Question Re British Bands

[Jana]

I don't think there is such a thing as an accent when singing, at least in the same way we expect from a speaking voice. I don't hear an American accent when listening to American bands, and the singing voice of most British bands remains the same - for the vast majority it has nothing to do with breaking into an American market.

Listen to Paul Rodgers or David Coverdale. They are quintessentially British singers and they were singing (the same way) for a British market long before they went to the States.

Absolutely. Something about the use of vocal chords when singing that circumvents a lot of the properties of a spoken word.

Swedish bands are one of the best set of musicians for singing English lyrics with no tonal interferrance, whereas German bands are possibly the worst at disguising their backgrounds. Italian bands also...

Fuck, you spell like Ray Charles drives a car. Anyway, my guess is while singing, there is really no time for thought process, or time to get the words out in a certain accent- while one talks, the speed of the speech is slow enough to enunciate in certain accent.

Jana, look at your hero Madonna- she sings "American" yet has developed this fake as shit Brit accent....God, that pisses me off.

You and me, both, Deano. LOL I think it's over, since she left London and lives here full-time again. Thank God. No matter how many people mentioned it, she didn't seem to care. I couldn't stomach listening to her in interviews.

But I've pulled out her whole catalogue in the 90s and 2000s relistening. She experimented so much when you follow it chronologically that I am really impressed. Maybe a lot of fans missed all her easy catchy pop songs from the 80s and her sales dropped, but she put out some of her best work in the 90s and this decade kind of fearlessly with the experimentation of some sounds and beats and type of music. Erotica in 92 is great and kind of amazing b/c she shifted the sound somewhat, but unfortunately releasing the video to Erotica song, which was really soft porn, and her sex book at the same time overshadowed how great the rest of the album was musically, and that sex book turned people against her for a while. I was given it for a gift. Bizarre to say the least and narcissistic is an understatement. I was embarrassed for her with that book.

[Ehwmatt]

You can hear accents on some Brit stuff - like the aforementioned Herman's Hermits. I think Syd Barrett (old Floyd singer) had quite a noticeable accent too. There are other examples, but I can't think of them off the top of my head. You can certainly hear a bit of an accent in some old school Beatles stuff too..

[Jana]

You can hear accents on some Brit stuff - like the aforementioned Herman's Hermits. I think Syd Barrett (old Floyd singer) had quite a noticeable accent too. There are other examples, but I can't think of them off the top of my head. You can certainly hear a bit of an accent in some old school Beatles stuff too..

I read the British punk music tends to have more of a British accent supposedly b/c they're not formally trained, and I read about the Herman's Hermits did, too.

[majik]

Maybe Americans are speaking British when they sing?

That is hilarious.
If they are speaking it could hardly be called singing.

Music itself does not have any accent, American or British. Singers the better ones that is, have the ability to sing accent free. Vocalists singing with an accent is just annoying to the majority of listeners. Music is the universal laungauge and by default is accent free imo.

Musical instruments do not have accents and the human singing voice is an instrument. Words themselves are also accent free just as the written word is. Accent is the result of pronunciation and if a accent free singer pronounced words the way they sing them when speaking the accent would be ??

[squirt1]

I think I can hear an accent in Hard Days night for one instance. I just think the music and excitement distract the brain for the listener. I can hear it in Def Leppard & more . An Asian accent is easily detectable because of way different pronounciation .

[MartyMoffatt]

You clearly have not being watching enough Black Adder!!

One of the funniest comedy series' ever produced anywhere.

[Peartree12249]

Why do they sing with no British accent? Same with Irish bands, U2. Is it to cross over to the American market? I noticed Tears for Fears, their debut album when they were 20, had certain words where the British pronunciation showed up, but they cleaned it up on their next album, Songs From The Big Chair. I have never noticed any accent on the Rolling Stones. I don't own all of the Beatles catalogue, so can't say in the early days. Is there a reason, or do they just not sing with an accent naturally? Singers answer this.

Actors, same thing. I had no idea that John Laurie (main actor on House) had such an accent until I saw him interviewed. Not a whisper of it on House.

You clearly have not being watching enough Black Adder!!

One of my favorite Brit comedies of all time. Don't forget Jeeves & Wooster. Laurie was brilliant as the silly, foppish Bertie Wooster.

[Deb]

Swedish bands are one of the best set of musicians for singing English lyrics with no tonal interferrance, whereas German bands are possibly the worst at disguising their backgrounds. Italian bands also...

True, can definitely detect Klaus Meine's accent when he sings.

[Sarah]

Some do... Coldplay and Pink Floyd are two that come to mind that sound British when they sing.

Maybe some singers sound American to us because the American accent is such a combination of language influences that it's really no accent at all?

[Don]

When I was in Norway, everyone seemed to be able to speak from extremely fluent to passable English, not sure if all the Scandinavian countries are like that or not.
Germany, Spain, Greece, Italy, France and Turkey I can personally verify as being hit or miss when it comes to finding common folk that speak English.

[SusieP]

Any performer will be influenced by performers who have preceded them. It's only natural because everything has been done before.

And I think that many singers tend to sing like their influences. So if a British singer is influenced by an American one, then you may hear an American accent on words such as "can't"

Generally an American would sing 'cant'
whereas a Brit would sing 'carnt' - except those who tend to mirror their vocal hero/heroines.


I don't think it's as calculated as trying to sound American so as to appeal more to the American market.

I am guilty of it sometimes. As you all know,I sing cover versions and I perform a lot of songs from The Great American Songbook and I learn songs by listening to recordings of them. And as I listen to a lot of songs sung by Ella Fitzgerald, I sometimes catch myself singing 'cant' instead of 'carnt' - it's weird. You just find yourself doing it without thinking.

I do always sing in MY vocal style though, even if I sometimes slip into an American pronunciation of the odd word.

Also I think you can hear an accent on Abba's vocals. [sorry Marty]

But many people sing without any clue to the accent/language of their country of origin.
The one who always amazes me most because to hear him sing you would think he was as English as Bakewell Pudding but to hear him speak he is as Scottish as haggis and that's Marty Pellow from Wet Wet Wet.


And isn't it strange, but I always thought Hugh Laurie's American accent was lousy! [But maybe that's because I know he's a Brit??]


And Andrew, I have ALL the Black Adder episodes on DVD and I love them.


So I think it's more of an unconscious thing rather than a calculated marketing ploy.

[Don]

Alex Ligertwood from SANTANA is another guy who I had no idea wasn't American. Listening to a song like Winning or Hold On, I assumed the guy was from the southeast or one of the Gulf states. Never figured him to be a Scotsman.

[Sarah]

And isn't it strange, but I always thought Hugh Laurie's American accent was lousy! [But maybe that's because I know he's a Brit??]

Maybe so! I've actually noticed that most of the time, I don't notice a fake accent if I don't already know the actor is British or Australian, but once I find out, I can hear their mistakes. Christian Bale, Clive Owen, Hugh Laurie...

[SusieP]

And regarding Madonna and her fake Englishness - she was just copying her husband. Sorry, ex husband.
He comes from an upper class [that's clarse] family and he puts on a mock cockney accent [mockney] to make people think he's working class.



Working clarse...... my arse.