Brooklyn resident Haley Chike’s face quickly changed from an expression of excitement to fear Saturday night at O’Briens Pub, as she realized her grave mistake in attempting to sing the Karaoke version of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Chike is said to have confidently selected the song from a catalogue filled with thousands of song choices that were much better suited for her, and half as long.
“She just picked it because it seemed like a fun song to do, and she’s shy about karaoke,” says Chike’s friend Mary Hernandez. “I just wish she had consulted me before choosing it. It was so, so bad.”
Chike was able to gain a bit of momentum when she air guitared her way through the first solo. However, it was to be short lived after she was served a huge dose of reality in the operatic verse.
“We see this in here a lot, where these drunk girls who haven’t sang since junior high think they can pull off a six-minute rock operetta,” says O’Briens bar manager Tom O’Brien. “Queen didn’t even play the entire song during concerts because it’s too long and too hard. But this girl thinks she can hack it after two vodka crans and half a pack of cigarettes.”
“We really should take it out of the catalogue.”
“She clearly underestimated how great of a singer Freddie Mercury was,” Hernandez said of the cringe-worthy six-minute performance, which she struggled to sit through. “It was an injustice to the song and an insult to anyone who had to listen to her rendition tonight.”
Bar patrons described the scene as cringe-inducing, especially after Chike began pleading for audience participation, running around clapping her way through the first couple minutes when her lack of singing talent became obvious.
“Her eyes were darting around the room looking for anyone to give a helping hand,” says Hernandez. “But it was way too late to turn back.”
When reached for comment, Chike stated it would likely be a long time before she gave karaoke a shot again. “That song was way too hard. I’d have to do something easier, like “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
