# Falsetto in popular music (Wimoweh) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 18, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708 "2005-11-18T21:01:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708/1 "2005-11-18T21:01:34Z")
When I first heard the Tokens’ “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, I was surprised that the primary vocal is sung almost entirely in falsetto. It sounds to me like the (male) lead singer is rather obviously trying to impersonate a woman, and I didn’t think such a thing would fly in the morally conservative America of 1961. Which leads me to some questions: 1. Was the 1961 Tokens cover the first falsetto rendition of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, or was it always meant to be sung that way? (According to Wikipedia, the song dates back to 1939, and was recorded many times before the Tokens covered it.) 2. Were the Tokens ever publically criticized by the conservative or religious segment of the population for their effeminate singing in this song? 3. What other popular songs, before or after 1961, are sung primarily in falsetto? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708/2 "2005-11-18T21:06:17Z")
People have been composing music meant to be sung in the extreme upper range of men’s voices for the past, well, as long as we have records of it… 600 years? For a long time, women weren’t welcome to sing in christian churches, so the upper parts were sung by boys or men whose voices hadn’t changed much. More recently, we’ve seen barbershop quartets having countertenors, Chris Cross, and the Beach Boys all using male leads in the upper register. yes, I know, the top line isn’t the lead in barbershop. Sue me. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708/3 "2005-11-18T21:07:39Z")
Franki Valli has made an entire career of it. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708/4 "2005-11-18T21:12:03Z")
Prince’s **Kiss**. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708/5 "2005-11-18T21:13:42Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > Franki Valli has made an entire career of it. So Did Tiny Tim. ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708/6 "2005-11-18T21:29:04Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > When I first heard the Tokens’ “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, I was surprised that the primary vocal is sung almost entirely in falsetto. It sounds to me like the (male) lead singer is rather obviously trying to impersonate a woman, and I didn’t think such a thing would fly in the morally conservative America of 1961. Which leads me to some questions: > > 1. Was the 1961 Tokens cover the first falsetto rendition of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, or was it always meant to be sung that way? (According to Wikipedia, the song dates back to 1939, and was recorded many times before the Tokens covered it.) > > 2. Were the Tokens ever publically criticized by the conservative or religious segment of the population for their effeminate singing in this song? > > 3. What other popular songs, before or after 1961, are sung primarily in falsetto? To answer your questions as best I can: 1.) I don’t believe it was meant to be sung falsetto, and as far as I know (which admittedly is little) theirs is the first such renditon. 2.) Mostly songs by African-American R&B or group singing. It seems that is a tradition derived initially from what [This site](http://www.mtsu.edu/~baustin/afrtrad.html) refers to as the “falsetto wail” or “falsetto leap”. I think it was common in the Doo Wop style for the melody to be sung in a falsetto voice. [This site](http://www.singers.com/doowop/)seems to support my theory. 3.) Following up on my statement above, I would look for Doo Wop recordings and [This site](http://www.history-of-rock.com/vocal_groups.htmsetto) gives some excellent representations of it. You also have to remember that the crazy “right-wing” people regularly enjoyed “Uncle Miltie” cross dressing on his program. Also, I don’t believe falsetto was an attempt to imitate a woman, but was instead a tradition that groups like The Tokens co-opted from black culture. It is still a popular method of musical expression among Black artists. ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708/7 "2005-11-18T21:30:43Z")
[Link repair](http://www.history-of-rock.com/vocal_groups.htm) for last link above – my apologies. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708/8 "2005-11-18T22:04:35Z")
Barry Gibb Voice: LIVE, LIVE, LIVE, LIVE–Staying Alive ---
**Author:** ![dasgupta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@dasgupta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasgupta)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708/9 "2005-11-18T22:15:05Z")
The Beatles in _Tell Me Why_ [falsetto]Is there anything I can do?[/falsetto] ’cause I really can’t stand it, I’m so in love with you. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708/10 "2005-11-18T22:28:40Z")
“Emotional Rescue” - Rolling Stones (mostly) ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708/11 "2005-11-18T22:38:14Z")
More Stones - the chorus of “Miss You.” The main hook of “Mr. Skin” by Spirit. An awful lot of The Beatles’ backup harmonies were sung with falsetto parts. Most of the songs on “Abbey Road” feature them. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708/12 "2005-11-18T22:57:44Z")
The Beach Boys did a lot of falsetto in their beachy songs. “In My Room” comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708/13 "2005-11-18T22:59:34Z")
Thom Yorke of Radiohead makes extensive use of falsetto. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708/14 "2005-11-18T23:14:18Z")
[Frankie J’s](http://music.yahoo.com/ar-300615---Frankie-J) cover of “More Than Words” and the original version are both sung in falsetto. I’d almost call [Coldplay’s](http://music.yahoo.com/ar-303082---Coldplay) Yellow falsetto too. [James Blunt’s](http://music.yahoo.com/ar-8190206---James-Blunt) “You’re Beautiful” reaches falsetto. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708/15 "2005-11-18T23:45:54Z")
It was, in some capacity, considered sexy or titillating - when Brian Wilson would hit those notes in songs like “Fun Fun Fun” or “I get around” in live and television performances, the girls in the audience would go _crazy_. Predating this, Frankie Valli seemed to get a lot of mileage out of a sort of comical, whiny falsetto on songs like "Sherry Baby, " “Walk like a man,” “Big girls don’t cry,” and “Rag Doll.” ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708/16 "2005-11-18T23:51:46Z")
Double check the OP folks, they wanted examples BEFORE 1961. Check my repaired link above for such examples. I thought we could all read on this board? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2005, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708/17 "2005-11-19T00:02:42Z")
**ddgryphon** they specifically said: > [@psychonaut](#): > > 1. What other popular songs, \*before or \*_after \*\* 1961_, are sung primarily in falsetto? It seems I can comprehend what I read with more facility than you. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2005, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708/18 "2005-11-19T03:48:42Z")
Barry Gibb has been mentioned already, but it should be noted that the Bee Gees did a lot of falsetto (it is their _thing_ ya know?) ---
**Author:** ![ms.deanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@ms.deanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ms.deanna)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2005, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708/19 "2005-11-19T03:53:39Z")
Smokey Robinson with and without the Miracles. “Ooh Baby, Baby” is a classic. ---
**Author:** ![Tevildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Tevildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tevildo)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2005, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708/20 "2005-11-19T03:54:14Z")
Does Roy Orbison count as “falsetto”, or did he just have an unusually high voice for a male singer? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falsetto-in-popular-music-wimoweh/331708.md?page=2)