Karaoke. For some of us the word makes us want to lose our lunch. For others it's a source of great fun and enjoyment. So what is it, what's the attraction, and where did this form of entertainment even come from? We'll try to answer some of these questions in this article.

Well, for those of you who don't know this, Karaoke actually originated in Japan and has since spread throughout most of the world. How it actually originated is a bit or a mystery and maybe more myth than fact. One story that has circulated around the world is that it started in Kobe when a snack bar owner, when his entertainment for the evening failed to appear, put on tapes of music and asked people if they wanted to sing. The word itself comes from Kara, which means empty and oke, which is short for orchestra. Thus karaoke means "empty orchestra." So rather than containing both vocal and instrumental tracks karaoke tracks have only music. The vocals are provided by a live person. The fun part of this is that this live person is not a professional singer. In a karaoke bar when the music starts somebody from the audience will get up on stage and sing to the music in the background. To assist them they have a microphone and the lyrics are displayed on some kind of a screen or TelePrompTer. The fun comes from many directions; either laughing hysterically at somebody who obviously can't sing or cheering someone on who has a voice that belongs on Broadway. In a Karaoke bar you'll get both types.

In the early days Karaoke tracks were recorded on tape. They have since moved to CD and finally incorporating on screen graphics and videos. Today you can download karaoke tracks off the Internet. Yes, this has become big business. But it doesn't end there. You can buy for yourself home karaoke sets so that you can have your own karaoke night in your own home.

So why the craze? What is it about karaoke that people just can't get enough of it? There are many theories to this but the most common psychological theory is that most people are closet pop stars. Many of us who dream of being on stage singing popular music for a living either don't have the voice or the nerve or both. With karaoke they can get up on stage, live out their fantasy and not have to worry about how good or bad they sound. With karaoke the rule of thumb of etiquette is that you applaud for the person no matter what. So there is no fear of rejection or failure. Also this is a good way for many people to get over their stage fright if they have it.

An associate of mine tells me that if you've never gone to a karaoke bar and got up in front of a room full of people to make a fool of yourself you don't know what you're missing. Well, there must be something to it as karaoke has become a multi billion dollar industry. I guess people just can't resist the urge to ham it up.