# Has there ever been a worse very successful singer than Mick Jagger? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 30, 2009, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428 "2009-11-30T03:51:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dorothea\_Book](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Dorothea\_Book](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorothea_Book)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428/21 "2009-11-30T12:07:21Z")
I don’t actually like Mick Jagger or much like the Rolling Stones; but I wouldn’t deny that his voice is (at least in recordings) distinctive and, well, classic. I don’t mean that it’s an original rock and rock voice (like say Lou Reed’s) or that it stands out quite as much as other blues-influenced vocals (like Joe Cocker’s, or Robert Plant’s, or Rod Stewart’s or Janis Joplin’s or even Kurt Cobain’s). But I think it does the job pretty well and he is known for his charismatic performance. As to Frank Sinatra, I’m surprised to see his name come up in this thread. He has a style, to be sure, but I suspect he’d have done just fine with Black Flag as his back-up. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428/22 "2009-11-30T12:27:34Z")
Technically he can’t sing for shit but he isn’t a singer, he’s the vocal part of a rock band. And as that he is fantastic - distinctive, effective and uniquely inventive within his limitations. It’s nice to see threads like this though. I am an old fart but not so old that I can’t understand that rock music isn’t about technical perfection, it’s about attitude. It takes me back to my youth, I can remember my mother complaining about Mick Jagger and comparing him to those “nice Beatles”. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428/23 "2009-11-30T12:50:41Z")
Rod Stewart doesn’t have much of a voice, also I think Prince is a very weak singer. I think the best example of this is his song “Kiss,” which was actually MUCH better when done by Tom Jones. I do like when other people sing Prince’s songs. I think he’s got much more talent as a writer than a singer. Janet Jackson is also a very weak singer. She’s not bad but she’s at best average. The best example of this is when she was on “Diff’rent Strokes” as Willis’s girlfriend. And Willis wants to form a band and the lead singer is between her and Willis’ sister Kimberly (Dana Plato). Dana Plato blew Janet Jackson out of the water with her voice. Plato was a much better singer and it was painfuly obvious in that episode. I read in Billboard how the carefully crafted Jackson’s career around dance movements and videos 'cause Janet was coming out the same time as Whitney Houston and there was no way she’d ever compete with Whitney. Paul McCartney has an OK voice provided the key is simple and he stays in it. But he has far too many songs where he strays from the key and the limits of his voice are apparent. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428/24 "2009-11-30T12:59:10Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > Janet Jackson is also a very weak singer. She’s not bad but she’s at best average. The best example of this is when she was on “Diff’rent Strokes” as Willis’s girlfriend. And Willis wants to form a band and the lead singer is between her and Willis’ sister Kimberly (Dana Plato). Dana Plato blew Janet Jackson out of the water with her voice. Plato was a much better singer and it was painfuly obvious in that episode. Just saw the clips of Janet singing. Ouch. I like her music and I knew she was never considered all that strong a singer, but I didn’t realize the extent. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428/25 "2009-11-30T13:09:52Z")
Eddie Fisher. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428/26 "2009-11-30T14:11:02Z")
I agree with \*\*lissener \*\*- Jaggers not a singer, he’s a rock star. Or, to put it another way, he may not sing great but he \*sells the song \*really well. His weird inflections, accents, improv’s, grunts, etc. - we all know dozens of them; there’s a reason for that. And the fact that he was delivering interesting lyrics and great songs - that’s never a bad thing. Same with Dylan. I would go with Lou Reed simply because his death croak is less interesting to me vs. Dylan’s nasal rasp or Jagger’s prancing bray. Neil Young can sound like a helium balloon deflating, too, but again, he used it in a way to reinforce his credibility about being about the music… ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428/27 "2009-11-30T14:32:48Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > …as I’m sure Frank Sinatra would with Black Flag backing him up. Thanks. Now I’m going to be spending the rest of the day walking around snapping my fingers and crooning _My War_, Frankie-style. ---
**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:** [November 30, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428/28 "2009-11-30T14:36:21Z")
> [@Imasquare](#): > > Have you ever seen any footage of a Beach Boys concert? Mike Love sounds nothing like he does in the studio. From when? From what I’ve heard, Mike Love’s voice has really gone downhill. [QUOTE=Ellis Aponte Jr.] Can you imagine any other singer doing “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Sympathy for the Devil,” or “Gimme Shelter” better than Mick Jagger? I don’t think you can. [/QUOTE] These sorts of statements are dangerous to make. ([Here’s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74qWOdNYjLc) my favorite “Gimme Shelter.”) [QUOTE=don’t ask] Technically he can’t sing for shit but he isn’t a singer, he’s the vocal part of a rock band. [/QUOTE] Okay, but I much prefer bands whose singers _can_ sing for shit. Part of the reason I’ve never gotten into the Rolling Stones (possibly the most egregious gap in my music collection is no Stones) is that I’ve never liked Mick’s singing. But I don’t know how much of that is just personal taste. ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428/29 "2009-11-30T14:38:53Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > From when? From what I’ve heard, Mike Love’s voice has really gone downhill. Exactly. Even looking at old footage from the early 70s, he couldn’t sing in tune. I don’t know what they did in the studio to get him singing straight. ---
**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:** [November 30, 2009, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428/30 "2009-11-30T14:48:57Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > ([Here’s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74qWOdNYjLc) my favorite “Gimme Shelter.”) And you actually think this is appreciably better? She’s OK, but, at best, equal to Jagger. Not better. Jagger has a great voice – distinctive, powerful, and dramatic. The Stones would be nowhere without him (even assuming he still wrote the music). He just doesn’t match current vocal styles – he creates his own. That’s greatness. If you want to pick on weak singers, consider Britney Spears. (And the sad thing is that that type of singing is what’s considered good these days.) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428/31 "2009-11-30T15:00:32Z")
> [@](#): > > Not unlike Peter O’Toole’s line from My Favorite Year (a mediocre film with some great lines): > > Alan Swann: Damn you! I’m not an actor, I’m a movie star! My favorite version of this was John Kruk’s response to someone telling him he looked pretty out of shape for an athlete: _“Lady, I’m not an athlete. I’m a baseball player.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_X2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90db22/32.png) [@Karen\_X2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_X2)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428/32 "2009-11-30T15:00:40Z")
David Lee Roth. He’s not singing. He’s yelling at the microphone. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428/33 "2009-11-30T15:14:27Z")
> [@Karen\_X2](#): > > David Lee Roth. > He’s not singing. He’s yelling at the microphone. For all the stink about “Van Hagar”, Sammy Hagar is a far better singer than Dave. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428/34 "2009-11-30T16:19:19Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > ([Here’s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74qWOdNYjLc) my favorite “Gimme Shelter.”) Have to chime in on this one. Gimme Shelter is one of my all time favourites and that version is a classic example of how not to cover a song. “It’s neither nowt nor summat” as my old gran would say. I confess I don’t know who that singer is but, though she might be technically better than Mick, you can tell she couldn’t care less about the song. I find it cold and meaningless. But the original? Mick and Merry Clayton’s vocals make my hair stand up. I’ll take feeling over technique any day of the week. So she’s OK. I can’t really judge her until she sings something she really cares about though. It’s the sort of thing that would do well on the x-factor, Mick would bomb of course and that says all you need to know about that type of show. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428/35 "2009-11-30T17:15:02Z")
> [@Imasquare](#): > > Have you ever seen any footage of a Beach Boys concert? Mike Love sounds nothing like he does in the studio. I never liked the Beach Boys. kid,bubblegum music ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428/36 "2009-11-30T17:22:40Z")
I’m not sure how “successful” you need to be to count in this discussion, but Ian Brown of The Stone Roses was really, really bad. “Drunken oldster in the karaoke bar” bad. His voice must have been extremely tweaked up in the studio because he was legendarily awful in concert. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428/37 "2009-11-30T17:25:08Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Jagger began by vocally imitating [Howlin’ Wolf](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howling_Wolf) as did Van Morrison. However, Morrison has departed stylistically farther than Jagger has. Since the Stones are named after a Muddy Waters song, I thought the story was that Mick was imitating Muddy, not the Wolf. He doesn’t sound much like either one but I guess he’s closer to Muddy. I’m not a big fan of Jagger or the Stones - there are some great songs in there, though - but there are definitely far worse singers. He doesn’t have a lot of range, but range is not the be all and end all of singing talent. Johnny Cash didn’t have much either, but he still put his stamp on a lot of songs. Jagger’s the same as far as that goes. And a lot of modern singers can’t really sing either, and also don’t have the same personality. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428/38 "2009-11-30T17:32:59Z")
> [@Karen\_X2](#): > > David Lee Roth. > He’s not singing. He’s yelling at the microphone. Apparently I agree with you, because I spent half the thread convinced people were talking about Van Halen, not the Rolling Stones! Seriously, he’s so bad that I naturally assumed… 🙂 I’m not a huge fan of the stones (and find “under my thumb” flatout offensive) but Mick is a better singer than DLR. If Dave Matthews is still making music in 20 years, he should be nominated too. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428/39 "2009-11-30T17:38:05Z")
Just my opinion, of course, but lord did that Ashley Cleveland cover suck. Just really bad. Again my opinion, but the Stones are and always will be the best rock band of all time. They are the epitome of rock, the kind of rock that made mamas lock up their daughters and outraged citizens write letters to the editor. That said, Merry Clayton, the female vocalist on Gimme Shelter, did a very credible cover. The arrangement had a lot to do with it, as it totally kicks ass, but she rips it right up. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XCyTqnizcvI/hqdefault.jpg "MERRY CLAYTON- "GIMME SHELTER" (1970)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCyTqnizcvI) ---
**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:** [November 30, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428/40 "2009-11-30T17:44:16Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > Can you imagine any other singer doing “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” better than Mick Jagger? I don’t think you can. And no one has since Mick sang those songs. Mark Mothersbaugh? [Sorry for the snippage] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-worse-very-successful-singer-than-mick-jagger/519428.md?page=3)