A night tethered with music and celebrations rings throughout the streets as the light-hearted patrons engross the weekend at its height. Electrifying sounds animate the passerbyers as they walk by the local tavern in joy.

Inside, the room chatter is drowned out only by karaoke. Every seat is filled as everyone is drinking. The bar is packed with love, loud emotions, and friendly greetings only allowed once inhibitions are lost.

As one performer wraps up their turn, the next participant rolls up to the stage, grabbing the microphone in excitement. He’s ready to show off his talents as the best local singer in town. Or so he thinks.

He’s attempting to perform “My Way,” by Frank Sinatra when a security guard loudly informs the singer that he was off-key. When the man continues to croon, the guard pulls out a .38 caliber pistol and shoots the performer in the chest, killing him.

Now, the people pour out of the nightclub just as the blood pours downstage.

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We’ve all been there; you walk into a bar and before you have had a chance to catch up to the rest of the dopes, some tool walks up for Karaoke to sing Frank Sinatra’s famous, “My Way.” Whether you like it or not, it’s a song to be recognized for its strong lyrics and positive reinforcement.

But this wasn’t the only murder to happen in the Philippines area in regards to “My Way.” Since 2000, at least half a dozen people have been murdered after (or while) performing the Sinatra classic. Dubbed the “‘My Way’ Killings,” the strange phenomenon has gotten so bad that some bar owners have removed it from the selection list entirely.

Here’s another “My Way” -Frank Sinatra Killing

The Daily Telegraph newspaper of Britain recently reported on a bizarre double murder that erupted in a karaoke establishment in Xi’an in central China.

According to the report, the refusal of a small boy from relinquishing his microphone prompted the child’s two uncles to criticize his parents for indulging him so much. The conflict escalated into a shoving match leading to another relative attacking the two uncles with a meat cleaver, resulting in a horrific double murder.

So the next time you choose to sing at the Karaoke club… make sure you actually do know how to sing. If not, we hope you can move like Neo in the Matrix. Or maybe just opt out of singing Sinatra?

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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 the song “My Way“, popularized by Frank Sinatra (peaking at number 27 on the BillboardHot 100 in 1969), in karaoke bars (more commonly known as “videoke” in the Philippines). A New York Times article estimated the number of killings to be about six up to 2010. Between 2002 and 2012, numerous people were killed for singing this song.