# Favourite Vocal Harmony lines in Popular Music **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 12, 2016, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739 "2016-07-12T19:08:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Made\_in\_Macau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@Made\_in\_Macau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Made_in_Macau)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739/1 "2016-07-12T19:08:48Z")
I’ve got to admit the truth, I am totally head over heels in love with ‘Miss Sweeney’ by Weezer and I was thinking about why I love it so much . While I really like the stilted anxious delivery of the verses and the rock out chorus; it’s the harmony in the middle 8 that gets me every time - so then I realised how much I love singing well constructed harmonies. And thought of a few right away - Peg by Steely Dan in the chorus where MM sings the b vox (not strictly a harmony but its my game) before the main vox. Bruno Mars’ Lazy Song in the chorus with the harmony singing below the main vocal Steel Panther’s Girl From Oklahoma NSFW!! the chorus and m8 despite it’s misogynistic content, it’s a great pastiche. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/2s-TV1_uL-A/maxresdefault.jpg "STEEL PANTHER ACOUSTIC & UNCENSORED - GIRL FROM OKLAHOMA") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s-TV1_uL-A) Difford and Tilbrook’s Hope Fell Down. I was at a Glenn Tilbrook solo show in '98 and he stopped playing this in the middle as he could hear me in the crowd singing the harmony, invited me up on stage to do it with him and we’ve been friends since. And of course Love Hurts by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. So Dopers, what are your favourite harmony lines? Find you never sing the main melody when that bit comes on? Please share! MiM ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739/2 "2016-07-12T20:31:08Z")
In _Shout_ by **Tears for Fears** , I always loved how the last line of the verse that goes “You shouldn’t have to shout for joy” vocally overlaps with the first line of the chorus that goes “Shout! Shout! Let it all out” in such a way that the word shout is harmonized to each sentence. If that makes any sense, I’m not musically inclined so I don’t know the proper jargon to describe it. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739/3 "2016-07-12T20:42:55Z")
[Sandman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjFwTLGMe9Q), Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt [Don’t Know Much](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmuJ0us63GQ), Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville Most anything that was done by The Everly Brothers. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739/4 "2016-07-13T00:44:31Z")
Anything by the Roches. ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739/5 "2016-07-13T00:50:46Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > _snip_ > > Most anything that was done by The Everly Brothers. Ditto Simon & Garfunkel ---
**Author:** ![stolatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@stolatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolatt)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739/6 "2016-07-13T01:34:06Z")
Crosby, Stills and Nash, Carry On or any one of their songs. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739/7 "2016-07-13T02:21:42Z")
[Queen — The Prophet’s Song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoiV60vqa1w) Specifically starting at [3:24](https://youtu.be/WoiV60vqa1w?t=204). Apologies for the ^#@## YouTube ad. ---
**Author:** ![Made\_in\_Macau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@Made\_in\_Macau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Made_in_Macau)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739/8 "2016-07-13T06:08:02Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Anything by the Roches. Great choice - I love the bit in Hammond Song - ‘If you go with that fellaaaaaa’ MiM ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739/9 "2016-07-13T11:00:57Z")
M in M, that’s a great story! At least in their Squeeze songs, it seems that Difford and Tilbrook like to do straight octave harmonies, which is rather unusual. Okay, a few of my favorites: “Hard Times,” by Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings. “I’ll Get You,” by The Beatles (B side to “She Loves You”) “Faithless Love,” as sung by Linda Ronstadt and a male singer I don’t know the name of. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739/10 "2016-07-13T12:02:05Z")
Not exactly harmony because I don’t think that the lines are superposed (except perhaps for brief moments) but I’ve always loved the way the back up singers repeat and expand on every line the singer sings in **The Mamas & the Papas** ’ _California Dreamin’_. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739/11 "2016-07-13T12:10:06Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > [Sandman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjFwTLGMe9Q), Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt My favorite from the Trio album is “Sorrow in the Wind”. Amazing harmonies between their three voices. Sorry, I wasn’t able to find a link on YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739/12 "2016-07-13T12:26:11Z")
[Porcupine Tree Glass Arm Shattering](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XNIUNuWN68). It’s only Steven Wilson overdubbed to death, but still pretty spectacular. Fast forward to the 4:00 mark. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739/13 "2016-07-13T13:22:15Z")
I’ll go with **If I Fell by The Beatles**. Close, tight, practically two lead vocals vs. a lead + harmony. Everly Brothers-type, but John’s and Paul’s voices are different enough that the two strains stand out rather than fuse. I feel like I can hear both the joyous music and the gears working behind the scenes as one shifts up a note while the other holds constant or they move through a technical line together. Very, very hard to do and so beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739/14 "2016-07-13T13:33:31Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > “Faithless Love,” as sung by Linda Ronstadt and a male singer I don’t know the name of. It’s J.D. Souther, who wrote the song and then recorded his own version a couple of years later. Absolutely beautiful song. I’ll suggest The Tokens’ version of Joni Mitchell’s [Both Sides Now](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LlvuCZgTwk), in particular the chorus lines of “I really don’t know clouds/love/life at all …” ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739/15 "2016-07-13T14:20:35Z")
Anything by the Beach Boys, especially Good Vibrations 🆒 Gregorian (Masters of Chant) Brothers in Arms ---
**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:** [July 13, 2016, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739/16 "2016-07-13T14:55:28Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I’ll go with **If I Fell by The Beatles**. Close, tight, practically two lead vocals vs. a lead + harmony. Everly Brothers-type, but John’s and Paul’s voices are different enough that the two strains stand out rather than fuse. > > I feel like I can hear both the joyous music and the gears working behind the scenes as one shifts up a note while the other holds constant or they move through a technical line together. > > Very, very hard to do and so beautiful. Good choice. There’s a guy who posts YouTube videos on the Beatles’ vocal harmonies. The one for “If I Fell” is [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoKjXx0zcXU). Now for my own suggestions: Part of what makes The Kinks’ “[Waterloo Sunset](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_MqfF0WBsU)” is the ethereal backing vocals (featuring Davie Davies and IIUC Ray’s wife Rasa). It’s just a sound check, but: Trip Shakespeare: “[Fool of the Wicked Kind](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcnHfv5umws)” There are some corners where he doesn’t get much respect, but Billy Joel deserves props for the harmony vocals in “[The Longest Time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_XgQhMPeEQ)” ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739/17 "2016-07-13T15:09:13Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Good choice. There’s a guy who posts YouTube videos on the Beatles’ vocal harmonies. The one for “If I Fell” is [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoKjXx0zcXU). Oh yeah, that fella’s breakdowns of The Beatles’ vocal harmonies are very well done. ---
**Author:** ![SykoSkotty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SykoSkotty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SykoSkotty)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739/18 "2016-07-13T15:24:27Z")
For me, the best harmony line is from “Magic Man” by Heart. It’s only one small portion of the song, but the way it’s presented, after a short keyboard solo with a phase shifter effect, is just incredible. Ann & Nancy absolutely nail it - it sounds like two angels singing. Perfection. [Magic Man Lyric video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qijQC-m2IDs) Skip ahead to the 4:00 minute mark to hear the keyboard/harmony section ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739/19 "2016-07-13T15:48:43Z")
I’ve always liked Jackson Browne’s _Running On Empty_, particularly the chorus and the part where after he sings"running on" the back up singer sings “running bliiiiiiiiiiind” and hits this really high note. I remember watching them perform on SNL and she just mesmerized me for some reason. The Eagle did some of the best harmonizing, with an obvious example being \* Seven Bridges Road \* though I prefer _Witchay Woman_. Billy Joel does a heck of a job harmonizing with . . .himself ( I know it’s overdubbing but it sounds perty). ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739/20 "2016-07-13T16:01:39Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > My favorite from the Trio album is “Sorrow in the Wind”. Amazing harmonies between their three voices. > > Sorry, I wasn’t able to find a link on YouTube. Ronstadt is a truly amazing vocalist. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-vocal-harmony-lines-in-popular-music/759739.md?page=2)