Male Falsetto Singing in Pop Music

[The Hersch]

Why has falsetto singing had such a major role in American pop music? (And perhaps non-American pop music?) Here are a few examples.

That's Russell Thompkins, Jr. singing falsetto. I saw the Stylistics live at the Sugar Shack in Boston in 1974. They were terrific, even without all the studio production stuff in their recordings. This song was a sort of "our song" for me and someone I was having a rather tempestuous relationship with at the time.

I never saw Bobby Vinton live, but I remember this song,  "Mr. Lonely", vividly from top-40 radio when it was newly released in late 1964:

I didn't realize until putting this post together that Mr. Vinton was still living.

The great (and I mean really great) Smokey Robinson:

One of the best, not just as a singer but as a songwriter. I seem to recall a recent Nobel laureate calling Robinson our greatest living poet, or words to that effect.

It's sometimes hard to tell if Michael Jackson was singing falsetto or was just a soprano, but there's no denying his appeal:

There are obviously lots of others, from Prince to Justin Timberlake to the Beatles (occasionally). Then there's my favorite falsetto of all, Frankie Valli:

What accounts for the popularity of falsetto singing in pop music? In modern times it seems to have started after the Second World War, although I could be mistaken about that. I know why I like it--when well done, it just sounds fucking cool. Am I just like everyone else in this?

[Ericandblueboy]

Farinelli - il castrato.  You can watch it on YouTube.

[The Hersch]

8 minutes ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Farinelli - il castrato.  You can watch it on YouTube.

There was a great vogue for high voices in the baroque and classical periods in European music, which included male singers castrated before their voices changed, but I don't know what that has to do with falsetto singing in modern pop music.

But how could I have omitted this irresistible piece by the Newbeats, which may well be the silliest song ever written:

 

[Ericandblueboy]

I guess I prefer that over pop falsettos.  That bread & butter shit is awful. My favorite pop falsetto is The Congos - listen to don't blame it on I.  Another is Rhye, the Fall and Open.

[DonRocks]

 

[The Hersch]

I've always liked the Tokens' "Lion Sleeps Tonight," despite its being something of a travesty, based largely on the Weavers' recording of "Wimoweh", a song originally by a Zulu songwriter named Solomon Linda in the 1920s (the song has a long and tangled history). The lyrics provided for the Tokens' version are pretty silly (spoiler: lions don't sleep in jungles). It should be noted that the really, REALLY high voice in their recording was not a male falsetto, but the soprano Anita Darian doing something of an imitation of Yma Sumac's 1952 recording of "Wimoweh". I would provide links for all of this, but it's past my bedtime.

 

[DonRocks]

22 hours ago, The Hersch said:

There was a great vogue for high voices in the baroque and classical periods in European music, which included male singers castrated before their voices changed, but I don't know what that has to do with falsetto singing in modern pop music.

To try and answer your question ... I don't know, and I've actually never even thought about it before. But Eric hit on the point that falsetto has been popular throughout history, and probably not just in European-based countries. 

This article touches on your point above about Baroque music, talking about opera's "trouser roles" that were very popular for a brief period of time:

Jan, 2014 - "Women in Trousers: A Very Brief History of a Bizarre Operatic Tradition" by Ellen MacDonald Kramer on lafolia.com

My guess is that, like seeing someone dunk a basketball, people have always been fascinated by seeing (or hearing) someone do something that they cannot. Throw into the mix the fact that Rock and Roll is associated with youth and rebellion (i.e., "something those damned adults can't do"), and you have the groundwork for falsetto's appeal ... maybe. 

I agree with you that it is bizarre, but I also agree with you that it's appealing. That, and a nickel would have bought you a cup of coffee about fifty years ago.

Anita Darian hits a D6, or a whole tone above a High C (which is a C6, or "the 6th C from the bottom of the piano.") For comparison, the highest note I ever remember heard being sung is F6, or the "F" above High C - this occurs both in "The Magic Flute" (Mozart) and "Ariadne auf Naxos" (Richard Strauss). The "Queen of the Night" aria in The Magic Flute is a *nasty passage*, but skillful coloratura sopranos can nail it cleanly - I actually heard Todd Kliman's wife nail it cleanly (she was a magnificent singer, and still may be).

I had originally included something by David Bowie, instead of The Tokens - Glam Rock has had plenty of its share of falsetto as well, and its early embracing of gays may have had something to do with that; or, maybe not, but there's no question that "gayness" was interwoven with Glam Rock, and thought to be "cool" by the general public. In that regard, many of these singers could be thought of as pioneers, paving the way for what came later ... maybe.

When everyone was listening to "Metal Guru" on T. Rex's album, I was blaring "Rock On" (more Glam Rock than Falsetto, but still a little bit):

 

[DanielK]

Freddie Mercury, Prince, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne, Paul McCartney, Robert Plant, Steve Perry, Elvis Presley, Geddy Lee, Rob Halford, Axl Rose, Chris Cornell, Ronnie James Dio, Bruce Dickinson, Geoff Tate...

[The Hersch]

Del Shannon.

The strange organ-like instrument in the break is a Musitron, invented by the guy playing it on this record, Max Crook.

Quote

Jan, 2014 - "Women in Trousers: A Very Brief History of a Bizarre Operatic Tradition" by Ellen MacDonald Kramer on lafolia.com

A very interesting article. Thanks. Quite a few years ago, I attended a performance at Wolf Trap of Handel's opera Serse (Xerxes) in which the title role was sung by the remarkable male soprano Michael Maniaci, who can sing in a very high soprano register without employing falsetto, achieving the kind of power and vocal agility pretty much unavailable to countertenors. He was very impressive. I'm still at a loss to account for the revival of Baroque opera, which I find almost uniformly tedious. One exception is Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, which I love unreservedly, although that could have something to do with its being only about 45 minutes long.

[MC Horoscope]

A bit of irony here!

Walk Like a Man

 

 

[sheldman]

16 hours ago, The Hersch said:

What accounts for the popularity of falsetto singing in pop music? 

So much of American post-war pop music is African-American (or wannabe or coopted), of course. And African-American blues and gospel have had strong presence of falsetto singing since the earliest recordings. I imagine somebody has written books and articles about whether that tradition has African roots; would not be at all surprised to find that it does.

So blues and gospel are then among the parents of doo-wop, soul, R&B, and the now-ridiculous terms "rock and roll" or "rock" (now officially covering Joan Baez to Tupac). 

White country music never seemed to have so much falsetto, aside from Bob Wills's little interjections I guess. And I imagine somebody has written books and articles about why that is (differing conceptions of hetero-masculinity or what-have-you).

[MC Horoscope]

Jimmie Rodgers used falsetto in his popular blue yodels, but I agree that it's not so common in country music. I can't recall too many instances of it in Cajun music.

 

 

[The Hersch]

5 hours ago, sheldman said:

So much of American post-war pop music is African-American (or wannabe or coopted), of course. And African-American blues and gospel have had strong presence of falsetto singing since the earliest recordings. I imagine somebody has written books and articles about whether that tradition has African roots; would not be at all surprised to find that it does.

So blues and gospel are then among the parents of doo-wop, soul, R&B, and the now-ridiculous terms "rock and roll" or "rock" (now officially covering Joan Baez to Tupac). 

White country music never seemed to have so much falsetto, aside from Bob Wills's little interjections I guess. And I imagine somebody has written books and articles about why that is (differing conceptions of hetero-masculinity or what-have-you).

I certainly agree that gospel music has lots of falsetto singing, which it passed along to soul and rock 'n' roll. I can't seem to call to mind a lot of falsetto in the blues. As to country, you can't forget Slim Whitman, surely:

 

[DonRocks]

[Does anyone else but me think this is a *great* thread?]

[DonRocks]

5 hours ago, sheldman said:

So much of American post-war pop music is African-American (or wannabe or coopted), of course. And African-American blues and gospel have had strong presence of falsetto singing since the earliest recordings. I imagine somebody has written books and articles about whether that tradition has African roots; would not be at all surprised to find that it does.

So blues and gospel are then among the parents of doo-wop, soul, R&B, and the now-ridiculous terms "rock and roll" or "rock" (now officially covering Joan Baez to Tupac). 

White country music never seemed to have so much falsetto, aside from Bob Wills's little interjections I guess. And I imagine somebody has written books and articles about why that is (differing conceptions of hetero-masculinity or what-have-you).

Off-topic, but my son Matt knows a *shit-ton* about rap, and I mean the most obscure, rawest rap there is. I asked him if he thought Tupac was any good, and he said, in no uncertain terms, that Tupac was excellent. I trust his taste in rap implicitly; I know next-to-nothing about it. 

Ironically, he had never heard "Rapper's Delight," and kind of blew it off when I played it for him (this was several years ago). Well, not everyone is perfect - I actually think it's a pretty solid beginning for the hip-hop genre.

[Mark Slater]

Opera has been doing it good for 300 years.  Castrati were the biggest opera stars of the 18th century.  

[sheldman]

On 12/21/2016 at 3:48 PM, sheldman said:

...White country music never seemed to have so much falsetto, aside from Bob Wills's little interjections I guess. And I imagine somebody has written books and articles about why that is (differing conceptions of hetero-masculinity or what-have-you). ...

On 12/21/2016 at 3:58 PM, MC Horoscope said:

Jimmie Rodgers used falsetto in his popular blue yodels, but I agree that it's not so common in country music. I can't recall too many instances of it in Cajun music.

The more I think about it, the more I remember that the aspect of my post quoted here is an overstatement. You can find a good bit of falsetto backup singing in old 78rpm "country" sides by the Skillet Lickers, Earl Johnson's bands, etc., as well as the yodel-like tradition that MC Horoscope mentions. I still think it didn't really serve the same purpose or have the same feel as falsetto in mostly-Black traditions, but it was there.

[sheldman]

Hope I'm doing this right: 

 

[Al Dente]

I can't say Thom Yorke's voice is particularly mellifluous across all his recordings, but somehow it fits right in with Radiohead's style.

This may not qualify as "pop", but it is falsetto, right?

 

[Josh]

The great Junior Murvin!

 

[MC Horoscope]

Canned Heat's Al Wilson had a fine falsetto! On the Road Again 

Influenced by blues great, Skip James: Hard Time Killing Floor Blues (Canned Heat's friend John Fahey "rediscovered" Skip James and brought him to Newport Folk Festival and a late in life revived career performing). Alternate verse: Ain't got no money now, can't pay my rent. Preacher gonna tell you it's heaven sent.

 

[farmer john]

14 hours ago, MC Horoscope said:

Canned Heat's Al Wilson had a fine falsetto! On the Road Again 

Influenced by blues great, Skip James: Hard Time Killing Floor Blues (Canned Heat's friend John Fahey "rediscovered" Skip James and brought him to Newport Folk Festival and a late in life revived career performing). Alternate verse: Ain't got no money now, can't pay my rent. Preacher gonna tell you it's heaven sent.

In the mid-80's I lived for a while in Eugene, OR and worked the door at various bars. It was a common experience to drive Canned Heat guitarist Henry Vestine home at the end of the night when he had had one (or nine) too many. Nice guy who could never manage his vices.