# Do you sing along with singers of the opposite gender? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 11, 2007, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455 "2007-03-11T05:00:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2007, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455/21 "2007-03-11T12:08:40Z")
Yes. If I’m in the mood to sing along and know the lyrics, I sing with whoever’s singing–not neccessarily in the same octave they are singing. ---
**Author:** ![essell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/34f0e0/32.png) [@essell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/essell)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2007, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455/22 "2007-03-11T12:22:30Z")
Gender is neither here not there. I sing along when drunk and / or alone. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2007, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455/23 "2007-03-11T12:47:24Z")
Anything I know the lyrics to, I’ll sing along. Sometimes, if I don’t know the lyrics, I’ll just fake it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2007, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455/24 "2007-03-11T12:49:23Z")
Absolutely. I’ve got quite a wide range, so I like to try to match the female singer’s voice without going into falsetto. Joni Mitchell is a particular challenge. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2007, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455/25 "2007-03-11T12:50:41Z")
Yup, if I like the song. Sometimes I need to take it up an octave or two, of course, but I’m an alto; I need to take a lot of soprano parts _down_ an octave so I don’t hurt anything. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2007, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455/26 "2007-03-11T14:49:03Z")
Yep! ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2007, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455/27 "2007-03-11T15:55:17Z")
I tend to sing along with male voices better than with female voices, because I have a deep voice and I hate singing in falsetto. I have found that if I try to sing along with a female singer, I instinctively jump down an octave. It feels more natural that way. Which is embarrassing when I’m within earshot of someone, since they probably wonder why I’m singing like a guy. Also, when I sing along with lyrics written for a guy, I often forget to change swap out “girl” for “boy”. That probably causes more raised eyebrows, but I don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![stretch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2007, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455/28 "2007-03-11T18:01:07Z")
Oh, yes. I sing along with anybody, torturing those unfortunate enough to be within range. I can’t carry a tune and may as well be tone deaf, but if I like the song, I’m singing along. My husband must love me very, very much to put up with that. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Cyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyn)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2007, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455/29 "2007-03-11T18:06:11Z")
I’ll sing along if I like the song, whoever sings it, harmonizing if I can’t get my contralto around it, but walk a mile in my shoes and experience **Drachillix** going diva, channeling Mariah. Or Whitney. Or Toni Braxton. He has no shame because he is\* fabuous.\* ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2007, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455/30 "2007-03-11T18:08:23Z")
[QUOTE=essell] Gender is neither here not there. I sing along when drunk and / or alone. [/QUOTE] Ditto. If I know the words, I sing with it. I like to build harmony parts for songs too. I resent having to have music on so low that I can’t sing along at a comfortable volume, so I sing on Saturdays, home alone, or in my car, or when tipsy. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2007, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455/31 "2007-03-11T18:13:42Z")
Usually no, but when driving and listening to Lida Husik I play guitar in my mind along with her. ---
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2007, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455/32 "2007-03-11T18:26:48Z")
Yep ---
**Author:** ![Mbossa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Mbossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mbossa)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2007, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455/33 "2007-03-11T19:17:01Z")
I’m quite famous for my baritone rendition of Fur Patrol’s [Lydia](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFlPeBsDug0). ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2007, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455/34 "2007-03-11T19:36:50Z")
All the time. If I know the words, then I sing along. ---
**Author:** ![Lilairen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lilairen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lilairen)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2007, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455/35 "2007-03-11T19:46:07Z")
Most popular female singers are sopranos. I am, well, not. (As far as I can tell, I have the same vocal range as Billy Joel. We even break at about the same point, around the A above middle C.) I will sing along with anything; I _prefer_ popular music done by male singers, because it doesn’t require working the octave or harmonising to pull it off. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2007, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455/36 "2007-03-11T19:51:18Z")
Of course, why not? Plus, I have a very low voice, so the notes are generally very easy to hit. But I’ll sing along with any pretty much anything - and just switch to my octave when it pushes a bit too hard. During duets though, I’ll generally sing along with the female singer. ---
**Author:** ![Lucky\_13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucky_13/32/13209_2.png) [@Lucky\_13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky_13)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2007, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455/37 "2007-03-11T19:53:21Z")
Yep, I’ll sing along to anyone, male or female. Hell, I’ve even sung along to Leonard Cohen. It’s harder, though, on his later albums because he sings so low now. ---
**Author:** ![Siege](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Siege](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siege)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2007, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455/38 "2007-03-11T22:21:59Z")
I’m an alto who loves rock’n’roll. Most of the songs on the radio have male leads, so of course I sing along. Sometimes I adjust the lyrics to suit my sex; sometimes I don’t. (On Journey’s _Separate Ways_, it’s about 50/50 whether I’ll sing “If she ever hurts you” or “If he ever hurts you”). ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2007, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455/39 "2007-03-11T22:23:34Z")
I can do a perfect Biz Markie. I’ll leave it at that. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2007, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455/40 "2007-03-11T22:25:59Z")
Whereas I used to do a fine rendition of Wuthering Heights. But I did have to use falsetto. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sing-along-with-singers-of-the-opposite-gender/395455.md?page=3)