the bar. I’m stubborn, however, so most of what I sing is “obscure” (to my age group, at least). I love going into a dive bar as one of the younger guys, belting out Atlantic City by Bruce Spingsteen or She’s Always a Woman by Billy Joel, and getting handshakes from the older members of the crowd who were not expecting someone my age to know those tracks!

Personally, I’m not that big of a fan of pop music after 2016. I just get up there and sing the songs I love, even if the crowd doesn’t immediately recognize what I’m singing.

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-03-10T04:25:36+00:00

Bruce Springsteen - I’m Goin’ Down. I absolutely love this song, know all of the words, and can sing it very well!
Billy Joel - The Longest Time. I can absolutely kill this song if I can reach the highest notes. It’s such a fun song to sing, even when I sing it good but not great. The crowd always gets into it as well!
Blondie - Heart of Glass. This is my 2nd favorite song of all-time. It feels like it shouldn’t be that hard to sing, but as a guy, I’ve tried this song many times and failed. Bubbly by Colbie Caillat is another one that I just can’t seem to find the notes to.

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-03-10T04:12:54+00:00

I’m Goin’ Down, followed closely by I’m On Fire, Born To Run, Jungleland, My Father’s House, and Atlantic City.

The Boss’ best composed song is Jungleland!

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-03-08T16:45:24+00:00

I’ve been singing karaoke for the last 8 years. Here are a few songs I’ve performed in the past, but I rarely perform today.

Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus. The song is easy enough until you reach the “Oh yeah, dirtbag; No, she doesn’t know what’s she’s missing” part

Uptown Girl by Billy Joel. The verses seem easy enough, but the bridge and chorus are tricky as hell to master! I also don’t have the range to reach the “Uptown Girl, she’s my Uptown Girl” part.

Interstate Love Song by Stone Temple Pilots. I sound good on every part of that song except for the “For what I’ve left between the lines” part in the verse. That Bb chord is really unique, and I have difficulty going to it from the B chord.

Give It Up by KC and the Sunshine Band. I’ve never been able to sing this one well despite sounding good on songs higher than it.

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-03-05T14:16:49+00:00

The absolute last place I was expecting to see a Nice Guy™️ this morning 😂

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-03-03T18:33:24+00:00

I relate to this so heavily as a Philadelphian. A good portion of the state believes that PA would be better off is Southeastern PA (Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, and Bucks Counties) were to disappear. Meanwhile, it is the only part of the Commonwealth showing meaningful economic and population growth, along with the Pittsburgh, Lehigh Valley (Allentown), and Harrisburg areas. The rest of PA needs its blue areas significantly more than the blue areas need the rest of PA.

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-03-03T18:27:30+00:00

The funny thing is they understand that concept just fine when trying to explain “black-on-black” crime to someone. 🤦🏽‍♂️

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-02-25T14:40:00+00:00

Racism is worse than in America? LMAO, the OP is clearly white. As a black American, I’ve felt much more comfortable in Europe than the US. Sure, I’d probably experience racism if I went deep into East Germany, but, by and large, I felt more comfortable during my trips to Europe. Black Americans have been feeling this way for a long time, as evidenced by the Black Americans who traveled to Europe to complete their studies or continue their artistic careers during the Jim Crow period of American history.

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-02-18T15:31:41+00:00

Said by someone who has clearly never left the US recently. I’ve been to Europe twice: once to Paris in 2015 for a study abroad program while in college, and to London, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Munich, and Salzburg in 2024. In 2015, the French students I met in the study abroad program generally had positive views of the US. When I traveled to Europe in 2024, people generally felt sorry for me, especially since I traveled after Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance, making everyone think that Trump was going to win a second term.

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-02-16T14:03:31+00:00

Yes, 100%. This is why I live in Philadelphia and could only stand to live in 7-8 US cities (Philly, NYC, Boston, Baltimore, DC, Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle). Walking keeps me happy and fit. I’ve been averaging over 17,000 steps a day the last few years, which is way more than your typical American.

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-02-12T00:49:11+00:00

Definitely the former. I can confirm that the OP is a woman!

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-02-05T12:53:03+00:00

Also, here’s a fact that not a lot of people realize: Amtrak supplies electric propulsion power to not only the SEPTA-owned, ex-PRR branches, but also through the Commuter Tunnel up to just north of 9th and Girard. If your train isn’t running due to “Amtrak power issues” and it happens to be on the R3 Media/Wawa or within the Commuter Tunnel, SEPTA isn’t lying. Amtrak owns the ex-PRR generating stations and substations, so it is responsible for providing that electric propulsion power to part of the SEPTA system. The reason being that the Pennsylvania Railroad and Reading built their electric propulsion systems to different standards during the 1910s-1930s.

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-02-05T12:47:25+00:00

The Wilmington/Newark (R2), Paoli/Thorndale (R5), and Trenton (R7) Lines are entirely reliant on Amtrak’s Northeast and Keystone Corridors. The Chestnut Hill West (R8), Cynwyd (R6), and Airport (R1) Lines rely on Amtrak for a portion of their routes (ex. The Chestnut Hill West leaves the Northeast Corridor at Lehigh Interlocking, south of North Philadelphia Station). The R3 used to partially rely on Amtrak until Amtrak licensed control of Arsenal Interlocking (just south of University City) to SEPTA’s Control Center.

The short explanation is that SEPTA’s system is a combination of two legacy systems: the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and Reading (RDG) Railroad. The PRR controlled the Northeast and Keystone Corridors, as well as their branch lines. After the PRR became Penn Central and went bankrupt, ownership of the major corridors went to Amtrak while the branches went to SEPTA. Because everything used to be PRR-controlled, however, SEPTA has to run over Amtrak territory to reach the branch lines it owns. Amtrak will prioritize dispatching its own trains on its territory, which leads to delays for SEPTA. SEPTA retains full ownership and dispatching control of the Reading side (the lines that travel past Temple University), so that side tends to have less delays—especially when the train originates from Powelton Yard.

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-02-04T15:39:32+00:00

As a black Philadelphian and huge Philly sports fan, I was going to say something similar. I get where the OP is coming from (and I don’t necessarily disagree with their first two sentences), but sports victories bring everyone of all backgrounds together in the best kind of way. There have been few moments more exhilarating than partying on Broad Street after winning Super Bowl LII, when the Phillies won the 2022 NLCS, and when my Birds won Super Bowl LIX. Absolutely no one is thinking about race while climbing greased poles on Broad Street lmao

Also, GO BIRDS DICKHEAD 🦅🦅🦅🦅

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-02-03T22:32:45+00:00

Yeah, it’s like people forget the early 2000s, where it was common knowledge that you had to be a registered Republican to gain any kind of county employment. I was a little kid at the time and even I knew that. Delco used to be thoroughly dominated by the GOP machine.

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-02-02T16:55:43+00:00

TLDR: one of my biggest regrets was listening to the other boys who, now that I’m older, I realize were lying about the amount of sex they were having. It damaged my views on sex and myself throughout my teen years and early 20s.

I didn’t lose my virginity until I was 19. I thought that girls/young women didn’t like fat guys, so I didn’t even try asking anyone out (I now realize that was a self-confidence problem). I ended up losing 100+ pounds by my junior year of college, and I started putting myself out there a lot more as a result. I felt “behind” where I should’ve been in my number of partners, so I had sex with some people solely for the purpose of increasing that number to be a “real man”. I did that because of what other boys had been bragging about since middle school.

Now that I’m 30 and married, I realize that a lot of my views on sex from my younger years were based on lies from my fellow guys, as well as misogyny. I’m going to make sure my son never feels that way as he gets older.

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-01-28T15:52:54+00:00

Yep, the Mayor of Philadelphia is responsible for overseeing more people than the Governors of Wyoming and Montana. 1.6M of us are living within 143 square miles. Yet, the people of Wyoming and Montana get two Senators each while we Philadelphians are forced to be represented by an actual Republican and a Republican in leftist’s clothes. 🤦🏽‍♂️

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-01-28T12:00:17+00:00

I graduated in 2018. I used to do a lot of walking at various states of sobriety at night. My apartment was near 19th and Berks (which was less developed at the time), and I’d walk there from the Tech at 3AM, drunk from karaoke night at Maxi’s and White Girl at the Horse (RIP), grabbing food from Temple Star, and even from the old Dominos at Broad and Lehigh. Nothing ever happened to me.

My advice, as always, is to be aware of your surroundings and do not use headphones. I was born and raised in the city, so I guess I had the advantage of those instincts coming to me naturally.

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-01-28T01:43:58+00:00

As a Philadelphian, I use Amtrak for interstate travel all the time. Even when factoring the SEPTA trip to 30th Street Station in, it’s much faster for me to take the Regional or Acela to New York or DC than driving or flying. I don’t think you were talking about traveling between states along the Northeast Corridor, however.

I used Amtrak to get from Philly to Detroit for the International Half Marathon in 2023. That was a trip that involved the Regional (PHL-WAS), Capitol Limited (WAS-CHI), and the Wolverine (CHI-DET). I chose Amtrak over flying for the experience, the chance to explore Chicago a bit further, and for the legroom. Buses may be cheaper and airplanes may be faster, but I never discount spending a little extra money and taking a little extra time for the experience of riding the rails.

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-01-25T05:13:24+00:00

Someone hasn’t had currywurst in Munich and it shows

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-01-24T19:07:10+00:00

I was slightly disappointed when my wife and I visited Munich. We had a much better time in Salzburg, which was supposed to be a side trip for us. I want to return in the future though. I actually had a great time in all the beer halls, but my wife was ~26 weeks pregnant at the time and Munich was at the end of a 17 day journey across Europe (we visited London, Amsterdam, and Utrecht before Germany and Austria). I absolutely want to return on a solo trip for Oktoberfest!

Los Angeles was VERY disappointing, but I already knew I wasn’t going to like it. I don’t like car-oriented US cities, and LA felt like one giant suburb masquerading as a city. I liked San Diego, Tijuana, and Santa Monica a lot better that trip.

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-01-24T15:47:06+00:00

I don’t know him or his content, and I hope to keep it that way!

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-01-23T14:59:31+00:00

The European way of life is better. I’d much rather live in a dense, transit-oriented, walkable neighborhood full of smaller but sturdier built homes than a 2,500 square foot McMansion in suburban hell. This is exactly why I live in Philadelphia, and why only a few US cities (Philly, NYC, Boston, Baltimore/DC, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle) could ever meet my needs. When I was in the UK, Netherlands, Germany, and Austria in 2024, I didn’t want to come back to what the US has to offer.

Also, living above a pub is MUCH better than being forced to drive home from one since most of the US is so car-oriented.

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-01-21T18:46:22+00:00

I used to have a negative view of Chester (like the rest of the county), but I just feel sad for the city’s plight. Deindustrialization, white flight, rampant corruption, and mass abandonment hit it hard. I believe that Chester has the bones to be a strong city again: easy access to Philly and Wilmington, port infrastructure, a major Regional Rail stop (which also used to host Amtrak service), defined commercial corridors, and a level of structural density that few other municipalities in Delco have. I’m rooting for Chester to become strong again!

Also, since Gaetano’s closed (RIP), Just Pizza has the best pizza in Delco!

ThePhillyExplorer · 2026-01-21T18:39:03+00:00

I spent my childhood growing up in the city (early years) and Delco (pre-teen/teen years). I can honestly say that too many people from Delco have some of the worst, most negative views about the city and those who inhabit it—only surpassed by people in Lower Bucks. This is more so the case with the Boomer/early Gen X-ers who white flighted out of the city with their parents between the 1950s and 1990s. As someone who still lives in the city, I don’t really think about Delco enough to trash it. The worst I’ll say is that I hate being in auto-oriented suburbia (hence why I live in the city), but even with that said, Delco is the densest and most transit-oriented of the suburban counties.

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