# Acapella versions of hit songs, please. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 11, 2009, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acapella-versions-of-hit-songs-please/520870 "2009-12-11T17:00:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acapella-versions-of-hit-songs-please/520870/41 "2009-12-13T14:32:03Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > Not quite sure about the ultra-bass lead, myself. Oh dear. Also, does anyone else cringe at how earnest some of the singers look? It’s even worse when they’re trying to dance too. I used to be in an a capella group myself, and I cringe looking at it all. Anyway, no thread about a capella would be complete without mention of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. For your consideration, not exactly hits, but [I wish my national anthem were half as beautiful](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j94fteQR-TY), and [Sesame Street has never sounded so good](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcpTCKOzJjA&feature=fvw). And from the pop charts, this beautiful version of [The Lion Sleeps Tonight](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4XC9PcIMkE). ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acapella-versions-of-hit-songs-please/520870/42 "2009-12-14T01:00:55Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I’ve met them. They’re really lovely people (and cute!). We did, too! They actually did a concert here in Lancaster, PA. The second we heard about it we got tickets. Wonderful performers, and like you said, really lovely people. I was thrilled that I got the chance after the concert to tell them that I actually prefer their version of “Wuthering Heights” to Kate Bush’s original. ---
**Author:** ![FallingLeaves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/54ee81/32.png) [@FallingLeaves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallingLeaves)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acapella-versions-of-hit-songs-please/520870/43 "2009-12-14T01:34:37Z")
Capital Green have quite a few if you search for their channel. Two I like: Tyrone Wells - [Sink or Swim](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rjTEGQUSUw) U2 - [Where the Streets Have No Name](http://www.youtube.com/user/MSUCapitalGreen#p/a/u/0/RYPzZRJF-RQ) ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acapella-versions-of-hit-songs-please/520870/44 "2009-12-14T04:04:15Z")
A buddy’s a capella group just released an album of Beatles songs, and it’s available for free from their website at the moment: [Overboard](http://www.overboardvocals.com/) ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acapella-versions-of-hit-songs-please/520870/45 "2009-12-14T21:07:30Z")
The UNC Clef Hangers does a nice version of Carolina In My Mind - you can listen to it on their [MySpace site](http://www.myspace.com/theuncclefhangers). ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acapella-versions-of-hit-songs-please/520870/46 "2009-12-14T21:55:54Z")
Yes did a good a capella version of “Leave It”. Here’s a crappy college choir singing it: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ8VDxys9K0&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ8VDxys9K0&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acapella-versions-of-hit-songs-please/520870/47 "2009-12-15T22:42:02Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > If you can get past the heavy cheese factor, this version of [Toto’s Africa](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05ip-N0H1Ig) is absolutely breathtaking. Listen on headphones if you can. They look like they are genuinely having fun. I love that the “drummer” and “bass player” have air instruments. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acapella-versions-of-hit-songs-please/520870/48 "2009-12-21T06:17:36Z")
My favorite is from the movie Slackers where they do Ace of Base’s I Saw the Sign. [Clip here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX_X8El-S1k). Granted the movie adds some drums to part of it, but the original recording was all vocal and there are version of it out there… Also really love the MIT acapella chorus that did Dar William’s “As Cool As I Am”. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acapella-versions-of-hit-songs-please/520870/49 "2009-12-21T06:44:14Z")
> [@torie](#): > > [This](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW5czKqT05A) one cracked me up. That is great! [Here is an oldie but a goodie: Finnish group Loituma performing _Levan Polkka_.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4om1rQKPijI) I first saw them in a previous SDMB thread. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acapella-versions-of-hit-songs-please/520870/50 "2009-12-21T07:52:10Z")
> [@bleach](#): > > There’s a group called “The Bobs” who released two albums about 20 years ago called [“The Bobs Sing the Songs of …”](http://www.bobs.com/stso.html) and [“The Bobs Cover the Songs of …”](http://www.bobs.com/cover.html). The albums are mostly covers of familiar songs like Come Together, Purple Haze, Disco Inferno, and Psycho Killer. > > The CDs are hard to find in record stores but you can get used CDs from [half.com](http://half.com) or Amazon. The tracks’ mp3s are available for digital download too. [Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rotDjf6-kVw) the Bobs are doing Psycho Killer along with a dance group called ISO. I love those guys! ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acapella-versions-of-hit-songs-please/520870/51 "2009-12-21T14:45:48Z")
I like The Fleet Foxes, and I love their \*“White Winter Hymnal”. \*I honestly thought it couldn’t be matched until I heard the cover by Sonos: [Excerpt of the recorded version](http://sundaymusic.com/sunday-music-5/sonos-white-winter-hymnal-exclusive/) [Live on Youtube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBf4YJR6X_Y) (not great video or sound quality) It really crosses into choral music, and has a crystalline quality that makes me want to play it over and over. They also cover Bon Iver’s _“re: Stacks”_, but it really doesn’t match the quality of the original. In fact, a lot of their repertoire falls into the same trap as a lot of a cappella groups - that finger snappin’ bebop/light jazz feel. But \*“White Winter Hymnal” \*shows just how good a cappella can be. ---
**Author:** ![Zoot\_Sutra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/51bf81/32.png) [@Zoot\_Sutra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoot_Sutra)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acapella-versions-of-hit-songs-please/520870/52 "2009-12-23T01:57:17Z")
Italian acapella group Neri Per Caso performing The Doobie Brothers’ [“What A Fool Believes.”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EXyPrRvbos) ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acapella-versions-of-hit-songs-please/520870/53 "2009-12-23T02:29:16Z")
> [@Zoot\_Sutra](#): > > Italian acapella group Neri Per Caso performing The Doobie Brothers’ [“What A Fool Believes.”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EXyPrRvbos) That was worth all the commercials. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acapella-versions-of-hit-songs-please/520870/54 "2009-12-23T04:25:11Z")
Two of my long-time favorites from Spike Lee & Co. Do It A Capella The Mint Juleps doing _Higher and Higher_[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cosvQfbgAA&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cosvQfbgAA&feature=related) True Image and Rockapella doing _Under The Boardwalk_[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDGOKhcRUmw&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDGOKhcRUmw&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![smaje1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@smaje1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smaje1)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acapella-versions-of-hit-songs-please/520870/55 "2009-12-23T23:46:19Z")
A friend of mine was in the group “Mosaic Whispers” at Washington University in St. Louis. They are phenomenal. Here’s a bunch of videos to keep you entertained: [http://mosaicwhispers.wustl.edu/videos.html](http://mosaicwhispers.wustl.edu/videos.html) ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acapella-versions-of-hit-songs-please/520870/56 "2009-12-24T21:12:59Z")
One of the best sources for a cappella is this this site, [Primarily A Cappella](http://www.singers.com/), which sells CDs of dozens and dozens of a cappella group — contemporary, jazz, gospel, barber shop, collegiate, world, doo wop, vintage harmony, etc. There’s even an onsite a cappella audio stream. For the record, I have absolutely no financial ties to the site other than as a longtime customer. For really good contemporary stuff I second the nomination upthread of the BOCA (Best of College A Capella) annual compilations, which started in 1999. For non-college contemporary groups, AC Rock, The Coats (they were The Trenchcoats before Columbine), Rockapella, 17th Avenue All-Stars, the inimitable Bobs, Throat Culture, the Nylons and the oh-so-smooth Blenders are all phenomenal, but there are a huge number of talented groups out there. If you’re anywhere near one of the regional competitions for the [Harmony Sweepstakes](http://www.harmony-sweepstakes.com/), by all means take it in. Mrs. HTB and I have been to the Pacific Northwest competition twice in Olympia, and enjoyed it hugely, though it’s a four hour drive each way and an overnight stay. It’s particularly delightful for those of us who cant carry a tune with a forklift and a dumptruck. Happy listening Hometownboy [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acapella-versions-of-hit-songs-please/520870.md?page=2)