# Besides "Lovin' You"- pop songs where the sings hits a really high note? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 3, 2007, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227 "2007-08-03T01:54:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227/1 "2007-08-03T01:54:27Z")
That’s about it. No real reason for the question, just heard the song and was trying to think of similar examples, and haven’t thought of one yet… ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227/2 "2007-08-03T02:11:18Z")
The end of “MacArthur Park.” “Free” by Deniece Williams…ETA maybe not, I might be thinking of another one by her… Many of Kate Bush’s early songs have impossibly high notes in them. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227/3 "2007-08-03T02:21:31Z")
Under Pressure Freddy Mercury hits a pretty high note. Keep coming up with love but its so slashed and torn why, why,(really high)why (really really high)why Actually, Freddy Mercury was pretty at hitting high notes. Bohemian Rhapsody beazulbub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for (really high) MEEEEEEEEEEE! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227/4 "2007-08-03T02:28:40Z")
“Scheherazade” - Renaissance Not only does Annie hit a note only dogs can hear at the end, but she holds it for about 20 bars as well. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227/5 "2007-08-03T02:37:07Z")
Anything from Mariah Carrey. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227/6 "2007-08-03T02:37:54Z")
Joni Mitchell - Twisted _“I had a brain, it was insane…”_ ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227/7 "2007-08-03T02:39:51Z")
Mariah Carey hits some wicked notes in “Emotions.” Dang, **Loach** beat me to it. But I was specific! What do I win? ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227/8 "2007-08-03T02:51:36Z")
**Mika** hits some pretty high notes in Freddie Mercury style on “Grace Kelly” and “Love Today”. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227/9 "2007-08-03T02:51:49Z")
“Take On Me” by a-ha. That’s a dangerous one, because I always feel compelled to sing along and then I end up nearly hurting myself. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227/10 "2007-08-03T03:25:06Z")
Rob Halford (Judas Priest) in many songs - I’ve got “Exciter” playing right now for example and he sings the whole thing in a pretty high pitch, then at the end keeps ratcheting it up over and over again. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227/11 "2007-08-03T04:01:54Z")
I know which song I was thinking of eariler - it’s not Deniece Williams at all. It’s another Minnie Riperton song: “Inside My Love.” It’s no surprise that she sings those notes only a dog can hear in that one, too. It’s also a better song than “Loving You.” ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227/12 "2007-08-03T04:07:51Z")
An all-time classic --\*The Lion Sleeps Tonight \* – the Tokens. IIRC, the lead vocalist just died in the last couple of weeks. Meat Loaf hits some very high notes. And Roy Orbison was said to have a 3 octave range. Frankie Lymon – Why do Fools Fall in Love? Any number of Beach Boys songs A bunch of Bee Gees songs ---
**Author:** ![Quint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/76d3ee/32.png) [@Quint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quint)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227/13 "2007-08-03T04:43:48Z")
Best example I can think of is the Jimmy Sommerville/Communards version of [Don’t Leave Me This Way](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzIAl6z5m7Y). He hits this impossibly high note, then just keeps going _up_. Pretty fun track too. ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227/14 "2007-08-03T05:51:33Z")
Bobby Hatfield of The Righteous Brothers on “Unchained Melody” (as seen in the movie Ghost) “I _neeeeed_ your love, God speed your love to me.” ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227/15 "2007-08-03T06:52:59Z")
And don’t forget the immortal “Aaaiiiiii-eeee-aiiii-eee-aiiiii wiii-iiilllll alllwaays love youuuu-uuu-uuuu-UUUUU!!!” by whatsername. ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227/16 "2007-08-03T07:05:48Z")
“In Dreams” - Roy Orbison “Release Me” - Englebert Humperdink ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227/17 "2007-08-03T07:32:05Z")
Forgot Phoebe Snow - many, but specifically “Rockin’ pneumonia and the boogie woogie flu.” ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227/18 "2007-08-03T07:57:35Z")
“Going For The One” - Yes. Jon Anderson hits an absurdly high note for a man right at the beginning. ---
**Author:** ![Promethea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Promethea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Promethea)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227/19 "2007-08-03T08:13:14Z")
“Silly Games” by Janet Kay. The title is sung in absurdly high tones! ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227/20 "2007-08-03T09:05:38Z")
[QUOTE=Hometownboy] Bobby Hatfield of The Righteous Brothers on “Unchained Melody” (as seen in the movie Ghost) “I _neeeeed_ your love, God speed your love to me.” [/QUOTE] Bobby also added some very high falsetto notes to the rather impassioned bridge section of ‘You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling’. And he can take all the credit too - I once saw an interview with the songwriter and he said he didn’t put those high notes in… that was all down to Bobby, improvising in the studio. Surprised no-one has yet mentioned Russel Mael of Sparks. That guy could hit notes that show up at air traffic control. This is one reason why hardly anyone (SFAIK) has ever tried covering Sparks tunes. Try singing the last few bars of ‘This town ain’t big enough for the both of us’. Only Russel in his prime could hit that final note, and even he can’t do it now. Sparks appeared on the British ‘Jonathan Ross’ chat show not so long ago and did a medley of one new song and TTABEFTBOU, and when it came to the big final note Russel had to drop an octave. Time catches up with all of us. And there’s also the girl singer of The Cocteau Twins, whose name someone will doubtless be aong to provide in just a moment, whose voice was seemingly pre-mixed at birth with helium. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/besides-lovin-you-pop-songs-where-the-sings-hits-a-really-high-note/414227.md?page=2)