Karaoke: It's All Well And Good, But Will It Kill You?

When you subscribe to "karaoke news" on Google alerts, your tend to get two kinds of stories: The "area resident aims for the stars" small-town newspaper pieces—in which some local star's karaoke-fueled past is noted—and the reliably suspect "news of the weird" stories. The following Times Online piece clearly belongs in the latter category:

Japanese doctors report a surge in the condition known as “karaoke polyp”, a growth on the vocal cords caused by excessive warbling in bars and parlours. Formerly an affliction of middle-aged businessmen, the malady has spread among housewives and young people because of the continuing popularity of karaoke.

Ear, nose and throat clinics report a doubling in cases of karaoke polyps and the operation necessary to remove them. A surge of popular songs of especially high pitch, which put excessive strain on the vocal cords, is being blamed for the polyp plague.

The story itself is based in part on a Japanese newspaper, and it's likely that something got lost in translation here: After all, of the supposed 47 million karaoke fans in Japan, the number being treated for such a condition is phenomenally low (one clinic performed 170 procedures last year, which, when extrapolated, hardly points to an epidemic). It's more likely that singers suffering damaged polyps are probably also hardcore smokers—which, in Japan, is all but a given. In other words: Don't sweat it if your throat starts to tingle after a few too many renditions of "Danger Zone."

TIMES ONLINE: Karaoke Songs bring a lump to the throat