# Famous spoken guest voices in iconic songs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [October 9, 2024, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585 "2024-10-09T05:12:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2024, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585/61 "2024-10-09T17:48:00Z")
This one is probably borderline, much like Brent Spinner’s work, but the famous person is going to be more famous than most. Although I note, a lot of the songs mentioned aren’t all that iconic, especially compared to the likes of Thriller! And that would be Christopher Lee, and his forays into Heavy Metal Music. In the following albums, he has multiple spoken word as well as sung sections: https://www.youtube.com/embed/FOq7GPM74NM?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=PLQ7MnLRDNUKKw33yGQCCXrWkgmvlYG-mX ---
**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:** [October 9, 2024, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585/62 "2024-10-09T18:09:32Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > _Tubular Bells_, by Mike Oldfield, with Viv Stanshall You’re probably talking about the introduction of the instruments that made it to the original release, but Stanshall also narrated a hilarious drunken tour of the recording studio overtop the album’s closing track, “The Sailor’s Hornpipe”. This was cut from the official release in favour of an unadorned instrumental version, but it eventually resurfaced as a bonus track on various remastered releases. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/tMDXhmg8lGA/maxresdefault.jpg "Sailor's Hornpipe (Viv Stanshall Version)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMDXhmg8lGA) ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2024, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585/63 "2024-10-09T18:18:20Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/JCD5tTqpRkw/maxresdefault.jpg "Killing Floor - The Electric Flag") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCD5tTqpRkw) "…opens with the voice of President Lyndon Johnson delivering his “We Shall Overcome” speech to Congress, talking about “the dignity of man” when his speech is interrupted by raucous laughter, applause and the sound of The Electric Flag building up for the spirited opener, “Killing Floor.” Howlin’ Wolf’s original was about a destructive relationship with a woman; The Electric Flag casts America as the destructive lady in question and the killing floor becomes the war in Vietnam. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2024, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585/64 "2024-10-09T18:20:16Z")
Speaking of Viv Stanshall, his running dialog for [The Intro And The Outro](https://youtu.be/yCtkJxyYsrc?feature=shared) is pretty great. (even though it doesn’t qualify as a “guest voice”) ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2024, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585/65 "2024-10-09T18:21:19Z")
This is probably cheating because it’s a clip from a film, but I’m counting it. Frank Maxwell and Peter Fonda from _The Wild Angels_ at the start of Primal Scream’s _Loaded_ [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/e8QPkD-15GQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Loaded - Primal Scream") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8QPkD-15GQ) ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2024, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585/66 "2024-10-09T18:28:15Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Th whole song is worth listening to. Yes, one of the most heartbreaking and beautiful songs, ever. Hehehe, and @iamatractorboy , that’s a well worn clip. For example, here it is in Mudhoney’s _In ‘n’ Out of Grace_ [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LYKAXJC1Lkk/maxresdefault.jpg "In 'n' Out of Grace") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYKAXJC1Lkk) ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2024, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585/67 "2024-10-09T18:37:17Z")
Didn’t know that, never heard that before! ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2024, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585/68 "2024-10-09T18:48:34Z")
“Regulate” by Warren G featuring Nate Dogg opens with a clip from the movie _Young Guns_ spoken by actor Casey Siemaszko. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2024, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585/69 "2024-10-09T19:15:59Z")
For decades something bugged me… and my kid, who introduced me to Aesop Rock. At the the beginning of “Bring Back Pluto”, SOMEone says: > This is my friend Tony. He’s pretty cool, although he’s not always so smart. It became a catchphrase around the house, any time anyone did anything dumb. Suddenly, a few years ago, googling that phrase got a hit! It was from the beginning of an anti-masturbation video, from… the '80s maybe? Here, it’s a fun song; my kid’s generation misses having nine planets. (The first lyric is “And then there were eight…”) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/0t7VhE5koJQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Bring Back Pluto") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t7VhE5koJQ) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2024, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585/70 "2024-10-09T19:27:16Z")
That may not have counted as a famous voice, although some of us swear it’s the same kid who played Kevin’s dorky best friend on The (original) Wonder Years. [Josh Saviano played Paul Pfeiffer.](https://people.com/tv/wonder-years-cast-where-are-they-now/) Who ended up going to Yale, and is now on the business side of entertainment. Hmmm, he and Fred Savage are still friends, anyone know Fred well enough to ask him? ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2024, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585/71 "2024-10-09T19:54:05Z")
Which reminds me that Living Colour’s _Cult of Personality_ features voice clips from Malcolm X, JFK, and FDR. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2024, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585/72 "2024-10-09T20:31:26Z")
Also from _The Wall_ near the end of “Don’t Leave Me Now” you can hear basketball announcer Chick Hearn doing the play-by-play for a Lakers-Bulls game. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2024, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585/73 "2024-10-09T21:02:52Z")
Chas Adams’ monologue at the beginning of Madness’ “One Step Beyond” is one I’m surprised it took me this long to think of. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/SOJSM46nWwo/hqdefault.jpg "Madness - One Step Beyond (Official 4k Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOJSM46nWwo&t=30) ---
**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:** [October 9, 2024, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585/74 "2024-10-09T21:03:22Z")
The Beatles’ “I Am the Walrus” surely qualifies as an iconic song. It features a dramatic reading from Shakespeare’s _King Lear_ by noted actors Mark Dignam and Philip Guard, thanks to John Lennon fiddling with an AM radio in the recording studio. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2024, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585/75 "2024-10-09T21:25:48Z")
1964, Beach Boys, “Drive In”: None other than Smokey Bear himself delivers his line “…if you say you watched the movie you’re a couple of liars, _ **and remember only you can prevent forest fires…** _” ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2024, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585/76 "2024-10-09T21:29:51Z")
At the beginning of the Assemblage 23 song “Disappoint,” there’s a line from John Malkovich in the movie “In the Line of Fire”: “Do you believe in the nobility of suicide?” (I can’t figure out how to post the video…) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2024, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585/77 "2024-10-09T21:33:06Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > (I can’t figure out how to post the video…) It’s a known bug in our board software/configuration. See here for the workaround: > [@How to avoid the YouTube posting bug](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-avoid-the-youtube-posting-bug/1007499): > > You’re trying to post a YouTube video, but you get a popup saying “You can’t embed media items in a post.” Here’s how to avoid that. There are a couple of minor variations. I haven’t written my post yet Write your post normally but do not include the YouTube link(s). When you are satisfied with the post, hide the preview window (see the \<\< button in the lower-right). Then, insert the links in the desired locations. Note that the links should each appear on a line by themselves. Then post. … ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2024, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585/78 "2024-10-09T22:51:13Z")
I posted Gordon Sinclair’s voice over earlier I wanted to add he was Canada’s Paul Harvey. Except Sinclair also had a career as a journalist. His Americans recording charted 4 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. I can’t recall a music voice over, commentary ever doing that again. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2024, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585/79 "2024-10-09T22:57:26Z")
Paul Hardcastle’s 1985 song “19,” about the Vietnam War, sampled narration from an ABC television documentary, narrated by Peter Thomas: not a household name, but a very recognizable voice to anyone who’s watched U.S. television documentaries or commercials from the 1980s through the 2000s. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0sajngb0W6I/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AG-B4AC0AWKAgwIABABGGUgWCg7MA8=&rs=AOn4CLAVzSCVMmoYh5wq-lyZex8AQQc-tg "Paul Hardcastle - 19 (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sajngb0W6I) ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2024, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585/80 "2024-10-09T23:02:28Z")
Jamie T’s Sheila has a passage of Sir John Betjeman reading his poem The Cockney Amorist. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4-L7Cadb-c0/maxresdefault.jpg "Jamie T - Sheila (2007 Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-L7Cadb-c0) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-spoken-guest-voices-in-iconic-songs/1008585.md?page=5)