Yeah, the damage from the decades of alcohol and drugs has magnified his Birmingham accent x1000. It also added extra, I don't know what it is, that downturned corner of the mouth speaking they do.
Frank Sinatra had perfect diction when singing. Speaking, he had a strong Hoboken accent. He consciously trained himself to eliminate his accent when singing
I remember when The Beatles first came to the U.S. in '64. Yeah, it was weird. In the movie A Hard Day's Night, when just speaking, they had a thick accent (from my perspective), not to mention a different dialect vocabulary. But when singing, they could pass for Americans.
Some Australian actors when they move to the USA to advance their careers had to adopt an American accent in their daily lives because as one of them said (Anthony LaPaglia) "when I go to the grocery store nobody understood me!". 🤣 🤣 🤣 Makes me wonder how on earth Americans understood Crocodile Dundee......that's hillybilly Aussie accent or maybe they used subtitles in American cinemas. 🤣
@@bluewidow1302 I had wondered that when I first got into them in high school. My mother said often people would hide their accent, but that didn’t make sense to me because they never hid their Liverpool accent when speaking to reporters. They did not seem embarrassed in any way about where they came from. But now that I hear this I think in a way my mother may have been into something. It may have been both the fact they were mimicking the tone that those who inspired them had or it’s because it was easier to sing. I believe that’s how they would sing some of their songs in German for the audience. They sang sounds instead of words. Either way, whenever I hear that accent I know someone’s from Liverpool.
@@ThelSuperlKing As a non native speaker, I find it very interesting how I relate to English accents. I've been taught RP in school. That's probably the hardest to learn for an Italian. Thinking back at the time, many of us were butchering English - or so we thought. Much later I've learned that our pronunciation was closer to some northern accents. I can't hear a mild scottish accent (unless I'm looking for specific markers on purpose), it's more familiar to ma than other accents. In a way, the Australian accent is also familiar. BTW not the thick ones, and anyway it's mostly a matter of words (meaning, it's more a dialect than an accent). OTOH overall I seem to understand an average American better than an average Brit. But I'm very surprised when I see an American having trouble in understanding some northern British accents - I'm not a native speaker, I've never lived there, nor I have any reason to be familar with them, my language is no relative of English, yet I seem to understand those accents better than a native speaker of English. At the same time, some southern American accents are most obscure to me. I love their musicality but I can't understand a word, while it seems not to bother much other Americans (I'm not sure how Brits react to those). Think of McConaughey's accent in the 1st season of True Detectives.
I heard the song "Melt With You" by Modern English on the radio the other day and realized it was basically impossible to sing along in my American accent.
That's funny, I've been singin' that song since it came-out in 1982, and never realized I was singin' it like them---IOW, with a British accent (I'm American); but, one is forced to because, for instance, he pronounces "better", "betta"!!!
Elton John is very fond of New Orleans' unique style of Blues, he grew up listening to that and some other american rock-'n'-rollers. That's why he switches to a more southern american in some of his songs. Sometimes, he's also done it only to make it sound better and fit more gently in the song's metrics. For instance, in "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on me" when Elton sings "don't discard me (...)", He does it in a very american accent 'cause he thought it'd fit better.
I remember reading an interview with either John Lennon or Paul McCartney where they said they loved Motown in their early years and attempted to copy that accent. Sting said in an interview back in the 1980's that he had intentionally tried to make a unique accent all his own. As a Canadian I am well aware when Canadian singers sound Canadian, like Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell or the Barenaked Ladies as opposed to many Canadian Country singers who intentionally copy American accents. Look at the Proclaimers, surely no one could sound more Scottish when they sing compared to Rod Stewart for example. Love your videos!
The one I think about most is Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin, because when he sings softly his accent is very present, but when he goes full throttle it totally disappears. "Over the Hills and Far Away" is an excellent example of that. This is opposed to other British Invasion singers like Roger Daltrey and Mick Jagger. Roger's accent disappears entirely no matter what (listen to Behind Blue Eyes), but Mick ALWAYS has his accent on whether he's singing soft or not (Ruby Tuesday vs Sympathy for the Devil)
I was surprised that there was no mention of the “Transatlantic Accent” and it’s place as the “correct” showbiz accent used in the plays and films and musicals of the first half of the 20th century (despite the fact it wasn’t naturally spoken by anybody). I would’ve thought the perception of the correct/classy accent had a major impact on how singing is taught in the west.
it never was truly the "correct" stage accent it was basically left up to the individual actor whether they chose to adopt it or not but by the late forties it was pretty much gone just like the fashion trend of everybody wearing hats all the time. american rock n' roll was basically the foundation of modern music as we know it and that started early 50's so the trend was basically dead by then plus that 'ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK' would've sounded ridiculous in a mid atlantic accent.
Indeed, but htat was more spoken than sung. I suppost musical theatre gets is similar, but it's still very much a standard in the USA, unless it's about specific ethinc or socioeconomic groups.
Damon Albarn: Hold my beer! (*then proceeds to sing Blur's "Country House" in his native East London Cockney accent*). Billy Bragg: You ain't seen nothin' yet!
Right when I read the words "Pink Floyd" in your comment, my brain played the "By chance, two separate glances meet" line in my head, so definitely a fundamental element in them that I hadn't thought of before.
When I was a boy, I was shocked the first time I heard Rob Halford speak on MTV. Mick Jagger and Lemmy sounded clearly British to me. Def Leppard and Judas Priest sounded so American to me. I was so confused.
I saw a clip somewhere of Joachim saying he uses the slightly rolled R when he sings specifically because it's the only way he can make it sound clear. I don't know anything about Swedish, but it's kind of interesting that the open "ah" that English tends toward in singing doesn't work for him.
Swedes don't roll their Rs so much when they speak (more than the English, but less than the Spanish or Slavs), but they sometimes do it when they sing, especially if they take on a more theatrical manner. With Jocke it could be due to the fact that he is half Czech or Polish, don't remember exactly which.
@@PXCharon he also said on stream with Dragonforce that it helped him hide his Scandinavian accent, or at least not make him sound like he's doing a bad American accent.
I love how you've expanded your channel into video essays. You obviously have a passion for education (as expected from a Vocal Coach) as it shows through your presentation and research. I've seen a handful of your reactions (can't watch too many or else I'll spoil myself for my own content) and I've learned a lot about vocals that, as a composer and trumpet player, I wasn't aware of. Your channel continues to be a well of musical information that will seemingly never run dry. Your video essays remind me so much of Braincraft, but for music topics, and I wish you the best as you continue to expand into new ideas.
Saw Paul McCartney asked why The Beatles sounded "American" when singing. He answered that all of their favorite songs and favorite singers were American and they came up originally as a coverband in clubs. Their influences were American, so they developed an American sounding style of singing. .
It’s also fun to hear West End stars perform on Broadway because they generally sound completely different as they have to mask their “British” accent most times. I noticed it a lot with Rachel Tucker and Kerry Ellis when they played Elphaba in Wicked on both the West End and Broadway, it would be interesting to get a comparison video of them!
I love it when singers retain their accent and make it work with their songs. To name a few; Florence + the Machine, Marina and the Diamonds, Sophie Ellis Bextor, the Cranberries and of course, the Proclaimers. I also feel with Adele it depends on the song. Sometimes you do hear her English accent. In Hometown Glory for instance.
Thank you, Beth. I have always wondered why UK, or even a Dutch band (Golden Earring) sounded so "American." Then again, it seemed odd that a San Fransisco band (Creedence) sounded so US Southern. Or the obviously British voice of The Beatles contrasts with the more blues influenced voice of the Rolling Stones (Mick Jagger, who could do American accents from Southern to New England).
The part about vowels doing a large part in defining an accent is spot on. Back in my radio days, the production director at one station I was at figured out that my family originally came to California from Wisconsin based on how I pronounce the word "milk". I use an "e" sound instead of an "i", so it sounds like "melk".
I absolutely adore how profound and in-depth your videos are! You dig really deep into the very essence of a topic and deliver it with in such a warm and inviting yet structured manner that I can't help but stick my eyes and ears to my screen. Thank you!
I never realised I was changing my accent when singing till a friend told me I sounded like Layne Staley. A whole bunch of recordings later, I realised I did sound very American while singing. But I grew up listening to American rock bands or British rock bands that sang like Americans so it's not surprising.
I've ALWAYS wondered.... 😁 But I LOVE it when you can hear the accent! Arctic Monkeys ae great for that! Its just "cooler" when you know you can't sing it naturally without faking it. Cranberries, Sugarcubes, etc, are also good examples where the ACTUAL accent makes it SOOOO much cooler!
Thank you for your very informative video. As a retired teacher in the USA. I used to tell my students that the learning process never stops. I learned a considerable amount from this video, thank you. By the way. I love your accent. When I hear you speak, I think that is how some of my ancestors might have sounded. You channel is great. Keep up the good work.
The question is one of the most interesting for all musical genres, languages and all times. And the answer you gave us, was the best I heard of all times, and you have done it with unsurpassed clarity and documentation. I congratulate you enormously. You're so cute! Thanks from Argentina !!
One excellent example of this was the late Jim Nabors, who while speaking had a real thick southern/Appalachian accent. But when he sang it completely disappeared. Excellent presentation, Beth.
Georgia Maq! I love how she still has her accent even when she's belting stuff out. There's a few other Australian singers at the moment who also keep their accent but they're generally more speak-singy than Georgia
I love singers that sing in their real accents, I have a 40 song Spotify playlist dedicated to "accent songs" lol. Glasvegas, Arab Strap and Biffy Clyro are 3 of the Scottish-singing artists on there.
I think a lot of what you say applies to German and how it's thought to be a very harsh language just rrrrrrrrrrolling with all the rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, as Till Lindeman from Rammstein does when singing. But when he speaks in his normal voice, you don't hear that at all. The rrrrrrrrrrolling R comes from something called "Bühnendeutsch", which as those operatic Italian vowels you mentioned is used to project voice clearly in a theatre setting. No German would ever dream of speaking that way (aside from some local accents which do have a rolling R). I guess when English speaking actors were trained to play the bad German Nazi guys in WWII films, they were trained by people who taught them Bühnendeutsch, or used it to indicate the use a foreign language while still speaking English. Many Germans can't even roll an R to save their lives.
Oh 100% - Loads of Brits thought they were a British band (some still do which is probably part of why Mr Brightside is _still_ on the charts here to this day) - a good example is the un-American way he sings 'but it's just the PRICE I PAY' in Mr Brightside's chorus
...there is also the case of Syd Barrett, he had so much of his london accent when singing that he managed to rhyme "again" with "Layne" (song Arnold Layne).
Thank you for the the explanation. As a child I noticed the accents disappearing while listening to music with my dad who was a bid fan of the British invasion of the seventies and eighties, and I always wondered why that happened.
So I heard it was cause of he influence of popular American music. I am 60 years old, raised in South Texas, and I could only sound British when singing “Enerie” the 8th by the Herman’s Hermits.
Bjork and Aurora don't surrender a syllable to anyone or anything. I think they operate on the same position I take. "I don't have an accent! Everybody else does."
I remember hearing Shirley Manson's accent for the first time. That is quite a strong Scottish accent, and yet totally non-existent in her singing. Gorgeous voice in either situation though.
Very interesting! Excellent video! This is something I’ve often wondered about. I think you can even take this further. Some people when they travel abroad to a country where they don’t know the language start imitating the sounds of that language when speaking their own. It can happen without thinking. I think that gets back to the point re seeking of acceptance and understanding from others. Oh, and you look absolutely amazing as usual! (like a Scottish Ann Margret). So irresistibly cute, so positive and upbeat, and soooo smart. A winning combination!
Never really thought about this critically but my favorite band sings in English with an American accent but they are quite, quite Dutch. Beautiful job on this - I love learning from you and never miss one of your postings!
Missy Higgins is well known for singing pop in an Australian accent. And I’m sure most western millennials will remember Sophie Ellis Bextor’s Murder on the Dancefloor (man that song was a banger), in her native English accent. Those are the two that first popped into my mind.
I've always wondered and regret not asking my vocal teacher Dr. Myra Brand when I was in college. Thank you for explaining this phenomenon so well! Wish I'd kept up singing as I did in church when was younger or later in karaoke. Thanks again!
I love your sessions, and this one in particular. As an American who used to sing Japanese and Korean songs, I approached them from a linguistics basis, dinging phonetically as I didn’t always understand all of the words. In Japan I was told that I spoke with a Tokyo accent. In singing, my “accent” would vary depending if I was singing enka (a more traditional song, done of which might be considered similar to folk songs) but sang in a more normal tone for J-pop songs. For Korean songs, the challenge was mostly about vowel sounds that would be unusual for English speakers, such as the long u followed by an “l”. An American would say “pool” with a flat tongue hitting the roof of the mouth at the end of the word fairly far forward in the mouth. That “ool” sound in many Korean words has the tongue more curved and hitting the roof of the mouth further back, giving quite a different sound.
Never thought someone can have this question but yeah, a good one! As a hungarian I often realise that even if I just speak in German or in English my voice stucture changes, because of the rithm of the language, so does the tone of my voice and the volume is another. I also sing different in different languages. My accent seems American english to people, but it truly desappears when I am singing, that Is for sure! Thanks!
I have always wondered if people like Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys) started singing with a less natural accent and forced themselves back to their native speaking accent as a choice, or if it was natural for them to sing in their speech accent (when for others it seems natural to sing in a different accent to the one they speak with)...
Alex Turner probably writes the song with his accent in mind, consider Tom Jones cover of "I bet that you look good on the dance floor" using his mid-Atlantic voice it sounds a bit flatter because he isn't using the yorkshire accent to pull the vowel sounds up and down like Alex does.
@@lucie4185 Yeah I think you're probably right. Im sure it was something that helped them standout from all the other small bands doing their thing with small club/bar gigs and on social media.
This video was ace. I've been told when I sing (metal/rock music) I sound English/British, yet when I talk between songs I'm obviously Irish. When asked I once told someone it was down to singing along with 80s British metal bands. I wish I sounded more like one of my personal heroes Phil Lynott, his soft Dublin accent comes through in his songs so well.
Most of my examples for singers who almost exclusively sing in their native accent you used, but I would also add Sophie Ellis-Bextor. She almost never loses her well spoken southern English accent when she sings, and it's one of the reasons I enjoy her voice so much. Quite the contrast to Lily Allen another singer I like who is also from South England but has a thick cockney accent that she sings in.
I agree. All of the elements you described definitely were different when we'd do songs in other languages in college choir, like the Sephardic Spanish of Por Que Llorax Blanca Niña.
So I came across this channel while looking for Periphery songs (saw your reaction video on "Garden In The Bones"). I can safely say I didn't think I'd be spending my Friday night watching RUclips videos from a vocal coach, but I'm glad I clicked on your Periphery video and started looking! I'll definitely start following this channel, as I don't think I've ever actually sat down and thought about the actual "mechanics" of how and why these sounds come out of my mouth. Thanks for the great content, I hope your business is going well!
Well done, this was very interesting. The one additional accent thing that take away from this is that your pronunciation of *assume* does to the *s* what I had thought was mostly Australian.
There are probably some parallels between my accent and Australian accents. After all I’m from Perth, Scotland and Australia was colonised by enough Perth people to make their own :)
Ray Davies (The Kinks) doesn't change accents. He could sing "Great Balls of Fire" on the Fourth of July in a Memphis juke joint, and he'd still sound British.
Hilltop Hoods are an example of artists defying the norm and using their own accent in their music. Rap in an Australian Accent goes against what’s considered “right” but their sound really works and they don’t try to affect an American accent
The best example for singing style contradicting expectations might be Rammstein. Even for german measures their style has a very harsh and opera-like tone used in very rhythmic rock/metal music, and I think this is why they are loved internationally: it simply fits well into this american derived style of music and gives a new layer of heavyness that others could never achieve without this tone. To clear my background, I am not even a big fan of them, but I respect them for their unique style.
Look up the danish musician Eddie Skoller singing his song “what did you learn in school today” . Each verse has a different accent with a National twist. Each of verses are flavored by the native language from each of the nationalities he is portraying.
The "rhotic r" thing is huge. Such a difference between 6:29 and 6:33. Can you imagine Steve Perry singing "she took the midnight train goin' anywherrrrre" (instead of the iconic "anywheyah")? Or, in 'Open Arms', singing "open arrrrms" (instead of the iconic "open ahmms"), or "...wanting you nearrrrr" (instead of "wanting you nea-ahh")? It'd be _comical._ He'd sound like Glenn Frey of the Eagles, or an outright "bro country" singer. 😆 Speaking of Glenn Frey, he really did lean in on that rhotic r, didn't he! A line from "Lyin' Eyes' comes to mind: "...she wonderrrrrs how it everrrrrr got this crazy". 😄
I’ve noticed that Gary Lightbody (Snow Patrol) keeps his Northern Irish accent when singing. And I’ve also heard Dermot Kennedy’s Irish accent come through ☺️
that's an interesting question.. I studied stage musicals. They taught us to pronounce lyrics as if we were British saying that it would sound like a normal US accent to the audience.
I love accents, apart from my own so I always borrow someone else's when speaking English. And when I sing around the house I often sing them with different accents just for fun 😊
The Unthanks - folk singers from the very North of England (where I'm from!) - utilise their strong Northumbrian accents, making their music instantly recognisable as theirs. I admire their pride in the local dialect, and try to honour it in my singing too, though to a less noticeable extent than The Unthanks.
Losing the accent is common in pop and also opera, where they have to sing in other languages fairly often. But traditional music keeps its accents, Irish, Scots or Australian.
Beth, you should check out the track "Dead City" by The Twilight Sad. Their lead vocalist James Graham is from Central Scotland and he keeps his fairly broad accent throughout.
As an American I was always shocked to find out a singer was from the UK because there were no signs vocally that would indicate that they were British.. except for Syd Barrett, he had a very strong British accent in his singing voice..
Agreed, Scott was a fantastic singer. I assume you are aware of the other work he did as Owl John and with Mastersystem? I'd like to add The Twilight Sad (James Graham), We Were Promised Jetpacks (Adam Thompson) and Arab Strap (Aidan Moffat) as other notable exceptions that maintain their Scottish accents when singing.
You're like the Vsauce of music! I love it! I always wondered why I switch or cancel my accents when singing different English songs. I'm not even English, but I can miraculously get a British accent when singing Adele songs.
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Ozzy is the biggest mystery. I don't know what language he's using, when speaking. When he's singing, perfect English.
LOL Right?!
Ozzy speaks Ozzy.Its a mix of British,alcohol,pills and dain bramage.
Birmingham, innit.
Yeah, the damage from the decades of alcohol and drugs has magnified his Birmingham accent x1000. It also added extra, I don't know what it is, that downturned corner of the mouth speaking they do.
If you listen to him speaking for s while, you get used to it
I hear the accents coming through with Dolores O'Riordan and Colin James Hay.
Yes - true
Oh that sweet Irish brogue of Dolores O’Riordan. My jaw dropped and my heart leapt upon hearing “Linger” for the first time. She’s missed.
Totally. I was about to write Dolores! She was so unique! 💓
Frank Sinatra had perfect diction when singing. Speaking, he had a strong Hoboken accent. He consciously trained himself to eliminate his accent when singing
I remember when The Beatles first came to the U.S. in '64. Yeah, it was weird. In the movie A Hard Day's Night, when just speaking, they had a thick accent (from my perspective), not to mention a different dialect vocabulary. But when singing, they could pass for Americans.
Some Australian actors when they move to the USA to advance their careers had to adopt an American accent in their daily lives because as one of them said (Anthony LaPaglia) "when I go to the grocery store nobody understood me!". 🤣 🤣 🤣 Makes me wonder how on earth Americans understood Crocodile Dundee......that's hillybilly Aussie accent or maybe they used subtitles in American cinemas. 🤣
Me took Doug !
@@bluewidow1302 I had wondered that when I first got into them in high school. My mother said often people would hide their accent, but that didn’t make sense to me because they never hid their Liverpool accent when speaking to reporters. They did not seem embarrassed in any way about where they came from. But now that I hear this I think in a way my mother may have been into something. It may have been both the fact they were mimicking the tone that those who inspired them had or it’s because it was easier to sing. I believe that’s how they would sing some of their songs in German for the audience. They sang sounds instead of words. Either way, whenever I hear that accent I know someone’s from Liverpool.
Mick Jagger too - perfect American when singing and lousy English estuary when talking.
@@ThelSuperlKing As a non native speaker, I find it very interesting how I relate to English accents. I've been taught RP in school. That's probably the hardest to learn for an Italian. Thinking back at the time, many of us were butchering English - or so we thought. Much later I've learned that our pronunciation was closer to some northern accents. I can't hear a mild scottish accent (unless I'm looking for specific markers on purpose), it's more familiar to ma than other accents. In a way, the Australian accent is also familiar. BTW not the thick ones, and anyway it's mostly a matter of words (meaning, it's more a dialect than an accent). OTOH overall I seem to understand an average American better than an average Brit.
But I'm very surprised when I see an American having trouble in understanding some northern British accents - I'm not a native speaker, I've never lived there, nor I have any reason to be familar with them, my language is no relative of English, yet I seem to understand those accents better than a native speaker of English.
At the same time, some southern American accents are most obscure to me. I love their musicality but I can't understand a word, while it seems not to bother much other Americans (I'm not sure how Brits react to those). Think of McConaughey's accent in the 1st season of True Detectives.
I heard the song "Melt With You" by Modern English on the radio the other day and realized it was basically impossible to sing along in my American accent.
If I sing it in my natural voice, it sounds like it should be a country song, lol.
Love this song 🙏
yesss ha ha
I can sing it; I just can't make it sound like them.
That's funny, I've been singin' that song since it came-out in 1982, and never realized I was singin' it like them---IOW, with a British accent (I'm American); but, one is forced to because, for instance, he pronounces "better", "betta"!!!
Elton John is very fond of New Orleans' unique style of Blues, he grew up listening to that and some other american rock-'n'-rollers. That's why he switches to a more southern american in some of his songs.
Sometimes, he's also done it only to make it sound better and fit more gently in the song's metrics. For instance, in "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on me" when Elton sings "don't discard me (...)", He does it in a very american accent 'cause he thought it'd fit better.
I remember reading an interview with either John Lennon or Paul McCartney where they said they loved Motown in their early years and attempted to copy that accent. Sting said in an interview back in the 1980's that he had intentionally tried to make a unique accent all his own. As a Canadian I am well aware when Canadian singers sound Canadian, like Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell or the Barenaked Ladies as opposed to many Canadian Country singers who intentionally copy American accents. Look at the Proclaimers, surely no one could sound more Scottish when they sing compared to Rod Stewart for example. Love your videos!
Rod Stewart was born and grew up in London. His father was Scottish but his mother was a Londoner. I don't think he ever lived in Scotland.
The one I think about most is Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin, because when he sings softly his accent is very present, but when he goes full throttle it totally disappears. "Over the Hills and Far Away" is an excellent example of that. This is opposed to other British Invasion singers like Roger Daltrey and Mick Jagger. Roger's accent disappears entirely no matter what (listen to Behind Blue Eyes), but Mick ALWAYS has his accent on whether he's singing soft or not (Ruby Tuesday vs Sympathy for the Devil)
I was surprised that there was no mention of the “Transatlantic Accent” and it’s place as the “correct” showbiz accent used in the plays and films and musicals of the first half of the 20th century (despite the fact it wasn’t naturally spoken by anybody). I would’ve thought the perception of the correct/classy accent had a major impact on how singing is taught in the west.
it never was truly the "correct" stage accent it was basically left up to the individual actor whether they chose to adopt it or not but by the late forties it was pretty much gone just like the fashion trend of everybody wearing hats all the time. american rock n' roll was basically the foundation of modern music as we know it and that started early 50's so the trend was basically dead by then plus that 'ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK' would've sounded ridiculous in a mid atlantic accent.
Indeed, but htat was more spoken than sung. I suppost musical theatre gets is similar, but it's still very much a standard in the USA, unless it's about specific ethinc or socioeconomic groups.
Great comment : very germane
Damon Albarn: Hold my beer! (*then proceeds to sing Blur's "Country House" in his native East London Cockney accent*).
Billy Bragg: You ain't seen nothin' yet!
I've always enjoyed to that about Pink Floyd exactly because they stick to their original accent
I just made the same basic comment.
Yeah ! haha
Right when I read the words "Pink Floyd" in your comment, my brain played the "By chance, two separate glances meet" line in my head, so definitely a fundamental element in them that I hadn't thought of before.
When I was a boy, I was shocked the first time I heard Rob Halford speak on MTV. Mick Jagger and Lemmy sounded clearly British to me. Def Leppard and Judas Priest sounded so American to me. I was so confused.
I was going to bring up Mick Jagger as well
As an accent nerd, I find this video delightful to watch 😊❤ Thank you so much for this deep dive!
You're so welcome!
The very first time I had the pleasure of hearing Pink Floyd there was no doubt of where they were from. Shine On !
Sabaton's Joakim Brodén definitely adds some Swedish-ness to his hinging accent.
I saw a clip somewhere of Joachim saying he uses the slightly rolled R when he sings specifically because it's the only way he can make it sound clear.
I don't know anything about Swedish, but it's kind of interesting that the open "ah" that English tends toward in singing doesn't work for him.
'byooried' 😅
Swedes don't roll their Rs so much when they speak (more than the English, but less than the Spanish or Slavs), but they sometimes do it when they sing, especially if they take on a more theatrical manner.
With Jocke it could be due to the fact that he is half Czech or Polish, don't remember exactly which.
@@PXCharon he also said on stream with Dragonforce that it helped him hide his Scandinavian accent, or at least not make him sound like he's doing a bad American accent.
he kinda sings bury as byoury
I love how you've expanded your channel into video essays. You obviously have a passion for education (as expected from a Vocal Coach) as it shows through your presentation and research. I've seen a handful of your reactions (can't watch too many or else I'll spoil myself for my own content) and I've learned a lot about vocals that, as a composer and trumpet player, I wasn't aware of. Your channel continues to be a well of musical information that will seemingly never run dry. Your video essays remind me so much of Braincraft, but for music topics, and I wish you the best as you continue to expand into new ideas.
Saw Paul McCartney asked why The Beatles sounded "American" when singing. He answered that all of their favorite songs and favorite singers were American and they came up originally as a coverband in clubs. Their influences were American, so they developed an American sounding style of singing.
.
"Think Scottish folk" shows a brief clip of Julie Fowlis. So I'm holding out hope for a vocal coach reacts to Julie Fowlis video some day.
That would be amazing! She’s one of my favourite vocalists.
I am enjoying these videos with scientific and societal aspects of music/sound so much! Keep up the great work, Beth! Cheers from Brazil!
It’s also fun to hear West End stars perform on Broadway because they generally sound completely different as they have to mask their “British” accent most times. I noticed it a lot with Rachel Tucker and Kerry Ellis when they played Elphaba in Wicked on both the West End and Broadway, it would be interesting to get a comparison video of them!
I love it when singers retain their accent and make it work with their songs. To name a few; Florence + the Machine, Marina and the Diamonds, Sophie Ellis Bextor, the Cranberries and of course, the Proclaimers. I also feel with Adele it depends on the song. Sometimes you do hear her English accent. In Hometown Glory for instance.
Thank you, Beth. I have always wondered why UK, or even a Dutch band (Golden Earring) sounded so "American." Then again, it seemed odd that a San Fransisco band (Creedence) sounded so US Southern. Or the obviously British voice of The Beatles contrasts with the more blues influenced voice of the Rolling Stones (Mick Jagger, who could do American accents from Southern to New England).
The part about vowels doing a large part in defining an accent is spot on. Back in my radio days, the production director at one station I was at figured out that my family originally came to California from Wisconsin based on how I pronounce the word "milk". I use an "e" sound instead of an "i", so it sounds like "melk".
I absolutely adore how profound and in-depth your videos are! You dig really deep into the very essence of a topic and deliver it with in such a warm and inviting yet structured manner that I can't help but stick my eyes and ears to my screen. Thank you!
I never realised I was changing my accent when singing till a friend told me I sounded like Layne Staley. A whole bunch of recordings later, I realised I did sound very American while singing. But I grew up listening to American rock bands or British rock bands that sang like Americans so it's not surprising.
Can't wait to hear this. You can still hear a bit of Tatiana's accent when she sings her cleans, but she loses it in her growls/screams. :-)
I've ALWAYS wondered.... 😁
But I LOVE it when you can hear the accent! Arctic Monkeys ae great for that! Its just "cooler" when you know you can't sing it naturally without faking it. Cranberries, Sugarcubes, etc, are also good examples where the ACTUAL accent makes it SOOOO much cooler!
Thank you for your very informative video. As a retired teacher in the USA. I used to tell my students that the learning process never stops. I learned a considerable amount from this video, thank you. By the way. I love your accent. When I hear you speak, I think that is how some of my ancestors might have sounded. You channel is great. Keep up the good work.
Thanks John!
I’m stoked for this video. This has been on my question list for a while now. Can’t wait!
Hope you like it!
Outstanding video Beth. I could listen to you talk about this topic for hours. Very interesting.
Thank you! I have the full chat with Pamela coming out in podcast form soon!
The Proclaimers sound Scottish even when they sing an American song....I know, I know haven't seen the video yet....but just saying 😉
🙈
Have you heard their song "Throw the R Away?" It's basically about how they're proud to sing with a Scottish accent.
@@HollowGolem I like King of the Road....an American song with a Scottish flare.
😂😂😂
The question is one of the most interesting for all musical genres, languages and all times. And the answer you gave us, was the best I heard of all times, and you have done it with unsurpassed clarity and documentation. I congratulate you enormously. You're so cute! Thanks from Argentina !!
I've been curious about this for so long. Thanks Beth :)
One excellent example of this was the late Jim Nabors, who while speaking had a real thick southern/Appalachian accent. But when he sang it completely disappeared. Excellent presentation, Beth.
Thanks Bill!
I've never thought about "Opera" as an accent before, but it makes so much sense.
Also explains for me my preference for Italian over German opera. Mind opened.
Georgia Maq! I love how she still has her accent even when she's belting stuff out. There's a few other Australian singers at the moment who also keep their accent but they're generally more speak-singy than Georgia
I love singers that sing in their real accents, I have a 40 song Spotify playlist dedicated to "accent songs" lol. Glasvegas, Arab Strap and Biffy Clyro are 3 of the Scottish-singing artists on there.
god drop the link
I think a lot of what you say applies to German and how it's thought to be a very harsh language just rrrrrrrrrrolling with all the rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, as Till Lindeman from Rammstein does when singing. But when he speaks in his normal voice, you don't hear that at all. The rrrrrrrrrrolling R comes from something called "Bühnendeutsch", which as those operatic Italian vowels you mentioned is used to project voice clearly in a theatre setting. No German would ever dream of speaking that way (aside from some local accents which do have a rolling R). I guess when English speaking actors were trained to play the bad German Nazi guys in WWII films, they were trained by people who taught them Bühnendeutsch, or used it to indicate the use a foreign language while still speaking English. Many Germans can't even roll an R to save their lives.
I think Brandon Flowers from The Killers sang with a British accent on at least their first album Hot Fuss, and he's from Las Vegas.
Oh 100% - Loads of Brits thought they were a British band (some still do which is probably part of why Mr Brightside is _still_ on the charts here to this day) - a good example is the un-American way he sings 'but it's just the PRICE I PAY' in Mr Brightside's chorus
...there is also the case of Syd Barrett, he had so much of his london accent when singing that he managed to rhyme "again" with "Layne" (song Arnold Layne).
Yes... very interesting
Syd was born and grew up in Cambridge and only came to live London in 1964 and was part of Pink Floyd from 1965 to 1968.
The Beatles were a Prime example in the 60's
Thank you for the the explanation. As a child I noticed the accents disappearing while listening to music with my dad who was a bid fan of the British invasion of the seventies and eighties, and I always wondered why that happened.
That was super interesting! Thanks, Beth!
You are so welcome!
So I heard it was cause of he influence of popular American music. I am 60 years old, raised in South Texas, and I could only sound British when singing “Enerie” the 8th by the Herman’s Hermits.
Bjork and Aurora don't surrender a syllable to anyone or anything. I think they operate on the same position I take. "I don't have an accent! Everybody else does."
Thank you for a fantastic exploration of this phenomenon.
I remember hearing Shirley Manson's accent for the first time. That is quite a strong Scottish accent, and yet totally non-existent in her singing. Gorgeous voice in either situation though.
Very interesting! Excellent video! This is something I’ve often wondered about. I think you can even take this further. Some people when they travel abroad to a country where they don’t know the language start imitating the sounds of that language when speaking their own. It can happen without thinking. I think that gets back to the point re seeking of acceptance and understanding from others.
Oh, and you look absolutely amazing as usual! (like a Scottish Ann Margret). So irresistibly cute, so positive and upbeat, and soooo smart. A winning combination!
I look forward to this. It will be interesting.
Never really thought about this critically but my favorite band sings in English with an American accent but they are quite, quite Dutch. Beautiful job on this - I love learning from you and never miss one of your postings!
Thank you for watching!
Kudos to Beth for a fascinating, incisive lecture on a subject that always intrigued me.
Missy Higgins is well known for singing pop in an Australian accent. And I’m sure most western millennials will remember Sophie Ellis Bextor’s Murder on the Dancefloor (man that song was a banger), in her native English accent. Those are the two that first popped into my mind.
I love these educational videos I've always wanted to know this. Thank you! :D
You're so welcome!
I've always wondered and regret not asking my vocal teacher Dr. Myra Brand when I was in college. Thank you for explaining this phenomenon so well! Wish I'd kept up singing as I did in church when was younger or later in karaoke. Thanks again!
I love your sessions, and this one in particular. As an American who used to sing Japanese and Korean songs, I approached them from a linguistics basis, dinging phonetically as I didn’t always understand all of the words. In Japan I was told that I spoke with a Tokyo accent. In singing, my “accent” would vary depending if I was singing enka (a more traditional song, done of which might be considered similar to folk songs) but sang in a more normal tone for J-pop songs. For Korean songs, the challenge was mostly about vowel sounds that would be unusual for English speakers, such as the long u followed by an “l”. An American would say “pool” with a flat tongue hitting the roof of the mouth at the end of the word fairly far forward in the mouth. That “ool” sound in many Korean words has the tongue more curved and hitting the roof of the mouth further back, giving quite a different sound.
Never thought someone can have this question but yeah, a good one! As a hungarian I often realise that even if I just speak in German or in English my voice stucture changes, because of the rithm of the language, so does the tone of my voice and the volume is another. I also sing different in different languages. My accent seems American english to people, but it truly desappears when I am singing, that Is for sure! Thanks!
I have always wondered if people like Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys) started singing with a less natural accent and forced themselves back to their native speaking accent as a choice, or if it was natural for them to sing in their speech accent (when for others it seems natural to sing in a different accent to the one they speak with)...
I think that is really personal. A lot of it is subconscious. :)
Alex Turner probably writes the song with his accent in mind, consider Tom Jones cover of "I bet that you look good on the dance floor" using his mid-Atlantic voice it sounds a bit flatter because he isn't using the yorkshire accent to pull the vowel sounds up and down like Alex does.
@@lucie4185 Yeah I think you're probably right. Im sure it was something that helped them standout from all the other small bands doing their thing with small club/bar gigs and on social media.
This video was ace.
I've been told when I sing (metal/rock music) I sound English/British, yet when I talk between songs I'm obviously Irish. When asked I once told someone it was down to singing along with 80s British metal bands.
I wish I sounded more like one of my personal heroes Phil Lynott, his soft Dublin accent comes through in his songs so well.
This was the question bumbed into my mind in the early morning of a weekend 🤣
Most of my examples for singers who almost exclusively sing in their native accent you used, but I would also add Sophie Ellis-Bextor. She almost never loses her well spoken southern English accent when she sings, and it's one of the reasons I enjoy her voice so much. Quite the contrast to Lily Allen another singer I like who is also from South England but has a thick cockney accent that she sings in.
I'm enjoying this newer "high effort" content shift you've done. I hope it pays off for you.
Fish of Marillion sang with his native accent which deffo gives the band more character imho!
What a fantastic episode! I've always wondered about this. Thanks, Beth!
You're so welcome!
I agree. All of the elements you described definitely were different when we'd do songs in other languages in college choir, like the Sephardic Spanish of Por Que Llorax Blanca Niña.
So I came across this channel while looking for Periphery songs (saw your reaction video on "Garden In The Bones"). I can safely say I didn't think I'd be spending my Friday night watching RUclips videos from a vocal coach, but I'm glad I clicked on your Periphery video and started looking!
I'll definitely start following this channel, as I don't think I've ever actually sat down and thought about the actual "mechanics" of how and why these sounds come out of my mouth.
Thanks for the great content, I hope your business is going well!
Thanks for watching!
Many thanks Beth this is really helpful as my vocal coach has said I am too heavy on the Essex accent
Well done, this was very interesting.
The one additional accent thing that take away from this is that your pronunciation of *assume* does to the *s* what I had thought was mostly Australian.
There are probably some parallels between my accent and Australian accents. After all I’m from Perth, Scotland and Australia was colonised by enough Perth people to make their own :)
Ray Davies (The Kinks) doesn't change accents. He could sing "Great Balls of Fire" on the Fourth of July in a Memphis juke joint, and he'd still sound British.
You reminded me of Paul McCartney singing in a southern in Rocky Racoon.
Hilltop Hoods are an example of artists defying the norm and using their own accent in their music. Rap in an Australian Accent goes against what’s considered “right” but their sound really works and they don’t try to affect an American accent
Try Rhiannon Gibbons “Wayfaring Stranger”. African-American-Scots-Irish-Southern US. The accent is all over the place. It works.
Thank you for clearing this up I have always wondered this!
Heard an Amy Macdonald song randomly. Accent caught my attention. Now I have all her music on my phone.
this is a really interesting video and explained really well. thank you for sharing.
Amazing job Beth.
The best example for singing style contradicting expectations might be Rammstein. Even for german measures their style has a very harsh and opera-like tone used in very rhythmic rock/metal music, and I think this is why they are loved internationally: it simply fits well into this american derived style of music and gives a new layer of heavyness that others could never achieve without this tone.
To clear my background, I am not even a big fan of them, but I respect them for their unique style.
Awesome video! 👍
Irish punk is awesome, even i can't help to try mimic the accent haha
Look up the danish musician Eddie Skoller singing his song “what did you learn in school today” . Each verse has a different accent with a National twist. Each of verses are flavored by the native language from each of the nationalities he is portraying.
The "rhotic r" thing is huge. Such a difference between 6:29 and 6:33. Can you imagine Steve Perry singing "she took the midnight train goin' anywherrrrre" (instead of the iconic "anywheyah")? Or, in 'Open Arms', singing "open arrrrms" (instead of the iconic "open ahmms"), or "...wanting you nearrrrr" (instead of "wanting you nea-ahh")? It'd be _comical._ He'd sound like Glenn Frey of the Eagles, or an outright "bro country" singer. 😆 Speaking of Glenn Frey, he really did lean in on that rhotic r, didn't he! A line from "Lyin' Eyes' comes to mind: "...she wonderrrrrs how it everrrrrr got this crazy". 😄
if i have a reference for how the words should sound,, i dont lose accent. most of the time.
Beth make a difference! Very interesting subject. Thanks!🙂
You're so welcome!
I’ve noticed that Gary Lightbody (Snow Patrol) keeps his Northern Irish accent when singing. And I’ve also heard Dermot Kennedy’s Irish accent come through ☺️
I've always wondered this! So glad I found this video. Absolutely fascinating.
that's an interesting question.. I studied stage musicals. They taught us to pronounce lyrics as if we were British saying that it would sound like a normal US accent to the audience.
I love accents, apart from my own so I always borrow someone else's when speaking English. And when I sing around the house I often sing them with different accents just for fun 😊
It's funny how some song just sounds so much more real and even better with accent.
The Unthanks - folk singers from the very North of England (where I'm from!) - utilise their strong Northumbrian accents, making their music instantly recognisable as theirs. I admire their pride in the local dialect, and try to honour it in my singing too, though to a less noticeable extent than The Unthanks.
Losing the accent is common in pop and also opera, where they have to sing in other languages fairly often. But traditional music keeps its accents, Irish, Scots or Australian.
Beth, you should check out the track "Dead City" by The Twilight Sad. Their lead vocalist James Graham is from Central Scotland and he keeps his fairly broad accent throughout.
A friend once told me all British singers sounded American when they sang.
So I played Billy Bragg for him.
Bit of The Wurzels will set him right.
It was really interesting to watch! Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I'm asking myself the same thing since 25 years
Thank you for this. I've long wondered about the "American accent" thing, and what you say makes sense.
As an American I was always shocked to find out a singer was from the UK because there were no signs vocally that would indicate that they were British.. except for Syd Barrett, he had a very strong British accent in his singing voice..
Frightened Rabbit is a very notable exception to the rule. Man alive did Scott still sound Scottish while singing, and I loved it.
Agreed, Scott was a fantastic singer. I assume you are aware of the other work he did as Owl John and with Mastersystem? I'd like to add The Twilight Sad (James Graham), We Were Promised Jetpacks (Adam Thompson) and Arab Strap (Aidan Moffat) as other notable exceptions that maintain their Scottish accents when singing.
@@AbsoluteCasserole I knew about Owl John, but I've never heard about Mastersystem until now. Thank you for letting me know.
"I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony......"
Coke advert :)
She's so pretty 🦋
You're like the Vsauce of music! I love it! I always wondered why I switch or cancel my accents when singing different English songs. I'm not even English, but I can miraculously get a British accent when singing Adele songs.
Hey! I'm going to be moving all these videos over to another channel soon. So they have their own space to live :)
Always liked Herman's Hermits because they kept their British accents while singing.