Music Banter

Music Banter (https://www.musicbanter.com/)
-   Pop (https://www.musicbanter.com/pop/)
-   -   Back-up Singer English (https://www.musicbanter.com/pop/93384-back-up-singer-english.html)

Lisnaholic 03-12-2019 03:33 PM
Back-up Singer English
 
The pop music industry is famously tough and unforgiving, and must seem especially so if you are an aspiring backing singer. Not only do you have to sing in English, you are expected to master another language altogether. The Hollies managed to do it pretty well in their 1963 cover version of Stay: notice how fluently they pronounce "bub bub sha wally" and how they can even use it correctly in a sentence, i.e.:
Well your mama don't mind bub bub sha wally.




Anyone else with a favourite gem of Back-up Singer English?

Psy-Fi 03-12-2019 04:02 PM
Blue oo oo oo oo doobie doobie doobie doo...





The Shangri-Las - I'm Blue

Marie Monday 03-12-2019 04:24 PM
I really don't know how to transcribe it, "shimmy shimmy shay-ay missidis"? Whatever, it's brilliant
edit: forgot the third shimmy, shame on me


And the Kinks opening the Something Else album with the line 'fafafafafafafafa' is still one of the greates moves in music history

Lisnaholic 03-13-2019 07:08 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Psy-Fi (Post 2047722)
Blue oo oo oo oo doobie doobie doobie doo...
^ Hey, I love those low-swinging "oo"s, Psy-Fi !

Quote:
Originally Posted by MariaExpressesHerself (Post 2047725)
I really don't know how to transcribe it, "shimmy shimmy shay-ay missidis"? Whatever, it's brilliant
edit: forgot the third shimmy, shame on me
^ That's quite a complex, inventive line that they're singing, before they go completely wild about half-way through the song. Good call.
(Total rookie mistake to forget how many shimmies you're supposed to sing, Maria. I don't think you'd make it as a backing vocalist, I'm afraid. :()

This song starts with something that's tricky to transcribe too. I think it's "root-toot-too do woodit. Catch it while you can, because after a while they abandon singing in favour of acrobatics which shift in a matter of minutes from charming to clever, to painful-looking and finally, disturbing. :eek:

Marie Monday 03-13-2019 09:51 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisnaholic (Post 2047800)
(Total rookie mistake to forget how many shimmies you're supposed to sing, Maria. I don't think you'd make it as a backing vocalist, I'm afraid. :()
:laughing: there's like a thousand reasons why I wouldn't make a good backing vocalist

And Rock Lobster has great backing vocals too of course, especially the 'ewww's

Edit: that potato salad dance is hilarious Lisna

Lisnaholic 03-17-2019 06:29 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by MariaExpressesHerself (Post 2047814)
:laughing: there's like a thousand reasons why I wouldn't make a good backing vocalist
Edit: that potato salad dance is hilarious Lisna
^ Sorry you can't make it as a backing vocalist. How's your flexibility for doing that potato salad dance? ;)



My doctor has advised me against trying the potato salad dance, so instead I'm now singing along with the Beach Boys in hopes of backing Brian Wilson one day.

OccultHawk 03-17-2019 07:42 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisnaholic (Post 2047800)
^ Hey, I love those low-swinging "oo"s, Psy-Fi !



^ That's quite a complex, inventive line that they're singing, before they go completely wild about half-way through the song. Good call.
(Total rookie mistake to forget how many shimmies you're supposed to sing, Maria. I don't think you'd make it as a backing vocalist, I'm afraid. :()

This song starts with something that's tricky to transcribe too. I think it's "root-toot-too do woodit. Catch it while you can, because after a while they abandon singing in favour of acrobatics which shift in a matter of minutes from charming to clever, to painful-looking and finally, disturbing. :eek:
That’s sexy crazy and like you said disturbing af

In the 40’s it was considered cute entertainment but by the 70’s people were horrified by a fraction of the same weirdness

Lisnaholic 03-17-2019 09:06 PM
That's a good point. In many ways our appetite for freaks and freakish behaviour has been in decline for hundreds of years I suspect. From gladiators to Victorian freak shows, there has been plenty of pretty tacky entertainment in our past. (And, yes, that spider walk is creepy - neat comparison to the sweetly smiling Ross Sisters!)

OccultHawk 03-17-2019 09:12 PM
The Ross Sisters could’ve done a great musical version of The Exorcist for Broadway

In some other universe that’s probably huge right now

I’m probably rich in that universe come to think of it

Marie Monday 03-18-2019 09:38 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisnaholic (Post 2048396)
^ Sorry you can't make it as a backing vocalist. How's your flexibility for doing that potato salad dance? ;)
I'm horribly inflexible. I have a friend who trained as a ballerina and I once tried to do pilates with her, that was a humbling experience


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:28 AM.


© 2003-2024 Advameg, Inc.