Singing with an accent

[cossie]

Hey,

This may seem like a very weird topic...

I think it's because I've been working on vocal exercises and really paying a lot more attention to singers etc that I've noticed a mate of mine sings with an American "twang" but his normal "speaking" accent is very Irish.

It reminded me of a comment Sinead O'Connor made about the pop bands Louis Walsh manufactures, she accused them all of not singing in their own accents IIRC.

Anybody ever find themselves singing or notice people putting on a certain accent/voice when they sing? Obviously people in tribute bands would probably have to do that.

Cossie

[interp]

Not that it has anything to do with your question, but IMHO Sinead O'Connor is bats**t crazy and I would give zero credence to anything she says.

[COOL AND DEADLY]

Our band plays mostly reggae, our frontman never tries to cop the jamaican accent. I think it's ok to sing in the accent of whatever genre you are playing in , though. I once read that Elvis Costello criticized Sting for trying to sound jamaican. I've also heard a lot of people put Green Day down because of the fake Brittish accent in some songs. Also if you compare Darius Rucker's work with Hootie versus his solo country stuff he def. cops the country twang. I don't see anything wrong with it if you can make it work. Reminds me of the movie the Commitments. "Eht's not roid, Sally roid, eht's ride Sally ride!"

[Happynoj]

If you sing properly you shouldn't have an accent at all.

[JTE]

This reminds me of a bit I saw with Dick Gregory once decades ago. (Gregory is an African-American comedian). He was doing this bit on popular music and how all these English kids were on US television singing blues songs. Then,with an exagerated Cockney accent he says "La'ies 'n' ge'lemen, we'd loike to perform the followin' numbah", and then sings like Muddy Waters. He said "They sound more black than I do!!"

John

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by Happynoj

If you sing properly you shouldn't have an accent at all.

What? That's crazy, an accent is a timbre. Vocalists should be able to use the timbre that expresses their lyric best. The only exception to that that I can think of is when the accent used violates some subjective values about integrity or "legitimacy". IOW there are some people who probably should not sing in a Jamaican accent, a Chinese accent, a racially-stereotypical accent, etc. because it can come off as insulting, insincere, cowardly, or other perceptions. But aside from that quagmire, accents are just timbres. Saying not to use them is like saying a bass should only have fundamental, no harmonics or tone!

[jmac]

The punk from greenday purposely sings with an accent. I guess he thinks it gives him credibility.

[Phalex]

The only British singer I can think of that sings with a British accent is Johnny Rotten.

[tZer]

Originally Posted by jmac

The punk from greenday purposely sings with an accent. I guess he thinks it gives him credibility.

As I see it, singing with an accent is just anther 'expression' component. I've lived my entire life in St. Louis, MO and while I don't say "farty" for 40 or "warsh" for wash, I am sure I have some regional affect in my speech.

But I've written a lot of pop/alt-pop/world-pop songs for my own pleasure and found sometimes adopting an accent helps put you in the right frame of mind - sort of like method acting. If I was working on an overtly punkish song along the lines of the Sex Pistols, I'd adopt my version Johnny Rotten's sneering cockney. Or on a song that was inspired by the Psychedelic Furs, I'd borrow a very 'Butler-esque' thing.

For me as the person trying to be "OK" with the vocal part, sometimes adopting an accent was the key. Other times, double-tracking or (most times) asking someone else to sing it!

Originally Posted by Phalex

The only British singer I can think of that sings with a British accent is Johnny Rotten.

I posted before I saw your post - but Richard Butler has a very thick accent.

[billhilly66]

I used to think it was funny back in the 90's when I'd hear all these country singers from MN. They all sounded to me like extras from Fargo when they'd talk but when they started singing, they sounded like they had a washing machine on their front porch.

[MNAirHead]

Pogues dude did have an accent.

Many US bands dork with a brit or irish accent.

Part of this is just how you learn a tune. "Day Dream Believer" sounds totally stupid with a Yankee twang.

I wouldn't worry about it... it's all part of the fun.

[MNAirHead]

Originally Posted by billhilly66

I used to think it was funny back in the 90's when I'd hear all these country singers from MN. They all sounded to me like extras from Fargo when they'd talk but when they started singing, they sounded like they had a washing machine on their front porch.

Close to home -- funny .. but close to home.

I missed my calling.

[tZer]

Originally Posted by MNAirHead

Part of this is just how you learn a tune. "Day Dream Believer" sounds totally stupid with a Yankee twang.

A very good point. The nature of an accent gives you 'permission' to say things differently and therefore make them work in some circumstances. Sometimes it's to help some words that normally wouldn't rhyme work - sometimes it's to provide a sense of context - something where "English-centric" themes would seem otherwise out of place if the singer sounded like Willy Nelson.

Very much the same as the Police/Sting thing. Adopting a pseudo-Jamaican thing within the context of the Police's very ska/reggae sounding grooves simply sounded right.

It's all fair game and when used properly, is what it is - making music.

[s_mcsleazy]

anyone from the uk will know what im talking bout here but it seems lately no matter where you go to see bands theres always a indie/pop band where there singer sings with a shefield accent (ala the arctic monkeys)

beeing english in scotland ive noticed this alot

i remeber one of these said bands basicly saying the english aint really people there just a desese and then when they took stage they were singing with that sheffield accent

but i genarally dont sing with a accent when i do

[scottbass]

Originally Posted by billhilly66

I used to think it was funny back in the 90's when I'd hear all these country singers from MN. They all sounded to me like extras from Fargo when they'd talk but when they started singing, they sounded like they had a washing machine on their front porch.

ROTFLMAO - you got that 100% accurate!

Maybe it hass to do vith uss Minnesootanss and our Fargoh accentss, don't ya know? We know we got 'em, so we do anyting we can to loose 'em when we iss singin.

By the way, when I was a teenager back in the mid 60's, almost all the local (Twin Cities - Minneapolis & St. Paul) rock groups had at least one front man who tried to cop a full-on British accent on stage. When we were playing shared gigs or festivals, like the State Fair, we'd talk backstage and they'd all revert to the native dialect:

"Where you guyss from, den?"

"White Bear Lake - how about youse?"

"We're from Minnetonka. Kinda warm today - hot enough for ya, den?"

"Uff Da!"

And then when they took the stage, it sounded like they were straight out of Liverpool (you'll have to imagine the British accent):

"'Ello, St. Paul! Are you ready to rock?!!"

[billhilly66]

Originally Posted by MNAirHead

Close to home -- funny .. but close to home.

I missed my calling.

No offense meant. I had a blast with a lot of those guys back then. We joked openly about the "dialectic transmogrification syndrome" that affect country singers from "up north". The Canadians were suprised that people actually talked that way as opposed to it being a strictly singing deal. Man, those were good times.

[PJSShearer]

Originally Posted by tZer

A very good point. The nature of an accent gives you 'permission' to say things differently and therefore make them work in some circumstances. Sometimes it's to help some words that normally wouldn't rhyme work - sometimes it's to provide a sense of context - something where "English-centric" themes would seem otherwise out of place if the singer sounded like Willy Nelson.

Very much the same as the Police/Sting thing. Adopting a pseudo-Jamaican thing within the context of the Police's very ska/reggae sounding grooves simply sounded right.

It's all fair game and when used properly, is what it is - making music.

Well Davy Jones is British so he would sound British wouldn't he?.

[bongomania]

Of course. The point of the thread is whether (for example) an American or German or whoever should put on a British accent when covering that song.

[PJSShearer]

Originally Posted by bongomania

Of course. The point of the thread is whether (for example) an American or German or whoever should put on a British accent when covering that song.

He shouldn't, but might get some funny comments if he doesn't!!. It all depends on the song and what people expect. I would say in this case Davy Jones has a pretty neutral accent and so if it is sung the same way - "pretty neutral" - then it'll sound OK.

I occasionally sub for a band that does a few country songs and when we do "Guitars, Cadillacs and Hillbilly Music" you can bet the singers (with me on top harmony) are trying very hard to sound like Dwight Yoakam !!.

I once heard a "Madness" tribute band where the singer, who was from Leeds when he spoke between numbers, sounded very like Suggs - who is a Londoner - when he sang the songs.

They even threw in a couple of "Jam" numbers and I made a point of complimenting him on getting Paul Weller's Woking accent just right .

Put the two together, could you imagine hearing "Down at the Tube Station at Midnight" sung by a Dwight Yoakam soundalike?.

[MNAirHead]

Originally Posted by billhilly66

No offense meant. I had a blast with a lot of those guys back then. We joked openly about the "dialectic transmogrification syndrome" that affect country singers from "up north". The Canadians were suprised that people actually talked that way as opposed to it being a strictly singing deal. Man, those were good times.

Offended? Nope entertained.

Here's EXACTLY what you're talking about at it's finest essence... during the early 90s you could not escape a bar playing "Billy's Live Bait" at full tilt

"I wanna drive a zamboni"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OOkWQLspBE

Here they are on David Letterman --- straight fom the hometown of Spam.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvC_r...eature=related

I'm a Cannuck --- it's always entertaining to me that folks can sound 1/2 brit in just 2 miles (boarder)..