10. Singin' In The Rain (1952)
The title song remains the most memorable and the most compulsively singable; by comparison, many of the songs (mostly stolen from older musicals) have very little going for them. But "Make 'Em Laugh" and "Good Morning" are still chipper winners, and "Moses" is the kind of number that the audience is likely to spontaneously pick up before it's halfway finished.
11. Oliver! (1968)Sure, it's cheesy. Sure, it's anti-Semitic. Sure, it's loud and chaotic and relentlessly stagey. But almost all the numbers are big, loveable winners, starting with "Food, Glorious Food" and the title song through to big ensemble numbers like "Consider Yourself," "Oom-Pah-Pah," "Who Will Buy?" and "Be Back Soon." Also, many of them are pitched to be singable by a kid cast, meaning that enthusiasm can cover for minimal melodic skills. Lionel Bart's numbers, "You've Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two" and "Reviewing The Situation," are much trickier lyrically, and should only be attempted by the linguistically nimble, or those who've had a shot or two and don't mind fumbling a bit.
12. The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas (1982)
Best known for its Dolly Parton weepie "I Will Always Love You" back before Whitney Houston made it into a karaoke standard, The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas features a number of considerable more upbeat, audience-friendly songs like "Hard Candy Christmas," "Sneaking Around," "The Aggie Stomp," and Charles Durning's thoroughly silly number "The Sidestep." Now there's a song with amateur-friendly vocal range. Sadly, Burt Reynolds' big solo song, "Where Stallions Run," was apparently cut from most video versions, so those who feel a burning need to sing along with Reynolds will have to check out his number in Smokey And The Bandit II.
13. Fiddler On The Roof (1971)
So why aren't there sing-along prints of this? Virtually every number—"Tradition," "Matchmaker," "If I Were A Rich Man," "To Life," "Sunrise, Sunset," "Do You Love Me?"—is a classic. If nothing else, the abundance of parody versions prove that the tunes are catchy and easy to remember.14. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
It's easy to sing along with South Park simply because Trey Parker himself doesn't seem to take his music very seriously; outmugging him would be hard work. And the songs he writes don't exactly go for the Andrew Lloyd Webber dramatic virtuosity—even when he's openly parodying Andrew Lloyd Webber. Still, while South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut has some appealing satires of standard musical tropes, one of the easiest and most enjoyable sing-alongs is "Uncle Fucka." It's not like it has a whole lot of words to worry about, and it's so joyously, simplistically raunchy.15. Swing Time (1936)
Equally joyous, but considerably less raunchy: The numbers from Swing Time, particularly "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Pick Yourself Up." "A Fine Romance" is more wryly regretful, but it's one of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers' best duets, thanks to smirky lines like "We should be like a couple of hot tomatoes / but you're as cold as yesterday's mashed potatoes" and "I've never mussed a crease in your blue serge pants / I never had the chance / This is a fine romance." These songs are more croon-along than big, enthusiastic audience-participation numbers, but they're manageable, and it's easy to want in on Astaire and Rogers' cool chemistry.
16. Reefer Madness (2005)
The first really fun, singable, memorable musical in many years is another product of the film-to-stage-musical-to-film process. Some of the songs could use stronger melody lines, and "Down At The Ol' Five And Dime" is eminently disposable, but the rest of the tunes—particularly the perky "Romeo And Juliet" and the smarmy cabaret number "Listen To Jesus, Jimmy"—are terrific, with that earworm quality that makes for a good sing-along song.17. West Side Story (1961)
Stephen Sondheim's busy lyrics don't always lend themselves to audience participation, but enough of the songs here—"Maria," "Tonight," "Jet Song," and particularly "I Feel Pretty"—linger on the tongue and in the memory. If nothing else, this musical sells itself on energy, and that kind of energy tends to get under audiences' skins and into their vocal chords.18. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Okay, it had to be mentioned, even if most of the people singing along aren't actually sticking with the script, and even though the songs go progressively downhill as the film stretches on. "The Time Warp," "Dammit Janet," and "Sweet Transvestite" are winners anyway. And at most Rocky Horror showings, half the audience is out of tune anyway, so even people who sing flat and can't remember lyrics half the time have a sing-along musical made just for them.
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